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68th out of 705 books
—
703 voters
The Mill River Recluse
by
Darcie Chan (Goodreads Author)
Disfigured by the blow of an abusive husband, and suffering her entire life with severe social anxiety disorder, the widow Mary McAllister spends almost sixty years secluded in a white marble mansion overlooking the town of Mill River, Vermont.
Her links to the outside world are few: the mail, the media, an elderly priest with a guilty habit of pilfering spoons, and a bedro...more
Her links to the outside world are few: the mail, the media, an elderly priest with a guilty habit of pilfering spoons, and a bedro...more
Kindle Edition, 314 pages
Published
May 18th 2011
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Having finished this novel, I feel as sugar sick as I did once after pigging out on my mother's home made fudge
This is the sort of tale I would have loved when I was 7. I was a very precocious 7, however, having already read Pearl Buck and Havelock Ellis. However, at 76 I need more than plot or facts from a book. I need good writing.
The heavy-handed prose plodding through the banal plotting had me groaning. So why did I finish it? Boredom. Disbelief. That others gave it 5 stars.
If Touchstone doe...more
This is the sort of tale I would have loved when I was 7. I was a very precocious 7, however, having already read Pearl Buck and Havelock Ellis. However, at 76 I need more than plot or facts from a book. I need good writing.
The heavy-handed prose plodding through the banal plotting had me groaning. So why did I finish it? Boredom. Disbelief. That others gave it 5 stars.
If Touchstone doe...more
What a great lesson that this book instills....Don't judge! Throughout this book many people were not how they were perceived. I love the parallels the author made between many of the characters: Mary-Claudia and Patrick-Leroy. How different Mary's life would have been if she had met someone like Kyle. Favorite quote from the book...
"You cannot force someone to like you or love you, but you can make it difficult for others to dislike you by earning their respect and trust. And to do that, you mu...more
"You cannot force someone to like you or love you, but you can make it difficult for others to dislike you by earning their respect and trust. And to do that, you mu...more
5 likes · like · see review
A disappointing book better suited for a cheesy lifetime movie.
With a feel-good factor of 10, believe-abilty factor of 0 and poor dialogue this story is best suited for a lifetime made-for-tv movie starting some washed-up sitcom actress from the 80s. There is potential in the story of Mary--she was raped by her high school teacher, she married a wealthy aristocrat, she was physically abused by her cheating husband, she was widowed at a young age yet she maintained a peaceful existence in a mans...more
With a feel-good factor of 10, believe-abilty factor of 0 and poor dialogue this story is best suited for a lifetime made-for-tv movie starting some washed-up sitcom actress from the 80s. There is potential in the story of Mary--she was raped by her high school teacher, she married a wealthy aristocrat, she was physically abused by her cheating husband, she was widowed at a young age yet she maintained a peaceful existence in a mans...more
14 likes · like · see review
I downloaded a sample of this book after hearing about it on Len Edgerley's "The Kindle Chronicles" podcast. It's an excellent podcast and Len has an MFA so I just assumed he would only recommend good books. I am quite disappointed. The sample drew me in enough that I figured it was worth the .99 to download the book, but after reading it I have to say...I don't understand over 400 5-star reviews for this work.
The characters are entirely 1-dimensional, either all-good or all-bad. Really no in-be...more
The characters are entirely 1-dimensional, either all-good or all-bad. Really no in-be...more
7 likes · like · see review
Warning-spoilers ahead.
Darcie Chan is the poster child for struggling indie writers. Her debut novel, The Mill River Recluse, has logged a staggering half million downloads and maintains a four plus star rating on Amazon with close to nine hundred reviews. So it was with eagerness that I began The Mill River Recluse.
The first part of the novel reads well. The writing doesn’t take many chances but that’s fine—a good story well told is a great thing. The characters are introduced in a revolving m...more
Darcie Chan is the poster child for struggling indie writers. Her debut novel, The Mill River Recluse, has logged a staggering half million downloads and maintains a four plus star rating on Amazon with close to nine hundred reviews. So it was with eagerness that I began The Mill River Recluse.
The first part of the novel reads well. The writing doesn’t take many chances but that’s fine—a good story well told is a great thing. The characters are introduced in a revolving m...more
9 likes · like · see review
Well that's the best 99 cents I ever spent (kindle ebook). I've spent much more on books I've liked less. This has a little bit of everything, and is very original. Strong 4.5 rating from this reader. I just do not understand the other low ratings I've seen here.
