La Finca - by Corky Parker (Hardcover)

About the Book

One woman's story about facing change, trusting her instincts, and the adventure of running an eco-lodge in Puerto Rico

Book Synopsis

At age forty, Parker surrendered to her Swept Away meets Swiss Family Robinson fantasy of running an inn far from her home in the Pacific Northwest. For the next twenty-plus years Parker ran La Finca Caribe, an eco-lodge in Vieques, Puerto Rico. What started as a rough-and-tumble dream grew into a paradise enjoyed by guests from around the world. Sketchbook in hand, Parker chronicled her daily adventures living with the land. La Finca is a lively graphic memoir about a woman creating a new life amid countless challenges, including hurricanes that led her to reconsider everything. It is a story about trusting oneself, self-discovery, accepting disappointment and loss, and falling in love with a place.

Review Quotes

"Lively, touching, and utterly original!" -- Rebecca Wells, author of Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood

"Enchanting. The beauty of Vieques and La Finca Caribe shines brightly. Corky Parker's passion for the land, food, and culture of this Puerto Rican island is infectious." -- Alice Waters

"From laughing out loud to shock and tears, La Finca is a colorful, chaotic, tropical tale of human experience." -- Charlotte Kilcher, Discovery's Alaska: The Last Frontier

"Part memoir, part graphic fantasy, but 100 percent heartful adventure." -- Elizabeth Cohen, author of The Family on Beartown Road

"A frank, sometimes heartbreaking account of what it means to nurture a childhood dream. Filled with delightful doodles, this playful yet humbling story takes you to a magical place." -- Summer Brenner, author of My Life in Clothes"An inspiring story of carving your own path, embracing crazy adventure, and rolling the dice on something you love." -- Doug Berman, NPR's Wait Wait . . . Don't Tell Me!

"Corky Parker gives new meaning to the word 'resilience' in her gripping tale of running an inn on a remote Caribbean island. It's a story of enchanted whimsy with a positivity that inspires." -- Mimi Pond, author of The Customer Is Always Wrong

"An enchanting, sun-and-storm-filled paradise of a book." -- Erica Bauermeister, author of House Lessons

About the Author

Corky Parker has had a diverse career as the creative director and cofounder of Merwin Creative, a film production company in Seattle; a small-scale sheep farmer; and owner of the eco-lodge La Finca Caribe, on Vieques Island, Puerto Rico. She is a graduate of Bennington College. Her work has been covered in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Seattle Times, Outside, Gourmet, Adventure Travel, and Lonely Planet. She lives in Port Townsend, Washington, and her website is at corkyparker.com.