Karen Abbott (1) (1973–)

Abbott Kahler (formerly writing under the name Karen Abbott) is a talented nonfiction writer whose first success was SIN IN THE SECOND CITY. Kahler always finds interesting women to write about, along with the men they live with, beside or encounter, however briefly. Her books are full of fast moving information and are history with a modern presentation. Her latest, EDEN UNDONE, is, perhaps, her best yet. Some of us may have read Margret Wittmer's 1959 book FLOREANA: A WOMAN'S PILGRIMAGE TO THE GALAPAGOS, and, if so, may have found it fascinating that a German family would travel across the world to live on a remote island alone, building their own tiny house and eating only food available on the land. But Wittmer lived on the island of Floreana, and the book was about the experience of her and her family as well as the other rare settlers who ended up there. Wittmer wrote her book for the world, to tell her story, and not to tell her secrets. What Abbott Kahler has been able to accomplish is access to the inner thoughts of the island's inhabitants during that time period. Accessing rare archives, Kahler discovered journals and correspondence belonging to the Wittmers and the Ritters (the Ritters actually settled on Floreana before the Wittmers.) As one might suspect, people sailing off to live on an isolated island had certain expectations: isolation, privacy, and solitude. With the arrival of the Wittmers, the Ritters' lives changed. Despite both families being German and seeking a utopian lifestyle, they seemed to have little in common. And Dr. Ritter, whose idea it was to live on Floreana, was a difficult man for almost anyone to understand or relate to, including Dore, his long suffering companion in exile. The time period when the German couples lived on the island - joined soon by the mysterious and strange "Baroness," was the 1930s, a time when life in Germany was starting to change, but not yet under Hitler's control. Germany's politics did not influence any of the settlers to move far away; their desire was to seek utopia. Access to the archives of tremendous amounts of writing by the island dwellers (after all, besides devoting time to gardening and hunting and cooking and sewing and attempting to have a somewhat normal life in a very unusual location, what else did they have to do with their days? Write.). There were journals as well as correspondence. No, there was not a Post Office on Floreana, but a box in a place called Post Office Bay where the settlers would leave mail to be picked up by passing sailing vessels. There was never any guarantee as to when mail might get picked up or left off, but the system worked in its own way, and occasionally ships brought letters from Germany or friends abroad. Captain Hancock, an American, often sailed to the Galapagos with Smithsonian scientists. Their mission was to study the unique flora and fauna of the region, but Hancock became equally as fascinated by the folks who had decided to settle on Floreana and more or less withdraw from the world. Since a good deal of correspondence went through Hancock, much of it was preserved, giving Kahler access to the innermost thoughts of the island dwellers. The book is interesting in the way Wittmer's was, as everyone wonders what kind of life one could have in such a remote location. What would one eat? How would one dress? What would happen if one were sick? But all of that is just the background for Kohler's amazing case study into the personalities of Floreana: Dr. Ritter, his companion Dore, Margret and Heinz Wittmer, and the most perplexing real-life character of all: The Baroness with her entourage of young men. Kahler writes flowingly and creates great suspense. The book is more than a page turner; it is also a head scratcher! The reader is merrily mystified by the thoughts and actions of the island's residents. EDEN UNDONE is true crime and history, both at their best. Kudos to Abbott Kahler who has outdone herself with the presentation of this true mystery.… (more)

Eden Undone is an often fascinating account of a deadly mix of personalities thrown together on a small, remote island. Once all the people were in place, it was only a matter of time before disaster struck.

The remote Galápagos Island setting with its fascinating flora and fauna intrigued me, but I have to admit that I often found the backgrounds of the millionaires who visited to be more interesting than those of the people living on the island.

Ritter was so devoted to his idea of a splendid life in isolation that he had all his teeth extracted and wore a set of steel dentures. His patient/lover, Dore Koerwin, was dedicated to ensuring Ritter's brilliance to the world. But it was Ritter's insistence on spreading the word about his Utopia that brought about its downfall-- especially when newspapers were quick to emphasize that the two roamed around the island naked. Soon tourists were beating a path to the island.

Wittmer and his family wanted to escape a Europe that was rapidly descending into madness, and there was little strife between them and Ritter and Koerwin. It wasn't until the supposed baroness showed up with her lovers that emotions began to run high.

Watching these personalities clash and resentments begin to fester and boil, disaster was a foregone conclusion, and Abbott Kahler gives readers ringside seats to the calamitous end of another dream of paradise.

(Review copy courtesy of the publisher and Net Galley)… (more)

I listened to this a few months ago, so it's pretty foggy. I remember thinking that the cover doesn't reflect the story. There are a set of mirror twins and one was in an accident and has no memory and is relying on her twin to tell her the truth. SPOILER: I remember in the end, the twin is not bad and is on her side, but just didn't disclose her whole past to try to protect her. There were cults, and they had murdered the bad people in the cult. The one who lost her memory was the one that did the murder, I believe, so the other twin was trying to save her from that. The one who lost her memory went to live with her mom, who she doesn't realize was bad. I gave this 3.5 stars because if the twin with the memory had just filled her in, it wouldn't have been such a big deal. And I think they do go back and murder the guy (who they attempted but didn't happen.) And I think they murdered the mom too? I want to say the were raped/taken advantage of when they were younger in this cult. I remember enjoying it, but a general middle of the road thriller.… (more)