This started as a historical fiction about two friends--Jewish girls in Minnesota--and then skipped forward and became a survival/adventure story on the Galapagos Islands during the 1940's. I loved the writing, very artful. I was a little disconcerted at the time jump of twenty-something years in Franny's life that was just summed up in like one sentence (she became a teacher and dated some but never married), but overall, the story and writing is excellent. Very enjoyable; the author made me believe and accept everything that happened--that shows her skill.