Return to the Island

By Gloria Whelan

Book Overview

It is the spring of 1818 and Mary O'Shea is once again living on beautiful Mackinac Island, set like a glittering jewel in the vast Great Lakes. The small island Mary knew as a child is now a booming town: Brigades of traders bring their precious furs from far-off western lands and hundreds of Indians camp on the shore, filling the island night with bonfires and the constant sound of beating drums. Mary is delighted with her life on the farm and knows she chose wisely in declining a marriage proposal from James Lindsay, a young duke she met during her travels in London. But love of the land isn't the only reason Mary chose to return to her farm after a taste of England's high society. Mackinac Island is also home to Mary's dearest friend, White Hawk, an Indian raised by white settlers. And although White Hawk is often called away to defend Indian claims to native lands, Mary anticipates his visits, hoping that one day he will stay forever. Then suddenly Mary's plans come into question. James, traveling across America to sketch the land and its people, appears at her doorstep to ask for her hand and declares he will not leave until she consents! Now her future, which once seemed as certain as the ebb and flow of the tides, is cast into stormy waters. Will she journey across the Atlantic to live a life of elegance and ease with James, or will she remain on her beloved island and wait for White Hawk? In this dazzling conclusion to The Island Trilogy, Mary must uncover the truth of her won heart in order to discover what her future holds.Books for the Teen Age 2001 (NYPL)

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0060282533
• ISBN13: 9780060282530
• Release Date: October 2000
• Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
• Length: 185 Pages
• Weight: 0.84 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 5.8" x 8.6"
• Age Range: 9 to 13 years
• Grade Range: Grades 4 to 8

Customer Reviews

How I see/Why I like the book

This book was based on some history and yes, its fiction too. I like it because its fun to read and its kid book too. Kid books are fun to read. This book gives a girl courage about herself... The main character is about this girl MAry who is living on an island but when she went to visit her sister Angelique oversea, she befriends a duke's son. HE fell in love with her and asked for her hand in marriage but she had to return home b/c her father got sick and he folloed her back to USA. This book is about her adventure back on her island and how she found where her heart belonged. Where and to who it belong to. I love this book because it good a bit of romance and a bit of adventure in it. Kid who loves history, romance and adventure would like this book.

A satisfying conclusion to the trilogy.

Mary O'Shea is no longer a child, but a young woman of eighteen. Having returned to her frontier home on the Great Lakes island of Mackinac after a visit with her sister, she is able to bid farewell to her ailing father before his death. Now she is keeping up the farm she inheirited with the help of her older brother and his Indian wife. But when the English suitor she refused, James, follows Mary to Mackinac to once more try to win her heart, she finds herself torn between him and her childhood friend, White Hawk, an orphaned Indian boy raised by a childless white couple. Her feelings for White Hawk have become romantic, and a marriage to him will allow her to remain on the island she loves. It was quite clear to me from the beginning what the outcome of this book would be, but I enjoyed it anyway. I am a bit sad that this is the final book, but it is a fitting end - Mary, a child in the first book, has grown into a married young woman with a home of her own. A highly statisfying conclusion.