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caitwbowerz's review against another edition
3.0
The writing style made it difficult for me to be immediately drawn to the book in the first few chapters but I was able to sink in and appreciate it after I became accustomed to the author's style. I couldn't become attached to the main character and found myself completely objective to her successes and failures. However, I did like the overall theme of the book and was interested to know where all the story lines would eventually end.
mariannika's review against another edition
5.0
This is one of my favorite books that I have read so far this year.
librarianna81's review against another edition
4.0
Want to give this a 4.5 because it was not a favorite but it is VERY good. Consistently engaging, couldn't put it down. Loved how real the story was - it's definitely not a romance. Small town America and the art scene of New York City in the 1930s were depicted very well; the author painted great pictures of the era.
pantsantspants's review against another edition
5.0
Once I got caught up in the story I couldn't stop. Really well written.
msoblong's review against another edition
3.0
I am a fan of historical fiction set in the early to mid 1900s and it was refreshing to find a novel set in that time period that wasn't about either World War. I will be honest and say that I kind of skimmed over the first half, reading but not really retaining much of it. Eventually I did find myself being drawn in and slowing myself down to take everything in. I don't really have much to say about the first half of the book because of that.
There was a lot going on in the latter half of the book and other than a few unresolved issues, I enjoyed it. My initial thought was to rate this four stars but once I thought about the fact that I barely read the first half of the book, I had to knock it down to three. Overall it was a good read and I will be passing my copy along to someone else now that I have finished.
**I received a copy of this book from Goodreads First Reads**
Spoiler
When things between Dez and Jacob started to cross the line is when I think I started paying more attention, and once that happened it seemed like the book finally picked up.There was a lot going on in the latter half of the book and other than a few unresolved issues, I enjoyed it. My initial thought was to rate this four stars but once I thought about the fact that I barely read the first half of the book, I had to knock it down to three. Overall it was a good read and I will be passing my copy along to someone else now that I have finished.
**I received a copy of this book from Goodreads First Reads**
thepickygirl's review against another edition
3.0
In 1934, Cascade, Massachusetts holds tight to its vestiges of glamour. Once the place of a thriving Shakespearean theater where a young Rudolph Valentino graced the stage, the Crash has tarnished the appearance of the once-glitzy resort town.
Desdamona Hart Spaulding, the daughter of the theater’s owner, has left her dreams of a career in art and returned to care for her ailing and bankrupt father, marrying a local who has loved her for quite some time, Asa, in a move she quickly regrets. Once her father dies, Dez realizes just how provincial her life in Cascade will remain, particularly with the theater languishing and the town facing flooding to create a new reservoir.
When Jacob Solomon first appears on her property, commenting on Dez’s painting, Dez recognizes a kindred spirit, and her desire to be free takes over.
Charlie mentions in her review that the word “cascade” refers not only to the falls for which the town is named but also for the overwhelming emotion Dez experiences throughout the novel, and I think that’s apt. Jacob and his weekly meetings with her energize Dez. The two talk about art and artists, techniques and tools, the time flying by. She begins to romanticize their encounters until she obsesses over his visits.
Dez talks quite a bit about responsibility – her responsibility as a wife, a daughter, a citizen of Cascade – but ultimately, what wins out is her responsibility to her art. It’s a bold decision, as Dez leaves a good man, a man who cares for her, in order to pursue this life. O’Hara doesn’t help Dez either, making Asa out to be a hillbilly or a cad. Instead, he’s a stand-up guy and one that, even as you know it’s right for Dez to leave, you hurt for.
Though Jacob Solomon is ostensibly who Dez loves, I did feel that he’s just a means to an end. Dez wants to leave Asa and Cascade but cannot seem to leave just to paint and live in New York without something else propelling her forward. In fact, my one complaint would be that I wish Dez would have been able to acknowledge that. There was nothing to Jacob and Dez’s relationship that felt concrete or significant enough to have haunted her for as long as it does.
In some ways, Cascade reminded me of Laura Lamont’s Life in Pictures by Emma Straub – the theater, the doting father, the failing marriage. Plus, both are interesting examinations of women who make nontraditional choices in order to forge a life for themselves.
Dez is selfish, but I think O’Hara explores the negative connotation of that word quite well. Dez sacrifices her marriage, her father’s legacy, and, though it isn’t all down to her, the fate of her town for her own gain. And if asked, I doubt she’d regret it.
Desdamona Hart Spaulding, the daughter of the theater’s owner, has left her dreams of a career in art and returned to care for her ailing and bankrupt father, marrying a local who has loved her for quite some time, Asa, in a move she quickly regrets. Once her father dies, Dez realizes just how provincial her life in Cascade will remain, particularly with the theater languishing and the town facing flooding to create a new reservoir.
