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3.66 AVERAGE
3.66 AVERAGE
I was in a book slump and this book got me back on track! Quick read and I really liked the end.
mysterious
slow-paced
Slow start but very engaging story
Subtle, well-written, and difficult to put down.
challenging
dark
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A great mystery book, wasn't able to put this book down. I liked how the time travel back and forth was done, but main character was a little annoying. Overall a great read.
Arden has lived away from the town of Keokuk for many years, haunted by the disappearance of her twin sisters when she was 8. On the death of her father Arden inherits Arrowood, the family mansion on the banks of the Mississippi, and at a crossroads in her life she moves in. The mansion is old and hides many secrets but Arden is determined to solve the mystery of what happened to her sisters. Helped by both her high school sweetheart and a man interested in local mysteries Arden struggles to make sense of memory and place.
Laura McHugh is developing into an outstanding writer of intelligent mysteries that lie on the popular side of fiction but actually have a lot of depth and interest to them, her debut 'The Weight of Blood' was excellent. Here the setting is a mid-West town full of faded grandeur and hidden secrets and Arden is a troubled woman. the source of her troubles is only revealed in the final section of the book but the lead up is both suspenseful and sympathetically written. Little hints of the supernatural do nothing but add to the air of mystery, points aren't laboured to death here and characters are drawn lightly but with enough detail to allow the reader to see perspectives and fill in gaps. Altogether a hugely satisfying novel to read and I eagerly await more.
Laura McHugh is developing into an outstanding writer of intelligent mysteries that lie on the popular side of fiction but actually have a lot of depth and interest to them, her debut 'The Weight of Blood' was excellent. Here the setting is a mid-West town full of faded grandeur and hidden secrets and Arden is a troubled woman. the source of her troubles is only revealed in the final section of the book but the lead up is both suspenseful and sympathetically written. Little hints of the supernatural do nothing but add to the air of mystery, points aren't laboured to death here and characters are drawn lightly but with enough detail to allow the reader to see perspectives and fill in gaps. Altogether a hugely satisfying novel to read and I eagerly await more.
Alright alright... 3.5 for this one, I think.
I was seriously hooked on this book at the beginning -- I love the writing style (and that stands for the whole book) and was immediately drawn in by the tragic story.
But then it started to kind of drag. And the relationships started to feel stilted. And I just kind of got bored.
So the first half was a solid 4 stars, and the second half was a solid 3. The climax also felt pretty uninteresting even though it was not at all what was expected.
I'd recommend this one for the beginning alone, but would not read again.
I was seriously hooked on this book at the beginning -- I love the writing style (and that stands for the whole book) and was immediately drawn in by the tragic story.
But then it started to kind of drag. And the relationships started to feel stilted. And I just kind of got bored.
So the first half was a solid 4 stars, and the second half was a solid 3. The climax also felt pretty uninteresting even though it was not at all what was expected.
I'd recommend this one for the beginning alone, but would not read again.
Read all of my reviews at readingwithmoose.blogspot.com
I can’t exactly remember how I stumbled across this book, though if memory serves me well it involved a late night scavenger hunt on Goodreads where I followed a thread of “If you liked this…” Regardless of the fact, I found Arrowood.
Arrowood encompasses the realm of gothic mystery. In the novel, Arden Arrowood inherits the family home, the house where she spent her childhood. At least it was, until her twin sisters went missing and her world ripped apart. Now grown, Arden is nearing completion of her master’s degree but struggles to bring herself to finish it. Her thesis revolves around the feeling of nostalgia, which echo through the pages. In fact, this entire book encapsulates the feelings and longing of nostalgia. Once Arden returns to Arrowood, she is haunted by the mystery surrounding her sisters and what really happened to them. She teams up with an investigative writer who sheds light on her memories, casting serious doubt on everything she remembers.
I read the majority of this book while at a conference in New Orleans, LA. And I’m so glad I did. Arrowood is set in a small town on the Mississippi River during the winter months. The setting just brings a chill to your bones! So reading the novel next to the mighty river in the middle of a cold snap felt far too perfect.
