Rate this book

Das Mädchen In Den Wellen: Roman (2013)

by Heather Barbieri(Favorite Author)

3.14 of 5 Votes: 3

languge

English

genre

Romance

publisher

Goldmann Verlag

review 1: This book had more depth than I expected, which was a pleasant surprise. The plot as a whole seemed unfinished, but maybe that was the author's intent - not to write a simple beach story with a clear ending but instead give a long glimpse into the emotional journey that the characters were on. The setting was inviting and fed my daydreaming about a simpler life in Maine. I plan to try another of Barbieri's novels.
review 2: Heather Barbieri's writing is lovely and evocative, especially as she describes the sea and the island setting off of Massachusetts. However, her storytelling does not equal her lyricism. Many of the characters held promise, and Barbieri does a good job of distinguishing each. Nora, the main character, has accepted an invitation to visit ... moreher aunt Maire on a small island off of Boston to escape the scandal of her politician husband's exposed affair and shield their two daughters from the repercussions. Wallowing in self-pity and anger at her unfaithful husband, and feeling 'at sea' about the course of their future, Nora succumbs to feelings of abandonment, as her husband's betrayal brings back haunting memories of her mother's disappearance from the island. The mystery of her mother Maeve's disappearance when Nora was five lingers in the background. The islanders still remember her charismatic mother, but not all that kindly. Perhaps Maeve's sister Maire, whom Nora hasn't seen since she was a child, can shed some light on the past. Nora has her own maternal struggles as her children deal with their parents' separation. The seven-year-old daughter Annie is a delight, but the twelve-year-old Ella is unbearable, siding with her father and blaming her mother. And Nora allows her bad behavior because she understands how Ella adores and misses her father. I just wanted Nora to get a grip and send Ella off to her father and let him handle her and his mistress. I got rather tired of Nora's indecisiveness. That's OK to set the stage but the character needs to progress towards a resolution. However, what little plot there was just dragged. I would have liked a little more of the story of Nora's aunt Maire, who had lived her whole life on the island. Perhaps she could have breathed some life into the Irish myths that are part of the island's tradition, but only briefly alluded to. Nora's new love interest was hardly developed, and then there was the whole selkie story. The magical realism in some books seems so natural that the reader easily buys into it. Here it seems strained, and the 'realities' don't meld. If someone didn't know the selkie myth, they would never have 'gotten' this novel at all. The author hardly explains it. And practical former lawyer Nora apparently is willing to consider a changeling story about her mother? Huh? Though this is a novel of two worlds colliding - one of the every day reality of the wife of a philandering Boston politician who retreats with her daughters to the island of her birth; the other 'peopled' by characters from mystical Irish folklore - they are as disparate as it sounds. Barbieri can't seem to bridge that gap. The ending offers little resolution or explanation. And one mysterious selkie would have been enough, but here we have three. This book is a good effort, but fails in execution. Sadly, I could never really feel the magic. less

Download links for: Das Mädchen in den Wellen: Roman

Advertising