lonestarwords 's review for:

Bitter Orange by Claire Fuller

3.0

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I loved Fuller's "Swimming Lessons" so I was incredibly excited when Bitter Orange arrived. And her writing lived up to my expectations. I just could not get in the groove with this novel. I didn't connect with the characters - and there are just 3 main ones -their story just wasn't intriguing to me and much of it I didn't understand. Fuller's writing is atmospheric (this book was said to be reminiscent of Du Maurier's Rebecca, which is of my all time favorites) and the setting did indeed have that gothic, literary feel. But the plot felt jumbled (for lack of a better word) and I found myself wondering where it was going and why. I think possibly my expectations were set too high, which sometimes happens with early release buzz about an author we enjoy. I wanted to love this, it just didn't work for me.