Saturday, February 28, 2015

AT Water's Edge, by Sara Gruen 4 stars



I thoroughly enjoyed Like Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen, so when given the opportunity to read an advance copy of her new novel, I jumped at the chance. 
Once again, Ms. Gruen takes her readers inside a place and time in history and brightens it up with magical or at least mystical intervention.  The story is set in WWII Scotland, in a little town near Loch Ness.  The protagonist, Maddie, is a young woman traveling with her new husband and his best friend on their mission to find the Loch Ness monster and redeem their society position with family and friends after having been rejected to serve their country in the war.  Of course, nothing is as these pampered and protected travelers expect and they find themselves in a barebones inn where rations, blackouts, bombings put their expectations in perspective.  Only Maddie sees the injustice and foolishness of their lifestyle, and the story follows her discoveries of the special history of the place, the people and her own courage. 
            This book felt like a blend of Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander, a bit of Julian Fellows Downton Abbey and traditional romance.  The characters are well developed; (you will learn to really hate the husband!) and, as in Like Water for Elephants, lends a sympathetic setting for the abused and helpless, but strong, smart female characters.    My only complaint was that it wrapped up a little to quickly and tidily for such a complicated plot.  It was a quick and easy read though, and I enjoyed learning about wartime Scotland. 

I received this ebook  review copy from NetGalley.  The book is available for pre-order now, for release on March 31,2015.