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The Drago Tree
Haunted by demons past and present, geologist Ann Salter seeks sanctuary on the exotic island of Lanzarote. There she meets charismatic author Richard Parry and indigenous potter Domingo, and together they explore the island.
Ann’s encounters with the island’s hidden treasures becomes a journey deep inside herself as she struggles to understand who she was, who she is, and who she wants to be.
Set against a panoramic backdrop of dramatic island landscapes and Spanish colonial history, The Drago Tree is an intriguing tale of betrayal, conquest and love, in all its forms.
Ann’s encounters with the island’s hidden treasures becomes a journey deep inside herself as she struggles to understand who she was, who she is, and who she wants to be.
Set against a panoramic backdrop of dramatic island landscapes and Spanish colonial history, The Drago Tree is an intriguing tale of betrayal, conquest and love, in all its forms.
240 pages, Paperback
First published September 28, 2015
17 people are currently reading
262 people want to read
About the author
Isobel Blackthorn
48 books178 followersIsobel Blackthorn is an award-winning author of unique and engaging fiction. She writes across a range of genres, including dark psychological thrillers, gripping mystery novels, captivating travel fiction and hilarious dark satire. Isobel holds a PhD in Western Esotericism for her groundbreaking study of the texts of Theosophist Alice A. Bailey. Isobel carries a lifelong passion for the Canary Islands, Spain, her former home. A Londoner originally, Isobel currently lives in Spain.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 40 reviews
February 23, 2019
I liked this book a lot. I was very impressed by the ever present and universal relevance of the lead character's personal struggles. This relevance was provided by the context. The novel is an ode to both personal endurance and to the fragile beauty and sustainability of the natural world. In that sense, it is a remarkable work. From the moment the lead character lands in the Canary Islands, the reader realizes that the character's fragile emotional state is mirrored by the fragility of the beautiful and precious surroundings she now finds herself in. Ann Salter is the lead character, a geologist studying the island of Lanzarote. She attempts to escape her bitter and injured past here. The more this island enables her to do so, the more protective she becomes of the island (detesting tourists who threaten it's geological and environmental integrity, etc.) For a threat to the island is a threat to her emotional recovery. The reader realizes the link between our personal existential struggles and the struggles of the environment in an age of global warming. If we lose this fight, we lose part of ourselves (maybe even all of ourselves). Isobel Blackthorn's writing is concise, pointed and efficient. It also resonates a subtle emotional content, a mixture of hope and lamentation, an earnest plea for environmental preservation and for the emotional survival of those in transition. For these reasons, I believe "The Drago Tree" resonates with readers who feel that an indifferent world is closing in on them - figuratively and literally.
February 13, 2019
This sensitive, introspective story, exquisitely told, takes place on Lanzarote, in the Canary Islands. Author Isobel Blackthorn, who lived on Lanzarote for several years, has perfectly captured the intense, raw beauty of this small volcanic idyll.
Ann, a hydrologist, has come to Lanzarote to escape for a few weeks, but even here, finds that there’s no escaping the trauma bubbling up inside. She begins to write, partly as a means to come to terms with the end of a difficult marriage and a troubled relationship with her sister. Together with author friend Richard and local potter, Domingo, she wanders the island’s small villages, beaches, and cliffs, trying to reconcile her past and chart a path for the future.
Ann is unfailingly astute, using her scientist’s acumen to seek clarity where she can. The honesty of her shrewd observations on herself, on the people around her, and on life itself, set the Drago Tree apart from other stories of its ilk.
Ann, a hydrologist, has come to Lanzarote to escape for a few weeks, but even here, finds that there’s no escaping the trauma bubbling up inside. She begins to write, partly as a means to come to terms with the end of a difficult marriage and a troubled relationship with her sister. Together with author friend Richard and local potter, Domingo, she wanders the island’s small villages, beaches, and cliffs, trying to reconcile her past and chart a path for the future.
Ann is unfailingly astute, using her scientist’s acumen to seek clarity where she can. The honesty of her shrewd observations on herself, on the people around her, and on life itself, set the Drago Tree apart from other stories of its ilk.
October 11, 2015
A great read, a real page turner.
I could relate to the three major characters and their interpersonal relationships left you guessing to near the very end.
This was held together with a mouth watering description of the landscape and history of Lanzarote.
I'd never heard of Lanzarote before, now I'd love to visit this fascinating place!
I could relate to the three major characters and their interpersonal relationships left you guessing to near the very end.
This was held together with a mouth watering description of the landscape and history of Lanzarote.
I'd never heard of Lanzarote before, now I'd love to visit this fascinating place!
August 12, 2017
This is a beautiful book, tense, evocative, and thoughtful. The sense of place is tangible. I want to go to Lanzarote now! I raced through the story eager to reach the end and found it deeply satisfying.
April 5, 2019
Although I have never been to Lanzarote Isobel Blackthorn gave this island a personality, a ruggedness that can be dangerous and exquisitely beautiful in the blink of an eye. The story has a central character Ann Slater who is on a journey of discovering who she really is but she isn’t on her own. Author Richard Parry and potter Domingo certainly help to make it a colourful adventure in more ways than one.
Ann is coming to terms with a failed marriage and estranged relationship between herself and her sister, which has gone on for years. Her strange choice of Island touring partners makes for some rather raw cutting observations, short tempers and brutally looking at herself from a different angle than before. Richard isn’t the most sensitive person to have round and isn’t afraid to let her know what he thinks of her views.
The story is pretty balanced between the Island itself and the road which Ann is eventually going to head for in the future. The story drops back to a rather strange childhood both with her mother and sister. There is so much self-healing and forgiving that has to take place, no more so than with herself. Until she can find peace then she simply can’t move forward.
At times this is a strange story and at others there is such a deep sadness about it. It is mesmerizing.
I wish to thank the author for an e-copy of this book which I have reviewed honestly
Ann is coming to terms with a failed marriage and estranged relationship between herself and her sister, which has gone on for years. Her strange choice of Island touring partners makes for some rather raw cutting observations, short tempers and brutally looking at herself from a different angle than before. Richard isn’t the most sensitive person to have round and isn’t afraid to let her know what he thinks of her views.
