Savages

This book was a little slow to start but I am glad I stuck with it because it was GREAT. Sucked me in and made me wish there was more. I love survival/adventure books. In this one we have a bunch of wealthy society wives who visit a new resort on a jungle island and are forced into hiding in the jungle by hostilities on the island. The book goes into detail as to what they have to do to survive a stint in the jungle. It doesn't come easy for the ladies, that's for sure. Do the step up? Read and [...]

It's probably the most awful book ever. I'm sure it's fantastical, imperialist, racist, sexist, and embarrassing. It was also an awakening for me. As these "savages" made their way from rich, spoiled housewives to Lord of the Flies-worthy um naturalists, they also exposed me to my very first dose of HOT LESBIAN SEX. (I think that phrase takes capitals, but I'm not sure.) Don't read it, necessarily, but know it exists for your own personal enjoyment.

Wow, I found it!! There are certain books that stick in your mind for whatever reason, long after you have read them. This is one of those for me. I was racking my brain trying to remember what this book was. All I could remember was that a group of women were stranded in the jungles of an island and had to learn to survive. I remember randomly pulling a copy off of my library shelves over a decade ago and enjoying the read. I'd like to read it again someday soon.*Update! Found a great copy of t [...]

An oldie but a goldie. I got so addicted to the obtacles the heroines kept facing in this thriller that, by the end, I didn't want them to stop. Never a dull moment after the heroines watch their husbands get murdered. Some clever, and sometimes ruthless, surprises along the way.The male characters tended to be sterotypical but you expect an author to have greater insight into characters of the same gender. Conran delivered on the female side, and I got very attached to the five fictitious women [...]

I keep going back to this book; I've probably read it 7 or 8 times. I like the way she shows the relationships and how they change. The suspense is great. I like how you see the strengths come out, and the frailities and how they cope with them. I find this book inspiring. It seems like just another fluffy beach read, but these women are tested to the limit and overcome overwhelming difficulty.

WowI never read books like this. I must say, it was really, really captivating. Interesting and suspense-filled throughout the book, once the author gets you introduced to all of the characters and their marriages, lives, personalities, quirks. Thenlet these high-falutin' ladies loose on an island of cannibals, evil revolutionaries, bugs, danger,once their company vacation goes awry, and see what nice ladies become. It's like a woman's "Lord of the Flies," but much more engaging. Attention to de [...]

Interesting plot, poor writingWell, that re-read was a weird experience!Savages has got to be the same book that I remember from fifteen years ago, the plot is the same. But, the writing style and the details as the plot is fleshed out are so very different than I remember!I've never had my memory betray me to such an extent upon re-reading a novel, even novels that I didn't reread for decades. Makes me wonder if it's possible that I previously read a post-edit published version and that this Ki [...]

This book -- a trashy, chick lit bestseller type from the 80s -- is not the kind of thing I would usually read. BUT I ABSOLUTELY LOVE IT. This was actually a reread and it was even better than I remembered. It's about five pampered wives who accompany their husbands on a business trip to a tropical island, and when the men are shot by terrorists (not a spoiler, it's on the back of the book) the women have to fend for themselves in the jungle. I've always loved survival tropical island stories fo [...]

Don't let the cover turn you away. It is an excellent summer read. The story line is believable and the main characters(all women) are interesting and likable. I have to admit that only a few people have read this on my recommendation and they were not as sold as I was but so whatGive it a chance.

Oh my gosh. This book was so good. Engrossing. I had trouble putting it down to do anything else. It's going on my list of favorite books. And, it was educational. I learned a lot about wilderness living. Just wow, really.

I read this book more than 20 years ago. I loved the story line and the adventure of it so much that even to this day, I search for stories of survival. Savages was fantastic. "You don't know how strong you are until being strong is all you've got left."

I read this book a long time ago, but I still recall that this was one of my favorites that I couldn't put down!

This is a great book, but the original cover of the book was much better. Why they think they need to put a half-naked blond on the cover to sell this book is beyond me!

Loved this. I wasn't expecting to enjoy it so much. I originally started reading it and dismissed it as 80's mindless trash, but picked it up again out of desperation after there was literally nothing else in the house to read. Glad I did, as this book took me on a shocker of a roller coaster ride, full of gory murders, and gritty, realistic horrors of survival. I could hardly put it down.The plot is about a group of spoilt, pampered women abandoned on a tropical island, after their husbands' im [...]

