Welcome to Kamini


Fiction - Drama
312 Pages
Reviewed on 11/06/2021
Buy on Amazon

This author participates in the Readers' Favorite Free Book Program, which is open to all readers and is completely free. The author will provide you with a free copy of their book in exchange for an honest review. You and the author will discuss what sites you will post your review to and what kind of copy of the book you would like to receive (eBook, PDF, Word, paperback, etc.). To begin, click the purple email icon to send this author a private email.

This author participates in the Readers' Favorite Book Review Exchange Program, which is open to all authors and is completely free. Simply put, you agree to provide an honest review an author's book in exchange for the author doing the same for you. What sites your reviews are posted on (B&N, Amazon, etc.) and whether you send digital (eBook, PDF, Word, etc.) or hard copies of your books to each other for review is up to you. To begin, click the purple email icon to send this author a private email, and be sure to describe your book or include a link to your Readers' Favorite review page or Amazon page.

This author participates in the Readers' Favorite Book Donation Program, which was created to help nonprofit and charitable organizations (schools, libraries, convalescent homes, soldier donation programs, etc.) by providing them with free books and to help authors garner more exposure for their work. This author is willing to donate free copies of their book in exchange for reviews (if circumstances allow) and the knowledge that their book is being read and enjoyed. To begin, click the purple email icon to send this author a private email. Be sure to tell the author who you are, what organization you are with, how many books you need, how they will be used, and the number of reviews, if any, you would be able to provide.

    Book Review

Reviewed by Barbara Harper for Readers' Favorite

Welcome to Kamini by Don Engebretson is a depiction of finding a ‘pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.’ Russell Dean is successful, wealthy, and the co-owner of Samuels Dean Advertising. He wears immaculate expensive suits, has a shiny, expensive watch, drives a BMW, lives in a mansion, and has an enormous ego, coupled with a sense of entitlement. His world is turned upside down when his wife moves out and files for divorce. Russell makes the decision to go on a two-week sabbatical, choosing Kamini, as the firm had done an ad campaign for the breathtaking Kamini Lodge. It offers guests an opportunity to play tennis, go fishing, make use of the spa, play golf on the golf course and indulge in gourmet dining. What he does not know is that fate or destiny is about to bring him to his knees, literally and metaphorically. Intrigued? Then follow Russell and company on his adventure to Kamini, a utopia to some, a slice of paradise to others; you decide. But be warned if you disrupt the balance of nature and are disrespectful to its citizens; they will judge you, find you wanting, and add insult to injury by putting on a bizarre and comical show before evicting you permanently.

Don Engebretson's writing transported me to Kamini, an idyllic location, with a community of diverse, intelligent, humble, authentic, fun-loving characters in tune with and respectful of their environment. I was able to imagine the rugged landscape, traveling by boat down the river, inhaling the fresh clean smell of the air, a gentle breeze rustling through the forest, scented with pine, spruce, and fir trees. I could relate to Russell Dean’s new experiences as he sheds his old skin and wholly embraces the newness of Kamini and its laid-back and sociable inhabitants. His new friend is a descendent of the indigenous peoples of Canada known as the First Nations. Russell is provided with insights as well as a brief history about the Indian Act of 1876, which made attendance at day schools, industrial schools, or residential schools compulsory for First Nations children. The voice of a member of a First Nations tribe is used to convey the consequences of the Act with sensitivity, dignity, and honesty, as it not only led to the deaths of thousands of children but also to fractured and displaced generations, living on a reservation, with an eighty percent unemployment rate. The author places a positive spin on what is a tragic situation, using Russell as an instrumental part of that change and healing process. Those fans who enjoy the social issues genre will thoroughly enjoy this book.

Don Engebretson

Well, sure, five stars. I am the author, after all. Were I an actor up for an Academy Award, I'd vote for myself, they usually do

It's a funny thing, writing a novel. Much like raising a child. One experiences wonder, joy, fear, surprise, hope, doubt, the entire ball of wax. In the end, my first novel, "Welcome to Kamini," turned out just fine. A little better than I'd hoped, in fact. Readers across Canada and the US seem to enjoy it very much (if you want murder, addiction, sexual abuse and general depravity, I'm not you're guy), and that makes it all worthwhile.