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Max L. Biedelman Zoo #2
Friday's Harbor
It's been three years since Hannah the elephant departed the Max L. Biedelman Zoo, and life is blissfully quiet for her friends in Bladenham. Sam has retired, Neva manages a doggie day care, Harriet Saul has been fired, and newly-minted lawyer Truman Levy has been recruited to replace her as the zoo's executive director.
Then Truman's aunt, an eccentric heiress looking for a pet project, finds just the thing: a killer whale stranded in Colombia who desperately needs a new home. With the help of marine mammal expert Gabriel Jump, she strong-arms Truman into repurposing the zoo's never-used porpoise pool for Friday's rehabilitation. Under Gabriel's watchful eye, and with a team of dedicated helpers, Friday begins to revive.
But not everyone believes that Friday should remain in captivity. And before Truman knows what to do about it, the Max L. Biedelman Zoo is under national scrutiny-- and controversy-- and Friday's fate may no longer remain in their hands.
Then Truman's aunt, an eccentric heiress looking for a pet project, finds just the thing: a killer whale stranded in Colombia who desperately needs a new home. With the help of marine mammal expert Gabriel Jump, she strong-arms Truman into repurposing the zoo's never-used porpoise pool for Friday's rehabilitation. Under Gabriel's watchful eye, and with a team of dedicated helpers, Friday begins to revive.
But not everyone believes that Friday should remain in captivity. And before Truman knows what to do about it, the Max L. Biedelman Zoo is under national scrutiny-- and controversy-- and Friday's fate may no longer remain in their hands.
352 pages, Paperback
First published October 8, 2013
54 people are currently reading
703 people want to read
About the author
Diane Hammond
8 books67 followersFor forty-plus years I have tried to describe to other writers and non-writers alike the magic of writing. The way it can make things happen I never intended to make happen; the way it creates images in readers' heads that I can plant there with nothing but words; the way it helps sort me out when I didn't understand myself by thinking, alone.
I feel privileged to be a writer, and much more so to have my work read. I am grateful to every person who chooses to spend time with my words, and to conjure my visions as their own. It is an honor I will never take for granted, or view as less than an incredible act of magic.
I feel privileged to be a writer, and much more so to have my work read. I am grateful to every person who chooses to spend time with my words, and to conjure my visions as their own. It is an honor I will never take for granted, or view as less than an incredible act of magic.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 78 reviews
September 28, 2024
“No one chooses to be alone. Maybe that’s why I relate to Friday.”
Have any of my animal-loving friends seen ‘Free Willy’ or ‘BlackFish’?
If so, you might be interested in this story about a small zoo in Oregon that gives a killer whale named Friday a second chance at health and happiness.
Worried that it might be too preachy or lecture-like? It isn’t. The author remains neutral despite being Free Willy’s (Keiko’s) press secretary for two years. She presents facts and leaves it up to the reader to formulate their own opinions. It’s a gentle story about love, hope and redemption.
The star of the story is a 21-foot-long nineteen-year-old North Atlantic-caught killer whale named Viernes (Friday in English). Before the story opens we read about how Friday’s health has suffered due to his captivity in a zoo in Bogota, Colombia. He was 2000 lbs underweight and refusing to perform when wealthy philanthropist and San Juan Island resident Ivy Levy visits him. Ivy uses her position as a longtime board member of the Whale Museum in Friday Harbor, Washington and her son’s position as executive director of the Max L. Biedelman Zoo in Bladenham, WA to give Friday a second chance.
There’s a quirky cast of eclectic characters, too. I loved the Chihuahua named Julio Iglesias, the potbellied pig named Miles and the quiet and reserved animal communicator, Libertine Adagio.
We had a fabulous lecturer on board who filled a theatre and kept us spellbound learning about whales.
Did you know that:
🐋Killer whales don’t hear out of the water so communication must be done with hand/body signals or with a dog whistle rather than words?