The town of Mill River seems like a character itself in this captivating tale of a widowed recluse who lives high on a hill in a marble castle-like home overlooking the town. This character-driven novel holds the readers attention well,...more
The town of Mill River seems like a character itself in this captivating tale of a widowed recluse who lives high on a hill in a marble castle-like home overlooking the town. This character-driven novel holds the readers attention well,...more
Sep 27, 2011
Lyn M (readinghearts)
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
almost anyone
Recommended to Lyn M (readinghearts) by:
Sisterhood of the Traveling Book.
When I read the synopsis of this book I was expecting the normal, run of the mill contemporary fiction book. In fact, what Ms. Chan has given us in her first outing as an author is more than that. She has a wonderfully descriptive writing style that is easy to read. Her descriptions of living with Social Anxiety Disorder, everyday life in a small Vermont town, and the landscape of Vermont are spot on.
The characters in the book are wonderfully developed. Most of them are flawed in some way. As M...more
The characters in the book are wonderfully developed. Most of them are flawed in some way. As M...more
5 likes · like · see review
So far, I can't "put it down".
(I'm reading it on Kindle for MacBook) ;)
(I'm reading it on Kindle for MacBook) ;)
6 likes · like · see review
It’s a lovely, well-told story. It certainly kept me turning the pages. The story is believable, has believable characters and deserves to be read.
However, I do have some reservations about it. Mary, the recluse, has social anxiety. The reason for this is mentioned three times in the book (which I thought a bit excessive) and relates to one terrible incident that occurred when she was sixteen. She mentions that she was always shy, but I still think this is too easy. One incident, however bad, do...more
However, I do have some reservations about it. Mary, the recluse, has social anxiety. The reason for this is mentioned three times in the book (which I thought a bit excessive) and relates to one terrible incident that occurred when she was sixteen. She mentions that she was always shy, but I still think this is too easy. One incident, however bad, do...more
Review
"Chan's sweet novel displays her talent." ~ _Kirkus Reviews_
"...a real page-turner." ~ _IndieReader.com_
_Now a New York Times and USA Today bestseller!_
Product DescriptionDisfigured by the blow of an abusive husband, and suffering her entire life with severe social anxiety disorder, the widow Mary McAllister spends almost sixty years secluded in a white marble mansion overlooking the town of Mill River, Vermont. Her links to the outside world are few: the mail, the media, an elderly
...more
In The Mill River Recluse, Darcy Chan weaves a charming story around the
residents of Mill River, Vermont. The recluse of the title, Mary McAllister, develops
agoraphobia after a series of traumatic events that Ms. Chan treats very realistically and believably. Soon Mary is locked away in her marble mansion on the hill, were she observes the residents below as they go about their lives.
Father O’Brien, a young priest when he accepts the responsibility of watching over Mary, is her chief suppor...more
residents of Mill River, Vermont. The recluse of the title, Mary McAllister, develops
agoraphobia after a series of traumatic events that Ms. Chan treats very realistically and believably. Soon Mary is locked away in her marble mansion on the hill, were she observes the residents below as they go about their lives.
Father O’Brien, a young priest when he accepts the responsibility of watching over Mary, is her chief suppor...more
A self-published novel that’s made it to both the New York Times and USA Today Bestseller lists, The Mill River Recluse is highly regarded both via Amazon reviews and word of mouth. It is a self-published marvel that has sold hundreds of thousands of copies digitally, without a single hard copy published as of yet. It’s a bit of an amazing story, and as someone who has an unpublished novel sitting on the hard drive of my computer, a bit inspirational! But of course, we’re not here to talk about...more
I liked the look of this book (beautiful cover design!), and for the price I thought it was well worth a try.
I didn't have particularly high hopes, but as I read on I gradually found myself being drawn into the story and the town of Mill River. Perhaps the way I would describe it is that there is nothing 'exceptional' about this book, but it's none the worse for that. It's an easy, comforting read with characters who are recognisable as inhabitants of just about any town. Each secondary characte...more
I didn't have particularly high hopes, but as I read on I gradually found myself being drawn into the story and the town of Mill River. Perhaps the way I would describe it is that there is nothing 'exceptional' about this book, but it's none the worse for that. It's an easy, comforting read with characters who are recognisable as inhabitants of just about any town. Each secondary characte...more
One hit wonder – like Bobby McFerrin - Don't Worry Be Happy
So enthrallingly cheesy – like an episode of Little House on the Prairie. I read a lot of reviews, and some were rather harsh, most were gushing. One was even a little hostile, going as far as checking Darcy Chan’s work records. Green is an ugly color when worn with red.
Yes, the story is so predictable and boring. Yes, the characters are cliché, the town is cliché and Daisy is very annoying. Darcy Chan created cardboard cut-out charact...more
So enthrallingly cheesy – like an episode of Little House on the Prairie. I read a lot of reviews, and some were rather harsh, most were gushing. One was even a little hostile, going as far as checking Darcy Chan’s work records. Green is an ugly color when worn with red.