The story is pretty balanced between the Island itself and the road which Ann is eventually going to head for in the future. The story drops back to a rather strange childhood both with her mother and sister. There is so much self-healing and forgiving that has to take place, no more so than with herself. Until she can find peace then she simply can’t move forward.
At times this is a strange story and at others there is such a deep sadness about it. It is mesmerizing.
I wish to thank the author for an e-copy of this book which I have reviewed honestly
September 7, 2017
I did not get this one. An Australian woman is in the Canary Islands trying to write a book. The novel is about all her doubts about her writing and the placing of her story back in Australia. The author in the story has a love affair. And there is some interesting bits and pieces on the Canary Islands history and geography.
February 19, 2026
Gorgeous Writing.
Ann, a 40 year-old geologist, is fleeing an unhappy marriage. She heads for sanctuary on the island of Lanzarote and meets Richard, an enigmatic writer is who staying on the island while researching for a historical novel. They both become friendly with Domingo - a local potter who accompanies them on excursions around the island.
The Drago Tree is a snapshot of their lives and their relationship with each other. We are told of Ann's childhood and Richards unsatisfactory marriage and through Domingo we learn about the history of Lanzarote and its people.
I adored this novel. I think it must be one of the most beautifully written stories that I've read in a long time. It is a very well structured piece of literature. The author cleverly weaves present day with flashbacks that keep the narrative flowing and draw the reader into Ann, Richard's and Domingo's worlds. All 3 characters were interesting and I wanted to keep reading to find out more about them. The descriptions of the landscape were stunning and the history of Lanzarote added an extra element which was really appealing.
I would highly recommend The Drago Tree. It's a riveting, engaging story that has been clearly well researched. Just gorgeous. Five very worthy stars.
Ann, a 40 year-old geologist, is fleeing an unhappy marriage. She heads for sanctuary on the island of Lanzarote and meets Richard, an enigmatic writer is who staying on the island while researching for a historical novel. They both become friendly with Domingo - a local potter who accompanies them on excursions around the island.
The Drago Tree is a snapshot of their lives and their relationship with each other. We are told of Ann's childhood and Richards unsatisfactory marriage and through Domingo we learn about the history of Lanzarote and its people.
I adored this novel. I think it must be one of the most beautifully written stories that I've read in a long time. It is a very well structured piece of literature. The author cleverly weaves present day with flashbacks that keep the narrative flowing and draw the reader into Ann, Richard's and Domingo's worlds. All 3 characters were interesting and I wanted to keep reading to find out more about them. The descriptions of the landscape were stunning and the history of Lanzarote added an extra element which was really appealing.
I would highly recommend The Drago Tree. It's a riveting, engaging story that has been clearly well researched. Just gorgeous. Five very worthy stars.
April 2, 2022
The Drago Tree is a multi-layered read set on the island of Lanzarote. Our main character Ann is running away, primarily from her abusive husband and failed marriage but as her new start on the island overlaps on several occasions with her former life back in the UK, we learn snippets of her life from childhood to adulthood. We also learn of her rebellious sister who fled a dominant father, abandoning her home forever.
On the island, Ann is symbolically searching for any port in a storm. She wants male company, and (to me) latched onto the first man that showed an interest. But, can she trust him in her weakened state, or is she destined to be hurt a second time? Then there’s Dominic, the island’s native potter, who prowls the perimeters of his beloved island, scowling at the tourists with open dislike, while the author cleverly weaves into the story the detrimental impact tourism has on the island.
The Drago Tree is an intriguing tale of betrayal, conquest and love, interwoven with the profound deepness of description of the beautiful Spanish Island.
On the island, Ann is symbolically searching for any port in a storm. She wants male company, and (to me) latched onto the first man that showed an interest. But, can she trust him in her weakened state, or is she destined to be hurt a second time? Then there’s Dominic, the island’s native potter, who prowls the perimeters of his beloved island, scowling at the tourists with open dislike, while the author cleverly weaves into the story the detrimental impact tourism has on the island.
The Drago Tree is an intriguing tale of betrayal, conquest and love, interwoven with the profound deepness of description of the beautiful Spanish Island.
July 22, 2016
The Drago Tree by Isobel Blackthorn is an environmental romance. The love object is Lanzarote, the stunningly beautiful island that is the easternmost of the Canary Islands, its geography making it the target of conquest and invasion by pirates, Spanish conquistadors, and tourists. Yes, there are people involved, but the land dominates everyone and everything.
“She felt herself expand in the face of what she saw. Ever since her first geology field trip in the Lake District she had known there exists something profound and ineffable in the relationship between nature and the human beholder, a capacity to feel exhilarated by nature’s beauty, as if she could transcend her little life in the face of the earth’s grandeur.”
Ann is drawn to the land, to Lanzarote’s wild and stark volcanic landscape. It is land formed by volcanoes, by violent eruptions. She seeks refuge there after the explosive collapse of her marriage. In fact, she describes her life in geologic terms, it’s failure beginning as soon as they married. “Within weeks their interactions were tectonic, always grinding and crashing into each other, until their relationship had become a grotesque deformation.”
She meets Richard, a successful genre writer, not that she is terribly impressed by that since she is a bit of a literary snob. Sparks fly between Ann and Richard, a mix of attraction and antagonism. She’s feeling prickly and he’s far too shallow for her.
There is a third wheel on several of their excursions, a local potter named Diego. Richard picked him out to be his friend on the island and Diego goes along with him to a degree. Many of the conversations among the three of them concern the history of Lanzarote and the role of tourism in the present. Ann and Diego are decidedly anti-tourism while Richard sees it as a necessary element to the economic development and enrichment of the island.
Ann is quite disdainful of tourists and tourism. She’s irritated when they crowd the sites she goes to see. She loathes the flashes of their cameras in the caves and the hubbub of their conversation, their amusement at the tour guide’s humor and their very existence. Heritage should just be lived, not collected and examined. Of course, she’s a tourist, too. And when Richard points it out, she is livid. “His comment cut her like shrapnel. She despised him then, intensely.”