🐋Killer whales, also called Orcas, are the largest of the dolphin species? They aren’t whales at all!
Have any of my animal-loving friends seen ‘Free Willy’ or ‘BlackFish’?
If so, you might be interested in this story about a small zoo in Oregon that gives a killer whale named Friday a second chance at health and happiness.
Worried that it might be too preachy or lecture-like? It isn’t. The author remains neutral despite being Free Willy’s (Keiko’s) press secretary for two years. She presents facts and leaves it up to the reader to formulate their own opinions. It’s a gentle story about love, hope and redemption.
The star of the story is a 21-foot-long nineteen-year-old North Atlantic-caught killer whale named Viernes (Friday in English). Before the story opens we read about how Friday’s health has suffered due to his captivity in a zoo in Bogota, Colombia. He was 2000 lbs underweight and refusing to perform when wealthy philanthropist and San Juan Island resident Ivy Levy visits him. Ivy uses her position as a longtime board member of the Whale Museum in Friday Harbor, Washington and her son’s position as executive director of the Max L. Biedelman Zoo in Bladenham, WA to give Friday a second chance.
There’s a quirky cast of eclectic characters, too. I loved the Chihuahua named Julio Iglesias, the potbellied pig named Miles and the quiet and reserved animal communicator, Libertine Adagio.
We had a fabulous lecturer on board who filled a theatre and kept us spellbound learning about whales.
Did you know that:
🐋Killer whales don’t hear out of the water so communication must be done with hand/body signals or with a dog whistle rather than words?
🐋Killer whales, also called Orcas, are the largest of the dolphin species? They aren’t whales at all!
February 7, 2014
In all honesty, there's no way this review was ever going to be fair. I loved Hannah's Dream so much that this book couldn't help but disappoint me on some level or other. However, even when I consciously push away the comparison and weigh the book on its own merit, I find it wanting.
It's a meandering sort of tale, which can be good, but which I found somewhat frustrating when something climactic began to happen, quickly resolved itself, and then we meandered some more until the book just sort of...petered out.
The new characters were not nearly so endearing as the old ones. I still was much more attached to the characters I already knew. I found Gabriel arrogant and unlikable, mostly due to his aloof attitude. Ivy was a lot of fun, but she didn't really go anywhere except...away. I don't know how else to describe it, but where most characters develop toward something, she just seemed to come apart at the seams, and watching a character essentially slide into depression, with no resolution, was not fun at all. Friday and Juan were a lot of fun, of course. Julio Iglesias was a weird little dog, and I'm not fond of animals, real or fictional, who pee everywhere.
The new character who was the most trouble was, of course, Libertine. An animal psychic/communicator/whatever you would like to call it. Really? This is supposed to be realistic fiction, after all. I very firmly do not believe in animal psychics (or any other kind of psychic), but if this had been a sci-fi or fantasy book, it probably wouldn't have bothered me. But asking me to accept that in a setting which is purportedly reality was a step too far for my suspension of disbelief. I very nearly didn't read the rest of the book because of it. And it hurt the rest of the book--no, having the other characters share my skepticism didn't rescue that, either, since the author seems to believe in her, and several times we the readers are asked to believe in her.
And, believe it or not, this is not my only problem with this character. As if her supposed ability to communicate mentally with animals wasn't bad enough, she also has a sad backstory, she's lonely all the time, has low self-esteem, and constantly has tears in her eyes. Oh, and when the other characters doubt her, they are proven wrong and are ashamed of themselves. It all added up to make her a Mary Sue for me. I was supposed to develop a soft spot for her, but I just got disgusted.
My biggest pet peeve, though, is how the characters kept rehashing the same issues over and over and over again. Did we really need eight different conversations about why they can't release Friday into the wild, all of which end with exactly the same conclusion? I got it the first time, he would die if they let him go. It's a conclusion I happen to agree with, but that doesn't mean I wanted to hear it over and over again. The repetitiousness began to feel like filler after a while, and I couldn't help being annoyed about it.
