gwennielb's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
This was a “blind date” book, and I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed the story and the writing! It wasn’t life changing for me, but definitely a good read!
britlaccetti's review
5.0
A Sudden Light is a modern novel about a boy named Trevor who is forced across the country with his father to deal with an old and crumbling estate. Clever Trevor meets his grandfather and strange Aunt Serena and he is instantly amazed at the grand estate that his father never mentioned to him.
Trevor digs into the past to find out the history of the estate and why it's so important to either A. Develop it, or B. Let it crumble to the ground and become one with nature. There is a ghost, Ben, who "haunts" the estate who tries to convince Trevor to do the latter.
It's a coming-of-age story for Trevor - he is forced to make difficult decisions that will impact his entire future. Stein's writing is poetic and beautiful. The reader is able to feel exactly like Trevor and feel the mysteriousness of the Estate. Overall I really enjoyed this "read" (I actually listened to the audiobook which was really good) and I would recommend it to anyone looking for a modern writer with the talent of description.
Trevor digs into the past to find out the history of the estate and why it's so important to either A. Develop it, or B. Let it crumble to the ground and become one with nature. There is a ghost, Ben, who "haunts" the estate who tries to convince Trevor to do the latter.
It's a coming-of-age story for Trevor - he is forced to make difficult decisions that will impact his entire future. Stein's writing is poetic and beautiful. The reader is able to feel exactly like Trevor and feel the mysteriousness of the Estate. Overall I really enjoyed this "read" (I actually listened to the audiobook which was really good) and I would recommend it to anyone looking for a modern writer with the talent of description.
erin1096's review
2.0
DNF. I'll give it a second star for some early 20th century queer representation, but that's it, I literally could not trudge myself past page 210. It was a ghost story with all telling and no showing, with weird intermittent social commentary that was clearly from the author and had no place in the story, and some bizarre aunt fetishizing that added nothing. It was on my shelf and I'm committed to giving the books I own a shot, but I simply could not get through it.
moogen's review
3.0
I bought this book without so much as reading the blurb on the strength of Garth Stein's previous book "The Art of Racing in the Rain". I suspect "A Sudden Light" was better crafted. But it didn't knock me over. That said, it was still entertaining and money reasonably well spent.
mdcnlmldrm's review against another edition
4.0
The architecture of the Riddell house and the family secrets its ghosts slowly revealed to the narrator really hooked me, and I stayed up until dawn to finish it on the third day of reading it. The gay scenes may make some readers uncomfortable, though it was Sister Serena's relationship with her family which gave me the heebie-geebies. But that's what makes a good book right, unexpected plot twists that may or may not creep you the hell out?
All sorts of emotions occurred for me at the end. For those readers who reviewed saying they got bored... they really missed out on a captivating read. Glad to start my 2017 challenge off with this book!
All sorts of emotions occurred for me at the end. For those readers who reviewed saying they got bored... they really missed out on a captivating read. Glad to start my 2017 challenge off with this book!
scijessreads's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Not quite gothic, but definitely a story of a house haunted by ghosts. Family ghosts trying to hold others to promises. A family full of regret and anger and haunted by those that came before.
While there were moments of drag, I did enjoy the story of Trevor Riddell and his family, forces to go back to their ancestral estate near Seattle to try and get Grandpa Samuel to sell it for profit. However, there was a promise made years before that it would be returned to the city to atone for mistakes made by the original builder and family patriarch Elijah.
Trevor must come to terms with ghosts of family past, an aunt that is seriously unhinged and manipulative, and a father that is clinging to guilt and regret.
The audiobook was well-narrated, and I think helped move the story along in the slower parts.
While there were moments of drag, I did enjoy the story of Trevor Riddell and his family, forces to go back to their ancestral estate near Seattle to try and get Grandpa Samuel to sell it for profit. However, there was a promise made years before that it would be returned to the city to atone for mistakes made by the original builder and family patriarch Elijah.
Trevor must come to terms with ghosts of family past, an aunt that is seriously unhinged and manipulative, and a father that is clinging to guilt and regret.
The audiobook was well-narrated, and I think helped move the story along in the slower parts.
lilawrights's review
1.0
Begging us to unpack why there was a necessity for the varying levels of causality in the also curiously necessary incest in this book. What was that about, because it really did not move the plot along at all, and it felt very much like an authors depravity thrown in for funzies? Both dynamics with the aunt, father and son felt inappropriate, not in the obvious sense, but in a literary one, it didn’t serve a purpose that couldn’t have just as easily been fulfilled with better dialogue and character development. I also thought the whole very casual ghost thing was a little hard for me to immerse myself in. I wanted to like this book but it felt just barely undeveloped enough at so many points that I was constantly finding myself unable to commit to this world.
andrearbooks's review
4.0
A Sudden Light by Garth Stein was a different kind of read for me - in a good way. It's the story of Tyler who is a teen in 1990. His parents' marriage is struggling, and he and his dad head to Riddell House where his dad's family is. The Riddell House is full of secrets and spirits - literally. Tyler serves as the narrator and tries to navigate the history of his family that he's never been told. This means navigating generations of secrets, conflict and some ulterior motives. In particular, Tyler's dad and his sister are trying to get their father who suffers from dementia to sign some paperwork to sell off and take the profits from the sale of the estate. In all of this, Tyler begins receiving "messages" and tips as to what really happened in dreams, within the house, and seemingly from a ghost. Ghost stories aren't really my jam, but this was masterfully told. There was such mystery around the family, and I loved how suspense was built and secrets were revealed. It was also just really well-written from a storytelling end which kept me engaged. It isn't without tragedy, so going in, be ready for that, but this is such a strong story of a broken family and a teenager trying to find his way.