And if all tourists picked up a special stone at every site they visited, they would denude the beaches and cliffs and caves of small stones. For someone who examines so much of her life, there is a moral obtuseness here. She reminds me of those who think they stand apart, that they are travelers, not tourists.
It is not that she never interrogates herself. She sees herself as somewhat like the land of Lanzarote. “Crusting over the top with cool thoughts and detached emotions was all very well, but underneath, rattling about in that hollowed chamber, lived memories of past torments, moiling vestiges like brooding bats poised to scream in fits of frenzy in response to any slight.”
She recognizes that there is a similar avidity in scientists as in tourists in an interesting extended metaphor. This highlights one of the delights and exasperations of The Drago Tree. Isobel Blackthorn is in love with language and with crafting outstanding sentences, finding new and unique metaphors. There’s a precision and beauty to her prose that is undeniable. Sometimes, though, this is at the expense of the narrative. Blackthorn is more in love with writing than with telling a story.
“What about her? A scientist—didn’t she have the same wanderlust, the same yearning to discover? The scientist’s quest is indefatigable, a million wandering minstrels popping up everywhere, chanting hypotheses, strumming out experiments, singing gleefully their proofs and verifications, consummate lab-coat entertainers satisfying their inquisitive minds. Tell me more, I need, I must, I have to know the answer, the solution, the prevention, the cure. The whole earth is unearthed in this insatiable desire to know.
I enjoyed The Drago Tree. I liked the prose far more than the story. I think the writing mattered more than the story and that was her choice. It’s a bit of a confusing novel because Blackthorn is trying to accomplish too much. She’s writing a story of a woman finding herself, a story of family tragedy and struggle, a romance and an environmental manifesto. She is most successful with the last, because after all, this story really is a love affair with the land and history of Lanzarote. The rest is decoration.
Is humanity doomed by its own inquisitive and acquisitive drives? Is that what the myth of Atlantis is really about? Not a story of a fallen civilization long ago, but a warning, a foretelling of what is to come? Surely that is a doomsday mentality, yet maybe we are bound ���
Although this quote is pessimistic, the story does find hope, not just for Ann, but for Lanzarote as well.
I received an electronic copy of The Drago Tree from the publisher through NetGalley.
http://tonstantweaderreviews.wordpres...
“She felt herself expand in the face of what she saw. Ever since her first geology field trip in the Lake District she had known there exists something profound and ineffable in the relationship between nature and the human beholder, a capacity to feel exhilarated by nature’s beauty, as if she could transcend her little life in the face of the earth’s grandeur.”
Ann is drawn to the land, to Lanzarote’s wild and stark volcanic landscape. It is land formed by volcanoes, by violent eruptions. She seeks refuge there after the explosive collapse of her marriage. In fact, she describes her life in geologic terms, it’s failure beginning as soon as they married. “Within weeks their interactions were tectonic, always grinding and crashing into each other, until their relationship had become a grotesque deformation.”
She meets Richard, a successful genre writer, not that she is terribly impressed by that since she is a bit of a literary snob. Sparks fly between Ann and Richard, a mix of attraction and antagonism. She’s feeling prickly and he’s far too shallow for her.
There is a third wheel on several of their excursions, a local potter named Diego. Richard picked him out to be his friend on the island and Diego goes along with him to a degree. Many of the conversations among the three of them concern the history of Lanzarote and the role of tourism in the present. Ann and Diego are decidedly anti-tourism while Richard sees it as a necessary element to the economic development and enrichment of the island.
Ann is quite disdainful of tourists and tourism. She’s irritated when they crowd the sites she goes to see. She loathes the flashes of their cameras in the caves and the hubbub of their conversation, their amusement at the tour guide’s humor and their very existence. Heritage should just be lived, not collected and examined. Of course, she’s a tourist, too. And when Richard points it out, she is livid. “His comment cut her like shrapnel. She despised him then, intensely.”
And if all tourists picked up a special stone at every site they visited, they would denude the beaches and cliffs and caves of small stones. For someone who examines so much of her life, there is a moral obtuseness here. She reminds me of those who think they stand apart, that they are travelers, not tourists.
It is not that she never interrogates herself. She sees herself as somewhat like the land of Lanzarote. “Crusting over the top with cool thoughts and detached emotions was all very well, but underneath, rattling about in that hollowed chamber, lived memories of past torments, moiling vestiges like brooding bats poised to scream in fits of frenzy in response to any slight.”
She recognizes that there is a similar avidity in scientists as in tourists in an interesting extended metaphor. This highlights one of the delights and exasperations of The Drago Tree. Isobel Blackthorn is in love with language and with crafting outstanding sentences, finding new and unique metaphors. There’s a precision and beauty to her prose that is undeniable. Sometimes, though, this is at the expense of the narrative. Blackthorn is more in love with writing than with telling a story.
“What about her? A scientist—didn’t she have the same wanderlust, the same yearning to discover? The scientist’s quest is indefatigable, a million wandering minstrels popping up everywhere, chanting hypotheses, strumming out experiments, singing gleefully their proofs and verifications, consummate lab-coat entertainers satisfying their inquisitive minds. Tell me more, I need, I must, I have to know the answer, the solution, the prevention, the cure. The whole earth is unearthed in this insatiable desire to know.
I enjoyed The Drago Tree. I liked the prose far more than the story. I think the writing mattered more than the story and that was her choice. It’s a bit of a confusing novel because Blackthorn is trying to accomplish too much. She’s writing a story of a woman finding herself, a story of family tragedy and struggle, a romance and an environmental manifesto. She is most successful with the last, because after all, this story really is a love affair with the land and history of Lanzarote. The rest is decoration.
Is humanity doomed by its own inquisitive and acquisitive drives? Is that what the myth of Atlantis is really about? Not a story of a fallen civilization long ago, but a warning, a foretelling of what is to come? Surely that is a doomsday mentality, yet maybe we are bound ���
Although this quote is pessimistic, the story does find hope, not just for Ann, but for Lanzarote as well.
I received an electronic copy of The Drago Tree from the publisher through NetGalley.
http://tonstantweaderreviews.wordpres...