I guess what I'm trying to say is that this book just didn't connect for me. I could see some good in it, and I particularly enjoyed seeing Johnson Johnson again (one scene with him is a severe tear-jerker, so I am not kidding when I tell you to have some tissues on hand), which is why I didn't just out and out not like it, but it's not near and dear to me the way its predecessor was.
I do give Hammond a massive dose of credit for not doing what so many sequels do--Neva and Truman are not only still together, they stay together; we don't see much of Corinna, but she's not been killed off; and nobody has moved away unexpectedly or been otherwise put on a bus, with the exception of Harriet, who I wasn't particularly fond of anyway. I was relieved and that at least made me have some feeling for this book. Sam was still warm and steady and full of wisdom; Johnson Johnson was still kooky and sweet and gentle; everyone I loved before is still lovable, not having undergone a drastic personality change to make way for the newcomers. That alone helped this book hang on to that second star.
I don't think I can recommend it, not the same way I wholeheartedly push Hannah's Dream on anyone who will listen. It's not that it will hurt you to read it, but it's not an enriching experience, either. I would say it's more of a way to pass the time if you haven't got anything else to read, which I do.
It's a meandering sort of tale, which can be good, but which I found somewhat frustrating when something climactic began to happen, quickly resolved itself, and then we meandered some more until the book just sort of...petered out.
The new characters were not nearly so endearing as the old ones. I still was much more attached to the characters I already knew. I found Gabriel arrogant and unlikable, mostly due to his aloof attitude. Ivy was a lot of fun, but she didn't really go anywhere except...away. I don't know how else to describe it, but where most characters develop toward something, she just seemed to come apart at the seams, and watching a character essentially slide into depression, with no resolution, was not fun at all. Friday and Juan were a lot of fun, of course. Julio Iglesias was a weird little dog, and I'm not fond of animals, real or fictional, who pee everywhere.
The new character who was the most trouble was, of course, Libertine. An animal psychic/communicator/whatever you would like to call it. Really? This is supposed to be realistic fiction, after all. I very firmly do not believe in animal psychics (or any other kind of psychic), but if this had been a sci-fi or fantasy book, it probably wouldn't have bothered me. But asking me to accept that in a setting which is purportedly reality was a step too far for my suspension of disbelief. I very nearly didn't read the rest of the book because of it. And it hurt the rest of the book--no, having the other characters share my skepticism didn't rescue that, either, since the author seems to believe in her, and several times we the readers are asked to believe in her.
And, believe it or not, this is not my only problem with this character. As if her supposed ability to communicate mentally with animals wasn't bad enough, she also has a sad backstory, she's lonely all the time, has low self-esteem, and constantly has tears in her eyes. Oh, and when the other characters doubt her, they are proven wrong and are ashamed of themselves. It all added up to make her a Mary Sue for me. I was supposed to develop a soft spot for her, but I just got disgusted.
My biggest pet peeve, though, is how the characters kept rehashing the same issues over and over and over again. Did we really need eight different conversations about why they can't release Friday into the wild, all of which end with exactly the same conclusion? I got it the first time, he would die if they let him go. It's a conclusion I happen to agree with, but that doesn't mean I wanted to hear it over and over again. The repetitiousness began to feel like filler after a while, and I couldn't help being annoyed about it.
I guess what I'm trying to say is that this book just didn't connect for me. I could see some good in it, and I particularly enjoyed seeing Johnson Johnson again (one scene with him is a severe tear-jerker, so I am not kidding when I tell you to have some tissues on hand), which is why I didn't just out and out not like it, but it's not near and dear to me the way its predecessor was.
I do give Hammond a massive dose of credit for not doing what so many sequels do--Neva and Truman are not only still together, they stay together; we don't see much of Corinna, but she's not been killed off; and nobody has moved away unexpectedly or been otherwise put on a bus, with the exception of Harriet, who I wasn't particularly fond of anyway. I was relieved and that at least made me have some feeling for this book. Sam was still warm and steady and full of wisdom; Johnson Johnson was still kooky and sweet and gentle; everyone I loved before is still lovable, not having undergone a drastic personality change to make way for the newcomers. That alone helped this book hang on to that second star.
