One way to engage the perennial question of what is an island? as Stephen Royle does in this exemplary book is to explore how islands are understood through different academic disciplines, media and the arts . . . Royles book has a pace and conveys an excitement about islands that allows him to rapidly move through a range of contemporary debates in islands scholarship . . . the book as a whole is notable for the large number of illustrations (there seems to be one on every second page!). Here, Royle devotes space to reflecting on the nature of light and the associated atmospheres of islands, providing a particularly fascinating discussion of Gauguin . . . I found Islands to be an extremely enjoyable and fruitful read. The book is relevant for lay people, students and scholars alike, and Royles vivid writing style anf illuminating examples remind us why islands hold such a recurrent appeal for geographers and those from related disciplines.
Cultural Geographies