Burnt Mountain
When Thayer Wentworth and her Irish professor husband are invited to Camp Greyledge, she has reason to be pleased in a nostalgic way. It was in that summer resort on Georgia's Burnt Mountain that, decades ago, she met the first love. The area has other, less fortunate associations as well: It was on a nearby road that her father met his death in a car accident. Now it is n
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Published
(first published 2010)
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Aug 05, 2012
Laura
rated it
2 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
people with low expectations; people who have made bad decisions
This book is so bad, it's funny. Therefore, it gets 2 stars instead of one.
I couldn't even place what period of time in which this book was occurring since the author can't seem to get her history straight. Okay, so Thayer goes to summer camp and meets her first love, but her Southern Genteel Mother is concerned about the social fallout of a Jewish boyfriend within the family, even if he is from the wealthiest family in town. Her grandmother has African-Americans servants that the characters ref...more
I couldn't even place what period of time in which this book was occurring since the author can't seem to get her history straight. Okay, so Thayer goes to summer camp and meets her first love, but her Southern Genteel Mother is concerned about the social fallout of a Jewish boyfriend within the family, even if he is from the wealthiest family in town. Her grandmother has African-Americans servants that the characters ref...more
This is one of the worse books I have ever read, the only reason I got through it was I listened to the audio version. I can listen to most anything in the car as it's better than the radio stations around here.
Then I kept listening to it b/c I couldn't believe how bad it was, it was like a soap opera script, a bad one.
The characters were 2 dimensional, the main character was immature and a cry baby. At first I thought I couldn't relate to this book b/c everyone was so wealthy but no, it's just...more
Then I kept listening to it b/c I couldn't believe how bad it was, it was like a soap opera script, a bad one.
The characters were 2 dimensional, the main character was immature and a cry baby. At first I thought I couldn't relate to this book b/c everyone was so wealthy but no, it's just...more
Whoa. That's what I had to say about the ending. It came waaaaaaay out of left field. I'm really not sure what this book was about. It started off with Thayer in the present day before switching to some chapters about Thayer's mother that seemed to add nothing to the story. Then it switched to Thayer growing up and some horrible things that happened to Thayer before switching to the present where it was a little better, but then it ended. And the ending was just weird! I don't even know how to d...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
Fortunately, I am able to save some grace here by stating that I have read other books by Anne Rivers Siddons that I've enjoyed, "Nora, Nora" being one of those. And then there are the ones over the past several years that have just been rather boring and filled with insipid women that make me crazy. "Burnt Mountain" darn near got tossed out the window.
I see from other reviews that I wasn't the only one having difficulty with the timeline - it made no sense. We seem to have jumped from the 1960...more
I see from other reviews that I wasn't the only one having difficulty with the timeline - it made no sense. We seem to have jumped from the 1960...more
This is one of the dumbest books i've ever read.
Based on this one book, which is not fair and I'm sure would be inaccurate, but anyway based on this one book I perceive the author to be a terrible person! (Yes - EXCLAMATION POINT!)
This was one of those books you churn through quickly, sort-of skim-reading as you search for any substance. You think, well there are some starts here and there that could turn interesting. Nope. They just turn dumb and offensive/gross. *SPOILER ALERT* The ARTIST tur...more
Based on this one book, which is not fair and I'm sure would be inaccurate, but anyway based on this one book I perceive the author to be a terrible person! (Yes - EXCLAMATION POINT!)
This was one of those books you churn through quickly, sort-of skim-reading as you search for any substance. You think, well there are some starts here and there that could turn interesting. Nope. They just turn dumb and offensive/gross. *SPOILER ALERT* The ARTIST tur...more
The no stars rating is not an oversight. I've read most of ARS's books and enjoyed them. This one was terrible on a lot of different levels. I have to wonder if she was under pressure from her publisher and just churned this out to meet a deadline. The characterizations were terrible, the plotting was even worse. I found Thayer, the main character to be completely unsympathetic since she seemed to respond to every crisis with buckets of tears and screaming rages. If you're looking for a strong f...more
I have liked most Anne Rivers Siddons books. I feel a little stupid, since there were sooo many bad reviews for this book and I liked it. (rather like when I was the only person in the western hemisphere who thought that Forrest Gump was the stupidest book I had ever read-and was a stupid movie as well) Back to Burnt Mountain - I remember that several people said that there were too many loose ends and the ending didn't tie things together. I don't agree - while I thought the end was a little di...more
Mar 30, 2012
Stacy
rated it
1 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
families-friends-generations,
supernatural
Decidedly odd. And completely unedited for accuracy. The timeline inconsistency was troubling but as a bit of a Potter geek, I was most irritated by the fact they had seen all of the movies but managed to pick the one they wanted at the theater...and that they actually believed the floating brains scene made into a movie. I mean, it's one thing to confuse Olympics and cell phones but as an author you should at least respect other books.
I was okay with the beginning. I liked Caroline and dislike...more
I was okay with the beginning. I liked Caroline and dislike...more
SPOILERS AHEAD
Sweet Mickey Mouse on a cracker. I don't even know where to start. This book is a mind-hump of crazy. Foreal.