January 16, 2016
Ann Salter fled from her disastrous marriage to the beautiful land of Lanzarote which is in equal bouts critical of and dependent upon its tourist trade. However, her escape doesn’t free her from the ghosts of her troubled past. Memories of her husband, memories of her sister dog her at every turn even as her friendship with the enigmatic Richard and the mysterious local- Domingo- take her on an unexpected path to a new future.
This book belongs to genre that exists on the fringes and capitalizes on silence as its primary tool. There are no bangs or fireworks; a walk from a restaurant and back will make up an entire chapter and there is description that surrounds you at every turn of the page.
The author’s love for the island of Lanzarote is the first thing that leaps off the page at you. Initially, it captures you and draws you in; midway, when you’re craving for a story, you’re tempted to skip a few lines and towards the end, you’re as in love with it as the author herself. The island is not just a setting, but a primary character in this book and you’ll learn to hobble along with the story like a tourist on the first ride.
However, the best display of the author’s prowess comes across in the portrayal of her protagonist. She’s not the most likable of characters that you’ll come across, but, she’s not awful either. She’s human and she struggles; and she takes the reader along in her struggle as you try to understand why she’s drowning in her own mind and resist the urge the slap her out of it at times. Ann’s memories of her sister, though, I felt had been given a greater significance in her life than needed.
Penny’s domination of her younger sister, I could equate with my own and I spent many moments while reading the flashbacks, converting them into funny anecdotes shared over a dinner. But, Ann is sensitive and lacks the degree of humour that would’ve been required to view Penny’s shenanigans as funny. That made for a melancholic disposition which carried over and set the tone of the book in general.
My biggest complaint about this book is that very lack of sense of humour. But, the prose is poetic and very distinctive and it was a pleasure to read.
If you enjoy reading introspective pieces written in beautiful prose, then The Drago Tree is certainly the book for you.
Check out more of my review at https://overratedsensibilities.wordpr...
This book belongs to genre that exists on the fringes and capitalizes on silence as its primary tool. There are no bangs or fireworks; a walk from a restaurant and back will make up an entire chapter and there is description that surrounds you at every turn of the page.
The author’s love for the island of Lanzarote is the first thing that leaps off the page at you. Initially, it captures you and draws you in; midway, when you’re craving for a story, you’re tempted to skip a few lines and towards the end, you’re as in love with it as the author herself. The island is not just a setting, but a primary character in this book and you’ll learn to hobble along with the story like a tourist on the first ride.
However, the best display of the author’s prowess comes across in the portrayal of her protagonist. She’s not the most likable of characters that you’ll come across, but, she’s not awful either. She’s human and she struggles; and she takes the reader along in her struggle as you try to understand why she’s drowning in her own mind and resist the urge the slap her out of it at times. Ann’s memories of her sister, though, I felt had been given a greater significance in her life than needed.
Penny’s domination of her younger sister, I could equate with my own and I spent many moments while reading the flashbacks, converting them into funny anecdotes shared over a dinner. But, Ann is sensitive and lacks the degree of humour that would’ve been required to view Penny’s shenanigans as funny. That made for a melancholic disposition which carried over and set the tone of the book in general.
My biggest complaint about this book is that very lack of sense of humour. But, the prose is poetic and very distinctive and it was a pleasure to read.
If you enjoy reading introspective pieces written in beautiful prose, then The Drago Tree is certainly the book for you.
Check out more of my review at https://overratedsensibilities.wordpr...
December 14, 2015
The Drago Tree by Isobel Blackthorn grabs you, throws you around and leaves you wanting more.
The connections with the characters in The Drago Tree are real. From the first word Isobel Blackthorn has scribed till the last you are captivated. You loose yourself within the world on the pages. Your connection with the characters become that of a friendship, your journey an adventure that keeps you guessing from page to page. When you reach the end you close the book feeling a little lost as you realise it is over.
Isobel Blackthorn is a writer who has the skill of creating a scene that places you there. This is often something writers struggle with but not Isobel Blackthorn. As a reader I was not only there, I did not want to leave. I was engaged fully, feeling I could touch, see and smell the place and time. Isobel Blackthorn had me standing next to the characters, as one of them. She had me stepping forward with each page, never missing a beat in flow or plot. The Drago Tree is a book that will inspire all writers to continue to create in the hope of achieving the level of that of Isobel Blackthorn.
Ann Salter seeks sanctuary on the exotic island of Lanzarote, an island I spent a few days enjoy, discovering myself as Ann does herself. Although I feel I have traveled this island I am left wanting to go back to where I was. I have so much I want to say to Ann, questions, friendship, and more questions lurk within me. The betrayal, conquest and love within the pages of The Drago Tree are real, leaving me seeking more. Should I have been satisfied? Maybe, but I am sure Isobel Blackthorn would be pleased I am still seeking.
The Drago Tree is a well-presented book. My copy was read in e-book format. I am a paperback reader, enjoying the overall experience that holding a book creates, so the strength I found within this e-book is a credit to Isobel Blackthorn. For myself the glare of a screen, the hard and flat feel of the Kindle, often creates an environment that leads to a struggle to read the content. The ability to be able to immerse myself in The Drago Tree and not want to put it down shows the strength of the writing of Isobel Blackthorn and the creation of a piece of literary fiction that engages.
There is no doubt that I will soon be reading Isobel Blackthorn’s other novel Asylum, also published by Odyssey books.
The connections with the characters in The Drago Tree are real. From the first word Isobel Blackthorn has scribed till the last you are captivated. You loose yourself within the world on the pages. Your connection with the characters become that of a friendship, your journey an adventure that keeps you guessing from page to page. When you reach the end you close the book feeling a little lost as you realise it is over.
Isobel Blackthorn is a writer who has the skill of creating a scene that places you there. This is often something writers struggle with but not Isobel Blackthorn. As a reader I was not only there, I did not want to leave. I was engaged fully, feeling I could touch, see and smell the place and time. Isobel Blackthorn had me standing next to the characters, as one of them. She had me stepping forward with each page, never missing a beat in flow or plot. The Drago Tree is a book that will inspire all writers to continue to create in the hope of achieving the level of that of Isobel Blackthorn.
