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3.54 AVERAGE
3.54 AVERAGE
I won this book from GR in return for an honest review. I really enjoyed this take on the haunted house trope. True, as some reviewers have said, it's hardly a unique idea but I thought it was well executed and I very much liked Trevor Riddell, the point of view character. It takes place when Trevor is 13/14 years old (but narrated at a much older age).
Trevor's family is falling apart. His father and mother are separated (she moving back to England) after his dad lost his job and their house. They move to Washington to the Riddell family house and Trevor meets for the first time his Grandfather Samuel and his dad's sister, Serena. It quickly becomes apparent that this family is highly dysfunctional and has been for generations. Serena is strongarming Jones (Trevor's father) into helping her move their 'demented' father out of the house so they can tear it down and build a high end housing plan in spite of the fact that Elijah Riddell, the lumber baron former patriarch wanted it to become a park once the house got too old to save.
Samuel believes Isobel, his long-dead wife, dances for him in the ballroom. Trevor, dubbed Clever Trevor by his bizarre aunt, is quick to learn a few things: Serena is all kinds of messed up, running hot and cold and worse, purposely tries to get a sexual rise out of her nephew on several occasions just to mess with him. That the house really is haunted and his father has deep-seated issues with his own father.
Trevor is often left on his own to explore the vast estate and he begins having dreams that reveal to him (both in dream and in journals he found thanks to those dreams), that the house is in fact haunted by his Great-Uncle Ben. Some reviewers whined about Trevor looking up the facts about the house and all I can say to that is don't judge all teens by your lazy standards. I know a lot of teens who would have. I would have. And in 1990, this meant going to the library and what not.
Trevor learns that Ben was caught in the traps laid for heirs to fortunes in the early twentieth century. Elijah expected him to marry money and make heirs of his own and to that end arranges a marriage straining an already strained relationship (Ben hated how his father treated people and the environment, begging him to turn the house back to nature). It's complicated by the fact that Ben is already in loved with someone else. Harry. A gay relationship in 1900 goes just about as well as you would expect, that is to say not at all.
But tragedy isn't done with the Riddells as Trevor finds out. A fourteen year old boy is the only person in the messed up family trying to do right. It ends pretty much where I expected it to. I enjoyed the ride. I was wondering though how these journals survived the mice but that's a minor thing. Trevor is clever and likeable (as are Ben and Harry)and I liked his story.
Trevor's family is falling apart. His father and mother are separated (she moving back to England) after his dad lost his job and their house. They move to Washington to the Riddell family house and Trevor meets for the first time his Grandfather Samuel and his dad's sister, Serena. It quickly becomes apparent that this family is highly dysfunctional and has been for generations. Serena is strongarming Jones (Trevor's father) into helping her move their 'demented' father out of the house so they can tear it down and build a high end housing plan in spite of the fact that Elijah Riddell, the lumber baron former patriarch wanted it to become a park once the house got too old to save.
Samuel believes Isobel, his long-dead wife, dances for him in the ballroom. Trevor, dubbed Clever Trevor by his bizarre aunt, is quick to learn a few things: Serena is all kinds of messed up, running hot and cold and worse, purposely tries to get a sexual rise out of her nephew on several occasions just to mess with him. That the house really is haunted and his father has deep-seated issues with his own father.
Trevor is often left on his own to explore the vast estate and he begins having dreams that reveal to him (both in dream and in journals he found thanks to those dreams), that the house is in fact haunted by his Great-Uncle Ben. Some reviewers whined about Trevor looking up the facts about the house and all I can say to that is don't judge all teens by your lazy standards. I know a lot of teens who would have. I would have. And in 1990, this meant going to the library and what not.
Trevor learns that Ben was caught in the traps laid for heirs to fortunes in the early twentieth century. Elijah expected him to marry money and make heirs of his own and to that end arranges a marriage straining an already strained relationship (Ben hated how his father treated people and the environment, begging him to turn the house back to nature). It's complicated by the fact that Ben is already in loved with someone else. Harry. A gay relationship in 1900 goes just about as well as you would expect, that is to say not at all.
But tragedy isn't done with the Riddells as Trevor finds out. A fourteen year old boy is the only person in the messed up family trying to do right. It ends pretty much where I expected it to. I enjoyed the ride. I was wondering though how these journals survived the mice but that's a minor thing. Trevor is clever and likeable (as are Ben and Harry)and I liked his story.
Interesting ghost story, I think Serena started to wear on my toward the end.
I love Garth Stein and The Art of Racing in the Rain is one of my all-time favorite reads. So when A Sudden Light came out, I put it on my to-read list. It didn't disappoint! Part mystery, part family history, part psychological (and spiritual) thriller, this was an amazing and uplifting story. And best of all? It had a real ending that made you cry happy tears!
