Marina Maxwell
  • Home
  • MMMusings
  • Blogs
  • About Me
  • My Books
  • Book Reviews
  • FAMILY TALES

Reviews

Categories

All


I read and review both historical fiction and non-fiction, but also enjoy biographies, crime and some contemporary fiction.
​ 

Please note that unless stated that I have received these books directly from the publisher or author in exchange for an honest review, I either purchase my own copies or source them from my local library service. 

​Links to Amazon, Book Depository or Dymocks Australia are only for the reader's reference.
(Due to some poor experiences recently with Booktopia, from 2023 I will no longer link to them.)

My reviews for Historical Novels Review, the magazine of the Historical Novel Society, can be found online here
​

The Lost Girls

26/1/2016

0 Comments

 
Picture
This debut novel by author Heather Young is an intimate exploration of the relationships between three generations of women all linked to a family tragedy that took place one summer long ago in a dilapidated house near a lake in the woods of Minnesota.
 
While the popular trend for alternating narrative styles can often lead to a disruptive or fractured reading experience, in this case the first-person retelling by Lucy of her life in the house with her parents and sisters Lilith and Emily blends beautifully with the third-person contemporary story of Lucy’s niece Justine and her two young daughters Melanie and Angela. The bridge between the generations is Lilith’s free-spirited daughter Maurie who is the mother of Justine.
 
There are many shades and layers here that make for absorbing reading. The contrasting summer and winter descriptions of the old house and its lakeside setting are visceral and immediate. There is an acute sense of the innocent idealism of youth being snatched away and descending into darker territory as each character teeters on the edge of adulthood. As the parallel stories progress the reader realizes that no-one is quite who they seem and that many hopes and dreams will be blocked by others. What happened to Emily who disappeared in the woods? What triggered Maurie’s need to escape from her stultifying existence? What is the truth of the lives of the two bachelor Miller brothers? And will Justine find resolutions for her troubled daughter Melanie and also her relationship with man who loves her deeply yet is also controlling?
 
This excellent and well-crafted novel is highly recommended for anyone who enjoys multi-generational stories with psychological twists and turns as well as a core mystery to be solved. My only quibble is that more originality has not been invested in the title as this outstanding book may struggle to distinguish itself from many others currently still in print that carry this or a very similar title.

(Thanks to the publishers and www.edelweiss.abovethetreeline.com for making this novel available for download and review.)

Amazon.com

Amazon UK

Booktopia

0 Comments

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply.

    Categories

    All

    Archives

    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    October 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    October 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    December 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015

    See
    Historical Novel Society
    ​
    for my reviews of historical fiction
Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.
  • Home
  • MMMusings
  • Blogs
  • About Me
  • My Books
  • Book Reviews
  • FAMILY TALES