Reviews Waters Edge #109 Anna Maria Island Fl

Championship: At the Water'due south Border
Author: Sara Gruen
ISBN: 9780385523233
No. of Pages: 368
Genre: Historical Fiction
Origins: Spiegel & Grau
Release Engagement: 31 March 2015

Synopsis:

"Afterward disgracing themselves at a high lodge New Twelvemonth's Eve party in Philadelphia in 1944, Madeline Hyde and her married man, Ellis, are cut off financially by his father, a one-time ground forces colonel who is already ashamed of his son's inability to serve in the state of war. When Ellis and his best friend, Hank, determine that the only way to regain the Colonel's favor is to succeed where the Colonel very publicly failed—by hunting down the famous Loch Ness monster—Maddie reluctantly follows them across the Atlantic, leaving her sheltered world backside.

The trio find themselves in a remote village in the Scottish Highlands, where the locals take nothing just antipathy for the privileged interlopers. Maddie is left on her own at the isolated inn, where food is rationed, fuel is scarce, and a knock from the postman tin can bring tragic news. Even so she finds herself falling in love with the stark beauty and subtle magic of the Scottish countryside. Gradually she comes to know the villagers, and the friendships she forms with ii young women open her up to a larger world than she knew existed. Maddie begins to see that nothing is as it beginning appears: the values she holds honey evidence unsustainable, and monsters lurk where they are to the lowest degree expected.

As she embraces a fuller sense of who she might exist, Maddie becomes aware not only of the dark forces effectually her, but of life's beauty and surprising possibilities."

Thoughts on the Novel:   Set in the final months of World State of war Two, At the Water's Edge by Sara Gruen explores love and loss in a changing earth. One does not need to look far for existent-life monsters given what is happening in Europe, but Ellis, Hank, and Maddie find themselves crossing the ocean to do just that. This inexplicable journeying sets up the rest of the story as Maddie must reevaluate everything she thought she knew.

In that location is no uncertainty that Ms. Gruen can write. As she sets the phase for everything Maddie faces, at that place is a poetry to her words which are mesmerizing. All the same, in this particular novel, the writing cannot make upwardly for the apartment story. In that location is a heavy-handed use of convenient plot twists that make the story more of a fairy tale than a realistic piece of historical fiction. One can make an argument that the story is magical realism, which makes sense in many ways. However, the general impression is that Ms. Gruen's intention is for this to be a serious historical fiction piece with a footling magic thrown in for good measure. This makes the fairy tale aspect unexpected and out of place.

The other disconcerting element of the novel is how chop-chop everything happens. Maddie realizes the truth virtually her matrimony, falls in dear with someone else, and makes life-altering decisions all within a matter of pages. In the instance of falling in dear, she does so without speaking more than a few words to her new love interest. The whole scenario is merely odd, and as with the convenient plot devices, feels inauthentic to the underlying story.

Sara Gruen will always be synonymous with her breakout novel, H2o for Elephants, and with good reason. It is the perfect matrimony of beautiful writing, a fascinating setting, interesting characters, and a compelling story. Unfortunately, At the H2o's Edge fails to measure upward to her previous success. As beautifully written as it is, at that place is a lack of connection between the characters which keeps them aloof. The setting is gorgeous, but information technology never becomes anything more than a backdrop. As well, the characters neglect to remain static and loosely developed, The rapid pace of the story prevents it from condign anything more than a superficial romance and diminishes any of the otherworldly elements. Had Ms. Gruen not had such a spectacular first novel, At the Water's Edge would exist perfectly decent in spite of its flaws. All the same, knowing what she is capable of writing does nothing but highlight the story's deficiencies and make a reader wish for what could take been.

Lesser LINE: Beautifully written but ultimately disappointing for its lack of development, flat characters, and a heavy reliance on break of reality.

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Source: https://www.thatswhatsheread.net/2015/04/book-review-at-the-waters-edge-by-sara-gruen/

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