Floreana

A Novel

By: Midge Raymond

Narrated by: Abigail Reno, Elisabeth Lagelee

On the Galápagos Islands, the lives of two women—a century apart—converge in the most startling ways in a historical novel of desperate love, secrets, and deception by the author of My Last Continent.

After ten years away to build a family, Mallory returns to Floreana Island in the Galápagos, and to Gavin, the mentor with whom she had a long-ago affair. Their project is to build nests to revive the vulnerable penguin population. But Mallory doesn’t dare tell Gavin why she’s really come back. Then she discovers old journals hidden in a lava cave—confessions of another woman who needed to disappear.

In 1929, Dore Strauch left the life she knew to create a new one with the man she loved. On remote Floreana they’re beholden to no one but each other. Until the arrival of strangers, settlers in their paradise. Suddenly, Dore realizes that it’s no longer the refuge she imagined. And that amid the island’s fragile beauty, people can do the most terrible things.

A gripping reimagining of a true story, Floreana intertwines the emotional journeys of two women bound by dark secrets, the want of escape, and the lengths to which they’ll go to find their place in the world.

©2025 by Midge Raymond. (P)2024 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved.

Critic reviews

“Lose yourself in rich, evocative new historical fiction…Floreana invents a dramatic explanation for the still-unsolved deaths that occurred on this small island in the Galápagos in the 1930s…The mounting tension that engulfs the island is mirrored by that of the present-day research camp, where past liaisons and current secrets keep everyone on edge…What remains most convincing is Raymond’s vivid depiction of the island’s flora and fauna…[A] standout.”—Alida Becker, The New York Times

“An engrossing narrative of self-reckoning.”—Publishers Weekly

“The truth behind this real-life event remains a mystery, but Raymond imagines an exciting version of events that is gripping and intriguing, while creating a vivid scene of the wild, remote island in the 1930s…highly recommended.”—Library Journal (starred review)

fascinating insight into the history of the islands

the story wove back and forth between two women a century apart yet with parallel lives. some surprising twists !

Interesting and entertaining stories

I decided to get a book about Floreana after watching the movie Eden. This was an interesting spin on the story. Overall it was very good.