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3.32 AVERAGE
3.32 AVERAGE
I started out really excited for this book, but ultimately ended up disappointed. The story line jumped all over the place and left a lot of questions unanswered. The ending was jarring and confusing. I wanted so badly to like this book, but it just fell short for me.
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Marrow Island is a modern-day gothic tale, with a huge ecological backdrop. The imagery and descriptions of the island are just astounding. I could close my eyes and see the beauty and the destruction.
You follow the life of Lucie, and learn of her growing up on Marrow Island, the earthquake and disaster that destroyed her childhood, and why it has taken her so long to return. When she does, nothing is as it seems, even her close childhood friend, Katie.
The story is slow paced, taking it’s time to explore the pain and love. What happens almost seems natural, leaving a dread and eerie sensation that this could happen to anyone, anywhere.
My biggest (and only) complaint is the execution of Lucie’s time on the island and the aftermath. Both story lines are great, but the flashback technique did not do them justice. With only a year between the story lines, it was sometimes hard to follow what time you were in, and become very disjointed and confusing.
Even with the few negative points, this is still a brilliant novel and I would recommend this to anyone.
You follow the life of Lucie, and learn of her growing up on Marrow Island, the earthquake and disaster that destroyed her childhood, and why it has taken her so long to return. When she does, nothing is as it seems, even her close childhood friend, Katie.
The story is slow paced, taking it’s time to explore the pain and love. What happens almost seems natural, leaving a dread and eerie sensation that this could happen to anyone, anywhere.
My biggest (and only) complaint is the execution of Lucie’s time on the island and the aftermath. Both story lines are great, but the flashback technique did not do them justice. With only a year between the story lines, it was sometimes hard to follow what time you were in, and become very disjointed and confusing.
Even with the few negative points, this is still a brilliant novel and I would recommend this to anyone.
Takes place on a fictional island chain located in the Pacific Northwest; reminisce of the San Juan’s. The imagery was spot on and that’s what initially drew me to this novel. Lucie the main character grew up on Orwell Island, while her father worked at a refinery on Marrow Island but after a terrible earthquake causes destruction and death she leaves that life behind. She heads back as an adult to Orwell after inheriting her family home and then to Marrow to visit an old friend living with a colony rehabilitating the island. Secrets are uncovered and it will take all the strength Lucie has not to lose herself.
I didn't like the book until I got to chapter 4. I like to parts were the main character talks to other people the story flows. When the main character talk by it self on the book just looses the interest of the book. The ending was not good but interesting.
This the summer of books about cults and missing women. Marrow Island is about a cult. And the PNW Big One we are all meant to fear. And the environment. And love? I actually quite enjoyed it as a reading experience - the descriptions of the islands and forests were spot on (despite a tendency to meander into long explanations about how mushrooms work). Like all the other books involving cults or weird, close-knit groups, I felt the ending was rushed, but I'm also not sure any weird cult will satisfy me (I just end up with too many questions). Overall, a decent read.
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I went into this book without knowing anything about it. It came up as a recommendation in a book discovery tool.
The setting and premise were pretty intriguing, and I saw several other reviews mention if you enjoyed Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel this might appeal. (They're not wrong, but I think Station Eleven was better.)
It's a bit creepy, and the writing is good. It's a pretty quick read, too. But the 'mystery' in it is not so mysterious, and the inconclusive ending is frustrating.
The writing is quality, though, and that's what kept me reading till the end. Overall it's not amazing, but it's not bad, either.
The setting and premise were pretty intriguing, and I saw several other reviews mention if you enjoyed Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel this might appeal. (They're not wrong, but I think Station Eleven was better.)
It's a bit creepy, and the writing is good. It's a pretty quick read, too. But the 'mystery' in it is not so mysterious, and the inconclusive ending is frustrating.
