Arcadia Falls

May 22, 2013 Amanda rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: meh

**This was an advanced reader's copy I received through LibraryThing**

In the beginning, I really wanted to love this book. I really, really did. Toward the middle of the book, I was just hoping to like it. By the end, I was ready to bid it a not-so-fond farewell and move onto something else. The novel sounds as though it's tailor made for me: there's the strained mother/daughter relationship, the pastoral setting at a private school for the arts, dark and eerie fairytales, a judicious dollop of...more **This was an advanced reader's copy I received through LibraryThing**

In the beginning, I really wanted to love this book. I really, really did. Toward the middle of the book, I was just hoping to like it. By the end, I was ready to bid it a not-so-fond farewell and move onto something else. The novel sounds as though it's tailor made for me: there's the strained mother/daughter relationship, the pastoral setting at a private school for the arts, dark and eerie fairytales, a judicious dollop of death, and a mystery from the past that is being explored in the present. It's an ambitious mix and, in the end, the novel is weakened by its interwoven plot lines as it desperately tries to tie everything up into a neat little bundle.

Meg Rosenthal is trying to build a new life in the wake of her husband's unexpected death. Even more unexpected is that he mismanaged their finances and, despite the lavish lifestyle to which they were accustomed, he left them with virtually nothing. In the middle of her PhD in literature, Meg sells everything they own and moves her bitter and distant daughter, Sally, to Arcadia Falls, the site of a private school for the arts where she has been offered a teaching position. The job is ideal for Meg as she is studying the feminist fairytales written and illustrated by the school's founders, Vera Beecher and Lily Eberhardt. Sixty or so years ago, Lily died under peculiar circumstances while going to meet her lover, Virgil Nash, and her body wasn't recovered for several months. While it appeared as though she fell off a cliff during a blizzard, rumors and gossip have circulated in the art community and in the small town of Arcadia Falls for years as to whether Lily's death was just an accident. When a young student, Isabel Cheney, falls to her death (in the exact same way Lily did so many years earlier) during the pagan celebration that traditionally opens the new school year at Arcadia, the questions about Lily's death resurface and Meg finds the key to unraveling the truth about what really happened at Arcadia.

The book is beautifully written, although Goodman does have a tendency to throw in too much minutiae that slows down the pace of the story. Other problems that I had with the novel include:

A) Weak, one dimensional characters. The school dean, Ivy St. Clare, walks around the school with apparently little to do other than harass Meg (which begs the question of why she would hire her to begin with). She's so obviously the villain that I'm surprised she didn't walk around rubbing her hands together and cackling with all her maniacal might. Sally is the stereotypical sullen teenager who hates her mother, hates her new school, hates the new town, hates their new house, and, well, just hates everything. Then there's the town sheriff, Callum Reade, our knight in shining armor who shows up occasionally so Meg can get irritated at him without knowing why and he can get irritated with her without knowing why and then they can have sex later without knowing why. I didn't give a rat's ass about any of them.

B) Meg is also an unlikable character. She seems passive, just allowing things to happen to her. At the school, she shrinks away from or avoids any situation in which she might have to act like an adult authority figure. She spends her days reading Lily's journal and never seems to have any actual teaching responsibilities. She occasionally comes up with a lesson plan while crossing the school campus, but that's about it.

C) Meg finds Lily's hidden diary and, while reading it, begins to piece together the events that led to Lily's tragic death. However, she takes for-eh-ver to read it (I would have had that puppy read in one night) and I found the story in the diary to be far superior to the one in present day. Lily and Vera were lovers, but Lily also fell under the spell of Virgil Nash, the painter for whom she became a muse. This love triangle and these characters are far more intriguing, but sadly take backseat to Meg and Sally.

D) The book seems to want to be in the gothic or magical realism genre, but just can't quite bring itself to commit. This just pissed me off because it was billed as both.

E) So many things are just half-assed: Isabel's death is forgotten as soon as it happens, the folk legend of the white woman of the falls is a bizarre little footnote, a promising character named Toby Potter is made unforgettable and then readily forgotten, etc.

F) Women in this book have a nasty habit of running to the cliff when in danger. It's akin to the slasher film phenomenon of the beautiful girl running upstairs instead of out the front door. Everyone knows disaster happens at the cliff, but they take off like lemmings for it when things go wrong.

G) I had the end figured out halfway through the book. I won't spoil it for you, but I saw that one coming from about twenty miles away and it requires some serious suspension of disbelief. At one point the main character says, "I have to admit it all sounds a little far-fetched." And to that I say, spot on, Meg, spot on.

Cross posted at This Insignificant Cinder (less)

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Dec 17, 2011 Christina (Reading Thru The Night) rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2010, mystery, fairy-tale-ish

For the most part I want to say: Wow. Oh wow! This novel is so-o-O amazing and so-o-O beautiful I was immediately drawn in. Plus, it's multilayered, so it's like getting two books in one. Always a good deal, right. But that's for the most part. I'll get to the least part in a few...

meg just recently lost her husband and moves to a remote boarding school (Arcadia Falls) in upstate New York with her typical moody, morose, and artistic teenaged daughter, Sally. Meg is pretty excited about the job a...more For the most part I want to say: Wow. Oh wow! This novel is so-o-O amazing and so-o-O beautiful I was immediately drawn in. Plus, it's multilayered, so it's like getting two books in one. Always a good deal, right. But that's for the most part. I'll get to the least part in a few...

meg just recently lost her husband and moves to a remote boarding school (Arcadia Falls) in upstate New York with her typical moody, morose, and artistic teenaged daughter, Sally. Meg is pretty excited about the job as instructor because (a) she's never really had a job since Sally was born and has no idea how else to support the two of them and (b) Meg is working on her dissertation on fairy tales in 19th century woman's literature and one of the women that she is studying happens to be a co-founder to Arcadia Falls.

Now that's the forefront of the story: Meg and Sally in Arcadia Falls and the mystery surrounding a death (or two) during the pagan traditions honored by the school. The underlying story of the co-founders of Arcadia Falls (lovers Lily and Vera) are more than just a backdrop as the past catapults itself into the center of the mysterious deaths.

