I randomly selected this from the library shelves. I am reading as many trapped-in-a-cabin stories as possible, so it seemed relevant to my interests.I randomly selected this from the library shelves. I am reading as many trapped-in-a-cabin stories as possible, so it seemed relevant to my interests. Snow Falls is about a rich heiress who lives in a secluded cabin in the Rockies. She rescues a beautiful woman from an avalanche and they both wind up staying in the cabin for a couple months until they can get back to civilization. Also, they are both lesbians! The one in the avalanche just didn't know she was . . . at first....more
3.5. Strange detail I'd forgotten: Peter Pan still has all his first teeth.3.5. Strange detail I'd forgotten: Peter Pan still has all his first teeth....more
I read this book when it came out more than ten years ago, and I decided to revisit it. The Wife is my favorite Wolitzer book. (I wasn't that crazy abI read this book when it came out more than ten years ago, and I decided to revisit it. The Wife is my favorite Wolitzer book. (I wasn't that crazy about The Interestings.) I'd recommend the book to anyone (like me) who is obsessed with reading all those articles about sexism in the whole writing/publishing biz....more
(3.5) I'm not sure how to rate this Canadian mystery/suspense story about a young woman and her boyfriend falsely accused of murdering her sister. On (3.5) I'm not sure how to rate this Canadian mystery/suspense story about a young woman and her boyfriend falsely accused of murdering her sister. On one hand, I was riveted--riveted!--to the story. Unlike a lot of other reviewers, I found Toni to be a realistic, sympathetic character, and I didn't find her relationship to Ryan too angsty at all. Admittedly, I am a sap when it comes to teen romance. It was true love, I tell you!
Anyway, a couple days after finishing, I'm left with two sticking points. One, 90% of the tension in the novel comes from a Toni vs. The World (except RYAN!) conflict that beggars belief. Everyone is out to get her; no one is on her side. Not even her own mother!
Two, if you poke the very premise of the plot, it will fall apart. I assumed it would become clear why everyone in this entire little town was so sure that Toni and Ryan were the killers--some sort of incriminating evidence or damning testimony or something. It is explained, more or less, but it's simply not believable....more
A teenage girl mysteriously disappears. As the mother tries to make sense of it, she realizes she didn't know her daughter (or her other two children)A teenage girl mysteriously disappears. As the mother tries to make sense of it, she realizes she didn't know her daughter (or her other two children) nearly as well as she thought. Perhaps the mom was a bit scatter-brained, but geez! The way these kids act, you'd think she'd starved and flogged them. And was I really supposed to believe that (view spoiler)[the daughter fell in love with the "traveler" who was seeking revenge on her family, got pregnant, and willingly ran away with a band of nomads, cutting herself off from her real family forever (hide spoiler)]? Why?!
Also I didn't appreciate the way the story jumped around in time from one day before, sixteen days before, five days after, one hour after, one year later, one year before, etc....more
I've been tearing through psychological thrillers lately, for research purposes. (And also for entertainment purposes.) As Night Falls is exciting andI've been tearing through psychological thrillers lately, for research purposes. (And also for entertainment purposes.) As Night Falls is exciting and fast-paced, about two escaped prisoners who hold a family hostage in their own home--a secluded mansion in the Adirondacks--during a terrible snow storm. Now, when something like this happens in fiction, and I imagine real life as well, the victims are always forced to make some tough decisions. What's the best strategy? Do you play along and follow your captors' every order, hoping they'll get what they want and leave? Or do you try to trick them, fight them off, or somehow run off and find help?
Sandy, her husband, and her daughter never seem to make the right decisions. At three or four different points, the criminals are about to leave, when one of the victims (usually Ivy, the daughter) goes and does something stupid. Ivy is acting out because her mom kept a secret from her. Her anger over this secret made no sense to me. Is now--when prisoners are holding you hostage and threatening to kill you all--really the time to work out your anger over this secret, Ivy? And isn't the reason your mother didn't tell you that (view spoiler)[she had a brother who went to prison, and that guy is now holding you hostage (hide spoiler)] pretty obvious?
A little more about this big secret. Some reviewers said they figured out this mystery right away. So did I, but I don't think it was supposed to be a mystery at all, and here's why: (view spoiler)[At the beginning of the story, Nick tells Harlan that their victims will know him. Also, in the first flashback with the mom, we know she's pregnant. So I think the reader was supposed to figure out Nick and Sandy's relationship immediately. But why didn't she recognize him? And why did she keep his existence secret? That was the mystery. (hide spoiler)]
In conclusion, this book was exciting, but the characters did not make believable decisions.
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