5152020174's review against another edition
1.0
The book jacket begins describing this novel as a “gripping suspense story” well it isn’t. I struggled to read the last 50 pages because the tragedy of the main character’s past still had not been revealed, she hadn’t solved the historical mystery of what happened to a local girl during the great hurricane of 1900 and she still needed to locate her boyfriend from high school. All of these things were poorly wrapped up in the last 40 pages.
robinsbooks's review against another edition
4.0
A gothic tinged psychological novel set in Galveston with family secrets galore. Need I say more to entice you to read it? Due to be published in early 2013 and I hope with a better cover.
jillztall's review against another edition
1.0
The book jacket begins describing this novel as a “gripping suspense story” well it isn’t. I struggled to read the last 50 pages because the tragedy of the main character’s past still had not been revealed, she hadn’t solved the historical mystery of what happened to a local girl during the great hurricane of 1900 and she still needed to locate her boyfriend from high school. All of these things were poorly wrapped up in the last 40 pages.
kellyhitchcock's review against another edition
One of my New Year's Resolutions was to shut (or its virtual equivalent) books that I have no interest in finishing after I start them and give them a few chapters. After all, I'm a grown-up now and I don't exactly have a shitload of free time on my hands, so why waste it reading something I'm not enjoying? Especially since I'm not being tested on it :)
This was one such book for me. I began listening to it on audiobook and didn't get very far before I had to force myself not to tune it out. And that was while doing boring things - walking home, putting away laundry, pumping iron (and by iron I mean 5 lb. dumbbells). It was just that boring to me. The story line didn't seem to have any logical, well, line. It seemed to just kind of go all over the place. The setting seems to be the most important element of the story, and the author does a good job of making Galveston come alive, but that's about all I can say for it.
That said, I can't fairly give a star rating to a book I didn't finish.
This was one such book for me. I began listening to it on audiobook and didn't get very far before I had to force myself not to tune it out. And that was while doing boring things - walking home, putting away laundry, pumping iron (and by iron I mean 5 lb. dumbbells). It was just that boring to me. The story line didn't seem to have any logical, well, line. It seemed to just kind of go all over the place. The setting seems to be the most important element of the story, and the author does a good job of making Galveston come alive, but that's about all I can say for it.
That said, I can't fairly give a star rating to a book I didn't finish.
bryanfarmer's review against another edition
3.0
When I came here to GR to add it to my "Reading" list, I was shocked to see its score. But after finishing, I'm not surprised. Elizabeth Black is a great writer. But...maybe... too much writing? The amount of descriptions were overwhelming. It just slogged the story. And then...I understood nothing about why she was there, why she was so moody (other than the death of a loved one) and...timing. How the hell long was she there? It felt like months, but maybe it was weeks? What year was it? Why could no one reach on a cell phone, yet she mentioned the internet and looking people up. Sigh. In the end, it was well written. But maybe it was just weighted down with too much...stuffs.
daemonad's review against another edition
1.0
I should keep away from American writers/germophobs, but that's all that the library has to offer. Of course you get countless shower moments, and ruminations about showering, the narrator is special, and different with unruly hair *gag.* The american setting is ripe with wastefulness so casual you want to cry. I have met plenty Americans who would bemoan the pollution of the oceans while slurping starbucks frappuchino from plastic lined cups with a thick straw.
librarianna81's review against another edition
3.0
www.shelfnotes.com
Dear Reader,
Wow. This book was nothing like I expected. I thought it was going to be a story about the history of a girl who had drowned during a hurricane, he hair entwined in a chandelier. That is what the book’s description led me to believe! However, it was NOTHING of the sort. It was a story about a woman who had lost her young child, and of her journey through finding understanding regarding the rest of her life, particularly her rather messy childhood.
