Wednesday, March 25, 2015

At the Water's Edge by Sara Gruen


Publisher: Random House of Canada
Format: Hardcover
Source: Requested ARC
Publication Date: March 31, 2015
Rating: ★★★

I requested an advanced copy of this book from Random House Canada for review purposes. I did not read (or watch) Water for Elephants or any of Sara Gruen's previous work, so I cannot comment or compare this book to its predecessors. What I can say, is that this book is fabulous! Lovers of historical romantic fiction will adore this book.

At the Water's Edge takes place during WWII. Three privileged Americans, decide to leave the comforts of home for dreary Scotland in search of the famous Loch Ness monster. The monster hunt is an attempt by Ellis Hyde to regain the favour of his father after embarrassing the family name at a social event on New Year's Eve, 1942. Ellis, brings along his wife Maddie and their best friend Hank. Once in Scotland, the trio register at a local inn run by Mr. Ross and his two employees, Anna and Meg. Each morning, Ellis and Hank set off to find the monster leaving Maddie to fend for herself at the inn. As the story progresses, you can't help but immerse yourself in the lives of the characters feeling every ounce of their pain, love and anger. From Ellis' desire to regain his parents' favour (and money) to Maddie's coming of age and growing awareness of her husband's true self.

The book did start off a bit slow for me, but once it got going it was hard to put down. Through her writing, Gruen shows a great appreciation and adoration for the setting of this book. I was completely entranced by the beauty and mystery of the Scottish Highlands. I also enjoyed Maddie's constant growth throughout the story. I found myself cheering her on as she slowly found the courage to stand up for herself and those around her.

I enjoyed this book so much that I was genuinely sad when it was done. I'll definitely be adding a another Sara Gruen title to my TBR pile.

4 comments:

  1. I read Water for Elephants and really enjoyed it. I'm hoping to get to this one soon. I'm glad that you enjoyed it.

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  2. Yes! +1 for Water for Elephants. Sounds like something you'd enjoy. I also read Ape House which isn't a bad read either if you're looking for options.

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  3. Great review! I may pick this one up! I haven't read the author's previous work either.

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