The Cosmopolitan Islander by M. P. Tonnesen

The Cosmopolitan Islander is a Contemporary Fiction/Romance/Women’s Fiction novel by M. P. Tonnesen.

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What if life as you know it was turned upside down? Would you still be the same person?When Chloe is forced to leave behind her cosmopolitan life in London to move to a small island in the Irish Sea, she is faced with a myriad of challenges.How will she and her family adapt to island life? Will she find new friends? What about her career? Most importantly, will the love of Chloe and her husband survive their amorous adventures?Join Chloe on her journey through her past and her present to make sense of her life, herself, her hopes, and dreams amid her personal upheaval.

The Cosmopolitan Islander is a thrilling novel about female roles and identity in the 21st century – and about how the journey of life can change your destination in the most unexpected way. It takes the reader from the Isle of Man and around the world, traversing the timeless themes of love, desire, family, friendship, power, and ambition.

The strong female protagonist, Chloe, is in her thirties with globetrotting running in her blood.She is confronted by three main challenges: Relocation – its impact on her family’s stability, social network, and sense of belonging; Ambition – materialised by her local job hunt and career versus her struggles with balancing motherhood and society’s expectations; Desire – the love of Chloe and her husband is tested by their life changes and choices.

The Cosmopolitan Islander is a must read for the modern woman – and man; for expats and others in cultural encounters; for islanders and globetrotters; and for anyone in-between.

“This powerhouse of a story is equally packed with action and emotion, and is sure to please even the pickiest of literary readers. […] Sexy and complex plot lines that make you think, feel, dream and believe… Awesome!” – 5 stars, Goodreads Reviews

“‘The Cosmopolitan Islander’ was fabulous – a real breath of fresh air! What lovely prose and vivid atmosphere M. P. Tonnesen weaved into this fun, creative and unique book!” – 5 stars, Goodreads Reviews

“Absolutely riveting! […] A richly evocative examination of life, love, loss, and the different ways people react to unusual situations. An entertaining and enlightening ride” – 5 stars, Goodreads Reviews

“Tonnesen pulls us into the story right from the start, and skilfully narrates a wide-ranging storyline full of complex and deeply emotional issues.” – 5 stars, Indie Book Reviewers

A Word from the Author

The storyline of my debut novel, The Cosmopolitan Islander, kicks off with the main character, Chloe, leaving behind her cosmopolitan life in London to move to a small island in the Irish Sea. This results in lots of challenges. How will she and her family adapt to island life? Will she find new friends? What about her career? Will her marriage survive? The reader then joins Chloe on her journey of self-discovery amid her personal upheaval.
The Cosmopolitan Islander is not just about the challenges of relocation, but also about women’s roles in the 21st century; the juggling act many women face of having to be an executive in the boardroom, mother in the nursery, and domestic goddess in the kitchen – and bedroom.
It’s about the wider issue of identity in general – men’s too. How you and your perspectives and values develop through life and are influenced by who you meet, what you do, the choices you make, and even where you live.
Overall it’s a story about love and desire and the balance between the two. About power and money, and how these impact our lives, careers, and happiness. About friendships, and how they can develop in the most unexpected ways.
Finally, it’s a declaration of love for all the places close to my heart: the Isle of Man, London, Copenhagen, Brussels, New York, and even Singapore – giving these different geographical settings a role of their own to play in the story.
There is a lot of myself and my life experiences in the book – which is what you generally see with debut novels. Elements like my fight as a young woman building a career in London in a male-dominated, cut-throat environment, and later in life my struggles with balancing the desire for a career with being a good mother too – these are all very close to reality. And of course my challenges of moving to the island initially. But everything is amalgamated and wrapped in a fictional story with fictional characters and with a sense of hyperrealism to create an entertaining read. For the record, I have never had an affair with a delivery guy for example!
So, The Cosmopolitan Islander is not an autobiography. It’s fiction. The main character is different from me in many ways. But every author from Jane Austen to Nora Ephron and Charles Dickens to Stephen King, they have all been inspired by their own lives, drawn from their own experiences, and built their fictional stories and characters on what they know and emotions they have felt.
I believe most women will be able to identify with the female protagonist of The Cosmopolitan Islander in some way or another. Men can relate to the main male character as well – the modern man’s roles and society’s expectations of him have changed too.
After three years in the making, I find it exciting and gratifying to hear the feedback from readers around the world. I hope you will enjoy reading my story as much as I have enjoyed writing it!