I don't think I can recommend it, not the same way I wholeheartedly push Hannah's Dream on anyone who will listen. It's not that it will hurt you to read it, but it's not an enriching experience, either. I would say it's more of a way to pass the time if you haven't got anything else to read, which I do.
June 8, 2022
Awesome book about a handful of people, some rich, some eccentric, one psychic, etc. they come together to rescue a whale held in a compound that is not good for her and if she does not get out she will sue for sure. The mad sp adventures begins with a plan backed by a lot of money from ivy. She has a chihuahua Julio Iglesias that does not like her and pees or poops or eats stuff or just behaves badly to her. It is comical.
The plan is to have a professional prepare and transport her to a zoo that has an empty tank that would be perfect for Friday as the whale is called. Stressful moments by all in process but Friday makes it. We read with baited breath as it shows some hope but then some depressing behaviors.
Everyone is rooting for Friday!
Won’t spoil the show for you but there are laughs and tears and holding our breath wondering and hoping if this is all going to work out. Not just for the whale, but relationships of all the individuals grow from this whale salvation project.
This was a great book. I’m an animal lover so this was right up my alley. What a wonderful, positive story!
The plan is to have a professional prepare and transport her to a zoo that has an empty tank that would be perfect for Friday as the whale is called. Stressful moments by all in process but Friday makes it. We read with baited breath as it shows some hope but then some depressing behaviors.
Everyone is rooting for Friday!
Won’t spoil the show for you but there are laughs and tears and holding our breath wondering and hoping if this is all going to work out. Not just for the whale, but relationships of all the individuals grow from this whale salvation project.
This was a great book. I’m an animal lover so this was right up my alley. What a wonderful, positive story!
January 3, 2014
This book wasn't exactly what I thought it would be but I really really liked it for whatever reason.. its got some interesting characters in it and has a 'happy' ending but not everything is completely tied up with a bow. Of course I love books, in winter, that contain a lot of drinking of hot coffee and getting warm after being cold and some yummy food references. The whole book made me feel warm inside,, lol.
April 28, 2014
I LOVE killer whales so when I saw this book sitting on a display in Barnes and Noble, I knew I was going to get it. I had a gift card to use and I was in between which book I would spend it on. In the end I used my gift card to buy the other book and just got this one for myself for no real reason at all other than "I love the sound of this book, it's mine!"
Because of all the recent controversy over "BlackFish" I really was interested to see what kind of book this was going to turn out to be. I didn't know until after I started reading it that it's apparently somewhat of a sequel to Hammond's other book "Hannah's Dream" which I intend on reading now! But thankfully this book was a good standalone so I didn't NEED to read HD in order to be able to enjoy this one, although there a lot of references to that other book and sometimes I was like "Dammit, I wish I knew what they were talking about."
Anyways, the book was very charming. I love animals in general but to read such a spirited book about one of my favorite animals was very awesome. Hammond made me laugh, a LOT with Julio Iglesias, the spunky and very opinionated Chihuahua. So many times in this book I actually had to read passages out loud to my guy just to have him laugh with me. I adore any author who can actually make me laugh.
