Gruen, Sara: At the Water's Edge. New York: Spiegel & Grau, 2015. Print. 378 pages.
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SETTING: In the year 1944, at the peak of the Allies involvement in World War II. The story begins in Philadelphia, and then moves to a small village in the Scottish Highlands, where the majority of the story takes place.
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SUMMARY: Maddie Hyde, a naive woman from a rich background, with very little formal education, finds herself dragged across the Atlantic to the Scottish Highlands with her husband and husband's best friend, as they embark on a quest to find the Loch Ness monster.
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FAVORITE QUOTE: "The sheer scope of detail and information, as well as its seemingly random placement, was proof to me that the world had both gone mad, yet remained the same as it ever was.
Mass killings were described right next to information about laxatives. Cities were bombed, men slaughtered each other in knee-deep mud, civilians were blown to pieces from stepping on mines, but horses still spooked, people still went to the cinema, and women still worried about their schoolgirl complexions. I couldn't decide if this made me understand the world better or meant I'd never fathom it at all." - Chapter 32, page 271.
Mass killings were described right next to information about laxatives. Cities were bombed, men slaughtered each other in knee-deep mud, civilians were blown to pieces from stepping on mines, but horses still spooked, people still went to the cinema, and women still worried about their schoolgirl complexions. I couldn't decide if this made me understand the world better or meant I'd never fathom it at all." - Chapter 32, page 271.
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I haven't posted in months! You must be wondering if I have even been reading... Don't worry, I have. I actually have five books piled up that I need to write about, but I've just been so lazy! It's terrible because I have quite a bit of free time on my hands right now. Usually my blogging absences are the result of not having time to read anything to blog about, but this time around I have been reading, but not motivated enough to write. It's terrible. This book is actually the third one I've read since I last posted. I don't have the other two books with me, so I'll have to wait until I return to school to write about those. Hopefully I'm not so far removed from when I finished reading them that I've forgotten my likes and dislikes...
I bought this book at the airport before a flight this past Thanksgiving break, and picked it because I've enjoyed two other books written by this author. Here's a previous post I wrote for one of those novels:
http://artemisiaeupraxia.blogspot.com/2012/12/23-ape-house.html.
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I bought this book at the airport before a flight this past Thanksgiving break, and picked it because I've enjoyed two other books written by this author. Here's a previous post I wrote for one of those novels:
http://artemisiaeupraxia.blogspot.com/2012/12/23-ape-house.html.
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Things I liked about this book:
- The writing. I really enjoy Sara Gruen's writing style. The two other books I've read written by Gruen are Water for Elephants and Ape House, and I not only enjoyed the storyline in both of those books, but the writing style as well. Gruen continued with the same style in this novel, which was exactly what I was hoping for.
- Maddie's character development. Gruen does an excellent job describing Maddie's character, and how she changes as a result of this expedition to the Scottish Highlands. I really enjoyed reading and following this progression.
- Love as a theme. Although I felt that the focus of the story was Maddie's growth and maturation, I also thought that love, especially her discovering the meaning of true love, was a predominant theme. It was everpresent as she matured into who she was at the end of the novel.
- Elements of magic in the novel. There is no overt magic in the book, but there is an aura of magic to the story. I'm not sure if this is something I can describe well in writing... There was just this undertone of magic I felt while reading the story, and I thought that served to only enhance my reading experience.
- What happens to Maddie's husband and her husband's best friend at the end of the novel. I won't give any spoilers. All I'll say is that I was very satisfied.
- Maddie's friendship with Meg and Anna. I really love that they become great friends by the end of the novel.
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Things I was less than enthusiastic about in this book:
Things I was less than enthusiastic about in this book:
- The storyline. Sadly, I didn't find the story itself all that interesting.
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As you can see, I don't have a "dislikes" section for this novel. Yes, I was disappointed with the storyline, but overall this book was a quick, enjoyable read. Sara Gruen is definitely on my list of favorite authors, and I hope to read her first two novels when I get the chance. Now that I have read three of her novels, I will say that Water for Elephants is my favorite, followed by Ape House, and then At the Water's Edge.
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Recommend? Yes, but I would recommend reading Water for Elephants or Ape House first if you haven't already.
As you can see, I don't have a "dislikes" section for this novel. Yes, I was disappointed with the storyline, but overall this book was a quick, enjoyable read. Sara Gruen is definitely on my list of favorite authors, and I hope to read her first two novels when I get the chance. Now that I have read three of her novels, I will say that Water for Elephants is my favorite, followed by Ape House, and then At the Water's Edge.
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Recommend? Yes, but I would recommend reading Water for Elephants or Ape House first if you haven't already.
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