The writing is quality, though, and that's what kept me reading till the end. Overall it's not amazing, but it's not bad, either.
the premise of this novel was that a girl leaves the island she grew up on after a devastating earthquake hits the pacific northwest and leaves Marrow island un-inhabitaul. she returns 20 years later to meet with her childhood best friend who is now living full time on Marrow island.
i really enjoyed most of the things about this book. its a bit of a slow read in that it isn't really a page turner - but i found myself more and more excited to get back to the story. the story follows main character Lucie and starts out with the exciting point that the whole books then works its way up to. they alternate her story between a "before" and "after". I liked that you could really tell the difference in the type of person she was in both time frames. I felt there was bit too much environmental talk and that much bored me but overall it was a very short quick read that kept me interested enough to finish it in only a few days.
i really enjoyed most of the things about this book. its a bit of a slow read in that it isn't really a page turner - but i found myself more and more excited to get back to the story. the story follows main character Lucie and starts out with the exciting point that the whole books then works its way up to. they alternate her story between a "before" and "after". I liked that you could really tell the difference in the type of person she was in both time frames. I felt there was bit too much environmental talk and that much bored me but overall it was a very short quick read that kept me interested enough to finish it in only a few days.
★★ out of 5 at https://spikegelato.com/2016/06/07/marrow-island/
A young woman returns home to investigate a secretive community that has appeared on a nearby island, while further exploring her own issues related to past relationships and loss.
My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.
Perhaps it was unfair to want this novel to be something it was not, but that was what I kept feeling while reading this. It never quite reached the intrigue-piquing levels of books with similar plots and settings like California, The Lightkeepers, or The Beach. Every potential revelation was muted and underwhelming. Things appeared to be picking up steam about halfway through when the true nature of the secretive, cult-like society’s motivations were made clear, but any narrative momentum was quickly halted by the unsatisfying chapter structure that switched between past and present. This did not enhance the story and, at times, left me confused about the true timeline of events. I did enjoy Smith’s prose and her descriptions of nature, especially when it came to fungus. That withstanding, I was let down with this book overall, as the contents of the book never lived up to the description on the back.
★★ out of 5
A young woman returns home to investigate a secretive community that has appeared on a nearby island, while further exploring her own issues related to past relationships and loss.
My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.
Perhaps it was unfair to want this novel to be something it was not, but that was what I kept feeling while reading this. It never quite reached the intrigue-piquing levels of books with similar plots and settings like California, The Lightkeepers, or The Beach. Every potential revelation was muted and underwhelming. Things appeared to be picking up steam about halfway through when the true nature of the secretive, cult-like society’s motivations were made clear, but any narrative momentum was quickly halted by the unsatisfying chapter structure that switched between past and present. This did not enhance the story and, at times, left me confused about the true timeline of events. I did enjoy Smith’s prose and her descriptions of nature, especially when it came to fungus. That withstanding, I was let down with this book overall, as the contents of the book never lived up to the description on the back.
★★ out of 5
I have started this review several times, but keep getting stuck on the description! Marrow Island is the last in a chain of islands off the coast of Washington state. When Lucie was a girl, her family lived in a cabin on a neighboring island while her dad worked on Marrow. Then a huge earthquake happened. Lucie's father died, and the Pacific northwest was devastated.
Years later Lucie returns to the area. Her childhood best friend is living on Marrow. She goes to visit her. The story unfolds during Lucie's return to the islands and a year or two later when she is living in the woods with her park ranger boyfriend.
I've seen this described as cli-fi fiction. I guess that's accurate, but it wasn't preachy. To me, the disaster and its consequences were just the backdrop of the story.
I liked this. I would not recommend listening to it, as the timeline, especially in the beginning, can be really hard to follow. It's probably closer to 3.5 stars for me, than a true 4-star book.
Years later Lucie returns to the area. Her childhood best friend is living on Marrow. She goes to visit her. The story unfolds during Lucie's return to the islands and a year or two later when she is living in the woods with her park ranger boyfriend.
I've seen this described as cli-fi fiction. I guess that's accurate, but it wasn't preachy. To me, the disaster and its consequences were just the backdrop of the story.
I liked this. I would not recommend listening to it, as the timeline, especially in the beginning, can be really hard to follow. It's probably closer to 3.5 stars for me, than a true 4-star book.