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Sandcastles
by
Luanne Rice (Goodreads Author)
Painter Honor Sullivan has made a life for herself and her three daughters–Regis, Agnes, and Cecilia–at Star of the Sea Academy on the magical Connecticut shore. Here she teaches art at the convent school’s beautiful seaside campus, over which Honor’s sister-in-law, mother superior Bernadette Ignatius, keeps a benevolent and watchful eye. No one could have foreseen the day...more
Paperback, 480 pages
Published
June 26th 2007
by Bantam
(first published 2006)
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From Publishers Weekly
Given the title, July 4 pub date and settings on the Connecticut shore and County Cork coast, readers may expect the consummate beach feast from bestselling Rice (Summer of Roses). She almost delivers: all the ingredients for a clambake are here, but Rice doesn't bother to light the fire. Honor Sullivan is a woman torn apart. Her famous earthworks artist husband, John, has spent six years in an Irish prison for killing a man who attacked their then 14-year-old daughter, Reg...more
Given the title, July 4 pub date and settings on the Connecticut shore and County Cork coast, readers may expect the consummate beach feast from bestselling Rice (Summer of Roses). She almost delivers: all the ingredients for a clambake are here, but Rice doesn't bother to light the fire. Honor Sullivan is a woman torn apart. Her famous earthworks artist husband, John, has spent six years in an Irish prison for killing a man who attacked their then 14-year-old daughter, Reg...more
Luanne Rice is an eloquent story teller. She weaves a great story.
Synopsis:
Honor, Regis, Agnes, and Cecelia makes a trip to Ireland to see John’s latest sculpture. The morning after Honor and the girls arrive an unwelcome visitor comes to Bellan Castle where the family is staying. John goes out to save his work and tells Honor to stay and call the police. Regis the oldest daughter disregards her mother’s warning to stay in the house. She goes to help her father. When Honor discovers her absenc...more
Synopsis:
Honor, Regis, Agnes, and Cecelia makes a trip to Ireland to see John’s latest sculpture. The morning after Honor and the girls arrive an unwelcome visitor comes to Bellan Castle where the family is staying. John goes out to save his work and tells Honor to stay and call the police. Regis the oldest daughter disregards her mother’s warning to stay in the house. She goes to help her father. When Honor discovers her absenc...more
My adorable 97 year old neighbor lent me this book. She's so cute that I just had to finish it, otherwise I might not have finished it. The story is really, really slow. Even the parts where the author has attempted to add tension are slow. Towards the middle, when the story actually gets to being told, the chapters start ending right when something is about to be revealed. Then the next chapter starts from someone else's viewpoint and ends when something is about to be revealed. It seems the au...more
The first 185 pages of this book were excruciating. I was so frustrated with the author's writing style. She introduced so many characters and wrote the story from each of their perspectives that it gave me the feeling of whiplash. I'd just start to connect to a character and then the narrator would flip to someone else. Then she might backtrack to an event mentioned earlier but from the new character's view point. I wish Rice had taken Bernie's character and made her the narrator then told all...more
A book sorely in need of an editor. If Ms. Rice was not a published author, this novel would never have made it to press (I have worked in publishing for 20+ years). The plot is implausible, the dialogue stilted and unrealistic, the descriptions redundant. And every feeling a character has is accompanied by a visceral reaction--on each page someone feels a chill up their spine, a tightening in their stomach, or flush in their cheeks. If you want to read well-written books about family, love, sis...more
A little too mushy for me. One reason probably is because I could not empathize with Honor - why all that holding back when she so much wanted to be reunited with her husband John? I have read What Matters Most first, and that was supposed to be the sequel to this book. I liked the latter one better. Sandcastles is the story of Honor and John Sullivan and their family, while What Matters Most is the story of Tom Kelly and Sister Bernadette Ignatius and their quest for their son whom Bernie had p...more
I absolutely could not get into this book! It took me a very long time to finish it, because I was just not interested enough to want to pick it up again. I came close several times to putting it away and starting another book, but I forced myself to finish it. There were too many mysterious events that either never really materialized, or when they did, just weren't very interesting. I agree with another reviewer that said the story between Tom and Bernie was more interesting than the one betwe...more
This was a wonderful story about family, choices, brokenness, and despair yet there was so much joy, mending, and hope that I couldn't read fast enough.
Psychological suspense, mystery, love, depth, and pondering...a truly awesome read!