Yes, the story is so predictable and boring. Yes, the characters are cliché, the town is cliché and Daisy is very annoying. Darcy Chan created cardboard cut-out charact...more
A very shy young woman, the daughter of a small-time horse breeder, marries a rich ambitious young man - and the results are a disaster. The marriage ends as he beats her, disfiguring her for life, and then dies in a fiery accident.....the widow lives as a recluse for almost 60 years in a huge mansion overlooking a very small town. Rumors fly as to whether she's a witch, or worse, and her only friends were the husband's grandfather and the town priest - who is charged with being her guardian ang...more
I have to admit, I picked up this book 1) because it was free 2) because I'd heard about its popularity, 3) despite being a self-published book, the writing was solid enough it didn't make my eye twitch in the first 10 pages, and 4) I was thoroughly intrigued by the premise.
Issues
Yes, I have some serious issues with this book. Big ones. Serious ones.
- It was way too freaking long. Wow. All I can say is description could have been cut in half and it *still* would have been too long. I started ski...more
Issues
Yes, I have some serious issues with this book. Big ones. Serious ones.
- It was way too freaking long. Wow. All I can say is description could have been cut in half and it *still* would have been too long. I started ski...more
The Mill River Recluse was a poorly written book. It was about a woman named Mary who was raped by her teacher in high school. This rape caused Mary to have social anxiety, she was deathly afraid of people. Then Patrick comes along and tries to cure her. When they first meet he talks about her like she is some kind of object. I hated the way the author had him thinking about Mary. It was like something out of erotica or of the like. But anyway Patrick ends up cheating on her and abusing her. He...more
3 likes · like · see review
I usually don't like "Book Club" books, but I loved this one! I thought the characters were so interesting!
The author did a great job of simultaneously telling the modern day story (which starts with Mary's death) and the developing story (which is the story of Mary's brief marriage and anxiety disorder). I love how the author shows how loving and compassionate Mary is, even though her human interactions have been extremely limited throughout the years.
The priest with the quirky habit of stealin...more
The author did a great job of simultaneously telling the modern day story (which starts with Mary's death) and the developing story (which is the story of Mary's brief marriage and anxiety disorder). I love how the author shows how loving and compassionate Mary is, even though her human interactions have been extremely limited throughout the years.
The priest with the quirky habit of stealin...more
The only reason that I didn't give this book one star is because it didn't make me angry. I reserve the one star treatment for books that actually manage to evoke an emotional response (hate, disbelief, homicidal rage, etc.).
I can't bring myself to hate this book because it bored me to tears. There was absolutely nothing original about the plot or characters. It wasn't believable nor were the characters relatable and frankly, the book served no purpose other than possibly to make the author cong...more
I can't bring myself to hate this book because it bored me to tears. There was absolutely nothing original about the plot or characters. It wasn't believable nor were the characters relatable and frankly, the book served no purpose other than possibly to make the author cong...more
7 likes · like · see review
The Mill River Recluse lives in a marble mansion atop a hill over looking the small Vermont town. The people of the town know little about her and few have even seen her. She is the widow Mary McAllister who suffers from an anxiety disorder and from the mistreatment of an abusive husband. We learn about her life, mostly from the memories of the elderly local Priest who is her connection to the outside world, and has been for 60 years. A priest with an obsession with spoons . . .
Though the tow...more
Though the tow...more
I think the author had a wonderfully soft, kind story to tell but she had to work way to hard to try and convince me that I should love her character, Mary, the town recluse. I never felt connected to Mary. Too much time was spent telling me that Mary was crying. Eventually I lost patience with her. As a reader I would have been better served if I'd been allowed to get into the character's thoughts. Mary was one dimentional and spent way too much time crying. Who knew there were so many varried...more
12 likes · like · see review
I've been a Kindle reader since the very beginning of the Kindle and ebook revolution. I try to read forty books a year, but that can be very expensive. EBooks are cheaper. But now the publishers are forcing up the price of ebooks (I saw one recently where the ebook was more expensive than the paperback! But that's a different subject.) The counter to more expensive ebooks is causing an even bigger revolution, and I don't think the publishers realize it yet. The book in question is a self publis...more
6 likes · like · see review
In a word ... wonderful!
Though I love literary fiction, I tend of avoid it because it connects to the melancholia inside me. But some books are just too irresistible to ignore. I made the mistake of downloading a sample of this book when I noticed the way it was shooting up the Kindle bestseller chart. Almost from the first word I knew that I had to buy the book. I lay in bed this morning and read it in one sitting...sublime!
