Book Review: At the Water's Edge by Sara Gruen

Disclosure / Disclaimer: I received this ebook, free of charge,from Spiegel & Grau, via netgalley, for review purposes on this blog. No other compensation, monetary or in kind, has been received or implied for this post. Nor was I told how to post about it

Rounding out our water theme for the day, is a book on everybody's MUST read list this Spring.

From the bestselling author of Water for Elephants comes a gripping and poignant love story set in the Scottish Highlands. 

Synopsis:

After disgracing themselves at a high society New Year’s Eve party in Philadelphia in 1944, Madeline Hyde and her husband, Ellis, are cut off financially by his father, a former army colonel who is already ashamed of his son’s inability to serve in the war. When Ellis and his best friend, Hank, decide that the only way to regain the Colonel’s favor is to succeed where the Colonel very publicly failed—by hunting down the famous Loch Ness monster—Maddie reluctantly follows them across the Atlantic, leaving her sheltered world behind. 

The trio find themselves in a remote village in the Scottish Highlands, where the locals have nothing but contempt for the privileged interlopers. Maddie is left on her own at the isolated inn, where food is rationed, fuel is scarce, and a knock from the postman can bring tragic news. Yet she finds herself falling in love with the stark beauty and subtle magic of the Scottish countryside. Gradually she comes to know the villagers, and the friendships she forms with two young women open her up to a larger world than she knew existed. Maddie begins to see that nothing is as it first appears: the values she holds dear prove unsustainable, and monsters lurk where they are least expected.

As she embraces a fuller sense of who she might be, Maddie becomes aware not only of the dark forces around her, but of life’s beauty and surprising possibilities.

Review:

This is a riveting book, like the Water for Elephants, it is one you just can NOT put down! Sara takes on a tale of coming of age, as well as breaking down of societal blinders and of a woman realizing she does not have to be dependent on a man, but she is strong enough to make her own destiny. As the tale of the Loch Ness monster and the dark family secrets interpose with Maddie's independence, the reader is taken on a breath taking tale of courage and faith, and ultimately romance. Good luck not finishing this one in one sitting, I stayed up into the long hours of the morning to finish it! Do NOT miss this amazing novel!

About the Author:

Sara Gruen is the #1 New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of Water for Elephants, Ape House, Riding Lessons, and Flying Changes. Her works have been translated into forty-three languages and have sold more than ten million copies worldwide. She lives in western North Carolina with her husband and three sons, along with their dogs, cats, horses, birds, and the world’s fussiest goat.