Ann Salter seeks sanctuary on the exotic island of Lanzarote, an island I spent a few days enjoy, discovering myself as Ann does herself. Although I feel I have traveled this island I am left wanting to go back to where I was. I have so much I want to say to Ann, questions, friendship, and more questions lurk within me. The betrayal, conquest and love within the pages of The Drago Tree are real, leaving me seeking more. Should I have been satisfied? Maybe, but I am sure Isobel Blackthorn would be pleased I am still seeking.
The Drago Tree is a well-presented book. My copy was read in e-book format. I am a paperback reader, enjoying the overall experience that holding a book creates, so the strength I found within this e-book is a credit to Isobel Blackthorn. For myself the glare of a screen, the hard and flat feel of the Kindle, often creates an environment that leads to a struggle to read the content. The ability to be able to immerse myself in The Drago Tree and not want to put it down shows the strength of the writing of Isobel Blackthorn and the creation of a piece of literary fiction that engages.
There is no doubt that I will soon be reading Isobel Blackthorn’s other novel Asylum, also published by Odyssey books.
April 22, 2016
The Drago Tree, the name and the cover appealed from the start, and then from the first page, I was in love with the beautiful prose, the elegantly constructed sentences, which promised an intelligent and insightful story, sensitively told.
I was not disappointed.
The novel is set on the island of Lanzarote, brought to life by an author who knows it intimately. With confidence, she lavishes poetic descriptions of its unique landscape, placing you there; making you feel, see and fall in love with the place.
For example, the character Ann sees from her car window: “Several calderas pimpled the land to the south-west. The lava plain, to the south of her now, rose to meet its mother, La Corona, a monolith of black in the fading light.”
The author applies her talent for intricate detail to her characters as well. The trio we focus upon are complex, flawed, vulnerable…
It is Ann’s journey we follow, and I really enjoyed the snippets of her past that were revealed to us, providing intriguing, and at times, disturbing encounters with her sister.
The island’s past and history is also heavily featured; and I could not help but champion and understand Ann’s sympathy for an island ravished by tourists, its past and culture presented in superficial and sensational ways to serve as a diversion to the damage being done to natural habitats.
Through Ann we are able to connect with what is natural, meaningful and raw – she is despite her troubled and haunting past, an idealist, an artist – a cloud catcher!
I found it a delightful and enjoyable read… the believable relationships explored in the novel developed, expanded and evolved swiftly, adding sprinkles of romance and mystery to an inner journey taking place in an exotic location.
I recommend this novel if you like superb writing and reading a novel that has something meaningful to say about people, places and life.
I was not disappointed.
The novel is set on the island of Lanzarote, brought to life by an author who knows it intimately. With confidence, she lavishes poetic descriptions of its unique landscape, placing you there; making you feel, see and fall in love with the place.
For example, the character Ann sees from her car window: “Several calderas pimpled the land to the south-west. The lava plain, to the south of her now, rose to meet its mother, La Corona, a monolith of black in the fading light.”
The author applies her talent for intricate detail to her characters as well. The trio we focus upon are complex, flawed, vulnerable…
It is Ann’s journey we follow, and I really enjoyed the snippets of her past that were revealed to us, providing intriguing, and at times, disturbing encounters with her sister.
The island’s past and history is also heavily featured; and I could not help but champion and understand Ann’s sympathy for an island ravished by tourists, its past and culture presented in superficial and sensational ways to serve as a diversion to the damage being done to natural habitats.
Through Ann we are able to connect with what is natural, meaningful and raw – she is despite her troubled and haunting past, an idealist, an artist – a cloud catcher!
I found it a delightful and enjoyable read… the believable relationships explored in the novel developed, expanded and evolved swiftly, adding sprinkles of romance and mystery to an inner journey taking place in an exotic location.
I recommend this novel if you like superb writing and reading a novel that has something meaningful to say about people, places and life.
July 16, 2018
After the slow motion collapse of her marriage Anne seeks refuge on the jagged island of Lanzarote, one of the Canary Islands off Africa.
Prickly and wounded, Anne broods about her husband and her troubled sister, using her notebook to try to exorcise her demons.
She encounters the novelist Richard who lives on the island seasonally, perched in his house as though at an outpost of progress, surrounded by artefacts made by the local potter Domingo. His plan to pluck bits of the islanders' story from Domingo to use in his next book becomes, in Isobel Blackthorn’s hands, a parallel for the robber cultures that plunder from others .
With Domingo and Richard, Anne explores Lanzarote, learning the unhappy story of its fragile population, the target of conquerors and pirates, and now of tourists. Anne both welcomes and distrusts Richard’s interest. He advances but exasperatingly retreats. Domingo just as infuriatingly holds his counsel. Unexpressed emotional forces heave beneath the surface, like the volcanic forces that shape the island.
Underlying the story of these three people is a meditation on the art of writing. Richard, seeing Anne’s notebook, thrusts upon her his views as a professional writer. As Anne tests his critiques, expanding her notes, trying for her own voice, Blackthorn weaves them also into her novel, playing with them, taking us alongside the writing process at the same time as we are reading its results - this book. It’s a risk to skim along just inside the 'fourth wall' like that but Blackthorn beautifully pulls it off. And when Anne confronts her ambiguous feelings about Richard, Blackthorn unexpectedly turns us further down the theme of exploitation, this time about where personal lives meet literature.
For readers who love layered levels of feeling and thought expressed in fine language, this is your novel. (less)
Prickly and wounded, Anne broods about her husband and her troubled sister, using her notebook to try to exorcise her demons.
She encounters the novelist Richard who lives on the island seasonally, perched in his house as though at an outpost of progress, surrounded by artefacts made by the local potter Domingo. His plan to pluck bits of the islanders' story from Domingo to use in his next book becomes, in Isobel Blackthorn’s hands, a parallel for the robber cultures that plunder from others .
With Domingo and Richard, Anne explores Lanzarote, learning the unhappy story of its fragile population, the target of conquerors and pirates, and now of tourists. Anne both welcomes and distrusts Richard’s interest. He advances but exasperatingly retreats. Domingo just as infuriatingly holds his counsel. Unexpressed emotional forces heave beneath the surface, like the volcanic forces that shape the island.