When Jacob Solomon first appears on her property, commenting on Dez’s painting, Dez recognizes a kindred spirit, and her desire to be free takes over.
Charlie mentions in her review that the word “cascade” refers not only to the falls for which the town is named but also for the overwhelming emotion Dez experiences throughout the novel, and I think that’s apt. Jacob and his weekly meetings with her energize Dez. The two talk about art and artists, techniques and tools, the time flying by. She begins to romanticize their encounters until she obsesses over his visits.
Dez talks quite a bit about responsibility – her responsibility as a wife, a daughter, a citizen of Cascade – but ultimately, what wins out is her responsibility to her art. It’s a bold decision, as Dez leaves a good man, a man who cares for her, in order to pursue this life. O’Hara doesn’t help Dez either, making Asa out to be a hillbilly or a cad. Instead, he’s a stand-up guy and one that, even as you know it’s right for Dez to leave, you hurt for.
Though Jacob Solomon is ostensibly who Dez loves, I did feel that he’s just a means to an end. Dez wants to leave Asa and Cascade but cannot seem to leave just to paint and live in New York without something else propelling her forward. In fact, my one complaint would be that I wish Dez would have been able to acknowledge that. There was nothing to Jacob and Dez’s relationship that felt concrete or significant enough to have haunted her for as long as it does.
In some ways, Cascade reminded me of Laura Lamont’s Life in Pictures by Emma Straub – the theater, the doting father, the failing marriage. Plus, both are interesting examinations of women who make nontraditional choices in order to forge a life for themselves.
Dez is selfish, but I think O’Hara explores the negative connotation of that word quite well. Dez sacrifices her marriage, her father’s legacy, and, though it isn’t all down to her, the fate of her town for her own gain. And if asked, I doubt she’d regret it.
serenaac's review against another edition
4.0
Cascade by Maryanne O’Hara is set in 1930s Massachusetts as the rest of the world is on the cusp of war with the Nazis and Boston is hoping to alleviate its water shortage by creating a new reservoir along the Cascade River. Painter Desdemona Hart Spaulding lives in the sleepy little town of Cascade, which has been a target of lawmakers looking for water over the last decade. Her life is nothing like she expected as her family falls on hard times, and she makes a life-altering decision to marry Asa to save her father and her home. What she fails to realize is that some decisions are made for you by circumstance and fate in a cascade of changes that you can either fight or ride.
From the moment readers meet Dez, they know that she is conflict about her new role as wife. She makes her husband’s breakfast and tries to care for her father, but her mind wanders to her studio, her paints, and her canvases, making her lose track of time as she dives into the colors and scenes she creates. Asa is hard to grasp as he seems to want to be oblivious to his wife’s struggles, but is forced to see reality when his wife makes decisions that place them both in the spotlight as the town looks for ways to save itself from drowning.
Read the full review: http://savvyverseandwit.com/2012/12/cascade-by-maryanne-ohara.html
From the moment readers meet Dez, they know that she is conflict about her new role as wife. She makes her husband’s breakfast and tries to care for her father, but her mind wanders to her studio, her paints, and her canvases, making her lose track of time as she dives into the colors and scenes she creates. Asa is hard to grasp as he seems to want to be oblivious to his wife’s struggles, but is forced to see reality when his wife makes decisions that place them both in the spotlight as the town looks for ways to save itself from drowning.
Read the full review: http://savvyverseandwit.com/2012/12/cascade-by-maryanne-ohara.html
yangyvonne's review against another edition
4.0
In pre-WWII MA, Desdemona Hart finds herself married to Asa Spaulding and watching her father die. After his death, she begins to question what has happened to her life and wants to be back in NYC where her art can be appreciated. Her town, Cascade is being considered for demolition and this sets off a chain of events that propel her life in a different direction. She has an affair with a Jewish artist and dreams of escaping her marriage for him. Events don't turn out that way and although she does leave Asa, and finds success in New York, he marries Ruth and she loses touch with him for 12 years. In 1947, her father's theater is finally reopened and Jasper comes, letting her know he has pined for her, but now Dez is married, to the man who bought the theater and they realize they can never be together.
This is literally one of the saddest stories ever. Dez gave up her career and freedom to ensure that her father would be taken care of, she sacrificed for Asa, for Jasper, for everyone and even when she had something go her way, it would usually have a catch or be short-lived. You root for her to get away from Asa, to be with Jasper, to have success as an artist, and are met with twist after twist of more disappointment. I like that she was able to leave Asa and stay on her own even after she learned of Ruth and the baby. It also made sense that Ruth hid the second letter. What really was the most shocking is that her father lied about selling his first folio. So, in the end, she sacrificed all for him, while he sacrificed nothing for her. Her whole existence was unrequited/unreturned love.