I enjoyed this book far more than I expected. It had a fairly slow pace, which I felt heightened the gothic-ness of the novel. This pacing fell apart at the end, however, as many reveals are made in rapid procession. Though I didn’t actually mind this swift change in pacing. To me it just seemed to fit the book.
The characters themselves are okay, not spectacular, but okay. I particularly connected with Arden simply due to the shared exertions of graduate student life. I felt her anxiety, I know that struggle. Beyond that, though, I’m not certain I would consider the characters deep or terribly developed. Arden explores love interests, though I never really got into any of them and luckily romance does not feature prominently. It was almost like everyone was emotionally and personally on hold in the book, like they froze after the disappearance of the twins. Perhaps this was done intentionally to heighten the nostalgia?
Without spoilers, I was able to solve much of the mystery myself, though the end still had many surprises, which I found welcome and refreshing. I felt satisfied with the ending, which I don’t feel all that often, especially with thriller and mystery novels.
What I loved most about this book was the writing. It was refreshing and had a very smooth rhythm to it, if that makes any sense. This is the second book that McHugh has written, and so I look forward to reading her original, debut novel.
I can’t exactly remember how I stumbled across this book, though if memory serves me well it involved a late night scavenger hunt on Goodreads where I followed a thread of “If you liked this…” Regardless of the fact, I found Arrowood.
Arrowood encompasses the realm of gothic mystery. In the novel, Arden Arrowood inherits the family home, the house where she spent her childhood. At least it was, until her twin sisters went missing and her world ripped apart. Now grown, Arden is nearing completion of her master’s degree but struggles to bring herself to finish it. Her thesis revolves around the feeling of nostalgia, which echo through the pages. In fact, this entire book encapsulates the feelings and longing of nostalgia. Once Arden returns to Arrowood, she is haunted by the mystery surrounding her sisters and what really happened to them. She teams up with an investigative writer who sheds light on her memories, casting serious doubt on everything she remembers.
I read the majority of this book while at a conference in New Orleans, LA. And I’m so glad I did. Arrowood is set in a small town on the Mississippi River during the winter months. The setting just brings a chill to your bones! So reading the novel next to the mighty river in the middle of a cold snap felt far too perfect.
I enjoyed this book far more than I expected. It had a fairly slow pace, which I felt heightened the gothic-ness of the novel. This pacing fell apart at the end, however, as many reveals are made in rapid procession. Though I didn’t actually mind this swift change in pacing. To me it just seemed to fit the book.
The characters themselves are okay, not spectacular, but okay. I particularly connected with Arden simply due to the shared exertions of graduate student life. I felt her anxiety, I know that struggle. Beyond that, though, I’m not certain I would consider the characters deep or terribly developed. Arden explores love interests, though I never really got into any of them and luckily romance does not feature prominently. It was almost like everyone was emotionally and personally on hold in the book, like they froze after the disappearance of the twins. Perhaps this was done intentionally to heighten the nostalgia?
Without spoilers, I was able to solve much of the mystery myself, though the end still had many surprises, which I found welcome and refreshing. I felt satisfied with the ending, which I don’t feel all that often, especially with thriller and mystery novels.
What I loved most about this book was the writing. It was refreshing and had a very smooth rhythm to it, if that makes any sense. This is the second book that McHugh has written, and so I look forward to reading her original, debut novel.
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Mkay, so it's a good read, and I def will keep it on my shelf, but i feel like it could've been longer, ya know? 270 pages is REALLY fast for a mystery/thriller, ya gotta build that suspense and dread, ya know? Overall, pretty good, I'm excited to see what else this author comes up with, but there's def room for improvement
A 2016 staff favorite recommended by Jane.
Check our catalog: https://encore.cooklib.org/iii/encore/search/C__Sarrowood%20mchugh__Orightresult__U?lang=eng&suite=gold
Check our catalog: https://encore.cooklib.org/iii/encore/search/C__Sarrowood%20mchugh__Orightresult__U?lang=eng&suite=gold