At the Water's Edge, Haiti

"Patti Marxsen is the perfect guide for this fascinating journey through the history of France and its empire, exploring its varied legacies as she expertly brings together past and present."
Laurent Dubois, author of "A Colony of Citizens: Revolution & Slave Emancipation in the French Caribbean, 1787-1804" (2006)


“This short book of just 122 pages is enchanting …a charming, evocative, thought-provoking and occasionally witty piece of travel writing in the best traditions of that genre.”
Stephen A. Royle, Queen’s University Belfast, Northern Ireland, Book Review Editor of ISLAND STUDIES JOURNAL


"Imaginative. Gracefully written. Passionate. Knowledgeable. Fresh. These essays evidence the power of stories gracefully told. They are evocative explorations that, like fine tapestries, interweave imagined scenes, carefully researched history, and social commentary as they lead us through the labyrinth of forces—natural, political, cultural, historical, spiritual, and human—that have shaped the meaning of each of the islands visited. We choose to follow this particular guide because she is, of course, curious and well-informed but, more important, she is original."
Helen Marie Casey, author of "Fragrance Upon His Lips," (2005), a collection of poems about Joan of Arc.


"Island Journeys is very well conceived with seven finely written essays that take the reader on a journey from the ile de la Cite in Paris to Napoleon's lament from St. Helena, 'Last night I dreamed of Paris.' The harmony is captivating and the essays reminiscent of Montaigne's comment, 'My style and my mind alike go rambling.' "
Susan Tiberghien, author of "One Year to a Writing Life, Twelve Lessons to Deepen Every Writer's Art and Craft" (2007).


"Island Journeys is an essential addition to the existing literature of travel and place. On one level, these are linked essays that explore specific connections between seven islands and certain aspects of French cultural history. But the book is also a personal meditation on the complex facets and human dimensions of islands in general. Juxtaposing cultural criticism and personal narrative, Patti Marxsen offers us a fresh perspective on islands not simply as exotic destinations, geography, or location, but as singular entities that allow us entry—as all good literature does—to a larger, more inclusive universe."
Michael Steinberg, Founding Editor, Fourth Genre: Explorations in Nonfiction and author of "Still Pitching," (2003), the Forward Magazine/Independent Press Memoir/Autobiography of the Year


"Island Journeys is an amazing, erudite, lyrical journey!"
Rhea Hollis Atwood, author of "Boston's French Secrets: Guided Walks That Reveal Boston's French Heritage" (2004).


"These essays aren't merely an account of the author's travels, nor are they lessons in geography; they are intelligent musings on place and culture. Reading them doesn't just draw a picture in your mind that makes you feel like you can see the place, but goes deeper and gives you the sense of understanding the place... There is a passion in the essays that is accentuated by Marxsen's gift for storytelling."
Querida Long, Editor of HELLO BERN, an English-language magazine published in Switzerland.