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Showing posts with label U.S. Settings: New Hampshire. Show all posts
Showing posts with label U.S. Settings: New Hampshire. Show all posts
Thursday, May 13, 2021
Promising Premise Doesn't Pan Out in Historical Mystery
(Image from Barnes & Noble)
I usually write my own plot summaries, but this one captures the essence of After Alice Fell by Kim Taylor Blakemore so well, I decided to use it instead...
Until she discovers the truth of her sister’s death, no one will rest in peace.
New Hampshire, 1865. Marion Abbott is summoned to Brawders House asylum to collect the body of her sister, Alice. She’d been found dead after falling four stories from a steep-pitched roof. Officially: an accident. Confidentially: suicide. But Marion believes a third option: murder.
Returning to her family home to stay with her brother and his second wife, the recently widowed Marion is expected to quiet her feelings of guilt and grief—to let go of the dead and embrace the living. But that’s not easy in this house full of haunting memories.
Just when the search for the truth seems hopeless, a stranger approaches Marion with chilling words: I saw her fall.
Now Marion is more determined than ever to find out what happened that night at Brawders, and why. With no one she can trust, Marion may risk her own life to uncover the secrets buried with Alice in the family plot.
The premise of After Alice Fell is simple, but oh so intriguing! I love a mystery, especially one with a Gothic feel that centers on a creepy old asylum. Considering all this, I expected to like the book more. Problem is, the story moves along at a glacial pace, so slowly that I almost put it down several times. The pace picks up in the second half of the novel, but it's still a bit of a slog. In addition, the characters are off-putting and unlikable. Add in a predictable plot that isn't nearly as twisty as I wanted it to be and you've got a tale that I wanted to love and just...didn't. Although I had high expectations for this one, in the end it turned out to be an average read for me. Bummer.
(Readalikes: A little like Woman 99 by Greer McAllister)
Grade:
If this were a movie, it would be rated:
for brief, mild language (no F-bombs), violence, blood/gore, and disturbing subject matter
To the FTC, with love: I received an e-ARC of After Alice Fell from the generous folks at Lake Union Publishing via those at NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!
Wednesday, December 12, 2018
Lakeside Healing Novel A Wordy, Just Okay Read
(Image from Barnes & Noble)
It's been a year since Susannah Gilmore's husband of 20 years died in a bicycle accident and she's still trying to pick up the pieces. In an effort to start over, the widow moves herself and her two teens from Brooklyn to her family's summer cottage in tiny Eastwood, New Hampshire. Sixteen-year-old Calista is already boiling over with grief and anger; relocation to the middle of nowhere only makes her more surly. Her younger brother tries to keep the peace, but the tension in the family never seems to cease, despite their tranquil new surroundings.
When Susannah discovers an intriguing item—a love note addressed to her mother, written in a script that is not her father's—in the house, she finds a needed distraction. That's not the only thing grabbing her attention, though. She's researching another puzzling mystery for a novel she's writing, spending more time than she should thinking about handsome Corbin Bailey, and desperately trying to ease her family's heartbreak so they can heal together. Can Susannah find the answers she's looking for, the peace she's seeking, and the second love she doesn't know she needs?
The wounded-woman-coming-home-to-heal trope is one I'm always up for, especially when it's done well. The House on Primrose Pond by Yona Zeldis McDonough fits the first bill, but not necessarily the second. While the novel has some compelling elements, it's way too long and wordy. Susannah is a sympathetic heroine, but she's also a selfish, annoying pushover who lets her bratty teenager call all the shots. I had a hard time respecting her or really caring all that much about her plight. In the end, then, I found The House on Primrose Pond to be an okay read, nothing more.
(Readalikes: A million titles should be coming to mind, but I'm drawing a blank. Help!)
