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gertyp's review against another edition
5.0
I just love all of Luanne Rice's books. I love the settings, the characters and the story lines.
thepoemreeder's review against another edition
2.0
The O'Casey men have a history of war tragedy in their family. Mickey and her mother Neve have a history of disappointment and hurt when it comes to Mickey's alcoholic, undependable, irresponsible father. Shane has a history with the water, getting his love of surfing from his father, who passed away after drowning while surfing when Shane was very young--and was watching from the shore. The tie that binds all of these characters together is their mutual love for nature, birds, and preserving history through the U-823 submarine that rests off the shore of Tim O'Casey's wilderness. When a big shot wants to move the sunken WWII German sub, it causes their worlds to collide together, and while they all bond over how to save the ship (that Tim's father actually sunk himself), love blossoms.
The characters were likable, and the storyline was okay, but it wasn't something I could personally connect to or invest in for some reason. I didn't always think the writing rang true, and sometimes it could be a little cheesy, especially the parts dealing with any affection. Dialogue didn't always sound realistic to me, either. There were some parts that were well-written, but overall, the book felt somewhat generic. The conflicts that arose between characters seemed to be settled too easily, like a half-hour sitcom from the 90s, so that there was never much real tension to build, leaving the plot feel flat.
The characters were likable, and the storyline was okay, but it wasn't something I could personally connect to or invest in for some reason. I didn't always think the writing rang true, and sometimes it could be a little cheesy, especially the parts dealing with any affection. Dialogue didn't always sound realistic to me, either. There were some parts that were well-written, but overall, the book felt somewhat generic. The conflicts that arose between characters seemed to be settled too easily, like a half-hour sitcom from the 90s, so that there was never much real tension to build, leaving the plot feel flat.
ponderinstuff's review against another edition
2.0
This is an audio book that I listened to on a road trip several years ago.
jellicle's review against another edition
2.0
This is a nice beach or airplane read. I liked the characters and the setting; I don't think I've ever read a book set in Rhode Island and WWII history and bird stuff was interesting. Overall, the plot was rather cliche and predictable and the writing just never drew me in to care about the characters all that much. I didn't any feels until the very end. Definitely the best line of the book was "Love means ALWAYS having to say you're sorry."
jillmwald's review
3.0
I really like Luanne Rice but for some reason this wasn't one of my favorites...
trash_reader_'s review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
laurat's review
2.0
This is my second attempt at reading this book for book club and I don’t think I’d have made it through if I hadn’t listened to it on Audio. The story itself isn’t terrible, just lackluster. The pacing is excruciatingly slow. I did find the historical facts interesting, but that’s about all.