Welcome to our last episode of A History of the Island. In this episode, Rhea and Shari consider questions like: What is the final significance of the Publisher’s Note at the beginning of the novel? Is this novel an allegory for Ecclesiastes? Can we ever fully understand the past on this side of eternity? What do we make of Jean-Marie’s shift in his design for his film? What role does fate and freewill each play in the making of history? And more.

Below you will find our outline for this final episode. If you love having outlines to the books we discuss, we will be making these available every week behind a paywall beginning in September. (They will be available for all during the month of August for your perusal.) Outlines are great for reading with others, or as a study guide if using for self-study or in a class setting.

If you’d like to learn more about our paid subscription options, read the beginning of this post:

Our next close read is The Constant Nymph, by Margaret Kennedy. This is R&W’s second Kennedy novel. We read (and loved!) The Feast in 2025.

Here is the reading schedule:

* Episode 1 | Aug 11: Chapters 1-8

* Episode 2 | Aug 18: Chapters 9-16

* Episode 3 | Aug 25: Chapters 17-24

Thanks for listening to this episode of The Reader & the Writer! If you like this episode, ❤️ it and share it!

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Welcome back to A History of the Island! In this episode, Shari and Rhea discuss the growing cast of characters in the story, and how the French film-makers seem to be playing a larger role in the story; Parfeny’s and Ksenia’s story, in particular. They ask questions about history and reality, who’s telling the story, and who gets to decide? They revisit again the question of the medieval v. the modern ways of looking at history. They talk about the island’s story as an allegory and the ways the Island’s history maps on to any number of countries, to include our (the United States) own. They consider A History of the Island as an allegory, and particularly as a work of satire. And, they talk about bees.

Don’t forget to look through Rhea’s reading guide page for A History of the Island:

Thanks for listening to this episode of The Reader & the Writer! If you liked it, please ❤️ it and share it with your history-loving friends.

The Reader & the Writer is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support our literary work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

Welcome back to A History of the Island by Eugene Vodolazkin. In this episode, Shari and Rhea discuss the move of the chronicle from the medieval to the modern eras. They talk about what is lost when the comet is no more seen as a dragon, how beauty and mystery are intricately connected, and whether or not they think Vodolazkin is criticizing modernity’s view of how history ought to be chronicled. They talk about the curious change to the title of the book in the English translation, and what all the factors are that go into book titles in general. They discuss the difference between recording history as a recording of “Good v. Evil” and recording it as a simple chain of cause and effect, and where the human is placed (or places himself) in the recording of each one. They talk about the marriage of Parfeny and Ksenia. They consider the play on the word and idea of “progress,” and how with this thread, A History enters into conversation with Hannah Coulter, and Wendell Berry’s body of work in its entirety.

Below is a link to Rhea’s reading guide for A History of the Island. Be sure to check out her running list of name meanings.

If you want a deep dive into a Tolstoy’s take on history and the ancient v. modern view of how it gets told, you might enjoy my 12-day journey chronicling his long essay on the matter at the end of War & Peace:

Thanks for listening to this episode of The Reader & the Writer! If you liked the episode, please show it some ❤️ and pass it on to your history loving friends!

The Reader & the Writer is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support our literary work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.