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Tourmaline
A vividly imagined novel from award-winning Joanna Scott. In the mid-1950s, an American family travels to an island off the coast of Italy to make a fortune in gemstones.
- GenresFiction
304 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2002
6 people are currently reading
125 people want to read
About the author
Joanna Scott
25 books66 followersfrom the backcover:
Joanna Scott is an Assistant Professor of English at the University of Rochester. She has also taught in the creative writing programs at Princeton University and the University of Maryland. She was awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship during the writing of Arrogance.
Librarian note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
Joanna^^Scott
Joanna Scott is an Assistant Professor of English at the University of Rochester. She has also taught in the creative writing programs at Princeton University and the University of Maryland. She was awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship during the writing of Arrogance.
Librarian note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
Joanna^^Scott
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
September 29, 2013
The best of this book was the enchanting descriptions of Elba. It started out with such promise and then got scattered and bogged down half way through.
April 21, 2011
What a shame. I liked it until I hated it. On page 194 I had to close it, give up on it. It changed tone completely, got kind of abstract and stream-of-consciousness-y. Oh well. I'm sorry.
I liked the era and the setting but not enough to find out what happened to Adriana Nardi or the Murdoch family. And it's not that the writing wasn't beautiful--it was.
But I think it's useful to note that at any particular point in our lives our minds are full not just of our own memories but of the experiences of characters from the books we've been reading. That's if we are lucky to have the education and leisure to read at all. And the curiosity. p. 64
Those who forgot their dreams upon waking drank blackberry tea to help them remember. p. 136
the peste di sogni--the plague of dreams
What else do I remember? Looking for a gold earring I lost on the street in Porto Azzurro. Watching six fishermen in a row pass along a single wooden match to light their six cigarettes. p. 147
The Elbans were suspicious of him. Suspicion being the action of accusation held in suspense. p. 155
I liked the era and the setting but not enough to find out what happened to Adriana Nardi or the Murdoch family. And it's not that the writing wasn't beautiful--it was.
But I think it's useful to note that at any particular point in our lives our minds are full not just of our own memories but of the experiences of characters from the books we've been reading. That's if we are lucky to have the education and leisure to read at all. And the curiosity. p. 64
Those who forgot their dreams upon waking drank blackberry tea to help them remember. p. 136
the peste di sogni--the plague of dreams
What else do I remember? Looking for a gold earring I lost on the street in Porto Azzurro. Watching six fishermen in a row pass along a single wooden match to light their six cigarettes. p. 147
The Elbans were suspicious of him. Suspicion being the action of accusation held in suspense. p. 155
August 3, 2017
Beautifully written but a shaggy dog story--it went nowhere. I got bored and kind of sloughed through the second half. But her writing truly is exquisite and I will remember some moments from it. Just not the book as a whole.
August 31, 2010
"It's like Joanna Scott." A term to describe a book you loved.
April 19, 2011
Interesting land and descriptions of Elba, yet I ended the book wondering why it was written.
July 12, 2017
This is a mellow dreamy sort of novel about an American family attempting to make a life on the island of Elba. It captures the flavors and scents of Italian island life set amidst the family drama of a
father/husband who can't seem to make a go of it in America or on the island. It's poignant and charming and I enjoyed the writing style of author Joanna Scott though at times she becomes repetitive in her endless soul searching questions.
father/husband who can't seem to make a go of it in America or on the island. It's poignant and charming and I enjoyed the writing style of author Joanna Scott though at times she becomes repetitive in her endless soul searching questions.
February 11, 2023
I think this is more 3.5 stars. A little confusing at times but towards the end the main storyline has a conclusion. I appreciated the different story perspectives and overall was a relaxing read. Now I want to visit Elba!
January 4, 2022
One of the best books I ever read.
November 3, 2008
My God, I admire the sheer writing skill of Joanna Scott. I've rarely read a more beautiful, original and poetic start to a novel than the one in Tourmaline. For those first pages alone, I would give Scott 5 stars, even though I must admit I lost a tiny bit of interest later on.
But Joanna Scott won't let go of you. She is poetic, she creates strong memorable characters, and she is good at structuring her novels. Because of these gifts I begged her - I BEGGED HER - to write a blurb for my first US novel, The Tsar's Dwarf. She graciously accepted. So read her. Joanna Scott is a writer's writer. No wonder she was short listed for the Pulitzer for The Maniquin - a novel that's on my list of books to read before I die.
But Joanna Scott won't let go of you. She is poetic, she creates strong memorable characters, and she is good at structuring her novels. Because of these gifts I begged her - I BEGGED HER - to write a blurb for my first US novel, The Tsar's Dwarf. She graciously accepted. So read her. Joanna Scott is a writer's writer. No wonder she was short listed for the Pulitzer for The Maniquin - a novel that's on my list of books to read before I die.
July 3, 2008
Think of Elba and two things likely come to mind: Napoleon and the famous palindrome. Now I'll also think of Tourmaline, a novel set largely on this little island. There's much to like about it -- a rich sense of place and well-drawn characters -- but the story is disrupted by the switches in point of view. Those switches happen too infrequently to be anything but a distraction. Tourmaline is a quick read, though, and convincingly took me to a place I knew little about but was glad to get to know.
November 2, 2013
Beautiful writing that meanders a bit. Vivid descriptions of Elba.
February 16, 2015
I think I just love Joanna Scott's writing style, her characters and certainly the setting, the island of Elba, Italy.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews