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3.66 AVERAGE
3.66 AVERAGE
See my review here:
https://whatmeread.wordpress.com/2016/08/09/day-950-arrowood/
https://whatmeread.wordpress.com/2016/08/09/day-950-arrowood/
I started listening to the audiobook (great narrator and flow) and then took the hardcover home with me to read the rest because I couldn’t think about anything else.
Arrowood. It’s a twisty, turny mystery with characters who climb out of the pages and grab a hold of your heart. The descriptions of the dying town’s old mansions turn them into characters all on their own!
Arrowood. It’s a twisty, turny mystery with characters who climb out of the pages and grab a hold of your heart. The descriptions of the dying town’s old mansions turn them into characters all on their own!
Loved "The Weight of Blood" by Laura McHugh more, but this is also a compelling mystery. It is set in Keokuk, Iowa. Arden's twin sisters disappeared when she was 2, and she returns to the house she lived in then.
***.5 stars. Really enjoyed listening to and reading this, though I felt a little disappointed by the end. I enjoyed this a lot mostly because of the character descriptions and their richness, and the story was really exciting, though the end was a bit of a letdown.
Very much like WE WERE LIARS, but with intriguing elements of history, memory, the passage of time, and all the sentimental weight of things. I've always had a bit of a fascination with the nature of memory and truth/story truth, so although this didn't really seem like something I would have picked up, the blurbs and back copy certainly did their jobs and pulled me in, I knew this would be right in my wheelhouse. It was a little dragged on though and I wish there'd been a better twist (a la We Were Liars). Still a good read.
Meh it was good but wasn't as gothic or as twisty as it was marketed to be. There is no definite resolution of the main mystery.
26 year old Arden returns to her family’s ancestral house when her father dies. She and her family are still haunted by the mysterious abduction of her twin sisters when they were nearly two and she was just seven years old. Now she must see if she can get her life back on track, and possibly find out what happened to the twins years ago.
Reading this engaging novel, I was intrigued with the depiction of southernmost Iowa, along the banks of the Mississippi, and its stately homes. A dark tale of tragedy and mystery and nostalgia. Turning my attention now to McHugh's more famous novel, "The Weight of Blood."
Yo, this is how you write a strong mystery. Believable, complex characters making choices that feel organic to themselves and not because the plot demands it. No dawdling with extensive red herrings. Excellent establishment of the setting and atmosphere without dipping into purple prose. I'd say the only drawback (ish) is that you can see part of the solution coming, but there's a nice twist, and then another, that aren't simply for shock value, they actually fit into the story, and that makes the ending resonate. I think this'll be a pretty popular book this summer.
Thanks to Penguin Random House for ARC copy (expected publication July 5, 2016).
Now I gotta get my hands on her first novel.
Thanks to Penguin Random House for ARC copy (expected publication July 5, 2016).
Now I gotta get my hands on her first novel.