In a nutshell, the book is about a whale named "Viernes" which is Spanish for Friday. He lives in a crappy place with lukewarm water and not enough sustainable food. Ivy, a sort of hippy crazy older lady with a lot of money, discovers Viernes and immediately reaches out to her nephew who is a newly appointed zoo director. He has a pool just sitting there, completely ready for an animal, but there is none. So Ivy convinces her nephew Truman to save Viernes but buying him and bringing him to the zoo. So the majority of the store is about Viernes (who they later just call 'Friday') and his rehabiliation. Another character, Libertine is an "animal whisperer" and she comes to the zoo because she feels like an animal is trying to connect with her (the whale) and she eventually joins the team of people who work with the whale, even though she has some animal activitist "friends" of hers who are against all captivity and are tryijng to get her to join the fight to release the whale or kill him. Better dead than in captivity, they say. Overall I loved the book, HOWEVER, there were a few things about the book that kind of didn't tie in and irked me:
1. Reginald (Sam's nephew, Sam being a friend of Truman) leaks a bullshit story to the media and never gets reprimanded for it. Even after Sam tells him to talk to Truman and admit he made up the whole story
2. Gabriel, the main whale trainer, we find out at the end is the one who captured Friday in the wild all those years ago. We find this out at the end and it made me like him a little less. When I watched BlackFish and they showed footage of whales being captured in the wild, it made my heart ache, so I hated the idea of Gabriel, a character I liked the whole time, doing that.
3. There was a brief mention of Libertine falling in love with Gabriel but the author never went anywhere with it. That's kind of a book thing to introduce early on in the book and then just not touch up on. I think there is one line where she realizes she is just infatuated but Hammond made a bold statement by saying "Libertine was in love." I don't think she should have made a statement like that stand out so much if she wasn't going to act on it.
4. The end seemed kind of rushed. I was expecting a huge twist in the middle of the book about a huge media controversy about whales in captivity. But really Truman just came off as paranoid and every time I thought a problem was going to be an actual problem it got downplayed. It wasn't until the last 40 pages of the book or so that the big twist came. It was a little late, I think. Too much buildup and not enough deliverance.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 16, 2020
Nice light feel good story
August 6, 2016
I loved Diane Hammond's novel Hannah's Dream when I read it a number of years ago for a book group I was in. It was a book that definiely tugged on my heartstrings. I have been recommending it to people ever since. Now the author has written Friday's Harbor, a sequel to Hannah's Dream, and I love this one just as much.
Sitting down with this book was like being back with old and much loved friends that I've missed seeing and hanging out with. It was a joy to be back at the Max L. Biedelman Zoo and catch up on Neva, Truman, and Sam and learn how well Hannah is doing in her new home. It's been three years since Hannah was moved to the Elephant Sanctuary in Calif. Gone thankfully is former director and bully, Harriet Saul, who did everything she could to block Hannah's move and rehabilitation. In her place is newly appointed director Truman Levy, formerly the accounting manager, now Neva's live-in partner.
Truman's wealthy aunt Ivy, who has more money than she knows what to do with, finds out about Viernes (Friday in Spanish) a killer whale who has been mistreated, and is sick and slowly dying in a tiny and filthy pool at at theme park in Bogota, Columbia. Ivy alerts Truman to Friday's situation and tells him they have to rescue him and bring him to the Max L. Biedelman Zoo. They have a dolphin pool that Ivy donated $75,000 to construct, but no dolphins. A perfect place to care for Friday and get him healthy again.
I don't want to go any further and spoil the story for anyone who hasn't read it, but if you love stories about animals, or whales, or just a feel good story with a happy ending that will probably get you a little weepy as it did me, then you will probably enjoy this book. I definitely recommend it and give it 5 stars.
Sitting down with this book was like being back with old and much loved friends that I've missed seeing and hanging out with. It was a joy to be back at the Max L. Biedelman Zoo and catch up on Neva, Truman, and Sam and learn how well Hannah is doing in her new home. It's been three years since Hannah was moved to the Elephant Sanctuary in Calif. Gone thankfully is former director and bully, Harriet Saul, who did everything she could to block Hannah's move and rehabilitation. In her place is newly appointed director Truman Levy, formerly the accounting manager, now Neva's live-in partner.