I really loved the story of Lily and Vera as much as I did Meg and Sally's. Lily and Vera not only manage Arcadia Falls but they write and illustrate a fairy tale, "The Changeling", which is shared throughout the novel. "The Changeling", from my understanding is a common literary convention used in fairy tales where a character is replaced by a mirrored alternative. I had little information about fairy tales, and this book definitely made me start googling left and right for more bits and information. Plus, I felt like I was being taught by Meg when she would lecture some of the students, and hell, her activities were pretty cool. I wished I was at Arcadia Falls.

So here's the thing. There were bits and pieces of this book where I would read a chapter and then zone out. Man, it was that beautiful. My mind did not want to read further but I didn't want to leave the mood that it thrust me into. I can only compare it to those moments when you're sitting in a warm bubble bath and you know hat this must be heaven. That relaxed feeling? Where your eyes are halfway open and halfway closed and your mind is just THERE? In that moment? It was kinda like that.

Plus, pulling literature into literature is a convention that I absolutely adore and Goodman does that plenty. I mean, what?! The setting is a boarding school. Of course there is homework and references!

And now you're probably wondering that I did open implying there were aspects of the novel that I just did not dig as much as I dug the rest...it's true. Don't you get terribly frustrated when an author is being brilliant and then the brilliance seems to be an insecurity so they try to one-up themselves only to reach fail status? Well, that's kinda sorta what happened here. There were twists and turns and I felt exhilarated and rushed and gasped for air. Fingers were gripped against the book because I didn't figure it out. And then, when the ride should have slowed down, it kept going. At full speed. No longer was I screaming and ooooohing and ahhhhhhing, but I was a twelve year old kid who had just eaten hot dogs and cotton candy and soda. I wanted off of the ride about thirty pages earlier.

Still a good read? Sho e'nuff! In fact, better then good. But not great. Plus, I'm totally gonna check out some more Goodman.

And I'm really stoked that I've found this whole new genre of books that I'm getting into. I want more literary fiction where they bring in folklore and fairy tales. What you got for me?(less)

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Dec 18, 2009 Tara Chevrestt rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: first-reads, mystery, arc, 2010-release

For those that enjoy both historical fiction and mystery, this is a good choice. Tho most of it takes place in a contemporary town called Arcadia Falls, the modern day murder mystery parallels a murder that occured in the 1930s.

The modern day heroine is Meg. She is newly widowed and struggling both financially and emotionally and arrives at Arcadia's private art school with her sullen teenage daughter in tow where she proceeds to teach and unravel two murder mysteries. The modern day murder of...more

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Mar 29, 2011 Carissa rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: fiction

This book was choppy and uneven. Occasionally you would get drawn into certain scenes or characters, but other times the poor metaphors and overdone references to modern technology or pop culture made it feel heavy-handed. The climax scenes were ridiculously written, like a bad lifetime movie, but other plot-advancing scenes of exploration and observation could be fairly intriguing. I wish the depth and moodiness of some of these moments persisted, and that characters could become more real and...more

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May 20, 2013 Amy rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: not-sure-i-am-a-believer, will-look-for-more-like-this, i-liked-it, fairy-tales

Aghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh. I have a love/hate relationship with Carol Goodman. Her books totally intrigue me and I can't put them down and I look for another. It is only after I am finished reading that I get frustrated and can find the flaws.

This books reads a lot like the Lake of Dead Languages. In fact, in the beginning, I had to keep on telling myself one has a small child and the other a teen. One has a lake (with lots and lots and lots of ice and snow and frost and ice that everybody fin...more

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Mar 20, 2013 Smcleish rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Originally published on my blog here in February 2012.

There is almost a subgenre of fiction set in remote New England boarding schools and colleges. Like thirties house parties in English stately homes, a staple setting for vintage crime fiction (as well as P.G. Wodehouse, of course), they provide a sealed community of privileged individuals which acts to intensify relationships, promote jealousy and passion, and makes more or less normal people behave in strange and bizarre fashions - as happen...more Originally published on my blog here in February 2012.

There is almost a subgenre of fiction set in remote New England boarding schools and colleges. Like thirties house parties in English stately homes, a staple setting for vintage crime fiction (as well as P.G. Wodehouse, of course), they provide a sealed community of privileged individuals which acts to intensify relationships, promote jealousy and passion, and makes more or less normal people behave in strange and bizarre fashions - as happens, for instance, in Donna Tartt's The Secret History, referenced in a review quoted on the cover of this edition of Arcadia Falls.

The specific location for this story is school focusing on art, formerly an artistic colony. It is told from the point of view of a recently widowed (and, as a result, newly poor) single mother Megan Rosenthal, who gratefully takes up a post teaching English literature at Arcadia Falls, which is accompanied by the offer of a place at the school to her daughter Sally, only to find that within a few weeks of her arrival and the start of the school year a student goes missing before her body is found at the foot of cliffs in the (extensive) school grounds. At the same time, Megan becomes fascinated by the relationship between the two women who effectively founded and then ran the school for decades with a somewhat peculiar vision (which includes participation in pagan rituals to mark the seasons by the pupils).

A "finding oneself" theme is very important in Arcadia Falls, exemplified by a children's story, The Changeling Girl, written by one of the school's founders which is told, retold, reflected and commented on throughout the novel in ironic fashion, as characters both act it out and talk about it - adopted children discovering or seeking the identities of their parents, for example, as well as Megan trying to build a new life for herself and Sally after the death of her husband. Another theme is the way that the decisions made in one generation affect the next, with several mothers giving up careers to raise children, or giving up a baby for adoption, with repercussions for both the parents and the children. Sometimes the treatment is a little mawkish, but generally these themes serve to unify the disparate elements of the story and even provide something of a moral, if the reader feels that such a thing is necessary.

