paulathepudding's review
adventurous
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
readers_block's review against another edition
5.0
4.5/5
Young Maude Gascoigne, raised in the South Carolina low country, meets her older brother's best friend and falls madly in love. When they marry, he takes her to his family's summer retreat in Maine, the Colony, where they will spend each summer for the rest of their lives.
I picked this one up because I needed a beach read. What I got was so much more than I expected. I really loved this book.
First off, ARS can write. Some of her prose reminded me of Pat Conroy (though not quite as good, he's an all time favorite for me).
Plus, I was extremely captivated by the story. I found the characters to be full of depth, a beautiful realistic mixture of both light and dark. And the ending really smacked me— I had not seen it coming that it was Peter's baby, and it had me reeling for a while afterward. It just made me feel they were all the more real, since Maude and Peter's picture perfect romance was a little bit grating after a while.
Young Maude Gascoigne, raised in the South Carolina low country, meets her older brother's best friend and falls madly in love. When they marry, he takes her to his family's summer retreat in Maine, the Colony, where they will spend each summer for the rest of their lives.
I picked this one up because I needed a beach read. What I got was so much more than I expected. I really loved this book.
First off, ARS can write. Some of her prose reminded me of Pat Conroy (though not quite as good, he's an all time favorite for me).
Plus, I was extremely captivated by the story. I found the characters to be full of depth, a beautiful realistic mixture of both light and dark. And the ending really smacked me— I had not seen it coming that it was Peter's baby, and it had me reeling for a while afterward. It just made me feel they were all the more real, since Maude and Peter's picture perfect romance was a little bit grating after a while.
apetruce's review against another edition
3.0
A fun beach read sort of like a B- Thornbirds. Multi generational wealthy people attached to the geography of their home and the society surrounding it.
carolynschaf's review
3.0
This was a decent book. It wasn't remarkable in any way but it enjoyed it enough to keep turning the pages.
jillhubbs's review against another edition
5.0
Wonderful book! So glad I read it again. I had a much different perspective reading it now than I did when I was 18. The perfect summer read. I recommend it highly!
marshaherman's review
5.0
I loved this book. I loved(and sometimes hated) the characters, their interactions, the angst, the suspense, the plot twists. Everything. Anne Rivers Siddons is an author that uses her words and exquisite talent to put you "right there" with the characters in the story. Highly recommend.
pepper1133's review
4.0
Sometimes, you want to read literature. And sometimes, you want to read a big old soapy Anne Rivers Siddons book. This was great, partially because it was a detour from her normal South Carolina-based type of soap opera. SC makes an appearance in the beginning, but that's it. From there the story is about one vacation colony in Maine. Other than the facts that way too many people die of aneurysms and one mystery involving the identity of a shot intruder is discarded quickly and unsolved, this is a perfect beach read.
esquiredtoread's review
5.0
Wow, this was so good!! I wasn't sure about it in the beginning but the characters and the setting SO grew on me!!
I found this book after searching for "thrillers set in isolated homes." This is not a thriller, at all. This is instead a sweeping multi-generational family drama and I loved it. I wouldn't even really call this a historical since it is so character-driven but I am so glad I picked this up.
I fell in love with the family and cared about the Retreat just like Maude learned to do. I really wish that we got a BIT more about Maude's family she left behind but I guess that is very much not the point of the story. I really will be picking up more books by Anne Rivers Siddons after this and will be seeking her out. So good!
I found this book after searching for "thrillers set in isolated homes." This is not a thriller, at all. This is instead a sweeping multi-generational family drama and I loved it. I wouldn't even really call this a historical since it is so character-driven but I am so glad I picked this up.
I fell in love with the family and cared about the Retreat just like Maude learned to do. I really wish that we got a BIT more about Maude's family she left behind but I guess that is very much not the point of the story. I really will be picking up more books by Anne Rivers Siddons after this and will be seeking her out. So good!
mcdawn73's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
c0reyann's review against another edition
3.0
This novel is a really long epic saga of a family that summers in their cabin in a "colony" in Maine. My Mom ad read her novels when I was younger and I've wanted to read them for a long time and picked this one at random to start with. I did enjoy it but after a bit I began to grow weary of the constant battles and dramas along with the disjointed method of story telling. I'm chronologically anal and I don't mind flashbacks but this was kind of all over the place at times while going in a somewhat straight line. In book form, it wouldn't be so bad as it's easy to flip back in pages to recall what was going on but it isn't so easy in a Kindle.
Overall though I did enjoy the storytelling and the vivid descriptions! It definitely is a great book to settle into.
Overall though I did enjoy the storytelling and the vivid descriptions! It definitely is a great book to settle into.