I loved the characters and even though the beginning was difficult for me because of the situation, I quickly became so entwined with what was happening that I felt as if I was there right beside them. The story line was amazingly developed and I felt so close with...more
Psychological suspense, mystery, love, depth, and pondering...a truly awesome read!
I loved the characters and even though the beginning was difficult for me because of the situation, I quickly became so entwined with what was happening that I felt as if I was there right beside them. The story line was amazingly developed and I felt so close with...more
This novel had an interesting plot and engaging characters, but it had a looooong stretch of repetitiveness where the story just did not move forward. If I weren't listening to it on tape, I might have given up on it. Once the action started moving again, I was glad I stuck it out, but it sure did drag in the middle. I actually found some of the minor characters more engaging than the main couple--Sr. Bernadette and Tom Kelly, for example. It turns out that Rice wrote not really a sequel but a c...more
a beautiful novel about family, passion, love. one of the reason why Luanne rice loves to write is that she can remind everyone 'what matters most in life' and i can say that she did not fail on this one.
the novel inspired me and remind me that sometimes, too much passion, too much love can be destructive and you will be very much sensitive about pain and hurt and you become coward to face it so you just turn your back and try everything to block it. thats the reason i guess why Honor nearly de...more
the novel inspired me and remind me that sometimes, too much passion, too much love can be destructive and you will be very much sensitive about pain and hurt and you become coward to face it so you just turn your back and try everything to block it. thats the reason i guess why Honor nearly de...more
This was OK--John and Honor Sullivan are artists (he's a sculptor/photographer, she's a painter). His larger than life art reflects the passion with which he lives and loves. That passion sometimes leads him to disregard his personal safety, and later sets an example of that for his eldest daughter, who lives with the same kind of recklessness. After a fateful, fatal encounter with a detractor in Ireland, John ends up imprisoned. That, and his subsequent return six years later turns his family u...more
My mom bought me this book and I had never heard of the author before, but I figured I would try it. I ended up loving this book! I really enjoyed reading this story! I saw a lot of negative reviews on here, but they were mostly from women who have read Rice before this one. I had nothing to compare it to so that could be why I liked it a lot more than they did. I have to say though that I bought Summer of Roses (which is also by Rice) last summer and read the first 3 chapters and still haven't...more
Narrated well, but the story just didn't click with me. Story set in New England and Ireland, modern times. Troubled marriage/dysfunctional family of two artists who love each other but don't communicate well with each other nor with their 3 daughters. Father/Husband goes to prison for 6 yrs in Ireland for the death, declared manslaughter, that his young daughter accidentally caused in self-defense. All to save his daughter the "horrors" of going through a trial. When the daughter (who had had a...more
3 1/2 stars
Honor and her girls spend years trying to move on from a horrible incident involving their father in Ireland. Honor is angry , confused, and disappointed, the girls continue to love and miss their father. Each of the four women deal with the absence of John in their own unique ways. At times I was truly drawn into the story, while at others I felt like I did not know enough about the characters to truly care. I found the ending fairly predictable, with a slight unexpected twist.
Honor and her girls spend years trying to move on from a horrible incident involving their father in Ireland. Honor is angry , confused, and disappointed, the girls continue to love and miss their father. Each of the four women deal with the absence of John in their own unique ways. At times I was truly drawn into the story, while at others I felt like I did not know enough about the characters to truly care. I found the ending fairly predictable, with a slight unexpected twist.
I won this from Goodreads First Reads and it was better than I expected. It was so good I finished it in one day because I couldn't put it down. I guessed the ending at the very beginning, but it was still worth seeing how the characters were going to respond to the situation, and it was very believable. The ending was a little abrupt and I wish she had dealt with the aftermath more. The book was too short anyway. But still well worth your time. This would be a good book club choice.
Once I got going, I had a hard time putting it down. There is a lot of love in this story, which I guess is why I liked it. The relationships are complicated. The family of John, Honor, Regis, Agnes and Cecelia is suffering due to a crime committed in Ireland 6 years ago. John has spent 6 years in prison in Ireland to protect his daughter, Regis. The characters are well-developed. The part of the story related to the Irish ancestors is weak. John’s character is awesome.