Truman's wealthy aunt Ivy, who has more money than she knows what to do with, finds out about Viernes (Friday in Spanish) a killer whale who has been mistreated, and is sick and slowly dying in a tiny and filthy pool at at theme park in Bogota, Columbia. Ivy alerts Truman to Friday's situation and tells him they have to rescue him and bring him to the Max L. Biedelman Zoo. They have a dolphin pool that Ivy donated $75,000 to construct, but no dolphins. A perfect place to care for Friday and get him healthy again.
I don't want to go any further and spoil the story for anyone who hasn't read it, but if you love stories about animals, or whales, or just a feel good story with a happy ending that will probably get you a little weepy as it did me, then you will probably enjoy this book. I definitely recommend it and give it 5 stars.
September 18, 2013
Friday's Harbor is a sequel to Hannah's Dream. Hannah's Dream is a charming, funny, and poignant story about a small zoo and a lonely elephant. It is one of my favorite books ever.
In Friday's Harbor, an orca (Friday) is rescued from a bad situation in a Columbian zoo and brought to the Max L Biedelman zoo. Friday's story is as appealing as Hannah's was.
The quirky main characters of Hannah's Dream take a back seat in this sequel, as newly introduced characters are featured. I love the main characters of Hannah's Dream, but not the main characters of Friday's Harbor. Still, Friday and his story are appealing enough that I like the book anyway.
Disclosure: I received a pre-release version of this book in exchange for an honest review.
In Friday's Harbor, an orca (Friday) is rescued from a bad situation in a Columbian zoo and brought to the Max L Biedelman zoo. Friday's story is as appealing as Hannah's was.
The quirky main characters of Hannah's Dream take a back seat in this sequel, as newly introduced characters are featured. I love the main characters of Hannah's Dream, but not the main characters of Friday's Harbor. Still, Friday and his story are appealing enough that I like the book anyway.
Disclosure: I received a pre-release version of this book in exchange for an honest review.
June 13, 2014
I picked up this book because I had just seen the movie "Believe" about the Sea World whale. I had always known some thing was wrong with taking animals from the wild for entertainment, but seeing the movie and after reading this book I will only ever go to a zoo that is qualified to rescue and provide an enriched life for large mammals. There is a wonderful hart warming message of this book.
Other than that, I really liked the characters of the story.
I cannot wait to go back and read Hannah's Dream.
Other than that, I really liked the characters of the story.
I cannot wait to go back and read Hannah's Dream.
March 28, 2014
This book was not particularly well written and did not have an exciting plot or great character development, but I found it compelling and highly readable anyway. Maybe just because I love killer whales so much. I enjoyed this but don't know that I would recommend it for others.
I have not read Hannah's dream - this book should be labeled as a sequel, because reading Hannah's dream first would likely have made the characters more relatable, and definitely more memorable.
I have not read Hannah's dream - this book should be labeled as a sequel, because reading Hannah's dream first would likely have made the characters more relatable, and definitely more memorable.
March 5, 2016
One of my all-time favorite books was Hannah's Dream by this author. Elephants are one of my favorite animals in the world and my heart resonated with that book. I've never known much or thought about killer whales but I love them now after reading Friday's Harbor. What a wonderful follow-up this book was to bring me up to date on the Max L. Biedelman Zoo. I am a huge animal lover and both Hannah's Dream and Friday's Harbor touched me so much.
February 1, 2014
I so enjoyed reading Diane Hammond's Hannah's Dream, that I immediately ordered Friday's Harbor and loved it just as much. This is another of her heartwarming books; a fascinating story full of great characters--and interesting facts about whales. I learned quite a bit! Highly recommend both books and can't wait to read more from Ms. Hammond.
January 15, 2016
A wonderful story with well fleshed out and easy to relate to characters. I really appreciated how it explored both sides of the animals in captivity debate and I learned some things I would not have known were it not for reading this book. I truly hope to see another book set in Bladenham at this zoo.
December 21, 2013
This book is impressive, and one I really enjoyed reading, because it's about a whale, the Pacific Northwest, and an animal communicator, but it's not cheesy or New Agey at all. It's well written with creative, compelling characters and an engaging story line.