I have to admit, I didn’t particularly like the reader of this book (I was audiobooking it via Overdrive, from my local library). That probably didn’t help endear me to the protagonist. However, I also kept being constantly surprised by this novel, and not in a good way. I kept expecting things to happen that didn’t, and I felt a complete lack of empathy throughout the story, even after finding out the Truth. While I might have felt bad for the protagonist, I certainly didn’t feel much sympathy. It sucked what happened to her, but she was not terribly likable and certainly the story itself was paced in such a way that I kept waiting for things to happen, but when they did, it was kind of a let-down. While ultimately I liked the idea of the story, I didn’t particularly love the execution of it. The narrator basically let things happen TO her, which is understandable in the long run, but doesn’t make you like her much as she relates her tale. Additionally, I couldn’t relate to her reactions to things, nor to her discoveries themselves - they never seemed quite completed, and while they should have perhaps been obvious, the clues felt too muddied, to me. (A bit like this review! - I’m not quite sure what I’m even trying to say.)
I did love the setting of this book: the intriguing island of Galveston, TX. I wanted to visit there, to become one of the looked-down-upon tourists who the narrator and other B.O.I. (Born On the Island) barely tolerate. But the author made the island sound so enticing, despite its decline from its heyday. I want to experience the place, particularly its vivid history which seems to linger long after it’s happened.
Overall, my impression of the book was that it felt somewhat unfinished, which is weird because there were several times when I kept thinking that the story hadn’t even yet started. I wanted to know more about Claire’s photography exhibit, for one thing. And about where she went and what she did after her visit: what happened to her marriage, where did she live? I felt the author was vague and therefore distant regarding these details, ones which I found the most important. Perhaps that just means I was looking at the story the wrong way entirely.
Yours,
Arianna
P.S. By the way? GREAT first sentence of the novel, though!!! I loved it.
Dear Reader,
Wow. This book was nothing like I expected. I thought it was going to be a story about the history of a girl who had drowned during a hurricane, he hair entwined in a chandelier. That is what the book’s description led me to believe! However, it was NOTHING of the sort. It was a story about a woman who had lost her young child, and of her journey through finding understanding regarding the rest of her life, particularly her rather messy childhood.
I have to admit, I didn’t particularly like the reader of this book (I was audiobooking it via Overdrive, from my local library). That probably didn’t help endear me to the protagonist. However, I also kept being constantly surprised by this novel, and not in a good way. I kept expecting things to happen that didn’t, and I felt a complete lack of empathy throughout the story, even after finding out the Truth. While I might have felt bad for the protagonist, I certainly didn’t feel much sympathy. It sucked what happened to her, but she was not terribly likable and certainly the story itself was paced in such a way that I kept waiting for things to happen, but when they did, it was kind of a let-down. While ultimately I liked the idea of the story, I didn’t particularly love the execution of it. The narrator basically let things happen TO her, which is understandable in the long run, but doesn’t make you like her much as she relates her tale. Additionally, I couldn’t relate to her reactions to things, nor to her discoveries themselves - they never seemed quite completed, and while they should have perhaps been obvious, the clues felt too muddied, to me. (A bit like this review! - I’m not quite sure what I’m even trying to say.)
I did love the setting of this book: the intriguing island of Galveston, TX. I wanted to visit there, to become one of the looked-down-upon tourists who the narrator and other B.O.I. (Born On the Island) barely tolerate. But the author made the island sound so enticing, despite its decline from its heyday. I want to experience the place, particularly its vivid history which seems to linger long after it’s happened.
Overall, my impression of the book was that it felt somewhat unfinished, which is weird because there were several times when I kept thinking that the story hadn’t even yet started. I wanted to know more about Claire’s photography exhibit, for one thing. And about where she went and what she did after her visit: what happened to her marriage, where did she live? I felt the author was vague and therefore distant regarding these details, ones which I found the most important. Perhaps that just means I was looking at the story the wrong way entirely.
Yours,
Arianna
P.S. By the way? GREAT first sentence of the novel, though!!! I loved it.
sarahs_readingparty's review against another edition
2.0
I wish more happened in this book. The writing was lovely, even wonderful at times...but the plot was odd and the “suspense” non existent. What was supposed to be happening? Clare was boring and though we were supposed to feel sorry for her, she didn’t really elicit much sympathy because she never TRIED to fix her problems and grow from her pain. There were a lot of weird things too—the time period, the exhibition, the death... just too much unexplained and not made clear. This book did have potential for a great exploration of family dynamics and moving on from tragedy but it was just missing something vital.
5_little_monsters's review against another edition
2.0
Found the main character to be whiny and aimless. Marketed as suspenseful, but I didn't really find much suspense in it.