Orphan Island

by Rose Macaulay

In 1855 a philanthropic young person, Miss Charlotte Smith, was escorting forty orphans to San Francisco when the ship was wrecked, and the survivors-Miss Smith, the orphans, a doctor, and some others, landed on a desert island. Those sailors who had escaped deserted them the next day in the boats. There they remained unvisited for some seventy years, with little to disturb the monotony beyond the adventures of the Doctor, who was secured in turn by Miss Smith and a shark. All this is contained in chapter one. The second chapter opens in 1922 at Cambridge, where lived the descendants of one of the sailors who deserted-a professor and his three children. A document and chart coming into the professor's hands, left by his dead grandfather, telling the story of the marooning of Miss Smith and the orphans, the professor and his family voyage out to the island and find there a thriving community, and Orphan Island is chiefly concerned with the community and the relations of it to the professor and his family.

Genres: Classics, Fiction

Library Binding

First published January 1, 1924

About the author

Emilie Rose Macaulay, whom Elizabeth Bowen called "one of the few writers of whom it may be said, she adorns our century," was born at Rugby, where her father was an assistant master. Descended on both sides from a long line of clerical ancestors, she felt Anglicanism was in her blood. Much of her childhood was spent in Varazze, near Genoa, and memories of Italy fill the early novels. The family returned to England in 1894 and settled in Oxford. She read history at Somerville, and on coming down lived with her family first in Wales, then near Cambridge, where her father had been appointed a lecturer in English. There she began a writing career which was to span fifty years with the publication of her first novel, Abbots Verney, in 1906. When her sixth novel, The Lee Shore (1912), won a literary prize, a gift from her uncle allowed her to rent a tiny flat in London, and she plunged happily into London literary life.

From BookRags: http://www.bookrags.com/biography/ros...

Reviews

[Kirsty · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found, to my delight, that my local library system had a copy of Rose Macaulay's Orphan Island in their stock deposit collection, and I duly reserved it.  The copy which I received was rather an ugly hardback, with library stamps in it dating from the 1960s and 1970s.  Regardless, I settled down with it happily, eager to read more of Macaulay's writing.

First published in 1924, and set during the mid-Victorian 1850s and the 1920s, Orphan Island takes one on rather a memorable romp to an island in the South Pacific, 'far beyond even Tahiti'.  This island is, 'at times... almost too perfect, too well-equipped by nature.'  Here, one family, fresh from Cambridge, arrives during the Roaring Twenties.  They land on the same island which Miss Charlotte Smith has, in effect, colonised, after landing there in 1855.

Miss Smith, a 'kind-hearted lady of thirty or so' at this point, has been tasked with taking 'some fifty orphans, of various nationalities and all of them under ten years of age' to San Francisco from England, where an orphanage has been provided for them.  Of course, this does not go to plan, and after the ship in which they are travelling becomes damaged, they are squashed into lifeboats and set adrift, finally ending up on a 'peaceful and uninhabited' island.  Miss Smith and 'her orphans' became castaways, 'with nothing but a meagre library and an ideal vision of Queen Victoria at Balmoral to guide them towards the future.'  Of course, the island also provides the castaways, which include a doctor and a nursemaid, with an abundance of delicious fruits, and a freshwater spring.  The two sailors who travel with them soon abscond, and more adventure ensues.

The Cambridge-based grandson of one of these soldiers, sociologist Mr Thinkwell, finds out about the island during the 1920s.  Soon, he and his three grown-up children - Charles, William, and Rosamond - all of whom are conveniently at a relatively loose end, decide to make a journey there, to see if there are any survivors.  Their 'voyage passed,' writes Macaulay, 'like a strange and lovely dream.  For days and nights they flew full-sail...'.  Of course, they find a fully-established colony, in which the now elderly Miss Smith is the fully-fledged matriarch.  She has built her very particular persona upon that of Queen Victoria.