I was eagerly awaiting this book and had pre-ordered itmonths ago. When it finally arrived, it naturally went right to the top of the to-be-read pile. I had read Stein's previous book The Art ofRacing in the Rain and loved it. (I waited in a long line to get my book signed by the author and when I got to the front, I took one look at the author, burst into tears and blubbed "I loved Enzo!") (Another crazy book lady, he must have thought). A Sudden Light is a totally different story than that of Enzo. I didn't really know what to expect but I wasn't disappointed. The new book is a ghost story, a coming of age story and a family saga all wrapped up in the setting of the beautiful Pacific Northwest. I find that I am still thinking about it and wouldn't mind if there were a sequel. I don't want to give anything away but do want to encourage you to read this book. You won't be disappointed.
I really wanted to love this book. It had an interesting story line but... It lacked something, not sure what exactly. Too bad.
I put off reading this book because I wasn’t sure how I’d like it. I LOVED his other book, The Art of Racing in the Rain and wasn’t sure how this would compare. It surprised me and I liked it a lot more than anticipated.
I made it halfway through and couldn't finish. I just wasn't interested enough.
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
A great story about uncovering family history and family secrets, with a house that was just haunted enough for my taste. I enjoyed the setting of the woods north of Seattle and the spookiness and secret passageways of the Riddell house. Getting to know Grandpa Samuel, Trevor and Ben was a treat, while discovering Jones, Serena and Isobel was like unraveling a mystery.
I'm probably going to become the most hated reviewer of all time, but I have to announce that I did not like this book. Not just a "eh, this isn't for me," but a "are you serious right now?! I can't believe I have to finish this thing." When I first heard about this book I thought I was going to fall in love with it. Gothic setting? Yes! Coming of age? I'm there! Ghosts? Yup! Family saga? You can't stop me from reading this! When I finally got it into my hands, I was thrilled. The first chapter sucked me in and I was quickly moving the book up my "best of 2014" list. Then chapter two hit and I thought "just a little slump before the real action takes off." Then chapter three left me thinking "okay, just give it some time." Once I slugged my way to page 225, I knew that this book was not for me.
The story follows Trevor Riddell as he joins his father in traveling from their home in Connecticut to their family's estate in the Pacific Northwest. Trevor's father has not set foot on the land since his mother died, but his separation from his wife is pushing him to return to his roots. All Trevor wants is for his parents to get back together, but that is much easier said than done. They're not at Riddell House long before strange things start happening: Trevor starts hearing noises, thinks that he's seeing someone dancing, and losing track of some of his personal items. But this oddness pales in comparison to the people he is sharing the house with: his grandfather and aunt. The grandfather is slowly losing his hold on the world around him and Trevor's aunt is taking full advantage of the situation. But these characters are not the only ones with dubious motives. Trevor stumbles upon a diary that might hold the key to the ghosts he is living with, both alive and dead.
My first complaint is that the story is cliched; it has been done before and done better. Stein's typical style does not shine through this piece. Instead, the writing feels labored and facile. There is no depth to the characters and the "mysteries" are basically solved as soon as they are introduced (i.e. Riddell House is full of riddles!). I was hoping that this was all setup for a great finish, but even that fell flat. It seemed as if Stein painted himself into a corner by the last 100 pages and just threw up his hands. In other words, he ending is one that we've seen many times before and done much better. While I always enjoy a good book with unlikeable characters, these ones didn't even interest me. The plot seemed contrived and the overall story came off as feeling like a bloated short story that was forced into a novel.
The story follows Trevor Riddell as he joins his father in traveling from their home in Connecticut to their family's estate in the Pacific Northwest. Trevor's father has not set foot on the land since his mother died, but his separation from his wife is pushing him to return to his roots. All Trevor wants is for his parents to get back together, but that is much easier said than done. They're not at Riddell House long before strange things start happening: Trevor starts hearing noises, thinks that he's seeing someone dancing, and losing track of some of his personal items. But this oddness pales in comparison to the people he is sharing the house with: his grandfather and aunt. The grandfather is slowly losing his hold on the world around him and Trevor's aunt is taking full advantage of the situation. But these characters are not the only ones with dubious motives. Trevor stumbles upon a diary that might hold the key to the ghosts he is living with, both alive and dead.
My first complaint is that the story is cliched; it has been done before and done better. Stein's typical style does not shine through this piece. Instead, the writing feels labored and facile. There is no depth to the characters and the "mysteries" are basically solved as soon as they are introduced (i.e. Riddell House is full of riddles!). I was hoping that this was all setup for a great finish, but even that fell flat. It seemed as if Stein painted himself into a corner by the last 100 pages and just threw up his hands. In other words, he ending is one that we've seen many times before and done much better. While I always enjoy a good book with unlikeable characters, these ones didn't even interest me. The plot seemed contrived and the overall story came off as feeling like a bloated short story that was forced into a novel.