Between Anne's:
incorrect use of the word "literally"
+ her endless descriptions of furniture and lawns (if I wanted that kind of shite, I'd be reading Better Homes and Gardens -- there is actually a full paragraph plus dialogue dedicated to a pot of fake flowers in a fireplace)
+ her inability to tell freaking TIME (head's up, old girl -- the Olympics were in 1995, so the...more
Sweet Mickey Mouse on a cracker. I don't even know where to start. This book is a mind-hump of crazy. Foreal.
Between Anne's:
incorrect use of the word "literally"
+ her endless descriptions of furniture and lawns (if I wanted that kind of shite, I'd be reading Better Homes and Gardens -- there is actually a full paragraph plus dialogue dedicated to a pot of fake flowers in a fireplace)
+ her inability to tell freaking TIME (head's up, old girl -- the Olympics were in 1995, so the...more
I think I have read almost everything Anne Rivers Siddons has written and liked all of it She always has some supernatural twist that seems superficial. In this book, it was ludicrous. The theme was the same as An Atlas of Impossible Longing-living a life where the prime concern is what other people will think of you. It was set in Georgia approximately the time that I would have been the same age as the main character. I could certainly relate, having grown up where it was a mortal sin to wear...more
This is the latest book by this author.
It is truly difficult now that I live so far away from the South to read some authors. Pat Conroy and Anne Rivers Siddons are two that come readily to mind. Anne’s South is often Georgia of the Fifties through the Seventies. I moved to Atlanta in the Early eighties and much of my heart is still there. This book is set right before the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta – but looks back to Atlanta at the earlier times. Reading this book I could place or remember so ma...more
It is truly difficult now that I live so far away from the South to read some authors. Pat Conroy and Anne Rivers Siddons are two that come readily to mind. Anne’s South is often Georgia of the Fifties through the Seventies. I moved to Atlanta in the Early eighties and much of my heart is still there. This book is set right before the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta – but looks back to Atlanta at the earlier times. Reading this book I could place or remember so ma...more
This book did not receive good marks by the Goodreads reviewers and I must agree that this was not one of Siddons' better works. Siddons is a gifted writer and out of the 17 best-sellers listed in the front matter of this book, I've read six of them. Poetic style like "I twirled around three times on my bare feet and toppled over into the cool, damp grass, head back, face tipped up to the sun, eyes closed under its gentle fist," causes me to return to her musical pages again and again. Even thou...more
This is a book that can't make up its mind. Is it one of Siddons' typical (but well-written) Southern-family potboilers? Is it supposed to be a dark, Gothic fantasy, with little hints that Things Aren't Quite Right? Is it a romance, where the heroine mistakenly marries the wrong man, but her brilliant, ultra-manly true love shows up just in time?
The book reads as an awkward pastiche of many of Siddons' earlier works--people die by driving their cars off a steep mountain cliff. There's an overly...more
The book reads as an awkward pastiche of many of Siddons' earlier works--people die by driving their cars off a steep mountain cliff. There's an overly...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
Oct 02, 2011
Michelle Robinson
added it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
pretty-bad,
contemporary-far-fetched-fiction
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
While I was reading this book I was also deep into my third rewatch of the brilliant show "Deadwood," so the overly elaborate, flowery language didn't bother me at first. About halfway through I belatedly realized that while the fancy language on "Deadwood" is f***ing poetry, the fancy language in this book is just silly. I think it was when her grandma gives our heroine romantic advice: "He'll depend on you to tell him who he is. Otherwise he'll be gone in a puff of sea mist and moonbeams and y...more
Ahh, where to begin? Or rather which story to begin with? This book has some very lovely writing and aptly glimpses into the controlling Southern mother vs daughter relationship at times. Unfortunately, there is not enough of the lovely writing to make up for the peculiar mish-mash of storyline in this book.
I'm not sure if the editor actually read the whole book or if they just didn't have the heart to make Ms. Siddons pick a story and stick with it. When reading the book, it feels as if the...more
I'm not sure if the editor actually read the whole book or if they just didn't have the heart to make Ms. Siddons pick a story and stick with it. When reading the book, it feels as if the...more
This is not my usual genre but Burnt Mountain had gotten such great reviews that I wanted to try. I was hesitant when I read the description because I was really sure how this book was going to go and I was pleasantly surprised.
Thayer Wentworth's life was constantly altered by Burnt Mountain. It was there that her father and grandfather died. It was there that she discovered a new happiness and escape from her overbearing mother. It was there she found her first love and her first heartbreak. It...more
Thayer Wentworth's life was constantly altered by Burnt Mountain. It was there that her father and grandfather died. It was there that she discovered a new happiness and escape from her overbearing mother. It was there she found her first love and her first heartbreak. It...more
I’m not generally a fan of Anne Rivers Siddons’ work simply because the subject matter of her novels doesn’t really entice me, but I’ve always thought she was a very gifted writer. Burnt Mountain, however, promised to be a very different book than say, Peachtree Road. I knew, though, as soon as I read Burnt Mountain’s Prologue that I was going to have certain problems with the book. I chose to read on, hoping I was wrong.