Though the setting with its Gothic touches and the themes of Arcadia Falls are hardly original, it is a well written and entertaining novel on the boundary between literary fiction, crime fiction, and fantasy, the last being more suggested than the other two genres. It is the depiction of character and the touches of atmosphere which make the story worth reading. It reminded me of the novels of Mary Stewart, particularly the later ones. (view spoiler)(less)

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Aug 31, 2012 Lizzie Hayes rated it 5 of 5 stars

‘Arcadia Falls’ by Carol Goodman
Published by Piatkus, February 2011. ISBN: 978-0-7499-4242-7

Following her husband’s death Meg Rosenthal leaves the wealthy East Coast with her daughter Sally and joins the staff of a smart private school, Arcadia College to teach and pursue her academic fascination with folklore and nineteenth century literature.

Arcadia College, set in a valley against the side of a mountain and on three side’s thickly wooded countryside, was the home of Vera Beecher who establish...more ‘Arcadia Falls’ by Carol Goodman
Published by Piatkus, February 2011. ISBN: 978-0-7499-4242-7

Following her husband’s death Meg Rosenthal leaves the wealthy East Coast with her daughter Sally and joins the staff of a smart private school, Arcadia College to teach and pursue her academic fascination with folklore and nineteenth century literature.

Arcadia College, set in a valley against the side of a mountain and on three side’s thickly wooded countryside, was the home of Vera Beecher who established it in 1928 as a colony for artists to develop their talents, particularly female artists, although Virgil Nash was somehow included. Now run by Dean Ivy St Clare Meg quickly discovers Vera and her beliefs are still very much alive. Meg is allocated a cottage in the woods in which Vera and her friend Lily Eberhardt lived for nineteen years until tragedy struck in 1947 when Lily died. The cottage in the woods is frequently shrouded in mist and evoked a fitting environment for the theme running through the book which is the disturbing tale of ‘The Changeling Girl’ and the many interpretations that can be placed on the story.

To continue her own studies Meg obtains from Ivy, Vera’s diaries, and later discovers Lily’s journal, in which she reads, ‘we came to paradise already carrying the seeds of its destruction.

The style of the setting was, to me reminiscent of ‘Miss Pym Disposes’ probably evoked by the vivid characterisation of the female students. Within a day of Meg settling in one of the students is found dead.

This is both a beautiful piece of writing and an intriguing mystery to which one must reach back to the past for a solution. I was totally transported to the period and found myself looking over my shoulder as the suspense built to a frightening level.

Carol Goodman gives the reader a thought provoking tale and an interesting mystery to which she provides a satisfying conclusion, but the tale of The Changeling Girl and its interpretations may remain with you a long time.

I cannot recommend this book to highly, it is a must read.
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Lizzie Hayes
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Jan 07, 2012 Steve Lindahl rated it 5 of 5 stars

Arcadia Falls is a novel about the relationships of women to each other and to art. It starts out following Meg Rosenthal, a recently widowed woman who has been awarded a teaching position at The Arcadia School, a private high school for the arts in rural New York. Meg is driving to the village of Arcadia with her teenage daughter, Sally. The plan is for Sally to attend the school where Meg will be teaching.

Meg is driving an eleven-year-old Jaguar that sums up her situation in life. The car belo...more Arcadia Falls is a novel about the relationships of women to each other and to art. It starts out following Meg Rosenthal, a recently widowed woman who has been awarded a teaching position at The Arcadia School, a private high school for the arts in rural New York. Meg is driving to the village of Arcadia with her teenage daughter, Sally. The plan is for Sally to attend the school where Meg will be teaching.

Meg is driving an eleven-year-old Jaguar that sums up her situation in life. The car belonged to Jude, her deceased husband. The Jaguar brand represents the opulence of their former lifestyle, but the car is now “past due for its service appointment” and has a set of bald tires. Jude had gambled their money trying to start a hedge fund, leaving Meg and Sally with little to get by on. Their car and their lifestyles have suffered.

Meg is teaching a folklore class with a concentration on The Changeling Girl, an illustrated fairy tale written by Lily Eberhardt, who, along with Vera Beecher, Lily's mentor and lover, founded the school. The story of The Changeling Girl parallels the events happening to Meg and Sally. Along with Lily's book there are letters and a journal that are critical to the novel, allowing the story to move back and forth between what happened years earlier, when the school was first founded, and what is happening in the present.

There are only three important men in this book: Jude, Meg's husband, who died before the story started, Virgil Nash, Lily's male lover, who brings an aspect of sexual attraction and deceit to the book, and Callum Reade, the local sheriff, who is a kind and stable force in Meg's life. Those characters are treated well, but the book is about women.

Goodman treats the lesbian relationship between Vera and Lily with respect and also handles the importance of art in a woman's life very well. The theme of mother/daughter relationships runs throughout the book through Meg and Sally as well as a child of Lily's that is given up for adoption.

Arcadia Falls is insightful and fun. I plan to read more by Carol Goodman.(less)

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Jul 09, 2011 melissa1lbr rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: arcs, review-copy

Things I Liked:
The atmosphere of the book was perfect. It was creepy and fairy tale-esque and kept reminding me of how gorgeous and mysterious nature can be. I loved the aspects of the school's history that related to fairy tales and the mysterious veil that was spread across the whole place. The story was pretty intriguing as well, near the end. But what I think carries this book is the setting and the descriptions of the time, the location, etc, that make you feel like you are a part of this f...more

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May 04, 2011 Ann rated it 3 of 5 stars

