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3.91 AVERAGE
3.91 AVERAGE
This book is slow and meandering like a stereotypical conversation with a Southerner. But, like someone from the south, when you get to the conclusion, the speed seems just right.
This was a beautiful story of lives thrown together by what seems accidental. But, like one of the characters is find of saying: "there are no accidents." Somewhat predictable, since the book slowly approaches the many reveals in the storyline, but very endearing.
This would be a great beach read, as long as you have plenty of time at that beach as it is 420 pages!
I received a preview copy of this book from First to Read in exchange for an objective review.
This was a beautiful story of lives thrown together by what seems accidental. But, like one of the characters is find of saying: "there are no accidents." Somewhat predictable, since the book slowly approaches the many reveals in the storyline, but very endearing.
This would be a great beach read, as long as you have plenty of time at that beach as it is 420 pages!
I received a preview copy of this book from First to Read in exchange for an objective review.
This book was really hard to get into and to be honest, boring and totally unrealistic. One of the main characters, Merritt, reminded me of a child--no grown woman would act the way she did. It was hard to convince myself to finish but I did, only so that I could check it off my to read list. I'm going to give another one of Karen White's books a try in hopes that this one isn't the norm for her.
The Sound of Glass by Karen White really snuck up on me. A book about a woman who suddenly inherits the family home of her not-too-recently departed husband, the family home of a family she never knew he had, sounded a bit silly to me. A woman born and raised in Maine picks up and moves to a small town in South Carolina to live in a three hundred-year-old house sounded like a "Yankee-invades-the-South" kind of book and those are never as entertaining as people think they will be. And yet...
Merritt has a dark past and is looking to start her life anew. The opportunity to transplant herself to an old family home in South Carolina seems as good an idea as any other and so, without too much thought and even less preparation, she leaps. When she arrives, she discovers that not only was she completely unaware of her late husband's family, his family and the whole town where he grew up were completely unaware of her. She is shaken to discover that her husband, Cal, has a brother and that Cal and this brother, Gibbes have the very same eyes. Complicating matters further is the quite abrupt arrival of Loralee, Merritt's step-mother to whom she hasn't spoken in over a decade and her ten-year-old half brother. When this book is described as a "family drama", there is a good reason. Adding to all of this is the discovery of a nearly sixty-year-old plane crash mystery that spans three generations.
Oh, my goodness. This book! I was sucked right in to the story, especially as bits of the mystery came trickling in to the tale. Each of the characters is so rich, though Loralee is my favorite. She has a pink journal into which she writes her "truths" about life. They range from the practical to the more existential. Here are just a few:
The weight of fear goes away as soon as we face our monsters and realize they weren't as scary as we thought.
Even in the blackest darkness, there is always light shining somewhere.
Forget what hurt you in the past. But never forget what it taught you.
You can't move forward if you always have one foot on the brake.
There are no shortcuts to anyplace worth going.
Life doesn't get easier. We just get stronger.
And my favorite:
Everybody dies. But not everybody lives.
I really enjoyed reading this book. It was one of those that captured my attention right away and I couldn't wait to find out what would happen. This would be a great vacation book- light and fun, but still with enough meat to hold your interest. Let me know if you like it!
Merritt has a dark past and is looking to start her life anew. The opportunity to transplant herself to an old family home in South Carolina seems as good an idea as any other and so, without too much thought and even less preparation, she leaps. When she arrives, she discovers that not only was she completely unaware of her late husband's family, his family and the whole town where he grew up were completely unaware of her. She is shaken to discover that her husband, Cal, has a brother and that Cal and this brother, Gibbes have the very same eyes. Complicating matters further is the quite abrupt arrival of Loralee, Merritt's step-mother to whom she hasn't spoken in over a decade and her ten-year-old half brother. When this book is described as a "family drama", there is a good reason. Adding to all of this is the discovery of a nearly sixty-year-old plane crash mystery that spans three generations.
Oh, my goodness. This book! I was sucked right in to the story, especially as bits of the mystery came trickling in to the tale. Each of the characters is so rich, though Loralee is my favorite. She has a pink journal into which she writes her "truths" about life. They range from the practical to the more existential. Here are just a few:
The weight of fear goes away as soon as we face our monsters and realize they weren't as scary as we thought.
Even in the blackest darkness, there is always light shining somewhere.
Forget what hurt you in the past. But never forget what it taught you.
You can't move forward if you always have one foot on the brake.
There are no shortcuts to anyplace worth going.
Life doesn't get easier. We just get stronger.
And my favorite:
Everybody dies. But not everybody lives.
I really enjoyed reading this book. It was one of those that captured my attention right away and I couldn't wait to find out what would happen. This would be a great vacation book- light and fun, but still with enough meat to hold your interest. Let me know if you like it!
Upgraded to 4 stars. Listened to it this time. Several years later and I'm connecting with this story in different ways than than when I read it. We all need a friend like Laura Lee.
10/10/2015
3.5 stars. Great story that tackles the much ignored topic of domestic violence.
10/10/2015
3.5 stars. Great story that tackles the much ignored topic of domestic violence.
This was a finalist for the Goodreads Choice Awards and I see why. An excellent story told from the point of view of three different women. The book starts out in 1955 and we meet Edith. Edith has been in an abusive relationship and a plane crash is about to change everything. Next we flash forward to the future and meet Merit who's husband has just died and she has moved from Maine to South Carolina. She is going to move into her husband's childhood home which she just inherited. Last we meet Loralee who's husband has also passed away and she needs to make a new start for her and her 10 year old son Owen.
It turns out that all three women are connected and what unfolds is an EXCELLENT story!
It turns out that all three women are connected and what unfolds is an EXCELLENT story!
I am reading it now and so far I like it; I chose this book because it's set in Beaufort and I love South Carolina. I really love the characters and their complexity; I love Laura Lee! This is not so much a romance as a it is a mystery (what did Edith build these shoebox scenes for?).
With a lovely setting, intriguing story, and great characters, this is a great new book for those who enjoy contemporary women's fiction. The story picked up as the details of the past were unfolded and the characters grew, and will be a good summer recommendation! Advance reading copy provided by Netgalley.
Absolutely loved it. It held me for the first chapter and without me in the edge of my seat the whole read through
Alternated between fine and dreadful, and I'm not sure why I finished it. If I want to read something in this southern women's fiction genre again, I'll reach for a Diane Chamberlain novel instead.