Wednesday, November 7, 2012

THE DROWNING HOUSE_Review


The Drowning HouseThe Drowning House by Elizabeth   Black
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Review of The Drowning House
Reviewed for Great Minds Think Aloud
4 stars

I call this in the category of “women’s lit” or “beach reads” and no, not just because the majority of the novel is set on Galveston Island. It’s the kind of slow-paced novel with multiple characters and multiple plotlines which makes the reader want to take it slow and just enjoy-perfect for a vacation or “beach” read. There’s a lot of history in this novel: history of the island and of the community; history of the historic hurricane and flood; but also history in terms of immediate life-spans-the protagonist Clare, her sister Frankie, her mother and father, her island friend Patrick and his very wealthy and eccentric parents, the housekeeping staff. Reading this reminded me in some ways of reading an antebellum plantation novel.
I must admit surprise as the denouements unfolded. If these were telegraphed, I certainly did not expect them, and I imagine most reeaders will find themselves surprised and if not pleased at the events, at least pleased at the dramatic nature of those events and their unfolding in terms of the “recent history” of the individuals and families scrutinized here.


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