I was eager to begin this book because I love the elements contained in this type of fiction: literary mystery in the vein of A. S. Byatt, likable main characters, interesting settings, etc. So I went into it with no expectations but to enjoy myself. I judge a book by the first few pages. If those pages suck me into the story right away, I keep reading. If they do not, I may go for a few more pages, but if I'm not drawn in, I stop reading and put it aside. I liked the premise enough to keep read...more I was eager to begin this book because I love the elements contained in this type of fiction: literary mystery in the vein of A. S. Byatt, likable main characters, interesting settings, etc. So I went into it with no expectations but to enjoy myself. I judge a book by the first few pages. If those pages suck me into the story right away, I keep reading. If they do not, I may go for a few more pages, but if I'm not drawn in, I stop reading and put it aside. I liked the premise enough to keep reading in this case and I did finish the book.[return][return]Meg Rosenthal and her daughter Sally travel to a remote town and art academy so that Meg may take a teaching position there. She and Sally are going there to help heal the wounds from Meg's husband sudden death of a heart attack. Meg's area of expertise is in fairy tales and was once a budding artist herself. The reluctant Sally and Meg come to Arcadia Falls with not much hope of healing their own fractured relationship. What they find there are family secrets, academic intrigues, and illicit affairs. Goodman also tosses in a few pagan rites as well. These aren't on the level of malevolence as Tom Tryon's Harvest Home, but you know something is amiss from the beginning.[return][return]I have to admit I enjoyed the book until the last third. There, the plot veered into the untenable and even with my willing suspension of disbelief, I didn't buy the premise any longer. Using the old ploy of leaving the reader feeling all is resolved, we come to a twist and another twist that left me curiously unsatisfied. There simply was no justification for the final twist. One was enough. The characters were fleshed out well, except perhaps for Ivy St. Clare, who as one reviewer noted, was given nothing to do but stand around and glower at everyone. There is light romance and a good mystery within a mystery and a nice fairy tale tucked in. But the end just seemed an unnecessary tangled mess that should have stopped 100 pages sooner.[return][return]Was it a waste of time? Well. No. Would I recommend it? I would, especially for the literary history, the fairy tale and pagan aspects, and a glimpse perhaps inside what goes on in such endowed art schools. But I would not say put all aside and read it by any means. It is a good "brain cleanser," as I call it, between heavier reading subjects.(less)

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Apr 17, 2011 Melanie Goodman added it

Meg Rosenthal needs a fresh start after the death of her husband. She gave up her career as an artist when her daughter Sally was born, but when she is left with virtually nothing except for a barely functional car, she finds a job teaching folklore and English at a small boarding school for young artists in upstate New York. Sally, now a teenager and a promising artist herself, is admitted to the Arcadia School where her mother will work. Meg hopes that this new career will not only allow her t...more Meg Rosenthal needs a fresh start after the death of her husband. She gave up her career as an artist when her daughter Sally was born, but when she is left with virtually nothing except for a barely functional car, she finds a job teaching folklore and English at a small boarding school for young artists in upstate New York. Sally, now a teenager and a promising artist herself, is admitted to the Arcadia School where her mother will work. Meg hopes that this new career will not only allow her to research the school’s founders—Vera Beecher and Lily Eberhardt—for her dissertation, but perhaps she will also find the daughter she once knew instead of the sullen girl who hides away with her iPod and drawings.

The Arcadia School is the perfect setting for a gothic campus novel, having inspired its creators to write and illustrate many of their own fairy tales. This book is replete with many signature fairy tale elements: a cottage in the woods, an orphan, a murderous villain, and even a Prince Charming of sorts. However, the fairy tales of Arcadia Falls are not the stuff of Disney movies; rather, they are more akin to the Grimm Brothers’ darker stories. Perhaps the darkest element of the school’s past is the tragic death of Lily Eberhardt, who fell into a clove while allegedly leaving the school to run off with her lover, her body missing for weeks before anyone realized that she had never made it off the school’s grounds. Shortly after Meg and Sally arrive, a student falls into the same deep valley during one of the school’s many Pagan rituals. It does not take long before Meg and others at the school begin to wonder if this death was truly an accident.

Carol Goodman’s Arcadia Falls is reminiscent of her earlier novel, The Lake of Dead Languages, a similarly dark boarding school story in which there are mysterious recurring deaths. In this rendition, Goodman delivers a rich and fast-paced novel that moves fluidly between the history of the Arcadia School, the changeling tale written by the school’s founders, and Meg and Sally’s contemporary story. Passages from the changeling story and from Lily’s journal add depth and authenticity to the novel. Keeping the facts straight in this complex, multi-generational plot line can be difficult at times, but ultimately Goodman achieves a thought provoking comparison between the lives of female artists in the mid-twentieth century and today.

While there are numerous subplots built into the book, the overarching question Goodman asks is whether a woman can be both a mother and an artist. The Arcadia School’s founders were required to sacrifice family life for the sake of their careers, while Meg initially did just the opposite. Yet, in rebuilding her life, Meg comes to realize that if she wants to teach her daughter the virtues of being a strong, independent woman, she must find a way to juggle her responsibilities. This is a message that will resonate with many modern readers questioning whether the paths toward family and career must be mutually exclusive.

Originally published at Elevate Difference.(less)

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Mar 25, 2011 Jean rated it 3 of 5 stars

Normally I don't enjoy literary works that tells a story within a story but Carol Goodman spins a brilliant tale of how the past and present is intertwined in this atmospheric mystery.
Meg Rosenthal has to find a way to support herself and her daughter Sally after her husband dies suddenly of a heart attack, leaving behind a mountain of debt.She sells off her New York house and accepts a teaching job - the only one she could get with her qualifications - in Arcadia Falls , a place where she hope...more

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Feb 13, 2011 Pamela rated it 3 of 5 stars

Recently widowed Meg takes a teaching position at the Arcadia Falls art colony in hopes of gaining financial stability, restoring her relationship with her teenage daughter, Claire, and completing her research on the authors of a lost changeling girl fairytale. This fairytale and its lessons weave their truths throughout Meg and Claire's Arcadia Falls experience.[return][return]Carol Goodman's voice lures you into a seductive world of fairy tales and pagan rituals, mystery and death. She weaves...more

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Sep 17, 2010 Jlaurenmc rated it 4 of 5 stars

Carol Goodman is known for her gothic, fictional portraits of academia. Her latest release, Arcadia Falls, is no exception. The novel begins as Meg Rosenthal and her daughter Sally travel from their over-sized, suburban home in Great Neck, New York, to the small upstate town of Arcadia. Meg lost her husband Jude last year, and neither she nor Sally has yet dealt with their grief. The two move so that Meg can take a teaching job at a private fine arts boarding school just outside of town called A...more Carol Goodman is known for her gothic, fictional portraits of academia. Her latest release, Arcadia Falls, is no exception. The novel begins as Meg Rosenthal and her daughter Sally travel from their over-sized, suburban home in Great Neck, New York, to the small upstate town of Arcadia. Meg lost her husband Jude last year, and neither she nor Sally has yet dealt with their grief. The two move so that Meg can take a teaching job at a private fine arts boarding school just outside of town called Arcadia Falls. Meg has been working on her doctoral thesis, which examines the literature and artwork of the school's founders, Vera Beecher and Lily Eberhardt. Vera and Lily wrote and illustrated now-out-of-print children's books, particularly fairy tales --the primary focus of Meg's research.