January 27, 2014
Easy-reading novel with a good story plot that shows how conservation and practical knowledge can be extremely complicated in a world and, in societies that care for, but need to study our fellow-living creatures.
April 16, 2014
I liked this book, but wish I'd read it right after Hannah's dream. There are many of the same characters, but I forgot what they had been like in Hannah's Dream. Like in H's Dream, the characters are all quirky, which I liked very much. I also liked learning about Orcas.
January 27, 2014
Very interesting... especially after just having view "Blackfish".
Read
February 20, 2014Another great story. Love the characters!
March 4, 2024
much like smells like dog, i chose to reread this book now, all these years later, as a sort of ‘fantasy break’ between my other typical series. Friday’s Harbor is a book i read probably five or six times as a kid, mostly due to my love of whales, but also for the wonderful, powerful story it told. there are so many beautiful quotes and messages and metaphors contained in these pages, and if i hadn’t remembered so late, i would have annotated this book as i’d gone. perhaps i will read it again as another fantasy break later in the year and decorate it to my hearts content.
while i could never truly forget this book, it was a wonderful reminder that the simply things often bring me the most joy. while the book was shorter than those i’ve read as of late, i wish it could extend forever.
most of the characters get the story in their own pov, at least for a little while, and i enjoy all of them. it feels like im right there beside them, feeding friday or watching him through the gallery. it’s a cozy book, one that gives me a sense of happiness and peace that i can’t find anywhere else.
this book makes me laugh, smile, and dream for a better tomorrow. a place where we all love and support each other, especially those who can’t support themselves.
overall rating - 10/10. this book will always be special to me.
while i could never truly forget this book, it was a wonderful reminder that the simply things often bring me the most joy. while the book was shorter than those i’ve read as of late, i wish it could extend forever.
most of the characters get the story in their own pov, at least for a little while, and i enjoy all of them. it feels like im right there beside them, feeding friday or watching him through the gallery. it’s a cozy book, one that gives me a sense of happiness and peace that i can’t find anywhere else.
this book makes me laugh, smile, and dream for a better tomorrow. a place where we all love and support each other, especially those who can’t support themselves.
overall rating - 10/10. this book will always be special to me.
September 12, 2025
This is another good book by Diane Hammond, who also wrote "Hannah's Dream". This one is about a killer whale in captivity, the back story, the people who care for the whale in the northwestern US, and many events that happen. Parts of it are based on true events.
The writing is good and the story is fascinating and educational, plus there is adventure and crime involved and much more! It's just so charming and also so funny in places, just like "Hannah's Dream".
Both of these books would make fabulous movies and be very popular with audiences. How many books inject so much humor into crisis situations and a great story? The characters are so great -- there is a hateful dog name Julio Iglesius and a pet pig named Miles. There are surprises about some of the people involved. It is just great reading!
The writing is good and the story is fascinating and educational, plus there is adventure and crime involved and much more! It's just so charming and also so funny in places, just like "Hannah's Dream".
Both of these books would make fabulous movies and be very popular with audiences. How many books inject so much humor into crisis situations and a great story? The characters are so great -- there is a hateful dog name Julio Iglesius and a pet pig named Miles. There are surprises about some of the people involved. It is just great reading!
October 3, 2022
Good, not Great
Very readable with likeable characters. However, for me, there were several problems with the book that a good editor should have identified and fixed. There is at least one timeline anomaly in the story. Digital cameras and smartphones were prevalent in 2013 (the year this boom was published), yet an elderly visitor died before she got the chance to see the photo of her and the whale. Why the diminished role for Reginald? I couldn't understand why he didn't go to the island with the rest of the group, even though Sam stayed behind with Friday. No explanation for the disturbing behavior Friday begins to exhibit, even though everyone was concerned and confused by it. Again, a good story, but too many issues for it to be great.