Grade:
If this were a movie, it would be rated:
for brief, mild language (no F-bombs), innuendo/sexual content, and references to illegal drug use
To the FTC, with love: Another library fine find
Saturday, February 06, 2016
Middle Grade Magical Realism Novel Fat With Wisdom
(Image from Barnes & Noble)
For Priscilla, Marla, Eleanor and Astrid, dealing with their mother's alcoholism and violent mood swings is just a way of life. They're used to it. But when the girls move with their parents into their mother's childhood home in New Hampshire, things grow even more difficult. The worst thing of all is that Priscilla's older sisters are hiding something from her. At eleven, they think she's too young to know what's going on around her. Which is ridiculous. "Silly" is just her nickname—Priscilla knows her mother is sick, knows her sisters are up to something, and knows she wants to be part of it.
When Silly is finally let in on the big secret, she's dumbfounded. The closets in the girls' new home are doorways that lead to fantastical worlds, beckoning them far away from the harsh realities of their real lives. Best of all, Silly is able to manipulate the closet magic in ways her sisters can't. Finally, she's getting the kind of attention she's always wanted from her older siblings. Silly could stay in her own magical world forever! When she discovers a scary truth about the closets, however, she begins to fear for herself and her family. Will the mind-boggling wizardry that's bringing the sisters together be the very thing that tears them apart? Can Silly save them all before it's too late?
Rules for Stealing Stars by Corey Ann Haydu is a tender story about a family that's falling apart at the seams. It's impossible not to sympathize with the girls at its center as they struggle to deal with their unpredictable mother. While the reader will cheer when the sisters find a happy escape from their unhappy lives, she will also realize the importance of their reemergence. After all, despite its actual thickness, this is a novel fat with wisdom. As sad as it is, Rules for Stealing Stars teaches some great lessons about facing problems, finding good in even the most difficult circumstances, and working together to create solutions that work, even if they're not perfect. Although it's a little depressing, this is a poignant gem that will touch readers old and young.
(Readalikes: Reminded me a little of Crenshaw by Katherine Applegate)
Grade:
If this were a movie, it would be rated:
for scary scenes and serious subjects (alcoholism, death, parental neglect/abuse, etc.)
To the FTC, with love: Another library fine find
Friday, February 27, 2015
Beautiful Elephant Book Unique, But Still Vintage Picoult
(Image from Barnes & Noble)
Jenna Metcalf can't stop thinking about her mother, an elephant researcher who disappeared ten years ago after a tragic accident at the family's animal sanctuary. The 13-year-old can't ask her father—his mental breakdown after the incident landed him in a psychiatric ward, from which he's never left. Jenna's grandmother refuses to discuss what happened at all. Jenna's clandestine Internet searches provide few clues to her mother's whereabouts. Poring over Alice Metcalf's old journals, which are mostly filled with notes on elephants, doesn't seem to be helping either. Jenna knows her mother is alive; she just has to find her.
Desperate, Jenna enlists the help of two unlikely people—Serenity Johnson, a once-famous psychic now exposed as a fraud, and Virgil Stanhope, the alcoholic P.I. who was the lead detective on the original Metcalf case. As the trio investigates every lead they can find, they discover shocking secrets about the Metcalf Family. The closer they get to the truth, the more complex and devastating the case becomes. And yet, it all ends with a twist so surprising none of them see it coming.
Oscillating between the present and the past, Leaving Time by Jodi Picoult unfolds in the voices of four intriguing narrators—Jenna, Alice, Serenity, and Virgil. Each brings a different perspective, adding another layer to the already suspenseful plot. The elephant element gives the novel even more depth as it explores themes of memory, grief, love, and family bonds. With a hint of the supernatural mixed in with the author's usual mystery/family drama blend, Leaving Time is both unique and vintage Picoult. As a long-time Jodi Picoult fan, I'd grown a little bored with her novels' trademark formula—this book made me believe again. It's Picoult at her very best. I know some readers felt a little gypped by Leaving Time's unconventional ending, but it proved to me that Picoult always has another trick up her sleeve. I've longed look forward to her new books, but now I really can't wait to see what she does next!