The mother-daughter pair enters the grounds of Arcadia Falls with an already strained relationship; Sally spends most of her time with ear buds inserted and iPod on. Their move from suburban mall-topia to middle-of-nowhere upstate New York does little to mend their bond. Meg hopes she and Sally can find some common ground, and that Sally will renew her interest in drawing. Sally soon takes up with a small circle of friends at the school, but rather than bringing her closer to her mother, it seems to have the opposite affect. She requests a move into a free spot in the dorms with her friends, and Meg feels unable to deny her this opportunity to fit in.

Soon after the Rosenthals move to Arcadia, Meg begins to sense something sinister shrouding the school grounds. Goodman employs descriptive writing to effectively create an atmosphere that is rich with foreboding. As the novel progresses, the reader has an increasingly heightened sense of suspense. While the novel illustrates many traits of an old-fashioned thriller/ mystery, Goodman includes a great deal of art- and literature-related references that push Arcadia Falls to a higher level than most books in the mystery genre. What results is an intelligently written, sufficiently creepy novel with plot twists and turns that keep the reader guessing how things will be resolved.

Another effective method Goodman uses in Arcadia Falls is the novel-within-a-novel technique. She includes within the text a private journal of Lily Eberhardt's in its entirety, as well as one of the fairy tales Lily and Vera Beecher published. Both the journal entries and the story "The Changeling" provide subplots, but also add to the larger story. Meg's research requires her to find any and all resources of information about the two artists, but their story becomes intertwined with the current residents of Arcadia Falls, as well. "The Changeling" not only provides clues about the school and founders' history, but is also presented within the novel as a beloved family fairy tale for Meg as a young girl, and later for Sally.
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Aug 09, 2010 Kate rated it 4 of 5 stars

After the death of her husband, Meg Rosenthal and her daughter Sally are forced to start over in Arcadia Falls, a small town in upstate New York. Meg takes a job as an English teacher at the local boarding school, a location that provides a double benefit: free housing and access to primary source material for her Ph.D. dissertation on the literary and artistic works of the school's founders.

Arcadia Falls turns out to be a story-within-a-story. When Meg discovers a long-lost journal, she begins...more After the death of her husband, Meg Rosenthal and her daughter Sally are forced to start over in Arcadia Falls, a small town in upstate New York. Meg takes a job as an English teacher at the local boarding school, a location that provides a double benefit: free housing and access to primary source material for her Ph.D. dissertation on the literary and artistic works of the school's founders.

Arcadia Falls turns out to be a story-within-a-story. When Meg discovers a long-lost journal, she begins to uncover a series of long-buried secrets and unwinds a mystery almost as old as the school itself. She begins to really understand the meaning behind the story she has been researching, The Changeling Girl, and comes to a more complete understanding of the women she has been studying. I have to say, as a historian, this kind of story was enthralling--to find a journal that reveals secrets and gives new insight to a historical figure long after her death, well, it's just an exciting premise.

The novel is highly suspenseful. As Meg unfurls the mysteries of the past, she is also forced to face how these past events could be connected to the death of a student during the First Night celebration. I was enthralled by every sentence, and shocked by each twist and turn in the story. I must admit, though, that there were almost too many twists in the story--by the end it was starting to become almost unbelievable because of all of the twists. Despite this, I found the majority of the book riveting and enjoyable.

A big part of the storyline has to do with the relationship between mothers and daughters. Meg and Sally have a difficult relationship--I think typical of the relationship that many teenagers and their mothers have, but made more difficult by the death of Sally's father. A common theme throughout the book is whether a woman can be a mother and still pursue her own ambitions. Over and over it seems that the women in the book can do only one or the other, but not both. As Meg comments to herself, "It seems to me right now its the curse of all mothers and daughters. We sacrifice to give them what we didn't have, but all we've done is to show them that's all a woman can do: sacrifice herself or sacrifice her child" (pg. 231, ARC version). Ultimately, however, I think Meg comes to realize that she can do both, though it requires a lot of work and compromise. I enjoyed watching Meg and Sally's relationship begin to heal as they worked through the pain left behind by Sally's father's death.

This was a riveting and wonderful read. It had so many good things going on for me--the mystery and suspense, a riveting story-within-the-story, the unveiling of hidden secrets, unanticipated twists, and a bit of a gothic flavor were all ingredients for an unputdownable book. Highly recommended.(less)

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Jul 23, 2010 Susan rated it 4 of 5 stars

I loved Goodman's first four books, especially Lake of Dead Languages. But her fifth and sixth efforts, The Sonnet Lover and The Night Villa, were too formulaic, and the writer seemed to be drifting on autopilot, rehashing the same old characters and dusting off the same tired plot devices. However, with Arcadia Falls, I think Goodman is getting back on the right track.

Although the main character, Meg, is another middle-aged academic,the writer has taken more care to fill out her dimensions as...more

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May 31, 2010 Kathleen Hagen added it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2010-audio-books, 2010-mysteries

Arcadia Falls, by Carol Goodman, b-plus, narrated by Jen Taylor, produced by BBC Audio Books-America, downloaded from audible.com.

