Rose Island: An Almost Accurate Account of Days Gone By

by Terry Chambers

Rose Island, An Almost Accurate Account of Days Gone By provides you with an exhilarating, nonstop roller coaster ride of a read that includes mysteries of ancient treasures, lost loves, and ethereal phantoms.

Here is the story of Claire Christiansen, a spoiled debutante, and her friend Lutticia Quailes, a gal from the hollers of Hazard, whose destinies fatefully cross the summer just before everything they cherish is destroyed by the great Ohio River flood of 1937. Together they forge an everylasting bond that goes well beyond the grave.

The mysteries of the now deserted amusement park, ROSE ISLAND, hurls the reader at warp speed through countless plot twists and turns that took place in both current time and days gone by, including a retelling of local legends surrounding Louisville, Utica, the Falls of the Ohio, and the tribes of the moon-eyed White Indians.

This tale, although a work of fiction, is mightily based on places and people in and around Kentuckiana!

304 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 22, 2018

Reviews

[Robb Hoff · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bookended in the present by an ancient gold coin wrought from the legend of the Welsh Prince Madoc, the historical novel Rose Island does much more than just tell the tale of “Summer 1936” at a bygone resort on the outskirts of Louisville, Kentucky.

Author Terry Chambers stamps her own mark on the bullion treasure of Ohio River history, myth, and legend that surrounds the “Moon-Eyed People” of Welsh descent, who perhaps inhabited the region centuries before Columbus ever set sail.

Her paranormal intrusion of this ancient legend energizes a story that is enhanced further by the likes of the “Sleeping Prophet,” Edgar Cayce, the mordaciously murderous Ku Klux Klan villain, D.C. Stephenson, and the hauntingly mysterious “Lady in Blue,” of Louisville’s Seelbach Hotel, where famed author F. Scott Fitzgerald found inspiration for The Great Gatsby.

Chambers perfectly portrays her characters in the milieu of their time, in what turns out to be the final fling for the Rose Island resort before the Ohio River flood of 1937 obliterated it for keeps.

The drama pivots on the relationship between betrothed up-and-comers Claire and Bill. Once turmoil turns up in spades, the story gets spiked by violent twists that shock and surprise until myth and legend restore the order of fate in a way that is as sweet as it is sad.

Check out Rose Island if you’re ready for one great, big reading buzzZZZZZ!

[Cara · Rating 1 out of 5]

One to many martini's!

I would not recommend this book. The writing did not flow well at all. This created a lack of character development for all. Whose point of you was this book supposed to be from anyway? If Rose Island was still operating today I would not want to visit. I wish the author better luck next time!

[Mary Quire · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Very Charming Read

A few twists and turns, a cast of very interesting characters, loads of local history surrounding Rose Island, and what you have is a great novel. I read this book for my book club and I was not disappointed. I highly recommend it.

[Mary Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

An era that is very interesting to me. Vacationing for months at a place so close to home seems so odd. Loved all the references to my hometown, Louisville and the surrounding area. The ending seemed bazaar to me but overall I liked reading.

[Dorothy Briestansky · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a fantastic book....the author keeps the reader wondering and guessing until the very end....and what a surprising ending....YES, YES.....keep up the great work Terry Chambers. I hope to be reading many more of your masterpieces.

[Carol Riggins · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book! Twists you never saw coming! Greatest surprise was C.B. Hodges! My beautiful nephew!!!!!!!

[Kyle McPeck · Rating 4 out of 5]

**Book Review: *Rose Island: An Almost Accurate Account of Days Gone By* by Terry Chambers**

This one surprised me.

I'll admit, for the first half of the book, I wasn't sure it was for me. Going in, I expected more historical fiction rooted in actual events. Instead, I found myself reading a story that leaned much more toward fiction than history. More than once, I thought about setting it aside.

But I have a hard time reviewing a book I haven't finished, so I kept going.

I'm glad I did.

Somewhere along the way, the characters quietly grew on me. Then the final 40 pages completely changed my opinion. What had felt like a slow journey suddenly came together in a way that was emotional, satisfying, and memorable. The ending gave meaning to much of what came before it.

This isn't a fast-paced novel, and readers looking for a history lesson may find themselves feeling the same frustration I did at first. But if you're willing to stick with it, you'll be rewarded with a story that's ultimately about people, relationships, and the moments that shape our lives.

For me, *Rose Island* went from being a book I nearly abandoned to one I'm genuinely glad I finished. Sometimes the best books aren't the ones that grab you immediately—they're the ones that stay with you after you've turned the last page.

**Rating: 4 out of 5 stars.**

The journey wasn't always easy, but the destination made it worthwhile.

[Beverly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some time ago, my husband was telling me about a book someone told him about that he thought I'd like. It was supposedly about Rose Kennedy. When I located this as Kindle Unlimited read, he said he thought this was it and I borrowed it. I've probably been holding off reading at least a year, if not longer. Imagine my surprise...this is certainly not the book. I went ahead and read it...just because that's what I do and I have to say this is a strange book. My favorite thing about it is that it talks about areas in Indiana and Kentucky and there are some interesting historical information but the story itself was kind of "out there". I thought the writing was well done for the most part. It read smoothly and I didn't have any trouble following the time differences. But when anything sexual happened, I felt like it was handled very crudely. There isn't a lot of sexual description but what there is, is done so abruptly. And then there's a bit of supernatural element thrown in which was unexpected. I'm not really sure I'd read another book by this author.

[LavonSheree · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an interesting read, especially for the historical content. But I would have enjoyed it more without the foul language. The story was good, and the style was interesting once I got used to the switching between time lines. If you don't mind vulgar language, it's a decent story.

[Jim Brammell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Terry Chambers has crafted a clever mystery novel, which is also full of obscure bits of history than will be of particular interest to those who have grown up in Kentucky and Southern In. A quick read and hard to put down.

[Justine Rostel · Rating 3 out of 5]

No reason for language used in sections of the book.

[Leesa · Rating 5 out of 5]

l really loved this book. Terry is a great story teller and I'm happy to have met her. I plan on a tour to Rose Island next time I go home to Ky.

[Becky haxton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read