However, the island's society is hardly a utopian one.  Rather, the hierarchical class system is very much in place, and they rely on slaves who 'don't expect' to be paid.  There are huge differences, too, between the island's inhabitants and the Thinkwells: 'Between them seventy years seemed to yawn, and neither understood.'  We are given a sweeping history of the island, as well as many musings upon religion.

The edition which I read featured an introduction written by Alan Pryce-Jones.  He calls Macaulay a 'moralist', explaining that 'she found the spectacle of life extraordinary and fascinating; she was never deceived by appearances; but she was always unwilling to pass a final judgment.'  Pryce-Jones is well aware of the 'gleam in Rose Macaulay's eye which is would be unwise to overlook: she is seeing how far she can go, playing with her reader as she plays with her own fantasy.'  He believes that Orphan Island is 'an admirable point of entry' to her work. 

As with other Macaulay novels which I have read, she has a great deal to say in Orphan Island, and writes very well.  Her descriptions of place and person are rich and sensuous; for instance, when she writes of Rosamond: 'She wanted to swim, to wade, to curl up in the warm sand and sleep.  A small wind spiced with vanilla stroked her cheek, stole into her mouth.  There was a stirring of birds in the woods, and sharp, staccato cries, and it seemed that a monkey also woke and sang.'  Of one of the island's inhabitants, who takes Rosamond under her wing, Macaulay notes: 'Her voice was clear and cool, like a small waterfall, or ice tinkling on glass; her face was a blown candle, which smoulders still.'

Macaulay, throughout, poses much for her reader to consider, and Orphan Island is certainly an interesting novel in a lot of ways.  It does not, however, contain a driving narrative; there are some segments which are quite slow, and almost plod along.  Other sections are constructed like an interview, telling of practices on the island from the mouth of one of its citizens.  Orphan Island is rather a far-fetched novel in many ways, but it does provide a slice of escapist fiction.  The novel feels, at times, like an adventure story, somewhat in the vein of Swallows and Amazons but on a far more exotic scale. 

[Wreade1872 · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Will it seem, in its 1923 stage of knowledge, as.. backward.. as it did to those who broke into it after its first seventy years of segregated history?"

That was ok. The plot, a group of orphans and a couple of adults are stranded on a desert island in the mid-1800's.
In the 1920's a rescue party of sorts finally arrives and finds this society based on victorian values. Its a bit like one of those Star-Trek episodes where they end up on Roman planet or Gangster planet or something.

It really makes fun of the class distinctions and history of britian but its a fairly narrow book. It just has that one idea to carry the entire work.

And as to the quote above, YES is the answer. While it tries to take apart class disparity it is still pretty racist and with no appealing female characters despite its female author.

I found the writing a bit odd, its descriptive parts are quite florid compared to the rest of the text. So its normal, normal, florid flourish, normal normal normal florid etc. Its not good odd or bad odd, i just found it odd.

The story moves pretty quick and has some humour to it, mostly dark humour from my point of view.

I was a little surprised their was so little mention of WWI. I kind of expected that to be a major demarcation point between the victorian society and the people of 1920 but it barely got an acknowledgment.

[Thomas · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fantastic premise, but it went in directions that I didn't find very satisfying. I wanted it to be a different story. But interesting for sure.

[Janet · Rating 4 out of 5]

Clever late-20s satire of Victorian society/mores.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

Macaulay Lite, which means all the deliciousness I've come to associate with Macaulay without her typical accompanying devastation. A true critique and skewering of Victorian Britain and great fun.

[Martin Cahn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Satirical view of an island society. Very interesting social comment, one inevitably compares it with other spoilt Utopias such as Lord of the Flies, Animal Farm, 1984.

[Krystina Kelley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I probably would have given this 5 stars if I hadn't been so mad at the end!

[Kathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I need a sequel!!!

[Orinoco Womble (tidy bag and all) · Rating 1 out of 5]

Yawn.
Sleep inducing.
A star and a half is generous.