This is literally one of the saddest stories ever. Dez gave up her career and freedom to ensure that her father would be taken care of, she sacrificed for Asa, for Jasper, for everyone and even when she had something go her way, it would usually have a catch or be short-lived. You root for her to get away from Asa, to be with Jasper, to have success as an artist, and are met with twist after twist of more disappointment. I like that she was able to leave Asa and stay on her own even after she learned of Ruth and the baby. It also made sense that Ruth hid the second letter. What really was the most shocking is that her father lied about selling his first folio. So, in the end, she sacrificed all for him, while he sacrificed nothing for her. Her whole existence was unrequited/unreturned love.
unabridgedchick's review against another edition
5.0
It is 1934 in Cascade, Massachusetts, a small town in the western part of the state. Picturesque, bucolic, it was once a thriving summer vacation spot, with a gorgeous Shakespearean theater managed by the big-hearted, passionate William Hart. Then the crash happened, the Depression hit, and like everywhere in the U.S., Cascade started going through hard times.
For Desdemona Hart Spaulding, talented daughter of William, her sacrifice to survive came in exchange for her happiness. An artist who trained in Boston and New York City, she married Cascade-native Asa Spaulding, a mild pharmacist who wanted nothing more than to settle down and have many babies. Dez, afraid for her ailing father and his now-shuttered theater, married in hopes of saving what she could -- her remaining family -- only to lose that two months later. Against that bitter loss came additional heartbreak: that Cascade was in competition with another small town to be leveled for a reservoir. Just when things couldn't possibly make Dez's life more agonizing, she meets Jacob Solomon, a Jewish artist who evokes in her deep passion and reminds her of the life she once thought she'd live.
This is the novel's opening -- we learn all this in the first few chapters. This gutting, beautiful, emotional setting spills into a story far more complicated and rich than I initially thought. I anticipated a historical novel with a love triangle; and there is that, the history, and the triangle, but there's more, too. There's the conflict of obligation to one's self, one's family, one's reputation, one's hometown; the very real march of progress and of war. In small town Cascade, one's reputation is a major currency, and Dez, Asa, and Jacob all feel the brunt of their town's changing and shifting opinion of them.
There's tragedy and betrayal and romance on a Shakespearean scale, and Dez is a complicated, maddening, honorable, childish, and beautiful heroine. I liked her and felt angry with her in equal part, but O'Hara wrote Dez so well that even when I wanted to shake her, I still wanted to hug her. I appreciated where her choices came from; I felt like I really knew her.
This is a historical novel of place -- a small-town during the Depression, a beloved landmark in danger of destruction -- and a romance -- star-crossed lovers -- as well as a snapshot of wartime America in the '30s and '40s -- national prejudices, fears, patriotism, the New Deal. O'Hara's writing is beautiful -- simple and sparse, but not thin -- and I lingered over this novel because I was so unwilling for it to end. This is O'Hara's first novel and it has ensured I am going to be a slavish fangirl of hers.
For Desdemona Hart Spaulding, talented daughter of William, her sacrifice to survive came in exchange for her happiness. An artist who trained in Boston and New York City, she married Cascade-native Asa Spaulding, a mild pharmacist who wanted nothing more than to settle down and have many babies. Dez, afraid for her ailing father and his now-shuttered theater, married in hopes of saving what she could -- her remaining family -- only to lose that two months later. Against that bitter loss came additional heartbreak: that Cascade was in competition with another small town to be leveled for a reservoir. Just when things couldn't possibly make Dez's life more agonizing, she meets Jacob Solomon, a Jewish artist who evokes in her deep passion and reminds her of the life she once thought she'd live.
This is the novel's opening -- we learn all this in the first few chapters. This gutting, beautiful, emotional setting spills into a story far more complicated and rich than I initially thought. I anticipated a historical novel with a love triangle; and there is that, the history, and the triangle, but there's more, too. There's the conflict of obligation to one's self, one's family, one's reputation, one's hometown; the very real march of progress and of war. In small town Cascade, one's reputation is a major currency, and Dez, Asa, and Jacob all feel the brunt of their town's changing and shifting opinion of them.
There's tragedy and betrayal and romance on a Shakespearean scale, and Dez is a complicated, maddening, honorable, childish, and beautiful heroine. I liked her and felt angry with her in equal part, but O'Hara wrote Dez so well that even when I wanted to shake her, I still wanted to hug her. I appreciated where her choices came from; I felt like I really knew her.
This is a historical novel of place -- a small-town during the Depression, a beloved landmark in danger of destruction -- and a romance -- star-crossed lovers -- as well as a snapshot of wartime America in the '30s and '40s -- national prejudices, fears, patriotism, the New Deal. O'Hara's writing is beautiful -- simple and sparse, but not thin -- and I lingered over this novel because I was so unwilling for it to end. This is O'Hara's first novel and it has ensured I am going to be a slavish fangirl of hers.