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Secrets Of The Sea House (2013)

by Elisabeth Gifford(Favorite Author)

3.57 of 5 Votes: 4

ISBN

1782391118 (ISBN13: 9781782391111)

languge

English

genre

Historical Fiction

publisher

Corvus

review 1: Although very literally well-written, in that Gifford crafts beautiful sentences and descriptions of the captivating Hebridean landscape, I found this story too disjointed to really enjoy that much. I was far more drawn to the Alexander/Moira story than the Ruth/Michael part of the novel; the characters in the 1990s portion seemed too flat and predictable and the connection between the two stories wasn't strong enough for me.
review 2: This book fell into my lap unexpectedly. Other than having an author that I very vaguely recognized the name of and a pretty cover- I really had no idea what this book was about. I started the book without even reading a blurb about it.This book was a very unusual read for me- it was literary fiction, historical, dramatic, and ... morehad ghosts in it (sort of). This was not at all my typical read. I found myself somehow engrossed in the story and a little angry at myself that I was. It had so many things in it that I generally hate in books- dead babies, ghosts, drama, bad things (that I can't refer to or it would spoil the plot), and well.. adult fiction! It was around the 80% mark that I came to terms with the fact that I did enjoy this book- I DID enjoy where it was going, and that (shock!) I was happy that I had read it.Now I know you are probably thinking- you hated this book and you want me to read it? Well I will say this- it is not a fluffy read. You cannot go into it expecting something light hearted and frouffy. It is not a romance novel and it is not something to read if you are very cheerful. What it is is a painful and honest story about one woman's journey from loss and a deep pit of pain and bitterness into redemption and wholeness.I enjoyed the flashing between past a present. I will be honest- I didn't read it closely enough to see precisely how the two were tied (beyond the obvious) but I enjoyed it nevertheless. I was a little confused that this had ties to Christianity. It has very little "religion" in it- though one of the main characters is a reverend in the past- there is very little focus on that part.I could see this book being enjoyed by many people- Christian, non- Christian- pretty much anyone. I can't say this is a book I will revisit again (I like happy books, what can I say?) but I don't regret reading it. It was enjoyable and the author is very talented. If you like selkies, Scotland, history, or a good depressing read- check it out! less

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