Underlying the story of these three people is a meditation on the art of writing. Richard, seeing Anne’s notebook, thrusts upon her his views as a professional writer. As Anne tests his critiques, expanding her notes, trying for her own voice, Blackthorn weaves them also into her novel, playing with them, taking us alongside the writing process at the same time as we are reading its results - this book. It’s a risk to skim along just inside the 'fourth wall' like that but Blackthorn beautifully pulls it off. And when Anne confronts her ambiguous feelings about Richard, Blackthorn unexpectedly turns us further down the theme of exploitation, this time about where personal lives meet literature.
For readers who love layered levels of feeling and thought expressed in fine language, this is your novel. (less)
April 24, 2019
I really enjoyed this book. It had shades of South from Granada, in how the landscape and local customs and scenery were described in detail. The author paints a vivid picture, transporting you effortlessly to a volcanic rock in the Mid-Atlantic.
The characters were also well-crafted. Ann, a young woman with a turbulent past, attempts to find solace on the island of Lanzarote. There she meets Richard, a mysterious man with a past of his own, along with Domingo, a local potter, as dry as the volcanic landscape. Ann embarks on a voyage of discovery as she immerses herself in the local culture.
A fabulous read, expertly crafted. Highly recommended.
The characters were also well-crafted. Ann, a young woman with a turbulent past, attempts to find solace on the island of Lanzarote. There she meets Richard, a mysterious man with a past of his own, along with Domingo, a local potter, as dry as the volcanic landscape. Ann embarks on a voyage of discovery as she immerses herself in the local culture.
A fabulous read, expertly crafted. Highly recommended.
September 13, 2016
The Drago Tree is a beautifully crafted, exquisitely written novel brimming with grief and heartiness, pain and joy. Unputdownable from the get-go. The story reminds me of AS Byatt’s classic exploration of the relationships between power and knowledge: as much as Possession is about academic rivalry and obsession, The Drago Tree is about different kind of possession. It is a story of (post) colonial possession, where the invaders continue to vie for owning traditional indigenous knowledges, and where the unique island of Lanzarote serves as a setting for what is a global process of colonial expansion. It is also a story of men’s perceived right to possess women and appropriate their talents; be they writers, such as the main protagonist, who escapes domestic violence only to find herself fighting off a fellow writer’s presumptive ownership over her, on the very island whose culture he sees as just one add-and-stir element to his authorship’s ouvre. The story has all that a good story should have: vibrant characters, a journey of a plotline, a twist at the end. The Drago Tree will take your heart.
October 2, 2016
Please read all of my reviews at http://ultraviolentlit.blogspot.ca!
The Drago Tree is a thoughtful, introspective novel about a geologist named Ann who travels to the ecologically fragile island of Lanzarote in order to escape the ghosts of her past – her recently divorced ex-husband Andrew, and her sister Penny whose behaviour severely affected Ann’s childhood. On the island, she meets two very different men who act as catalysts for the writing of her novel, which has been stalled for some time. Richard, a charismatic writer who happens to be married, and Domingo, an indigenous artisan with a gruff personality, both affect Ann in different ways as she explores her own past through fiction. This novel has a slow pace, but it is rich in content and the author has a lot to say. An understated yet enjoyable book.
This book was provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
The Drago Tree is a thoughtful, introspective novel about a geologist named Ann who travels to the ecologically fragile island of Lanzarote in order to escape the ghosts of her past – her recently divorced ex-husband Andrew, and her sister Penny whose behaviour severely affected Ann’s childhood. On the island, she meets two very different men who act as catalysts for the writing of her novel, which has been stalled for some time. Richard, a charismatic writer who happens to be married, and Domingo, an indigenous artisan with a gruff personality, both affect Ann in different ways as she explores her own past through fiction. This novel has a slow pace, but it is rich in content and the author has a lot to say. An understated yet enjoyable book.
This book was provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
November 11, 2015
A truly inspiring story which I could not put down with an unexpected ending. I thought the history and the description of the lanscape of Lanzarote was excellent,it encourages me to want to visit the island to see for oneself. An excellent book with substance and obviously well researched.
August 9, 2016
Loved this book. Isobel's done a fantastic job of weaving an interesting story into an amazing landscape. I'd never heard of Lanzarote before and now it's on my travel bucket list!
November 7, 2018
Ann, a young geologist from London, goes on vacation to the Canary Islands and is romanced by the culture, adventure - and two men.
This isn't cheap steamy romance, and there are no explicit scenes of erotica. It's classy, a refined piece of literature, with a high entertainment value. Recommended for intellectuals that enjoy love stories.
This isn't cheap steamy romance, and there are no explicit scenes of erotica. It's classy, a refined piece of literature, with a high entertainment value. Recommended for intellectuals that enjoy love stories.
September 30, 2025
So many thoughts about this book! Firstly it could’ve been half the size she waffled for England… you do not need to describe EVERY SINGLE CAR JOURNEY (there was a lot of them and described in pretty much the same manner each time) The protagonist is deeply unlikeable, she thinks that just because she’s read a few articles about the island shes better and different to other tourists YOU ARE A TOURIST!! (Not like other girls🙄)
The narrative jumps all over the place from Richard to Anne but nothing really happens and then poof (spoiler) she’s pregnant and then it ends
This book was a gift from a friend because I have just moved to Lanzarote for a work placement so I started this on the plane. I think it was a nice book to start my journey in Lanzarote but it was a frustrating read. The bits I did enjoy was when they spoke of the history of the island and sometimes it had some interesting insights to trauma and grief but overall missed the mark :( sorry Isabella xoxo
The narrative jumps all over the place from Richard to Anne but nothing really happens and then poof (spoiler) she’s pregnant and then it ends
This book was a gift from a friend because I have just moved to Lanzarote for a work placement so I started this on the plane. I think it was a nice book to start my journey in Lanzarote but it was a frustrating read. The bits I did enjoy was when they spoke of the history of the island and sometimes it had some interesting insights to trauma and grief but overall missed the mark :( sorry Isabella xoxo
October 19, 2018
The best travel fiction makes you want to jump on a plane straight away and The Drago Tree certainly achieved that for me. Ann's story of exploration, both external and internal, unfolds at a gentle pace. Her encounters with others on the island of Lanzarote are catalysts for her journey of self-discovery, but the healing she needs comes from the beautiful island itself, and her growing understanding of its history and beauty.