Meg Rosenthal is in debt after her husband’s unexpected death. He had not left them money, even though he had been a successful businessman. So Meg moves herself and her teenage daughter, Sally, to Arcadia Falls, a town with a women’s art college, and a town with a history of being interested in witchcraft and pagan rituals. Meg was writing her thesis on the founders...more

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Apr 23, 2010 Carolyn Hill rated it 3 of 5 stars

I thought this book would be right up my alley: an old cottage in the woods, fairy tales and folklore, a mystery from the past and a lost journal, a little romance, art and artists from the Arts and Crafts period -- all in the hands of a literary and intelligent writer. I have read other books by Carol Goodman and have found her writing to be lyrical and her material multi-layered. I have to confess to being disappointed with this one, however, though it certainly kept me reading. I was irritate...more

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Mar 25, 2010 Cassandra Carico rated it 4 of 5 stars

I received a copy of the book Arcadia Falls by the author Carol Goodman, just a few short days ago. I had read Ms. Goodman's first novel, The Sea of Dead Languages, and enjoyed that, so I was anxious to dive into this story.

Arcadia Falls takes place in a mountain refuge where a historic artist commune had been located. This commune had been a space for women, primarily, to nurture their talents. Later the commune became a girls' school that was shrouded in intrigue and tragedy.

The recently widow...more

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Feb 06, 2010 Ellen Christian rated it 5 of 5 stars

I'd never read a Carol Goodman book before so I wasn't sure what to expect starting this book. I have to say that I really enjoyed it! Meg is a totally believable mom with a teenage daughter that reminds me a lot of my daughter. They move to an artsy private boarding school where Meg takes a job teaching at the school loacated in a small rural community in Upstate New York that reminds me of the town I live in.

Meg is familiar with the town because of an old fairy tale called The Changeling Girl...more

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Jan 22, 2010 Kellyreaderofbooks rated it 2 of 5 stars

When Meg Rosenthal gets a job offer from a private boarding school in Upper New York, she thinks this will be the new start she's looking for. Recently widowed, and with her sixteen year old daughter in tow, Meg makes the move to Arcadia, the art school she's been hired at.

Right from the start, it's apparent that things are done a bit differently at Arcadia. Students--and faculty--celebrate pagan rituals such as Samhain and summer solstice. As Meg (and her daughter) become more emeshed with the...more

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Jan 04, 2010 Anne rated it 1 of 5 stars

I wanted to like this book better than I did. Described as an "enthralling work of literary fiction that follows a mother and daughter as they uncover the sinister secrets of an isolated boarding school", I expected a gripping plot with rich, descriptive prose. Instead I was frustrated by a plodding, unbelievable story line. It particularly bothered me that the untimely death of a student at the school barely evoked an emotional response from the characters, let alone the parents of the student...more

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Sep 13, 2011 Brittany rated it 3 of 5 stars

AH, this book was so frustrating! It really seemed like I had stumbled across my perfect book - a literature and folklore professor obsessed with fairy tales stumbles into a Gothic tale of an artists' colony/school filled with secrets - perfect!! Even the title drew me in, as it shares an allusion with my favorite play. I expected a fun, quick read with a story that seemed overflowing with my very favorite things.

Those hopes were, for the most part, almost entirely met. The key word is almost....more AH, this book was so frustrating! It really seemed like I had stumbled across my perfect book - a literature and folklore professor obsessed with fairy tales stumbles into a Gothic tale of an artists' colony/school filled with secrets - perfect!! Even the title drew me in, as it shares an allusion with my favorite play. I expected a fun, quick read with a story that seemed overflowing with my very favorite things.

Those hopes were, for the most part, almost entirely met. The key word is almost. Until the end, there were only small details that annoyed me in the text (the narrator's frequent, subtle characterization of pagan festivals as both creepy AND silly to mention one thing that particularly irked me) but these were never anything that took me out of the story enough to make me want to stop reading. I enjoyed it immensely and several chapters from the end I was certain that I had the mysteries figured out and that this book was wonderful. Unfortunately it didn't turn out the way I thought it would... or rather, it mostly did, but then two additional "twists" were added that were so ridiculous, melodramatic, and pointless that I was actually shocked as I was reading. "[L]eaves you rolling your eyes in agony" is how my friend reviewer Grace Nuth put it and I completely agree. How could such a great story go so totally wrong at the end?? I am flabbergasted. I honestly have no idea what to rate this book - I enjoyed it so much for so long and then it all completely fell apart. I want so much for the ending to be rewritten that I can't stand it.

The ridiculous ending only made the earlier flaws I had glossed over stand out all the more clearly. I thought at first, for example, that the "women as artist vs. the woman as mother" theme was being handled rather well here... again until the very end when everything in that area wraps up with a nice conventional bow. The women who dedicate their lives to the arts wind up miserable or dead (with one exception in a very briefly appearing side character perhaps... we don't really know much about her life though), the women who get married and have children wind up perhaps somewhat sad but contented that they've done the "right" thing, and the one woman who sort of tries to do both (the narrator) gets a perfect but completely implausible "happy ending," as if the whole concept of doing both is a completely implausible thing that only happens once in a blue moon. Ugh, I don't even want to think about it anymore. I'm off to read something else.

My rating is really more of a 3.5 but I'm going with a 3, mostly because the depth of my disappointment. (less)

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Jun 04, 2011 Amanda rated it 4 of 5 stars

Book #43 of 2011

It's taken me over a year to get through this book. Which by that I really mean that I've had this book for a year and couldn't really get into it when I first picked it up. But I always enjoy Carol Goodman's books and I ended up enjoying this one as well. In a way it was a sad story - there were a lot of themes of women's choices (esp. with regards to the arts, because that was this story, but I think it could just as easily be about anything) - Do they give up their dreams for...more

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Aug 15, 2011 Rebecca rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Extremely well written ... and extremely silly. It's one of those mystery novels that you get to the end to and just start rolling your eyes.

