The Tenth Island: Finding Joy, Beauty, and Unexpected Love in the Azores

Now I know the word to describe what I have been suffering with for 25 years since leaving Terceira after living there for three years: Saudade.

I’m glad the place has not changed much in all this time. Diana’s descriptions are wonderful and I still remember all the place names and events she describes.

There are not many books about the Azores. Buy this one and you won’t be disappointed.

A couple of notes that I didn't see covered in other reviews:

This book is episodic (very much a series of article like chapters that don't necessarily need to be read in order, though it helps). So it is a great pick up / set down read. On the downside, after the last article it just sort of ends. On the plus side, I'd buy the next book in the series (if there is one).

Lost interest and began speed reading. Too boring to finish.

A beautiful book on the magic that is the Azores, and the living connection to the 10th Island of the U.S.
Can’t wait to go back.

For anyone who loves the Azores this is a book that will touch your heart. I got a bad case of saudade while I was reading it, and even started looking at hotels and airline tickets. Her beautiful descriptions of places and people were so familiar, and I love the way she fit right in and learned everything she could about both.

Diana Marcum is a great writer whose honesty and observation make this book very compelling. I admire her spirit of adventure, intense curiosity and keen eye for detail, propelled me into her story. I've always heard of the Azores, but had no idea what they were like, and Diana painted a wonderful picture of their culture. In fact, I would now really love to go there. A valuable lesson that I learned from this book is to explore everything in front of us. A man plowing his field with Oxen in California piqued Diana's attention and she got out of the car and talked to him. That little act changed Diana's life . We all need to open our eyes and see like Diana does.

Most Portugese emigrants in the Central Valley of California came from the Azores Islands (including my mother-in-law's family). This book was a delightful read, and quite informative in its descriptions of American Azoreans, their reasons for leaving the Azores, and their reasons for returning to vacation and visit. Marcum paints a fine portrait of the islands and of island culture. Her style is easy and often humorous, her characters interesting. Treat yourself.

This book had so many layers and the writing was so rich. It reminded me of an adult woman’s version of My Family and Other Animals by Gerald Durrell. I recommend reading the book and then listening to the audio book. I’ll be going back to it again in the future. Some special people will be getting hard copies for Christmas this year.

As a former reporter, I loved the way the adventure opens simply, as Diana Marcum begins a quest to explain a photograph of a man in modern California driving a team of oxen, gesturing with one hand and clutching a cell phone with the other. How often are our lives changed when we simply feed our curiosity and connect with the people we meet along the way?

Well done!

The Tenth Island was recommended to me by a woman of Portuguese ancestry, so I ordered it immediately. I’m fortunate to be somewhat familiar with the Portuguese culture from friends I grew up with. I read the book twice, once for entertainment and once for the quality of the writing. The author brought to life the deep connection with the immigrants and in many cases, their children, from the Azores who live in California. As a writer, she took an assignment from a photo; a photo of a simple farmer. Out of curiosity, the author got to know people of Azores heritage in the valley. Through her years of research, and her curious nature, she was able to explain their traditions by interviews in California and the Azores. For example, I had no idea why so many in the Central Valley love bull fights. It was clearly explained in the book. Through her writing, I could feel the deep connection of the Azoreans on both sides of the Atlantic. People with. Because of the heart and soul of each immigrant, they brought a bit of the Azores with them. The author was skillful in explaining simple things, such as flowers planted, foods fixed, festivals celebrated. I could actually visualize the islands through the author’s eyes. I was impressed by the author’s research on not only the Azores, but the Central Valley as well. Since the book was in first person, she also shared part of her personal and professional life. Thoroughly enjoyed this book.