A trio of husband, wife and preteen sell it all and move to an isolated island for a year - escaping the world and society at large - this diary-of-sorts really pulls you along. Daniel Hays shows himself, warts and all, and the struggles that landed them on the island and their time there, good and bad. Only very rarely does the writing get repetitive and self-aborbing - worth the read. ( )

Amusing at times, and a few interesting insights. I must say that his wife had amazing fortitude. ( )

On Whale Island - Notes from a Place I Never Meant to Leave by Daniel Hays is a true life story of the author’s one year stay on a remote island off the coast of Nova Scotia. After becoming bored with the hullabaloo of every day life in the suburbs and running out of money from royalty checks from his first novel, an adventure story co-written with his father, Hays decides to move with his family to an desolate island he already owned for a year. The book is taken from the diaries of the family members over the course of the 365 days of isolation. The book is truly one mans flee from the McWorld in an attempt to live deliberately, if only for a short time.

My own obsession with real adventurers stories is enough for this book to remain a permanent fixture on my shelf, but there is another reason why it is being reviewed here.

This book is not a dog book, it is not an Airedale book, to the best of my knowledge no profit goes to any charity, but one of the supporting characters in the book is an Airedale named Abby.

Abby is one of two dogs the author took to Whale Island during his yearlong adventure. Although the Airedale does not play any primary role, she is referred to several times throughout the book and adds greatly to the humor of the story, as any good Airedale would. In my last reading of the book I took notes on each reference to Abby and there are many considering she is not so admired by the author as one might hope. She is introduced as “an overbred neurotic Airedale.”

In one special part of the book the author writes:

I call Abby the “dog” because an Airedale is about as smart as a bag of hammers. Those who disagree with me are a special group of people - Airedale owners - and they will use words like “independent,” “stubborn,” and even “slightly dyslexic” to explain why their dog responds to only about a third of their suggestions.

The author does appreciate this dog, ending the novel with “Abby continues to exult in a continuous brainless yet blissful moment, and I sometimes envy her.”

On Whale Island always comes to mind when I see pictures of Airedales on the beach. I had some free reading time while waiting for some books arriving from the publisher for review, so I picked this up to re-read with the thought of writing a review here. It is an easy read, almost too easy, finished during a layover in the lounge at Charles de Gaulle.

It is a wonderful book in its own right, but any Airedale owner should be amused by the various Airedale antics that really steal the show.

Five paws for this humorous adventure with an Airedale.

My full review: http://www.doggeddogdom.com/news/?p=1406 ( )

Ever wonder what it would be like to drop everything and live on an isolated wilderness island in appalling weather? How would you collect enough fresh water and stay warm? What would you do if you encountered an enormous dead whale washed up in the front garden? What would it be like to find yourself bathed in acid while using the ferocity of a midnight gale to charge your power supply?

Boldly honest and pee your pants funny, this book is written in a cocky, sharply humorous style that kept me reading long after I should have been in bed.

Dan's adventures (and misadventures) made me cringe, reflect and laugh out loud. His musings on step-parenthood and on his relationship with his wife are starkly frank. His story made me contemplate life, relationships, and running water (and all those other things we take for granted). Anyone who lives with dogs will relate to Dan's detailed descriptions of some of the drawbacks of living in close quarters with them – yes, we love them, but it can get disgusting.

I am not sure I could do what he did; and I know I would not be able to live with him with the stoicism shown by Wendy. However, beyond all the humor, the book raises the big questions about how we choose to live our lives. ( )