(Readalikes: Larger Than Life (a Leaving Time novella) by Jodi Picoult, Lone Wolf by Jodi Picoult, and The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold)
Grade:
If this were a movie, it would be rated:
for strong language, violence, and sexual content
To the FTC, with love: I bought a copy of Leaving Time from Amazon with a portion of the millions I make from my lucrative career as a book blogger. Ha ha.
Tuesday, July 08, 2014
Riveting Mystery Taut, Atmospheric
(Image from Barnes & Noble)
With paper mills closing all up and down the Androscoggin River, everyone knows it's only a matter of time before the one in little Titan Falls, New Hampshire, follows suit. Not that anyone dares to voice such an opinion. Or to imagine a future without the steady pulse of the mill pumping its lifeblood into the small community. Without its only industry, Titan Falls is poised to become another "hollowed-out settlement stuck at the wrong end of nowhere" (5) just like all the other failed paper towns in the North Woods.
As the wife of the mill's owner, June McAllister must keep a stiff upper lip at all times, despite her many worries. The other mill wives might not fully accept her—since June was not, after all, born and bred in Titan Falls—but they look to her for guidance and leadership. In spite of her misgivings, she must give it to them, must keep up the image of being in control of what is, by all appearances, a picture-perfect life. This becomes especially important after June learns the truth about the cause of a school bus accident that stole the life of a young girl. She will do anything to cover up what really happened. Anything.
Unlike the McAllisters, the Snow Family has never had much—no money, no education, no standing in the town that has always shunned them. Accused of vagrancy, witchcraft and all manner of evil-doing, the Snows have never been able to get ahead. Nineteen-year-old Mercy Snow wants nothing to do with Titan Falls, but she has little choice. With nowhere else to go, she, her older brother, and her younger sister come looking for their estranged father, who still lives on his family's land. What they find is what the Snows always find—trouble. Accused of causing the school bus crash, Zeke Snow is jailed. Mercy knows—or thinks she knows—that her brother is not responsible. But, who is? It's up to her to clear her brother's name.
At cross-purposes, June and Mercy clash in a vicious battle between rich and poor, influence and ruin, truth and lies. The fate of two families, a dying town, and a boat-load of long-buried secrets hang in the balance as the women face-off in a war that only one can win.
When Gerard Zemek—one half of the married couple that writes Grab a Book From Our Stack—posted a rave review of Mercy Snow, I knew I had to read the novel. ASAP. As promised, Tiffany Baker's newest is indeed "an enjoyable page-turner." It's more than a run-of-the-mill (see what I did there??) thriller, though. Baker infuses her tale with rich, complex characters; a vivid, multi-layered setting; and sharp, atmospheric prose. True, none of the book's characters are all that likable and the whole story's pretty darn depressing, but still, Mercy Snow is a taut, engrossing mystery that kept me riveted from start to finish.
(Readalikes: Reminded me of Crooked River by Valerie Geary [available October 14, 2014])
Grade:
If this were a movie, it would be rated:
for language (a few F-bombs, plus milder invectives), violence and sexual content
To the FTC, with love: Another library fine find
Thursday, January 30, 2014
Another Tender Tale From An Author Who Always Knows Just How to Touch My Heart
(Image from Barnes & Noble)
Lucy Emery should be excited about her new home on the shore of a beautiful New Hampshire lake. She's never lived by the water before. It's a lovely spot, but the 12-year-old's nervous about starting over in a new place. She's not looking forward to a long, friendless summer, let alone beginning school without knowing a soul. It doesn't help that her mom's busy working and her dad, a famous nature photographer who promised her lots of father/daughter adventures in New Hampshire, is already off on another out-of-state assignment.