Recently widowed and nearly destitute Meg Rosenthal takes her 16 year old daughter Sally with her to a private art school in Arcadia Falls to accept a teaching position. One of the schools two founders, Lily, died mysteriously fifty years before. On the night Meg arrives, a student dies after falling off a cliff. (Someone is forever falling off this cliff....more

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May 15, 2012 Lindsay Heller rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012, academia, strange-familial-relations, we-really-want-to-be-secret-history

It's impossible not to compare this book to Carol Goodman's earlier novel 'The Lake of Dead Languages' (still LOVE that title). Both involve women who move to a desolate school to teach after their marriage ends (one way or another) toting their daughters behind. Both involve secrets kept in the very setting of the school in Upstate New York. While the lake in 'The Lake of Dead Languages' obviously takes center stage, the woods and a clove play a similar role in Arcadia Falls. Both involve pagan...more It's impossible not to compare this book to Carol Goodman's earlier novel 'The Lake of Dead Languages' (still LOVE that title). Both involve women who move to a desolate school to teach after their marriage ends (one way or another) toting their daughters behind. Both involve secrets kept in the very setting of the school in Upstate New York. While the lake in 'The Lake of Dead Languages' obviously takes center stage, the woods and a clove play a similar role in Arcadia Falls. Both involve pagan rituals and students who become obsessed by them. And both have twisted family trees that result in the outcome of the story. Yes, there are great many similarities between these two books, almost to the point where one has to ask why Goodman felt the need to write the same book twice. But while engaged within the pages it starts to not matter because they really are fun reads. Neither are perfect novels, they both have a level or gossip and scandal that seems left best to tabloids but they are both well written books that ultimately work, even if you're not sure why. That being said, I liked 'The Lake of Dead Languages' better. But perhaps that's just because I read it first, and liked it enough to pick up a similar book by the same author.

Meg Rosenthal moves her daughter to the small town of Arcadia Falls from Great Neck after the death of her husband, Jude. Since he poured most of his assets into a hedge fund that didn't have time to mature Meg finds herself in dire straights and falls back on the only thing she has; a nearly completed PhD in Folklore. She gets a job at the downtrodden school, Arcadia, a former artists colony started by Vera Beecher and her 'companion' Lily Eberhardt. They started the colony, and the school, trying to give women more options in life. They collaborated on several fairy tale, including one called The Changeling Girl that inspired Meg greatly as a child. Their stories are exalted but their story is legend; in 1947 Lily attempted to leave Vera for her lover, the painter Virgil Nash, and fell into a rocky clove in the woods where her body was found some weeks later buried in snow. Meg has long been fascinated with the story and once she arrives she nearly immediately discovers Lily's lost diary and begins to learn the story from the inside, the parts that no one else knows. What she uncovers is a story far different from the one that's told. Secret babies, betrayal, perhaps even murder. All the elements of a great tale. But this isn't just the story of Lily and Vera. The first night of Meg's arrival is the night of First Night, a pagan festival celebrated to chase away summer (literally in the form a chosen girl dress as the summer goddess) and ring in autumn, tragedy strikes when one of the brightest students at the school plunges to her death in the same clove where Lily died. Are the two deaths related? Well, inevitably, it's a book, but I wont give anything away.

I really did like this book. I suspected I would given my enjoyment of her earlier book, but I did expect a bit of rehashing. And, yes, the elements are all there, like I said above, but there was enough to keep me guessing until the end. It's clear that Goodman loves scenery, this book was positively thick with it. The woods are described so lovingly that it's difficult not to almost smell the sap in the tree and feel the branches snap back as you walk by. The setting really is as much a character as any of the people. I would recommend this book. There's nothing world changing here but it's a fun, quick read that isn't nearly as silly as it could have been.
(less)

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Apr 03, 2010 Patty rated it 5 of 5 stars

Hmmm...loved it. Totally engrossing, rich images, just enough mystery and dysfunction to make this book very special. Picture in your mind a lovely artist retreat in the hills of New England that has been turned into a school. Now focus on the idea that the school is run by an unusual dean with a mysterious past. The main character of this book has been recently widowed and is left virtually penniless. Meg Rosenthal and her daughter Sally are forced to sell nearly all that they own in order to p...more

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Jul 31, 2012 Pauline Ramsey rated it 3 of 5 stars

Hmm...there are a lot of things I could say about this book. For all intensive purposes, it was a good book, one that I was able to make through without much difficulty in terms of lacking plot-lines or the prose of which the author writes. However, there were a few issues I had with the book, but as well as some decent highlights.

One of the things that gets me, is Meg, the ever despondent and curious teacher constantly references in earlier chapters that she assumes this kid doesn't do that, or...more Hmm...there are a lot of things I could say about this book. For all intensive purposes, it was a good book, one that I was able to make through without much difficulty in terms of lacking plot-lines or the prose of which the author writes. However, there were a few issues I had with the book, but as well as some decent highlights.

One of the things that gets me, is Meg, the ever despondent and curious teacher constantly references in earlier chapters that she assumes this kid doesn't do that, or that person wouldn't do this. How can she make such assumptions about people and their character if she doesn't even know anything about them? How can she say what a person is truly capable of, when we see the author doesn't really connect the characters together? Sure, the bulk of them are thrown together in a companionship of sorts when a student is killed, but why should that be the only reason for Meg to interact, or even, get to know any of her students? Shouldn't she want to try to learn about the students from the very get-go, rather than having the circumstances of a student's death lead her on the path of "watching" them? I don't know, it just doesn't quite make sense to me.

Sally, of course, is your atypical angsty teenager without any real definition. She's your run-of-the-mill secondary character that you don't really quite care for, but would probably be upset if anything actually DID happen to her. I whole-heartedly understand Sally as being withdrawn and upset about moving her childhood home to the "middle of nowhere" after her father passes away. I can understand the grief of which a child goes through after losing a parent. However, there isn't much said in the way of Jude with the exception of Meg blaming their financial troubles on him (which happened to be true), but it seems as far as "Helping" her daughter; she allows Sally to lose herself completely before thinking a move would be for the greater good. The relationship between the two is strained, to say the least, until, quite literally, the last chapters of the book. You mean to tell me, that over the course of the several months the two of them lived at Arcadia Falls, that NEITHER really talked to the other about Jude, or what about the mere fact that Meg just lets her daughter do whatever she pleases in hopes that it'll "bring her daughter back." Come on, really? That just doesn't happen in the real world. I understand that tragedy can tear a family apart, but let's be a little realistic here and think that if this was a real mother/daughter relationship things wouldn't have gone on as they did. After all, a caring mother wouldn't let her daughter do whatever she pleased in hopes that it would mend their estranged relationship, ESPECIALLY if there was the even SLIGHTEST hint of a potential murderer being on the campus.

