Six, yes 6, of my last seven books have been one or two star books. Worst stretch ever. I think if I was in a normal stretch this book may also be two stars. I am not in a good reading stretch. The characters in this based on real events impressed the heck out of me. No way would I have the skill or strength to do what they did.

487 members; 3.92 average rating; 11/25/2022 ( )

This book could be subtitled “A Tale of Two Shipwrecks.” It is the true story of two shipwrecks, the Grafton and the Invercauld, on the Auckland Islands near New Zealand in the mid-1860’s. In addition to providing the details of what happened to these crews, it a lesson on the importance of ingenuity, teamwork, and leadership. The author has done extensive research involving the journals of the participants, plant and animal life of the islands, and history of the area, and weaves this information into the narrative. As a warning, it contains graphic descriptions of killing sea lions and other wildlife, which may be disturbing. Recommended to readers of non-fiction, maritime history, and survival stories. ( )

Absolutely LOVED "Island of THE LOST" by Joan Druett! Using the survivor's journals and historical records, Ms. Druett created this masterpiece. This novel takes place in the Auckland Island, starting in 1864. Captain Thomas Musgrave and a crew of four are heading to Campbell Island in search of mineral ore, that is rumored to be in abundance. They due harsh weather conditions, they wreck their schooner, the Grafton on the southern end of Auckland Island. They find themselves alone on this harsh island, surrounded by dense forest, stinging blowflies and relentless rain. Rather than succumbing to their current circumstances, Captain Musgrave inspires his crew to take action. Ms. Druett does an amazing job of creating a truly interesting and inspiring novel. If you are looking for a non-fiction adventure. I would highly recommend "Island of THE LOST"! ( )

Books about exploration often turn into stories of loss and privation. I enjoy learning, from a very safe distance, about the settings of these books, whether the polar regions or the jungle or some other remote location. Coupled with this is curiosity about how the explorers cope with the circumstances in which they find themselves.

In this case, author Druett has a definite theme: shipwrecked crews that have a strong leader, and are willing to work cooperatively, will fare better than those who do not.

Between Antarctica and New Zealand lie the Auckland Islands, barren except for visits from sea lions and birds, and with little edible native plan life. Subject to violent storms and consistently cold, wet weather, it's not a fun place to be shipwrecked.

Unfortunately, that is exactly what happened to two ships simultaneously in 1863-1864. On opposite ends of the main island, they were unaware of each other's presence. One group, much larger to begin with, did little to help themselves, and even the last three survivors would surely have perished had they not been spotted by a passing ship.

The group of five at the other end of the island worked together, pooling their skills and supporting each other despite differences in class, temperament and language. One of them proved to have mad survival skills. Among other things he figured out how to tan the hides of the sea lions that were providing a key food source and made shoes from the leather. And he built a forge to make tools and the nails to hold together the large boat they built, which three of them sailed hundreds of miles to New Zealand to effect the rescue of them all.

The narrative style was no better or worse than most books of this genre, and, perhaps because of my fascination with the ways in which the one group managed to overcome all the challenges that came their way, I stayed engaged all the way through.


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In 1864, two sailing vessels both wreck on tiny Auckland Island, in the sub-Antarctic, 300 miles south of New Zealand. The Grafton, captained by Thomas Musgrave, is dashed ashore on January 3, in a bay on the southern side of the island while scouting for seal hunting grounds. All 5 crew members survived. Four months later, the Invercauld, captained by George Dalgarno, is wrecked into the cliffs on the northern side of the island en route from Australia to Peru. Of 25 crew, 19 made it to shore alive. Neither party is aware of the other, or ever makes contact.

Musgrave put his men to work to build a shelter from the Grafton wreckage. He assigned them each daily responsibilities, and they spend their time in industrious pursuits--hunting seals for meat and clothing, gathering wood for fire, building a sturdy shelter, finding edible plants, writing in journals, solving daily challenges, and teaching each other from the books that survived. Each had responsibilities, kept to a schedule, and cared for one another. In an extraordinary feat, after a year awaiting rescue, they spent the next 6 months constructing a fragile but seaworthy dinghy and sailed to rescue to a southern island of New Zealand 300 miles to the north.

There is no such organization or optimism among the Invercauld survivors, most of whom die in the ensuing days, weeks, and months. Disunited and despairing, they scatter and each pursue their own objectives, and ultimately most of them paid with their lives.

This is a deftly woven story of survival and demise, taken from the original journals, letters, and newspaper accounts of those involved. Ultimately, it's a tale of the difference that resources (where they landed on the island, the food available to them, the wreckage that was salvageable) make, but also that resourcefulness (how they spent their time, what kept them hoping, how they worked together) makes in who lived and who died.

I found this true story to be expertly researched and crafted by author Joan Druett. I was notably fascinated by Musgrave and his men and how they managed to survive for so long, and then have the courage to rescue themselves, in a sense, through sheer force of will and ingenuity.

There are lessons here, but they are subtle, and left to the reader to filter from these stories. A tremendous tale of survival, "Island of the Lost" is well worth the read and goes down as one of the best I have read in this, one of my favorite genres (exploration, discovery, survival). This book was a gift from my wife for Christmas 2021, and she nailed it. ( )