When she discovers that her dad's judging a children's photography contest, Lucy thinks she may have found the perfect way to kill two birds with one stone—not only will the photo scavenger hunt fill up her empty summer days, but maybe, she can use her pictures to convince her dad to pay more attention to his daughter. With the help of her new friend, Nate, Lucy goes in search of photo-worthy vistas. As she shoots the lakeside with its sparkling waters, towering mountains, and endangered loons, she finds not just beauty, but also a terrible truth. Revealing it could destroy the only friendship she's got. Does Lucy dare tell Nate what she knows? How will the knowledge affect his family? And what about the photography contest? If Lucy doesn't win, how will she keep her own relationships intact? As Lucy battles with herself over what to do, she'll discover even more startling truths—about friendship, family and, ultimately, about herself.
Cynthia Lord has a knack for creating tender, uplifting stories about kids grappling with everyday challenges. Her newest, Half a Chance, is no exception. As in her other books, Lord populates this one with likable characters who earn both our sympathy and our admiration. She moves them around in a rich, atmospheric setting while putting them through their paces. It's difficult not to care about the outcome of a tale with such a richness of people and place. I definitely cared. Half a Chance isn't my favorite Lord book (that would be Rules), but it's still a lovely, poignant story by a writer whose books never fail to touch my heart.
(Readalikes: Hm, I can't really think of any. Can you?)
Grade:
If this were a movie, it would be rated:
To the FTC, with love: I received a finished copy of Half a Chance from the generous folks at Scholastic. Thank you!
Tuesday, January 15, 2013
"Wolf" Book Is Still Vintage Picoult
(Images from Barnes & Noble)
It's no secret that I love Jodi Picoult. I mean, it says right on my left sidebar that she's one of my very favorite authors. And it's true. Her books speak to me—they don't just keep me entertained, they also force me to consider polarizing issues from all sides. They make me think. Still, when I spied the hardcover version of Lone Wolf (see below), I hesitated. Wolves? The plot summary sounded Picoult-like, but I just wasn't sure. I mean I like animals and all, I just don't always enjoy reading whole books about them. So, I stalled on this one for most of 2012. Then, one day, I was in a Picoult kind of mood and I decided to give Lone Wolf a shot. And, guess what? While the plot does sort of revolve around wolves, the novel is really about how tragedy affects a family. In other words: it's vintage Picoult.
The story goes a little something like this: When Luke Warren—a wolf expert known for his unorthodox ways of studying the animals—is severely injured in a car accident, it throws his already-fractured family into a tailspin. His ex-wife, Georgie Ng, left him several years ago when she realized she would never mean as much to Luke as his beloved wolves. Edward, Luke's 24-year-old son, had it out with his dad six years ago and hasn't seen the man since. Seventeen-year-old Cara knows Luke's not the most traditional of fathers, but she loves him fiercely and can't bear to see the most alive man she knows in a coma. When it comes to a decision of whether or not to take Luke off life support, each member of the family has a different idea. Ultimately, it's up to his children, who disagree vehemently on what their father would have wanted. As they duke it all out in the hospital and in court, Edward, Cara and Georgie reflect on the enigma who is Luke Warren. Which of them knows him best? Did he really care about any of them? And, most importantly, who's the most qualified to decide Luke Warren's fate for him?
Will the fight draw the broken family together again or tear them apart forever?
I know some readers have tired of Picoult's story "formula," but, like I said, it works for me. It is, in fact, the thing I like most about reading her. Picoult always forces me to empathize, to see things from other people's perspectives, to open my mind and heart while considering how different issues affect different people. Both character- and plot-driven, her books always move at a swift pace, remaining tense and suspenseful until the very end. Lone Wolf is no exception. It's not my favorite Picoult book ever, but it still provided vivid reminders of why I love this author so much. She's just that good.
(Readalikes: Reminds me of other Picoult books, especially Handle With Care)
Grade: B
If this were a movie, it would be rated: R for strong language, sexual content, animal violence/gore, and depictions of underage drinking/partying
To the FTC, with love: I bought a copy of Lone Wolf from Amazon with a portion of the millions I make from my lucrative career as a book blogger. Ha ha.
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