January 2, 2017
A little overdue but finally here. The Drago Tree by Isobel Blackthorn is a story of self-discovery and understanding oneself and life. The story is mainly about Ann, along with two other characters, Domingo and Richard, who teach her different things about herself and life.
Ann runs away from an abusive husband and travels to the exotic island of Lanzarote, a Spanish-speaking island off the coast of Morocco. Personally, I had never heard of it but having read this book, I fell in love with it.
The Drago Tree is a beautiful example of travel literature, as Blackthorn gives the reader exquisite detail about the setting and the country.
"For Ann, names were important. A change of name wasn't just about change of ownership; it involved change of identity. Even married to Andrew, she'd held onto Salter."
When Ann arrives on the island, she begins by writing a single sentence and is quite critical of herself. She meets the handsome author Richard, who gives her harsh criticism, but also introduces her to the local potter-maker Domingo.
Ann then begins to write regularly, but the story takes up after many of her experiences and her family problems, particularly those of her sister and failed marriage – both of whom we are introduced to in the form of flashbacks.
"Too many times she'd been shut in this courtroom of a marriage, forced by her own sense of injustice to defend her position to an irascible judge."
Some of the flashbacks were a bit confusing for me, especially when they were in a new chapter. Both Ann and Richard have flashbacks.
The Drago Tree is full of stunning imagery, quotes, lines and setting. The pace is very slow; however, the book is an experience in of itself.
The overall description, whether for characters, emotions or setting, was done very well. If Blackthorn ever decides to give writing courses, I'll be the first to sign up. The narrative is simply brilliant.
"He was a bulldozer of a man, with a deep gravelly voice. He had bushy eyebrows, flaring nostrils, and a coat hanger of a moustache."
I particularly liked the idea of Ann writing, first a sentence, then later a book. The writing process is a kind of catharsis for her – and many writers can relate to that. It was interesting for me to see how her views of her writing and of Richard develop in the course of the novel.
"While her writing allowed for a certain outpouring of emotion, the narrative was about as therapeutic as a knife twisting in her guts…May be she needed to change the characters' names, make them less like their real life counterparts."
Character development is significant for the main character Ann. I liked Domingo, whom Richard sees merely a source of information and history to help with his book, but who is truly a wiser person than Richard, with his colonialist views, is.
"Before long she was a faucet turned on full, words blasting out of her, tumbling so fast her pen could scarcely keep apace."
Overall rating: 4 stars
Note: I received a free copy of The Drago Tree from the author in exchange for an honest review.
To get a feel of The Drago Tree, check out an excerpt along with a short interview with author Isobel Blackthorn here on the blog at: http://nadanessinmotion.blogspot.com....
Ann runs away from an abusive husband and travels to the exotic island of Lanzarote, a Spanish-speaking island off the coast of Morocco. Personally, I had never heard of it but having read this book, I fell in love with it.
The Drago Tree is a beautiful example of travel literature, as Blackthorn gives the reader exquisite detail about the setting and the country.
"For Ann, names were important. A change of name wasn't just about change of ownership; it involved change of identity. Even married to Andrew, she'd held onto Salter."
When Ann arrives on the island, she begins by writing a single sentence and is quite critical of herself. She meets the handsome author Richard, who gives her harsh criticism, but also introduces her to the local potter-maker Domingo.
Ann then begins to write regularly, but the story takes up after many of her experiences and her family problems, particularly those of her sister and failed marriage – both of whom we are introduced to in the form of flashbacks.
"Too many times she'd been shut in this courtroom of a marriage, forced by her own sense of injustice to defend her position to an irascible judge."
Some of the flashbacks were a bit confusing for me, especially when they were in a new chapter. Both Ann and Richard have flashbacks.
The Drago Tree is full of stunning imagery, quotes, lines and setting. The pace is very slow; however, the book is an experience in of itself.
The overall description, whether for characters, emotions or setting, was done very well. If Blackthorn ever decides to give writing courses, I'll be the first to sign up. The narrative is simply brilliant.
"He was a bulldozer of a man, with a deep gravelly voice. He had bushy eyebrows, flaring nostrils, and a coat hanger of a moustache."
I particularly liked the idea of Ann writing, first a sentence, then later a book. The writing process is a kind of catharsis for her – and many writers can relate to that. It was interesting for me to see how her views of her writing and of Richard develop in the course of the novel.
"While her writing allowed for a certain outpouring of emotion, the narrative was about as therapeutic as a knife twisting in her guts…May be she needed to change the characters' names, make them less like their real life counterparts."
Character development is significant for the main character Ann. I liked Domingo, whom Richard sees merely a source of information and history to help with his book, but who is truly a wiser person than Richard, with his colonialist views, is.
"Before long she was a faucet turned on full, words blasting out of her, tumbling so fast her pen could scarcely keep apace."
Overall rating: 4 stars
Note: I received a free copy of The Drago Tree from the author in exchange for an honest review.
To get a feel of The Drago Tree, check out an excerpt along with a short interview with author Isobel Blackthorn here on the blog at: http://nadanessinmotion.blogspot.com....
June 18, 2016
This is a love letter to Lanzarote, one of the Canary islands off the coast of West Africa. Beautiful descriptions but they consumed most of the book. The story rambled and I often lost interest. It also jumped around and left me questioning if I was reading about the present, Ann's past or pages from Ann's notebook--there were no clear indications to let the reader know. After a few sentences, I figured it out but I didn't care for the style.
Readers wanting to experience the life and history
of a beautiful island will enjoy this, though.
Advanced reader copy courtesy of the publishers at NetGalley for review.
Readers wanting to experience the life and history
of a beautiful island will enjoy this, though.
Advanced reader copy courtesy of the publishers at NetGalley for review.
June 15, 2016
Interesting story of a woman's journey. I enjoyed reading about Lanzarote but think the descriptions of it might have benefited from a bit of pruning. It's terrific to see the work of Australian authors brought to the US. THanks to Netgalley for the ARC.
