r_dougherty's review against another edition
4.0
Great voice and sense of place, wonderful attention to detail.
abookishaffair's review
4.0
3.5 stars. I am a little torn on "Seven Locks." First off, I really, really liked the writing. While the book itself deals with some pretty negative topics but the writing is almost lyrical. The writing is definitely what kept me reading. I also loved that this book was inspired by a folktale. Even if I was not familiar with the folktale, it was interesting to see how the author twisted the story to make it into something new again.
The story is told from the point of view of a mother (whose name we never get to know) and a daughter, Judith. I thought it was interesting that so few of the characters are named in the book. Really the only ones that have names are Judith, Judith's school teacher, and the neighbor. As for the rest of them, they are only referred to by things like husband, father, and son. I found myself wondering as I read the book if this was done intentionally and if so, to what purpose.
I had a really hard time connecting with the mother. She seems really mean and cruel, especially to her husband. I wondered if she hadn't gone through some past trauma or something to make her the way that she is but the book never really goes into that.
I really enjoyed the setting of the book. Most of it takes place in upstate New York in the late 1700s, which was a very interesting time for anyone in America of course. Judith's family is Dutch and it was interesting to see how Judith's mother still clings to the Dutch way of life while Judith says several times how excited she is to be an American Daughter. Historical fiction fans will definitely enjoy that aspect.
Bottom line: A solid read with a lot of questions left unanswered.
The story is told from the point of view of a mother (whose name we never get to know) and a daughter, Judith. I thought it was interesting that so few of the characters are named in the book. Really the only ones that have names are Judith, Judith's school teacher, and the neighbor. As for the rest of them, they are only referred to by things like husband, father, and son. I found myself wondering as I read the book if this was done intentionally and if so, to what purpose.
I had a really hard time connecting with the mother. She seems really mean and cruel, especially to her husband. I wondered if she hadn't gone through some past trauma or something to make her the way that she is but the book never really goes into that.
I really enjoyed the setting of the book. Most of it takes place in upstate New York in the late 1700s, which was a very interesting time for anyone in America of course. Judith's family is Dutch and it was interesting to see how Judith's mother still clings to the Dutch way of life while Judith says several times how excited she is to be an American Daughter. Historical fiction fans will definitely enjoy that aspect.
Bottom line: A solid read with a lot of questions left unanswered.
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