Search This Blog








2023 Literary Escapes Challenge
- Alabama (1)
- Alaska
- Arizona
- Arkansas
- California (1)
- Colorado (1)
- Connecticut
- Delaware
- Florida
- Georgia (1)
- Hawaii
- Idaho
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Iowa
- Kansas
- Kentucky
- Louisiana (1)
- Maine (1)
- Maryland (1)
- Massachusetts (1)
- Michigan
- Minnesota
- Mississippi
- Missouri
- Montana
- Nebraska
- Nevada
- New Hampshire
- New Jersey
- New Mexico
- New York (2)
- North Carolina (1)
- North Dakota
- Ohio
- Oklahoma
- Oregon
- Pennsylvania
- Rhode Island
- South Carolina (1)
- South Dakota
- Tennessee
- Texas
- Utah
- Vermont (2)
- Virginia
- Washington (1)
- West Virginia
- Wisconsin
- Wyoming
- Washington, D.C.*
International:
- Australia (1)
- Ireland (1)





2023 Build Your Library Reading Challenge







Tuesday, August 18, 2015
Despite Lovely Prose, Hawthorne Historical a Long, Dull Read
9:38 PM
(Image from Barnes & Noble)
Crippling headaches, brought on by her painting, keep Sophia Peabody out of society. Although she remains isolated because of her health, her artwork and lively journals attract attention from the outside world. Most especially from a shy, reclusive writer named Nathaniel Hawthorne. The couple fall quickly in love. Although Sophia pines for marriage, Nathaniel hesitates because of financial concerns. Finally, the two wed, joining their lives and artistic temperaments. It's a coupling beset by the usual challenges, not the least of which is trying to balance their creative lives with the requirements of home and family. Through the trials, their love endures, sustaining them both ...
It's difficult to describe The House of Hawthorne, a fictional imagining of a real-life marriage . Indeed, the story, written by Erika Robuck, runs very thin on plot, even thinner on action. While the book's quiet prose is quite lovely, poetic in many places, the narrative drags, making for a long, often dull read. The fact that I found Sophia whiny and annoying didn't help matters. The House of Hawthorne has many beautiful passages, as well as some intriguing thoughts on how art and love mingle—or don't—but, overall, the book put me to sleep. I finished it, but it felt more like a feat of endurance than enjoyment.
(Readalikes: Hm, I can't think of anything. You?)
Grade:
If this were a movie, it would be rated:
for sexual innuendo and content
To the FTC, with love: I received a finished copy of The House of Hawthorne from the generous folks at Penguin. Thank you!
1 comment:
Comments make me feel special, so go crazy! Just keep it clean and civil. Feel free to speak your mind (I always do), but be aware that I will delete any offensive comments.
P.S.: Don't panic if your comment doesn't show up right away. I have to approve each one before it posts to prevent spam. It's annoying, but it works!
Subscribe to:
Post Comments
(Atom)




Reading
All the Dangerous Things by Stacy Willingham

Listening
The War Librarian by Addison Armstrong



Followin' with Bloglovin'



-
-
Monthly Round-up: January 202311 hours ago
-
Finlay Donovan Jumps the Gun by Elle Cosimano11 hours ago
-
Top Ten Tuesday ~ Just for Fun Quotes11 hours ago
-
-
January Reflections13 hours ago
-
Top Ten Book Twins (Part III)13 hours ago
-
-
-
Books read in January16 hours ago
-
Coetzee, J.M. "Waiting for the Barbarians"16 hours ago
-
Top Ten Tuesday! Wintery book covers17 hours ago
-
-
Top Ten Tuesday18 hours ago
-
-
-
-
Top Ten Tuesday: Bookish Confessions20 hours ago
-
Top Ten New-to-me Authors in 202221 hours ago
-
TTT – My Favorite Black Authors21 hours ago
-
-
-
-
-
-
A Novel Disguise by Samantha Larsen1 day ago
-
Book’d Out [January 2023]1 day ago
-
Sunday Salon: January 29, 20232 days ago
-
-
Sunday Salon2 days ago
-
-
Sunday Post #4894 days ago
-
-
Review of Matilda5 days ago
-
-
-
-
My Bookish Goals for 20231 week ago
-
Top Ten Books of 20223 weeks ago
-
Books Read in 20233 weeks ago
-
December Monthly Wrap-up3 weeks ago
-
-
-
Thinking Out Loud: Our Wives Under the Sea2 months ago
-
Are you looking for Pretty Books?3 months ago
-
-
HEARTS OF BRIARWALL by Krista Jensen5 months ago
-
-
-
-

Grab my Button!



Blog Archive
- ► 2021 (159)
- ► 2020 (205)
- ► 2019 (197)
- ► 2018 (223)
- ► 2017 (157)
- ► 2016 (157)
- ▼ 2015 (188)
- ► 2014 (133)
Aww what a shame. I keep reading books lately where just not enough is happening. Sadly this one sounds the same.
ReplyDelete