Desiring Paradise... a true story of succumbing to the dream

The Paradise they desired is the beautiful and sometimes whacky island of St. John in the U.S. Virgin Islands. Life's misadventures caused havoc, but these folks persevered. How they got to Paradise will inspire the most jaded reader to believe that any dream is possible.

The realities of living on a small Caribbean island where donkeys and goats may be more plentiful than people is an eye-opener for everyone! On St. John, folks drive on the left side of the road and hitchhike by pointing their index finger in the direction they're going. It's a place where tree frogs give nightly concerts that compete with the sounds of reggae music floating up the hillside from tiny town of Cruz Bay. The only way to leave is by boat... and sometimes that's easier said than done.

Loaded with island trivia, this new book uncovers the unique rhythms of daily life in the U.S. Virgin Islands. Learning 'island-time' and having a sense of humor counts in Paradise, as these two transplants from New England found. Their first-year adventures on-island will make you chuckle as you come to realize - Paradise is a state of mind.

Their dream? To move to the US Virgin Islands and get on "island time." For people who are not from the Caribbean, making the move to this totally different lifestyle might seem impractical, but this couple shows how they planned out, to the T, their move, complete with saving money, bringing their automobiles to the island, finding work (ultimately setting up their own business on the island), and adjusting to a very different lifestyle.

There is good advice in this book about making a long-distance and culture-shifting move. It takes planning. After reading "Desiring Paradise" I felt that, if I should ever take up my fantasy of owning a mango farm somewhere in the Caribbean, I could do it. It really is an inspirational book in that way. It's also a great book for armchair travellers. As its nonfiction, there are some great slice-of-life passages about the Virgin Islands, their topography, their people, and the much more humane way in which people live and relate there. Everytime I think about this book, I am filled with warm memories, both of the book and of my visit to USVI.

I would recommend this book to: people considering moving to the Virgin Islands; people interested in the USVI or modern-day Caribbean culture in general; those interested in a good story about planning and goal-setting and the amazing results it can have.


A Must read book for those planning on the move to the USVI   May 15, 2003
Allen A. Kavanaugh (Sawyer, MI USA)
2 out of 2 found this review helpful

I read this Book in three short days I couldnt put it down but to go to work. I plan on the big move to St Croix with in two yrs. I could realte to this story we are at the same place as the couple in the book was and is unbelievavble on how true to fact it has been. A must read for those who are truly "Desirinig Paradise"


Written by a yuppie.   November 7, 2002
Celeste M. Harmer (Clifton Heights, PA United States)
7 out of 9 found this review helpful

Before I criticize this book, let me first say I gleaned lots of useful ideas for my own relocation to the island. As much as I enjoyed reading it, I was put off by the fact that this couple -- and in particular the wife, who narrates the story -- had yuppie written all over them. They struck me as people who couldn't bear to live a day without their cappuccino machine and laptop computers, raising serious doubts in my mind as to their ability to successfully adapt to the vicissitudes of island life. Also, they seemed to have money to burn, as evidenced by their too-frequent jaunts to St. Croix and other destinations, making me feel that on occasion they were losing their focus on their goal of relocating to St. John

I think this would have been a much more effective story if it had been written by average working-class people whose Continental lives were played out and who held the burning desire to move to a beautiful island to start all over again, and who perhaps had to take on second jobs to generate additional income to make this happen. I didn't feel entirely sorry for Karin and Bob because they were two well-to-do people living a seemingly perfect life in a beautiful New England home with all the amenities they could ask for. They didn't seem particularly unhappy with any aspects of their lives, in sharp contrast to several people I know who have made the move to St. John. The only reason they wanted out was because they wanted a taste of Paradise. Not that there's anything wrong with that; it's a perfectly valid reason. But I would have empathized with them much more had they been down on their luck.

In retrospect, I must say that Karin and Bob weren't good candidates for relocating to St. John. At times I felt they would have benefited more by vacationing there several times a year instead -- they had salaries and work schedules that would have allowed them this privilege. I felt it impossible to feel sorry for them and at times didn't care whether they made it to the island or not.

Having said all that, this book scores huge points in the true-to-life parts describing St. John. It really did make me feel as if I was there with them. I've been to the island several times in the past few years, so I was able to validate these experiences.


This is NOT about St. John!   August 23, 2002
Margaret Fallone (Midwest, United States)
11 out of 17 found this review helpful

We had just returned from our first trip to St. John. I scoured the internet for books on this incredible island just wanting more, more, more! I was intrigued by the title (feeling much the same!) and ordered.

It wasn't too far in that I realized Ms. Schlesinger is a very self-absorbed woman - I didn't count the number of references to "I" but "I" got sick of reading about inconveniences - she seemed more to want us to feel sorry for her, having to move to St. John! Get over it! The number of people she inconvenienced along her way to paradise far outnumbered her own inconveniences - I felt sorry for her poor husband.

The few references to St. John, the island, the beaches, lifestyle etc. were wonderfully refreshing - it was reliving the pure pleasure we experienced on our first short visit.

We just returned from our 2nd trip and I decided to re-read the book to again relive our trip. I was struck again, even harder this time, that this book is more about the author than St. John. Who cares?

Skimming through the book to find the few times we are actually introduced to the life on St John, I read every word and enjoyed it all. If someone is interested in learning about St.John this is NOT the book to buy.I gave it 2 stars only because of the references to the island, not her writing skills.

I would have enjoyed reading this much more perhaps, had it been written by Mr. Schlesinger, who seems far more down to earth and less selfish!