I don't even remember where or when I picked this book up, but it sounded interesting (not the same old blah, blah, blah.) Another draw, I live in Pittsburgh and quickly found there are quite many legitimate references to companies and areas. I've crossed the Allegheny, listened to Pittsburgh Symphony alfresco and attended the regattas in the Golden triangle (A.k.a Point State Park.) more times than I can count.This book absolutely shocked me all throughout the story and with the fact that it wa [...]

Survival in a very long book - but the pace is such that you don't notice the length. I was amazed that I sat and read a book (and finished it)which conjured up 1001 ways in how to survive in a jungle on a cannibal riden island in the Pacific. Gruesome in parts, annoying females at times (well they were a bit like Desperate Housewives transplanted into a tropical setting, complete with inch long blood red talons and 3 carat diamond engagement rings)But for all that it was a journey in finding th [...]

For a suspense novel it was one of the better I've read. My complaint is a small one The author seemed to really like the word "inexorably" as she used it repeatedly to the point of distraction. She was kind of like a kid with a new toy. It was like she'd just learned/discovered the word shortly before writing the book or maybe it was her editor's fault. At any rate her overuse of the word is somewhat distracting.The story is compelling, the characters are somewhat real and believable although I [...]

Trashy cover notwithstanding, this is a surprisingly good novel about a group of pampered wives of oil company executives that spend a nice weekend on an island only to have a coup happen while they're out on a boat ride. They have to survive by hiding in a secluded patch of forest and beach until the tides are right for them to strike out for the mainland and escape certain death.My mum recommended this to me and I was skeptical at first, but it turned out to be a cracking read! Probably not re [...]

Interesting read, loved all the survival, badass-women fighting against the odds. Got a little huh around the lesbian sex scene, wasn't sure where she was going with that, but it was never mentioned again So I guess it was all good! I didn't overly like the ending but it was a well researched and thorough book. Don't read it expecting literary greatness but read it to go on a kick-ass chick adventure.

This book has some really excellent ideas and wonderful writing. The characters are bearable to begin with but grow to be much loved as the book continues. The story line is gripping and interesting, lots of twists and turns. Although I would have liked the book to continue a bit further than it did, but I guess that's the author's way of not creating the perfect happy ending that does not happen in real life.

The story does start out a little slowbut give it time, because it ends up being AWESOME!! This was a very intriguing storyline, and I loved how these wealthy women had to survive and tough it out. One of my most favorite reads!! I always recommend this book!! I rarely keep booksbut this one sits on my shelf because it really is that good.

I great storie. I read it years ago. It shows how your innerself comes off in times of crisis and how we humans back each other, no matter how vain we are used to be. Human nature is capable of creating a strong defense shield to support each other in a comunity in desperate need. Higly recomended!!!

Oh my gosh. I am just reviewing this book after 30 + years. I have never forgotten this female "lord of the flies" type book. Women get stuck on a deserted island and what issues ensue. I loved this book and especially how the power struggle shook out. One of my favorite books!!

When I read this book back in 1987, I thought it was one of the best books I'd ever read. Twenty-seven years later, it's dropped off my best list, but it was still a good read. Would have liked it to have an epilogue rather than just an abrupt ending.

The story was good and I love that there are many characters with their own story and personalities. I felt like there was too much emphasis on the whole cannibal thing, due to the fact that we really didn't get much cannibal action! I also felt the ending was pretty disappointing.

Awesome book to read while relaxing on a tropical beach somewhere!Could definitely make a great movie!

An hefty read but an interesting one. Full review here: sleaze-factor/2013

I had very high hopes for this particular novel based on the premise. Some of those hopes were met. Some were not. Conran clearly did her research in regards to tropical survival techniques and while sometimes the novel reads like a survival guide the author does a fantastic job of throwing the 5 lead characters into all kinds of situations. However, Conran seemed (to me) to gloss over some early conflict among the group, summarizing in a few paragraphs what I hoped would be explored in a few pa [...]

This does not sound at all like the book I read in the eighties. The one I read had lots of anthropology about Irian Jaya on Papua New Guinea, told in the forward how Michael Rockefeller may have been eaten in 1961 while on an expedition there? His body was never found but the cannibals had his camera and watch.I recall this as a serious adventure book with a sound scientific background. Nothing about sex, survival or husbands. I question whether someone has re-done the book completely. Or maybe [...]

I composed a review for this while I was half-asleep listening for my 6-month-old daughter this morning. I'll try to remember itAlthough the writing was on the clinical side, the challenges of the jungle faced by the protagonists kept me coming back to see how they dealt with all of it. Unfortunately this clinical aspect kept me from really caring about the characters as people. If someone died, my feelings were closer to "well that sucked" than real sadness. That said, I was definitely relieved [...]