Entertaining, Girls, But Not A Ten Best-er!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                   Sara Gruen's latest work is characteristic of what I said on an earlier post--solidly written, a compelling story, but lacking the something extra that made "Water For Elephants," and my favorite, "Ape House," so absorbing.

                                     I am not sure what Gruen was going for here.  The prose style comes off like Henry James meets Edith Wharton meets Emily Bronte, and the plot elements fit this concept.  The prologue, which is rendered beautifully, makes no sense at all till one is at least half way through the book.

                                        The grabber for me was the idea of trying to catch, or, at least, realistically photograph the Loch Ness monster, proving its existence. But the creature is as ambiguous of the legend; the climax hints the monster might have stepped in to interfere, but I think it had more to do with the woman in the Prologue.

                                          The characters are almost stock figures--the servants and master seem out of "How Green Was My Valley," while the two men, whose homosexuality Gruen doesn't have the guts to confirm, but was as clear to me as anything, and I think was to Maddie, the heroine, but she was too diplomatic to say so, are such despicable individuals, I wanted to see them shipped back to the States and held accountable for their actions.  No such luck.

                                             Don't let me stop you from reading this highly enjoyable novel.  It is as entertaining as all get out, but don't expect to see this on lists, except magazines having the likes of Jennifer Aniston and such on the cover!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                               Sara, honey, what were you trying to do, here????????????????????