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The Widow's Daughter: A Novel
A spellbinding story of love, war, and betrayal.
Peter Sokol, an artist living in San Diego, is haunted by his past. In 1943, Captain Sokol is a surgeon in the U.S. Marines stationed in Auckland, New Zealand, where he and his longtime nemesis have fallen in love with the same beautiful and enigmatic woman, Emily Walters. Dismissive of Emily's suspiciously British mother a...more
Peter Sokol, an artist living in San Diego, is haunted by his past. In 1943, Captain Sokol is a surgeon in the U.S. Marines stationed in Auckland, New Zealand, where he and his longtime nemesis have fallen in love with the same beautiful and enigmatic woman, Emily Walters. Dismissive of Emily's suspiciously British mother a...more
Paperback, 376 pages
Published
March 27th 2012
by Penguin Books
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One thing I love about the ALA conference is that I can pick up advanced reading copies from new authors. I picked this book up last week and starting reading in the airport. I haven't read much about the role of the American forces in New Zealand in World War 11, so this was intriguing. The author, Nicholas Edlin, has good potential and this was a worthy first effort. Edlin tells the story of Peter Sokol, a surgeon turned painter, who served in Aukland and fell in love with a mysterious ingenue...more
Nicholas Edlin allowed me to appreciate his skill in writing particularly in the first chapters. The book is well laid out and thought out. He paints pictures with his words, not only of the physical world but of the world inside of the characters internal beings. Once you start, you can't put it down, there is mystery all the way through and I loved the character development of each character involved, particularly the main character, Peter. Your heart breaks with him and rejoices in his victor...more
At the beginning, this story was very interesting and captivated me. The characters are all strong, yet have a weak side of them at the same time. The description of all the characters were so deep, their personalities and looks were engraved into my head. Even though it as 1AM, I still didn't want to put the book down! I was in the middle and I didn't even want to stop to get rest xD
I LOVE how they switched from the present to the past, although at the beginning, that made it a bit confusing......more
I LOVE how they switched from the present to the past, although at the beginning, that made it a bit confusing......more
Goodreads Gift. - This was an unusual and fascinating story, set primarily in WWII New Zealand. Edlin captured the heart strings in the very first chapter, and I felt the story! As I read, I experienced what the narrator (main character) experienced! I will be re-reading this book before long. Great read.
view all 5 comments
I've finished it, but it was tough going at times. I liked the way that the author teased out the story, but definitely felt like the action was weighted towards the back of the novel, which meant I had to slog through for a while until I got to the good stuff.
Elegant, yet gritty, novel of the US forces in New Zealand. Two doctors, both rivals, are in love with the same woman. Her family hides secrets and deceptions, eventually destroying almost everyone around them.
Beautifully researched, well-drawn characters.
Beautifully researched, well-drawn characters.
I really liked this alot (at first). I thought the ideas and emotions expressed were very well done. I did have a little problem with the ending. It felt a little overdone. I plan on rereading it again later (the ending) to see if I change my mind.
I won a copy of The Widow's Daughter from a FirstReads giveaway here on goodreads.
The novel jumps back in forth in time and location from World War II New Zealand to southern California in the days of the Vietnam war. The main character, Peter Sokol, is a mild-mannered doctor/painter without much luck in the realm of love. The main plotline of the book tells the tale of his relationship between himself and a young woman he meets in New Zealand.
This was one of those books that I was drawn right...more
The novel jumps back in forth in time and location from World War II New Zealand to southern California in the days of the Vietnam war. The main character, Peter Sokol, is a mild-mannered doctor/painter without much luck in the realm of love. The main plotline of the book tells the tale of his relationship between himself and a young woman he meets in New Zealand.
This was one of those books that I was drawn right...more
Such an interesting story! Never heard anything about the war as it happened in New Zealand. Suspenseful and moving. Really liked it.
A beautiful intriguing story but the narrative overwhelms it. I skimmed the chapters, searching for the plot.
Interesting. Hard to get into at first and the technique of giving clues to the narrative without context gets annoying. But a good story nonetheless.
Jul 29, 2011
Emma
added it
A brick of a book, but finally finished. Twas a good brick.
said to be like Abraham Verghese's books
Won a copy on Twitter from @PenguinPbks
Just recieved an Advance Readers Copy in the mail today....looking forward to starting it!!!! :)
Beautifully written, thought provoking, mysterious ...
After 150 pages, I gave up on this. It jumped around in time too much. The American jargon was off sometimes (I assume because the author isn't American). I really don't care to hear of soldiers "whoring." I'm curious as to the end but would rather have someone tell me than have to read the rest of the book.
Another slow ambling read. I really didn't care in the end.
Mar 08, 2012
Lady Danielle aka The Book Huntress
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
Readers with an interest in WW2
Shelves:
early-to-mid-twentieth-century,
ww2,
australia-pacific-island-setting,
medical-profession,
love-triangle,
historical-fiction,
adc-reviews,
arc,
owned-copy,
historical-mystery,
beta-hero,
artistic-hero-or-heroine,
love-doesn-t-conquer-all,
soldier-or-military,
favorites,
yearly-reading-challenge,
2012-sky-s-the-limit-club,
male-pov,
1st-person-pov,
literary-fiction,
dangerous-hero-2012-general-reading
Excellent prose, vivid imagery, evocative storytelling that both excited me intellectually and stirred me emotionally.
Overall rating: 4.5/5.0 stars.
Reviewed for Affaire de Coeur magazine. http://affairedecoeur.com.
Overall rating: 4.5/5.0 stars.
Reviewed for Affaire de Coeur magazine. http://affairedecoeur.com.
Too much going on...I never really felt connected with the main character. The book should have stuck to the past tense (the 40's in New Zealand). I think the other tense was unnecessary.
I really liked the author's way of writing and keeping me in suspense as to what everyone's real problem was.
At the same time the author kept giving clues as to what their problems were.
At the same time the author kept giving clues as to what their problems were.
A beautiful intriguing story but the narrative overwhelms it. I skimmed the chapters, searching for the plot.
May 13, 2013
Jenn M
marked it as to-read
May 11, 2013
Tina Denson
marked it as to-read
May 09, 2013
Lori
marked it as to-read
May 08, 2013
Maryjo
marked it as to-read
Apr 07, 2013
Beverley Rochford
marked it as to-read
Apr 05, 2013
Barclay Smith
added it
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