In a strange way The Mill River Recluse reminds me of one of my favour...more
Though I love literary fiction, I tend of avoid it because it connects to the melancholia inside me. But some books are just too irresistible to ignore. I made the mistake of downloading a sample of this book when I noticed the way it was shooting up the Kindle bestseller chart. Almost from the first word I knew that I had to buy the book. I lay in bed this morning and read it in one sitting...sublime!
In a strange way The Mill River Recluse reminds me of one of my favour...more
I first saw this book advertised for sale for $.99 on "Pixel of Ink" which is a Kindle Blog that publishes all the near free book offers. The description looked intriguing and there were about 30 4-5 star ratings for the book on Amazon, so I downloaded the sample and found the first chapter to be extremely well written so I got it. The Mill River Recluse is Darcie Chan's first book. It is not yet in "print" and can only be read electronically (not sure if Amazon has the exclusive or not).
The no...more
The no...more
4 likes · like · see review
"You must take a hard look at yourself, your actions, and how you treat others. Continue to do the best you can. That, especially, is all anyone can do."
Sounds cheesy and makes you want to vomit like Richard Paul Evans' books do but it's true. That's the thing with books like this, they are sickeningly moral but they are good reminders to us to be a better person. Sometimes reading it in a story like this will make this stick in your head so that we act the right way when the time comes.
"I under...more
Sounds cheesy and makes you want to vomit like Richard Paul Evans' books do but it's true. That's the thing with books like this, they are sickeningly moral but they are good reminders to us to be a better person. Sometimes reading it in a story like this will make this stick in your head so that we act the right way when the time comes.
"I under...more
Disfigured by the blow of an abusive husband, and suffering her entire life with severe social anxiety disorder, the widow Mary McAllister spends almost sixty years secluded in a white marble mansion overlooking the town of Mill River, Vermont. Her links to the outside world are few: the mail, the media, an elderly priest with a guilty habit of pilfering spoons, and a bedroom window with a view of the town below.
Most longtime residents of Mill River consider the marble house and its occupant pec...more
Most longtime residents of Mill River consider the marble house and its occupant pec...more
This book was fascinating for the first two thirds of the story. I enjoyed being immersed in Mary's world despite her struggle to battle social anxiety disorder. I could hardly put the book down because I wanted to know more of her and her story. The last part of the book was predictable and at first I was a bit cynical about people having a "happy ending". But you know what...why not? Why not give people a happy ending who live in a small town and have struggles in their daily lives? Is it like...more
So far, this book is pretty predictable and boring. I'm only six chapters in, but nothing about it has really just pulled me in and made me unable to put it down. In fact, the only think keeping me reading is that I paid for this book and I'm hoping that at some point, this story will become worth the money spent. Which, by the way, wasn't very much money at all.
*UPDATE* I finished this book today, and all I have to say for it was that the end was heartwarming, but it wasn't worth having to trud...more
*UPDATE* I finished this book today, and all I have to say for it was that the end was heartwarming, but it wasn't worth having to trud...more
Wow. What an incredibly well-written novel. I can't believe this is only selling for $.99. The story is captivating. The pace is fantastic. The characters are intriguing, likable and realistically flawed. The story is about a woman who suffers from social anxiety disorder and refuses to leave her house. Her fear of people prevents her from having any real relationships in her life save a life-long friendship with a good-hearted but quirky priest and a spunky, potion-making, free-spirited woman w...more
2 likes · like · see review
As this book started out I wasn't impressed. I could see the coming romance, the skeevy cop bad guy was introduced and it all seemed so predictable. Also, one character's weight issues bordered on disordered behavior and that really bothered me. But then Mary was introduced and everything changed. As a person who suffers from slight a social phobia I found that I completely related with her and the trials in her life. Also refreshing was that while this book deals with adult issues, there is no...more
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A Great New Historical Crime Novel!!! | 10 | 112 | Jan 10, 2013 11:54am | |
| Chaos Reading: Anyone reading The Mill River Recluse? | 5 | 34 | Jun 19, 2012 05:47am |
Darcie Chan was born in Wisconsin and grew up in the small towns of Brandon, Wisconsin, La Junta and Cheraw, Colorado, and Paoli, Indiana. She has two younger sisters.
Thanks to loving and supportive parents who are both educators, she learned to read and write at an early age. As a child, she fell in love with books and became quite obsessed with Walter Farley's Black Stallion series of books, amo...more
More about Darcie Chan...
Thanks to loving and supportive parents who are both educators, she learned to read and write at an early age. As a child, she fell in love with books and became quite obsessed with Walter Farley's Black Stallion series of books, amo...more
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