December 12, 2021
Unexplainably wonderful journey
Blackthorn pens a brilliant story in The Drago Tree. I have read many works from this author before, and I really enjoyed each of them. Blackthorn is a magnificent story "shower" more than just a "teller." The setting of landscapes, on this dreamy, gorgeous island, set the stage for Ann's journey. It's about self-discovery and struggles to find herself. The island's secrets, help Ann figure out her own way. What a magnetic, page turning story. Passion, not just in the story, but how the story is written. This story has so many levels, that it makes up the entire story. It's character driven, but also setting driven, and how the past always lingers, no matter where you go. This author has a great imagination and I'm glad it's being shared with stories. The thrills and intrigue is written clearly, and the characterizations are engrossing. The author's technique of raw, magnetic characters and great plotlines is a gift. It's a great story to follow and try to figure out what will happen next. This read is more than just words on a page. The Drago Tree is a definite recommendation by Amy's Bookshelf Reviews. I look forward to reading many more stories by this author.
Blackthorn pens a brilliant story in The Drago Tree. I have read many works from this author before, and I really enjoyed each of them. Blackthorn is a magnificent story "shower" more than just a "teller." The setting of landscapes, on this dreamy, gorgeous island, set the stage for Ann's journey. It's about self-discovery and struggles to find herself. The island's secrets, help Ann figure out her own way. What a magnetic, page turning story. Passion, not just in the story, but how the story is written. This story has so many levels, that it makes up the entire story. It's character driven, but also setting driven, and how the past always lingers, no matter where you go. This author has a great imagination and I'm glad it's being shared with stories. The thrills and intrigue is written clearly, and the characterizations are engrossing. The author's technique of raw, magnetic characters and great plotlines is a gift. It's a great story to follow and try to figure out what will happen next. This read is more than just words on a page. The Drago Tree is a definite recommendation by Amy's Bookshelf Reviews. I look forward to reading many more stories by this author.
September 7, 2021
COMPREHENSIVE QUALITY
A romance set on the island of Lanzarote, The Drago Tree also portrays the fragility and insecurities of some of the academic middle class. There are elements of both positive and negative feminism as Ann, the main female character, struggles with a failed marriage and a three pronged relationship. Her initial physical attraction to one man is tempered by the more spiritual allure of an island native, yet in the background is always the landscape of Lanzarote, casting an emotional spell on all three, albeit in different ways.
Drago Tree also cleverly weaves the story of Ann as an author, from her first tentative sentence to the completed novel. Ann’s book is written through aspects of her past, which link to her present experiences, in a jigsaw of life as the fragmented pieces lock together to form a cohesive whole.
If that was not sufficient content for a single book, The Drago Tree also highlights the impact of tourism on a fragile cultural environment. Clever – and true of any nation swamped by outsiders.
Overall, The Drago Tree is a comprehensive, beautifully written book that presents itself on a number of levels.
An easy five stars.
A romance set on the island of Lanzarote, The Drago Tree also portrays the fragility and insecurities of some of the academic middle class. There are elements of both positive and negative feminism as Ann, the main female character, struggles with a failed marriage and a three pronged relationship. Her initial physical attraction to one man is tempered by the more spiritual allure of an island native, yet in the background is always the landscape of Lanzarote, casting an emotional spell on all three, albeit in different ways.
Drago Tree also cleverly weaves the story of Ann as an author, from her first tentative sentence to the completed novel. Ann’s book is written through aspects of her past, which link to her present experiences, in a jigsaw of life as the fragmented pieces lock together to form a cohesive whole.
If that was not sufficient content for a single book, The Drago Tree also highlights the impact of tourism on a fragile cultural environment. Clever – and true of any nation swamped by outsiders.
Overall, The Drago Tree is a comprehensive, beautifully written book that presents itself on a number of levels.
An easy five stars.
August 25, 2020
This is a truly beautiful story of love, loss & determination. Escaping her fading marriage, Ann takes time away on the island of Lanzarote, meeting author Richard & local potter Domingo. The trio become companions, although feelings towards Richard cause Ann to become confused & reflective, dipping into her childhood to unearth both bitter & sweet memories. Blackthorn writes so smoothly & descriptively, the words seeming to ebb & flow with the tides lapping at the island’s shores. As much as a love story, this is a lesson in the history of a passionate & proud people, treating the reader to a superb insight into this mysterious culture. A resounding five stars, topped off by the absolutely perfect ending.
June 28, 2025
The best character in this book was Lanzarote.
I would never have come across this book if I hadn’t been searching for books set in the Canary Islands ahead of a holiday in that part of the world. I first started to read (listen) a few days after we’d been there and was struck by the novel opening at the Jameos del Agua, where we had been days before.
I couldn’t get into the novel then and after some time I’ve come back to it, I didn’t spend long enough in Lanzarote to have much of anything other than impressions of the island and this book brought them back; rich and vivid.
I struggled through the frustrating humans, only really enjoying the island itself. The book rekindled my brief connection and the wistfulness that we’d spent too short a time there.
I would never have come across this book if I hadn’t been searching for books set in the Canary Islands ahead of a holiday in that part of the world. I first started to read (listen) a few days after we’d been there and was struck by the novel opening at the Jameos del Agua, where we had been days before.
I couldn’t get into the novel then and after some time I’ve come back to it, I didn’t spend long enough in Lanzarote to have much of anything other than impressions of the island and this book brought them back; rich and vivid.
I struggled through the frustrating humans, only really enjoying the island itself. The book rekindled my brief connection and the wistfulness that we’d spent too short a time there.
December 11, 2019
This is a very slow book that let's you reflect upon yourself a lot. But it is so well written that the slow pace doesn't want you to put it aside. It is taking place in Lanzarote, an island I have visited many times and enjoyed very much. It is not an action-filled Hollywood-type of book but a peaceful work of art.
September 17, 2025
I enjoyed this story and getting into the lives of the characters. I would have given it 5 stars, but for the lack of proofreading. Many publishers are letting down their authors nowadays.
I hadn't read up about Lanzarote before going, so the historical elements were a nice introduction to the island's history.
I hadn't read up about Lanzarote before going, so the historical elements were a nice introduction to the island's history.
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