When sculptor and photographer, John Sullivan, returns to his home on the Connecticut shore after spending 6 years in a prison in Ireland, he finds his wife, Honor, a gifted painter, and their three daughters striving to come to terms with his return. All of the family feels an overwhelming love for each other, but there are difficulties involved in resolving the situation. This is a good book with a lot of twists and turns and, as usual, a happy ending.
at first i was hesitating to finish this book but i have to...to know what's the secret hidden in the book. But i was disappointed, probably because it have a lot of drama...same old drama with their family. The are many side stories and for me it's such a waste to read those parts( about the box,ancestors etc.) I think the story could stand alone without those and it could have been better i think. But over all it was just Ok I didn't felt anything special about it and i just want to finish tha...more
I loved this book! As an art teacher, I was drawn into the multiple artistic references, from the sculptures to the oil paintings. I feel that Luanne Rice is such an extraordinary story teller in that she weaves an intricate tale that you quickly find yourself deeply entwined within it. The ebb and flow of the lives of the main characters tugged at my heart strings; I cried when someone was hurting, I got angry when someone was upset. The book is powerful enough that it engulfed me and took me t...more
This was an okay book. It wasn't my favorite but it also wasn't the worst (ahem...Edgar Sawtell). It was an easy read and I enjoyed how the the story was woven around family history. Some parts dragged out but the storyline of Bernie & Tom was a nice twist. I felt the ending was a little hoakey - but then again love stories aren't really my thing. I was kind of hoping someone would get murdered at some point because that's my type of reading! I probably will not pick up the second book in th...more
I liked this book. My first Luanne Rice. It was easy reading, good characters, and I always seem to like a love story.
Kind of saw the ending coming with regard to Regis, but was a little surprised by Brendan's character. I think I kept thinking he was going to take the book into the supernatural. I already have the sequel "What Matters Most" and I am ready to dive in! I'm curious to see what Sister Bernie does about Tom and that whole situation. I was glad to see Regis grow up...
Kind of saw the ending coming with regard to Regis, but was a little surprised by Brendan's character. I think I kept thinking he was going to take the book into the supernatural. I already have the sequel "What Matters Most" and I am ready to dive in! I'm curious to see what Sister Bernie does about Tom and that whole situation. I was glad to see Regis grow up...
Though not labeled romance I think it is and I listened to it and didn't like the narrator so that took away. It is a good basic story about family interactions and the importance of telling the truth even when you think a lie will protect someone. Lies never are good! And the family in the story found this out in a very big way.
Bookclub book. Not one I would have chosen on my own. Not terrible, just not interesting enough for me. The story of Bernie and Tom was more interesting than the one of John and Honor. Lots of reading about their homeland and religion. Honestly, I couldn't finish it, I was too eager to get started on a different book.
This book was okay, it was a quick read with two unexpected twists near the end. The instance in which the book is based on is mentioned over and over and over again in all sort of ways which was kind of annoying. It was pretty hearfelt though and the author did a great job of making the characters come to life.
I thought I would read this book after I saw it in one on the giveaways. I have never read a Luanne Rice book before and based on
her previous books reviews I thought I would give it a read. The story seemed drawn out and so predictable. I pretty much knew what was going to happen very early on the book. Maybe I'll try one of her earlier books but it definitely won't be high on my list.
her previous books reviews I thought I would give it a read. The story seemed drawn out and so predictable. I pretty much knew what was going to happen very early on the book. Maybe I'll try one of her earlier books but it definitely won't be high on my list.
Loved this book...kept me intrigued throughout and wanting to know what would happen next. Felt like it was actually telling the story of something a real family went through...not always warm and fuzzy but decisions made at the time for reasons that seemed right at the time. Very gripping.
I was very disappointed in this book. I usually like this author. I couldn't finish the book. I became very bored. It started out boring, then became better,then went back to boring. It also was very predictable. It wasn't entertaining so I just gave up.
Rice did to me again. Two o'clock in the morning I am still reading. I looked at the clock and wondered where my brain went. I know where it went. I was trying to figure out the puzzle that Rice had made for me in her book. If a book can keep me up like this, it deserves 5 stars.
Pleasantly surprised with Luanne Rice's novel Sandcastles. It had a hint of mystery throughout the novel that made it a quick read. Almost heart breaking at times, and then heart warming in others. It almost made it feel like I was there witnessing and expriencing all the hurt, and all the love. Enjoyed this novel much more than I expected.
I enjoyed the writing style, descriptive, but not over done. It was refreshing actually to read about how each family member worked through/processed a horrible trauma in their own way in the attempt to restore the family unit. Good clean reading too.
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Luanne Rice is the author of thirty-one novels including the forthcoming THE LEMON ORCHARD (Viking/Pamela Dorman Books.) Five of her books have been made into movies and mini-series, twenty-two have been consecutive New York Times bestsellers and two of her pieces have been featured in off-Broadway theatre productions. Born and raised in Connecticut, she divides her time between New York City and...more
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