Very readable with likeable characters. However, for me, there were several problems with the book that a good editor should have identified and fixed. There is at least one timeline anomaly in the story. Digital cameras and smartphones were prevalent in 2013 (the year this boom was published), yet an elderly visitor died before she got the chance to see the photo of her and the whale. Why the diminished role for Reginald? I couldn't understand why he didn't go to the island with the rest of the group, even though Sam stayed behind with Friday. No explanation for the disturbing behavior Friday begins to exhibit, even though everyone was concerned and confused by it. Again, a good story, but too many issues for it to be great.
May 15, 2019
I loved this book. Such a fun cast of characters with a few new quirky ones thrown in since “Hannah’s Dream”. While this is the same setting as that book, it could be read as a stand alone, although it’s more fun if you know everyone’s back story. Beautiful story about a killer whale brought to a zoo in Washington for rehabilitation. The book does a good job of showing the duality of feedings that exist with animals (particularly whales) in captivity. Much was based on the author’s own observations and experiences as the PR rep for Keiko, the orca from “Free Willy” fame.
September 6, 2020
I read this book right after reading “Hannah’s Dream”. All of the quirky characters that I found delightful showed up in the sequel. More quirky characters were added in “Friday’s Harbor”. There was just too much “quirkinesses “ for me. As the story unraveled it became tedious and boring. I found myself skipping pages to get back to the story. And I have to say that the dog just about threw me over the edge!
July 26, 2022
As with the first book “Hannah’s Dream”, you fall in love with the characters all over again! it was nice to be back at the zoo again with all their quirkiness, trials, and above all else love ❤️ If you haven’t read “Hannah’s Dream”, you need to read that before “Friday’s Harbor”! Definitely a read in order series! Maybe there’ll be another in our authors future to take us back to the Biedelman Zoo!
November 30, 2022
I actually had one of my English professors in college recommendation this book to me after I did a presentation on saving the whales and she was spot on. I adore this book! It was more of a light hearted read for me compared to what I'm used to so I was happy to get a break from gruesome true crime and dive into this heart warming story of a woman who over time learns to love this whale and tries to return it to its natural habitat.
February 20, 2025
Wonderful!
I thought I couldn’t love a book more than Hannah’s Dream but then I read Friday’s Harbor and knew I was wrong. Reading about Friday, from the time he was homed in the zoo’s pool, to the beautiful end of the story made me laugh, cry and smile. The characters from Hannah’s book are there, along with some new ones and I loved them all. Thank you, Diane Hammond for warming my heart!
I thought I couldn’t love a book more than Hannah’s Dream but then I read Friday’s Harbor and knew I was wrong. Reading about Friday, from the time he was homed in the zoo’s pool, to the beautiful end of the story made me laugh, cry and smile. The characters from Hannah’s book are there, along with some new ones and I loved them all. Thank you, Diane Hammond for warming my heart!
May 1, 2018
A wonderful second book by this author - I enjoyed revisiting the characters from the first novel and also to meet a few new ones, including Friday, the Orca. This gives great insight into how aquariums handle these types of animals - lots of realistic details that I found fascinating. I really love the characters and the story.
August 22, 2021
A Moving Tale of a. Whale
Diane Hammond has created a wonderful story about the rescue of a Killer Whale from a rundown aquarium in South America to the Pacific Northwest. This tale moved me to tears and laughter. Well worth the read, believe me.
Diane Hammond has created a wonderful story about the rescue of a Killer Whale from a rundown aquarium in South America to the Pacific Northwest. This tale moved me to tears and laughter. Well worth the read, believe me.
January 15, 2022
Such a lovely read! Made me laugh and. Say awwww out loud! Diane Hammond’s words made this book so real you believe the characters are out there in the world.
Just like her book Hannah’s Dream you live every moment.
Just like her book Hannah’s Dream you live every moment.
March 7, 2017
I actually gave the book 3 1/2 stars - fun read and of course I fell in love with Friday, Libertine, & the rest of the killer whale team.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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