''Blue Island'' () is a 1988 novel by the French writer

Jean Raspail Jean Raspail (, 5 July 1925 – 13 June 2020) was a French author, traveler, and explorer. Many of his books are about historical figures, exploration and indigenous peoples. He was a recipient of the prestigious French literary awards Grand Pri ...

. The narrative is set in

Touraine Touraine (; ) is one of the traditional provinces of France. Its capital was Tours. During the political reorganization of French territory in 1790, Touraine was divided between the departments of Indre-et-Loire, :Loir-et-Cher, Indre and Vien ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

, where a charismatic boy gathers his friends on an island, where they play war games which become increasingly more interlinked with reality. The book was published in English in 1991, translated by Jeremy Leggatt. The book was adapted into the 2001 television film ''L'Île bleue''. The film was directed by

Nadine Trintignant Nadine Trintignant (née Marquand; born 11 November 1934) is a French film director, producer, editor, screenwriter, and novelist. She is known for making films that surround the topic of family and relationships, such as '' Ça n'arrive qu'aux a ...

Reception

'' Kirkus Reviews'' described the books as "a touching story about coming of age under less-than-ideal circumstances. ... e dovetailing here of adolescent bravado and cynicism with historical drama makes for a mostly satisfying mixture." ''

Publishers Weekly ''Publishers Weekly'' (''PW'') is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers, and literary agents. Published continuously since 1872, it has carried the tagline, "The International News Magazine of ...

'' called it a "spellbinding fable", and wrote that "this is no myth-like ''

Lord of the Flies ''Lord of the Flies'' is a 1954 novel by the Nobel Prize-winning British author William Golding. The plot concerns a group of British boys who are stranded on an uninhabited island and their disastrous attempts to govern themselves. Themes ...

''. Contemporary history is an ever-present element, as German troops advance, France falls apart, the government evacuates Paris and refugees flood the countryside. ... Raspail ('' Who Will Remember the People'') narrowly avoids sentimentality in this powerful depiction of an end to innocence and illusion."

References

1988 French novels French bildungsromans French novels adapted into films French-language novels Novels by Jean Raspail Novels set on islands Novels set during World War II French novels adapted into television shows {{1980s-WWII-novel-stub