Ok, so the relationship between the sheriff and Meg is odd at best. Meg complains that he's a man who "irritates" her, yet at the first chance she gets to being close to him she kisses him. And from my understanding with the timeline of this book, was perhaps only her third meeting with him and the next time they meet up, they HOOK up? Okay, so things like this can happen in real life, after all people have one night stands all the time, but it just seems a little far-fetched to me, especially with the conceptions of the kind of story this is and it doesn't move the plot along whatsoever.

Also, why would Ivy St. Clare be so snappy with her new teacher Meg? From the beginning of the book, it's almost clear that Ivy doesn't like her. If that's the case, why bother hiring the woman to teach at the school? I can understand an obvious distaste for Meg AFTER Ivy sees her still-life and notices Lily's diary, that would be more plausible for where her dissastifaction would come from. But since it began with the beginning, the attitude Ivy has toward Meg is unfounded and never made clear.

Another thing! Throughout the whole book, we're left to wonder what really happened to Isabel. In one instance, we learn that she fell from the ridge. Then in another, we're told she was murdered by someone. Then the murderer goes from a possibility of being one of her friends, then it goes to being Ivy St. Clare to cover a "hideous" truth and then it shifts, yet again, to another person of interest. However, when it gets to the last person, she's accused of killing the girl, yet NEVER comes out and admits it. She simply says for all intensive purposes, "You're trying to pin this on me." Though everyone seems to think that it's that particular person who had pushed the girl off the ridge, it is never exactly said, nor is there really any concrete evidence stating that she was, in fact, the one who murdered Isabel. It just left me wondering, "Sooooo....who actually killed her?"

Alright, I suppose that's enough of the whole downside. Now it's time for the good. What I liked was the mystery within the mystery. Lily's diary was probably the best parts of the book, despite that it took Meg, quite literally, months to finish. If it were me, that book would've been read in a single night, not over the course of several months. The characters of Lily, Vera, Nash and the others from the very roots of Arcadia Falls were far more believable than that of the modern-day ones. There's more definition with these characters, there are more emotions that are portrayed and a desire for artistic freedom is apparent throughout Lily's diary. THIS is what the book should have been about, this is what should have been throughout all of the pages of Goodman's novel. She managed to capture the raw emotions of these fictional characters, she gave them a life of which she did not/could not give to her more modern day characters.

As far as a book, it was okay at best. What with all the "twists and turns", even the family lineage had me confused finally after a time when it got down to the last few pages. Back and forth, back and forth. Honestly, it should have been left where it was with Ivy St. Clare being the daughter of Lily and been done with it.

Anyway, I gave this book three stars. I thought for all of its downfalls and some incomplete storytelling that it was an okay read. It certainly won't get onto my "Favorites" list and I'm positive I won't be reading it again. I might recommend this book to someone if they only promised to take it at face value alone.(less)

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Dec 26, 2009 Diane rated it 3 of 5 stars

Arcadia Falls is a small town in rural New York. It's home to an boarding school for students interested in the arts. When her husband dies suddenly leaving her deeply in debt, Meg takes a job teaching there, bringing her teenage daughter. Although they find a supportive environment for their talents, they also find a place steeped in history, secrets, and mystery.
Goodman sucks the reader into this world. There are missing journals, hints of witchcraft, rumors of ghosts, and a student who myst...more

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Feb 28, 2011 Sonia rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I got this book free as a review copy and was intrigued by the sentence on the front claiming it was “Miss Jean Brodie meets Donna Tartt”. Now, I loved The Secret History by Donna Tartt, so thought that was a good omen.

I can see why the comparison was made, but don’t think that this is a heavy-going book (which I personally think that The Secret History is – but in a good way!).

Meg Rosenthal is a recently widowed, recently qualified teacher and due to the financial mess her husband’s death has l...more I got this book free as a review copy and was intrigued by the sentence on the front claiming it was “Miss Jean Brodie meets Donna Tartt”. Now, I loved The Secret History by Donna Tartt, so thought that was a good omen.

I can see why the comparison was made, but don’t think that this is a heavy-going book (which I personally think that The Secret History is – but in a good way!).

Meg Rosenthal is a recently widowed, recently qualified teacher and due to the financial mess her husband’s death has left them in, she has had to sell her home in the city and take a teaching job that provides lodgings, together with her teenage daughter Sally who will be attending the school.

However, Arcadia is no ordinary school, but one that was founded in the 1930′s as a kind of artist’s retreat – and is also not new to Meg who has always been fascinated with Arcadia, its history, its founders (Lily & Vera), their beautifully crafted and illustrated folk tales – particularly one about a changeling girl – and their own tragic tale.

There are two stories that run through the book – that of Meg and Sally in the present day, and that of Lily & Vera in the 1930s, revisited via journals, letters, photos etc.

I have never read anything by Carol Goodman before, but I would definitely like to try more of her books. I loved the pace, the imagery was fantastic, and I found the crafting of the folk tales absolutely beautiful.

However – it wasn’t perfect, and there was one issue in particular that irked me beyond belief! There is a specific book that Meg finds that has the potential to answer all the questions she’s asked about Arcadia’s past and even throw light on a great tragedy BUT she apparently seems in no rush to read it! She seems to read it in no hurry over the course of a few weeks, which seems SO unlikely that I jsut wanted to throttle her!

I can understand why Goodman did this, it was so that the 1930s story could be uncovered and moved along at the same pace as the present day story, but in that case, she should have just alternated them and then Meg could have found the book at a later date, and read it one or two very eager sittings – which is what any normal person would have done!

If it hadn’t been for that, I probably would have given 5 stars as I really enjoyed it. Apart from the ending. There was a little too much ‘cheese’ for me!(less)

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