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3.74 AVERAGE
3.74 AVERAGE
Helena has a seemingly normal life. But she did not have a normal upbringing. Her father kidnapped her mother, and she was raised by him in the remote marshland until her father is ultimately caught and goes to jail. Despite everything, Helena loved her dad, she didn’t know what he had done growing up. She spent plenty of time in nature and learning how to live off the land. Now some twenty years later, her father escapes from prison and kills two guards in the process. As the police begin their manhunt, Helena knows they don’t stand a chance. She engages in a cat and mouse game with him, all in hopes he will leave her family alone.
My friend Ashleigh, @sorryimcanadian.reads, recommended this book to me so I was super excited to start. When I fly, I like to listen to audiobooks because my mind wanders too much to focus on printed words, so I was happy this one was available for a trip I made to Dallas. I put in my headphones and started. Immediately I wondered if this book was going to be like Where the Crawdad’s Sing, but Ashleigh assured me it was not. I quickly learned that it was an entirely different premise and I found myself enjoying it. I loved the story, despite how she came to be. I loved how the book explored the relationship between the father and daughter. It was deliciously flawed but in such a beautifully heartbreaking way.
This story was not what I was expecting, but I absolutely loved it. Thanks so much Ashleigh for recommending this one.
My friend Ashleigh, @sorryimcanadian.reads, recommended this book to me so I was super excited to start. When I fly, I like to listen to audiobooks because my mind wanders too much to focus on printed words, so I was happy this one was available for a trip I made to Dallas. I put in my headphones and started. Immediately I wondered if this book was going to be like Where the Crawdad’s Sing, but Ashleigh assured me it was not. I quickly learned that it was an entirely different premise and I found myself enjoying it. I loved the story, despite how she came to be. I loved how the book explored the relationship between the father and daughter. It was deliciously flawed but in such a beautifully heartbreaking way.
This story was not what I was expecting, but I absolutely loved it. Thanks so much Ashleigh for recommending this one.
adventurous
dark
hopeful
tense
medium-paced
Loveable characters:
Yes
Helena grew up in an isolated cabin deep in the marshes of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. It wasn’t until she was a teenager that she understood the horrible truth of her unconventional childhood: her father was a kidnapper and rapist, and her mother his victim and prisoner. Now an adult, Helena has two young children of her own, and her father, known as The Marsh King, has been in prison for over a decade. Then one day, state troopers show up at her door; her father has escaped from prison. Helena knows that he will be coming for her, but her father is a consummate woodsman, able to disappear into the wilderness at will. Helena will have to use every bit of information he taught her in order to track him down and keep her family safe.
This nail-biting thriller contains shades of Room by Emma Donoghue and Our Endless Numbered Days by Claire Fuller. The story weaves between the present day, where Helena is living a more or less normal life in rural Michigan (though she still struggles with the intricacies of society), and her childhood living on the land in the isolated cabin on the marsh. We can acutely feel the subtle damage done to Helena by her father, yet she was raised to more or less worship him. Her father is a rapist, a kidnapper, and a sadist, but he was also the man who raised her, and what little girl doesn’t want the approval of her father? This dissonance between the facts and the feelings of her childhood present Helena with a horrible and complex dilemma. She knows her father is an evil man, and that he means to hurt her and her family, but how do you truly stop being daddy’s little girl?
I really liked this book. Dionne has taken a theme that occupies both newspaper headlines and our nightmares and made it into a terrifyingly realistic, gripping story. The weaving of past and present events is done well, revealing in increments the full story of Helena’s childhood. If you’ve been looking for a fast-paced, stay-up-until-one-in-the-morning read, this is the perfect book for you.
An advance copy of this book was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
This nail-biting thriller contains shades of Room by Emma Donoghue and Our Endless Numbered Days by Claire Fuller. The story weaves between the present day, where Helena is living a more or less normal life in rural Michigan (though she still struggles with the intricacies of society), and her childhood living on the land in the isolated cabin on the marsh. We can acutely feel the subtle damage done to Helena by her father, yet she was raised to more or less worship him. Her father is a rapist, a kidnapper, and a sadist, but he was also the man who raised her, and what little girl doesn’t want the approval of her father? This dissonance between the facts and the feelings of her childhood present Helena with a horrible and complex dilemma. She knows her father is an evil man, and that he means to hurt her and her family, but how do you truly stop being daddy’s little girl?
I really liked this book. Dionne has taken a theme that occupies both newspaper headlines and our nightmares and made it into a terrifyingly realistic, gripping story. The weaving of past and present events is done well, revealing in increments the full story of Helena’s childhood. If you’ve been looking for a fast-paced, stay-up-until-one-in-the-morning read, this is the perfect book for you.
An advance copy of this book was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
adventurous
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
2: The Marsh King's Daughter by Karen Dionne...read at the recommendation of a former student who's a keen reader. I figure that as many things as I assigned her to read, I could certainly take a reading recommendation from her at this point. And I was not at all disappointed. Taking place in the UP of Michigan (that's Upper Peninsula for you not of or aware of "these parts"), which is not that far from here and also an area where my husband more frequently goes these days on work missions, I was intrigued by the setting. Not typically a reader of thrillers as a rule, I was also compelled by this book's premise: the main character's mother was kidnapped at age 14 by the man who takes her as a wife and keeps her in a cabin in the woods for...years, making her a mother in the first place. The book richly, valuably alludes to and shares excerpts from Hans Christian Andersen's tale by the same title. I found the story to be not just suspenseful but also completely engaging. Helena is a strong woman whose upbringing was anything but "normal" and who has learned skills not daily useful for her new life...but I do love how she makes her living. I'm not going to tell you more; just read it. I don't think you'll be sorry that you did!
This was a really good listen, it reminded me a lot of 'Where the Crawdads Sing'.. it's full of atmosphere and characters with a lot of depth. The dark humor and retrospective nature of Helena as she looks back on her childhood keeps you invested and intrigued. Highly recommended!
The book started great with the mundane being actually suspenseful. It is a complex story of a woman who was raised in total isolation by a psychopath. It’s complex because she can understand intellectually as an adult and a parent herself that he was horribly abusive to her and her mother, but as a child her coping mechanism forced her to identify with him.
The book is predictable that a showdown is enviable between father and daughter.
Some edge of your seat moments but unfortunately also some not consistent situations, like one trip to k-mart before she was born supplied everything for years?
The book is predictable that a showdown is enviable between father and daughter.
Some edge of your seat moments but unfortunately also some not consistent situations, like one trip to k-mart before she was born supplied everything for years?
First book I've read in a while that I could not put down. The first twist is the fact that the story is not told from the villain's perspective, nor from the "initial" victim's perspective, but from the daughter's. The flashback scenes are woven in well, they keep the story moving, and they're well-spaced. Helena's trouble with socialization is believable once you know her background. A good read with enough suspense to keep you turning the pages!
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
sad
tense
medium-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Good and dark. Intense thriller for sure.