The Prologue revolves around Thayer Wentworth and her husband, Dr. Aengus O...more
The Prologue revolves around Thayer Wentworth and her husband, Dr. Aengus O...more
I haven't read an Anne Rivers Siddons book since "Outer Banks," but upon realizing she wrote a new book, I picked this one up from my local library. I found the beginning to be quite slow, but by the middle I was definitely attached to Thayer's camp experience and her relationships with her grandmother (Grand) and her mother. I was drawn to Thayer, her wild personality, her red hair and exquisite eyes, and her uniqueness in the midst of "The Wentworths:- her mother and sister Lily.
My confusion...more
My confusion...more
Aug 06, 2011
Patricia
rated it
2 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
school-days-school-days-dear-old
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
Sep 29, 2011
Doreen
rated it
2 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
no one that I like
Recommended to Doreen by:
everyone was raving about it
Shelves:
recommendations-from-library-patron
I'm so disappointed. I've never read this author's work, but know that others have enjoyed her stories. Unfortunately, this book did not make me a fan.
The first 250 pages or so are fine. I was enjoying the story, relating to the jealous, distant mother and the tomboy who was her daughter. Young summer love and the unfortunate chain of events that followed, had my complete attention. The maturing college student falling in love with an eccentric Irishman, was a fine progression in the story. THE...more
The first 250 pages or so are fine. I was enjoying the story, relating to the jealous, distant mother and the tomboy who was her daughter. Young summer love and the unfortunate chain of events that followed, had my complete attention. The maturing college student falling in love with an eccentric Irishman, was a fine progression in the story. THE...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
In Siddons' books, I am used to finding stories of family ties gone awry, love, and friendships (with plenty of Southern backstabbing.) My two favorites are "Outer Banks" and "Peachtree Road." "Burnt Mountain" was a book I eagerly awaited.
Sadly, this title does not reach the level of her earlier books. There is the dysfunctional relationship between Thayer and her beautiful mother. The mother, Crystal, wants desperately to belong to Atlanta society, much like Lila in Conroy's "Prince of Tides."...more
Sadly, this title does not reach the level of her earlier books. There is the dysfunctional relationship between Thayer and her beautiful mother. The mother, Crystal, wants desperately to belong to Atlanta society, much like Lila in Conroy's "Prince of Tides."...more
I have never read this author before but I've been intrigued by her. Her earlier work has been categorized as horror/supernatural but it seemed to me that her more recent work was more realistic. I thought that was interesting. But this book was not a good introduction to her work for me. And I hope it's not representative of it, either. I can't even really articulate what this book is about. I mean, it's about this woman, Thayer, and how she grew up and a lost love and her marriage now. But it'...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
Aug 30, 2011
Terryann
rated it
1 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
lj-books-reviewed,
grownups-fiction
Siddons, Anne Rivers. Burnt Mountain. 8CDs. 9 Hours. AudioGo. 2011. ISBN: 978-1-6078-8553-5 $69.99. F
Thayer Wentworth's life starts fairy-tale like; beloved father and grandmother, rich family, idyllic-southern childhood, until her father dies in a terrible accident on Burnt Mountain. She discovers her first love at camp and loses him due to her mother's betrayal. She later finds solace in her Irish Professor at college, marrying him in spite of her mother. Thayer eventually abandons her husband...more
Thayer Wentworth's life starts fairy-tale like; beloved father and grandmother, rich family, idyllic-southern childhood, until her father dies in a terrible accident on Burnt Mountain. She discovers her first love at camp and loses him due to her mother's betrayal. She later finds solace in her Irish Professor at college, marrying him in spite of her mother. Thayer eventually abandons her husband...more
Thayer, unlike her genteel Southern mother and older sister is a tomboy through and through, especially when she's in her old hut on the riverbank. She connects more with her beloved father, busy headmaster at a boys' school and her grandmother, the lovely matriarch of the family. Several tragedies occur as she grows from childhood into a beautiful young woman herself and Thayer is betrayed by her mother, especially after an event that changes her life forever. After entering college she falls i...more
I have read all of Anne Rivers Siddons books, beginning with Outer Banks. Her best is Colony. I fear this might be her worst. As it started, there was the Ms. Rivers I know and love - her use of language is mesmerizing, her command of being southern is captivating. I was drawn in as always. I couldn't wait for time to read more.
As I went along, however, I began to notice a great many things that her editor should have caught early on. It was as if we are in a time warp. First, it feels we are in...more
As I went along, however, I began to notice a great many things that her editor should have caught early on. It was as if we are in a time warp. First, it feels we are in...more
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sisterhood of the...: Burnt Mountain | 17 | 7 | Apr 26, 2013 04:52am | |
| delay | 1 | 24 | Jul 26, 2010 09:06am |

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