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281st out of 521 books
—
108 voters
The Color of Light
by
Karen White
At thirty-two, pregnant and recently divorced, Jillian Parrish and her seven-year-old daughter find refuge and solace on Pawleys Island, South Carolina. Jillian had experienced her best childhood memories here-until her best friend Lauren Mills disappeared, never to be found. At the time, Linc Rising, Lauren's boyfriend and Jillian's confidant, had been a suspect in Lauren...more
Paperback, 288 pages
Published
June 7th 2005
by NAL Trade
(first published June 1st 2005)
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I really need to read full summaries more often. A death/murder mystery is not usually my cuppa... it tends to be too gruesome and real-life-ish for me to be comfortable with. And while it wasn't too bad in this book, it still wasn't my favorite part (or a part I liked very much, which is too bad because it was a central part of the plot). Speaking of plot, it is not the most original but not in an annoying way--just made it all the easier to slip into the story. What shined was character develo...more
When I picked up this book at the library yesterday, most of what I planned to do last night was quickly abandoned so I could just read! Karen White has become one of my favorite authors of contemporary fiction, and her books are the kind I would like to write if I could. Her characters are so fully developed and so beautifully damaged, that watching them cope with loss and learn to live and love again is compelling. Jillian, a divorced mother learning to be independent at the same time she is t...more
Another great read by Karen White! This book is a few years old (now) but still one that boasts of true love and friendship, romance, and finding out what we're truly made of. It's also a story about discovering that it's not always blood that makes you family but a willingness to "show up" and just do your best that bonds you to another person.
Jillian finds herself returning home to her grandmother's house on Pawley's Island, South Carolina, 8 months pregnant, divorced, with her 7 year old daug...more
Jillian finds herself returning home to her grandmother's house on Pawley's Island, South Carolina, 8 months pregnant, divorced, with her 7 year old daug...more
Newly divorced and eight months pregnant, Jillian Parrish and her seven year old daughter leave Atlanta for a fresh start in her grandmothers beach house on Pawleys Island.
Memories of her childhood summers spent on the island and the mysterious disappearance of her best friend, Lauren, are dealt with as the architect who remodeled the home turns out to be Linc, another childhood friend involved in the mystery. They both struggle with troubled childhoods and attempt to come to terms with what ha...more
Memories of her childhood summers spent on the island and the mysterious disappearance of her best friend, Lauren, are dealt with as the architect who remodeled the home turns out to be Linc, another childhood friend involved in the mystery. They both struggle with troubled childhoods and attempt to come to terms with what ha...more
This was the final independent novel by Karen White that I had to read, and I was not disappointed. White uses extensive imagery to paint a picture of a picturesque island town, and though I've never been to the South, I felt as though I knew the town that was used as the setting for this book.
The characters were incredibly real to me, as they always are in White's novels, but the twists and turns in this book were ones that I definitely didn't see coming. This book is definitely worth a read to...more
The characters were incredibly real to me, as they always are in White's novels, but the twists and turns in this book were ones that I definitely didn't see coming. This book is definitely worth a read to...more
Set in the Low Country of South Carolina, this novel uses all the geography of the region to wrap its arms around the main character as she returns to Pawleys Island, her childhood summer refuge. Of course, there is a love story between two flawed, damaged people. What truly held my interest, though, was the role of her young daughter and some unexpected revelations about a few of the characters, and the twists and turns of the plot later in the novel. While there were several despicable charact...more
A couple of "damaged" people returning to their past in an attempt to create a new future... an old, unsolved mystery... a beautiful love story... a little girl who talks to ghosts...
Ultimately, what made this book good was the character development. These people felt real - good-hearted (some of them, anyway), but definitely not perfect. They felt real. I was hesitant at the beginning - took a few chapters to draw me in. But once it did, it didn't let go. I cared about the main characters and v...more
Ultimately, what made this book good was the character development. These people felt real - good-hearted (some of them, anyway), but definitely not perfect. They felt real. I was hesitant at the beginning - took a few chapters to draw me in. But once it did, it didn't let go. I cared about the main characters and v...more
I loved Sea Change so went to my local library & got a lot of this author's books. Just finished The Color of Light and really enjoyed going into Jillian, Lauren, Gracie & Linc's worlds.
It was a lovely read & I wanted to take myself down to the sea & actually went to look up what a sea oat looked like as I had never heard the name. Of course now I know exactly what she was referring to as they grow here in New Zealand ;)
I'll no doubt watch them swaying in a warm breeze tonight in...more
It was a lovely read & I wanted to take myself down to the sea & actually went to look up what a sea oat looked like as I had never heard the name. Of course now I know exactly what she was referring to as they grow here in New Zealand ;)
I'll no doubt watch them swaying in a warm breeze tonight in...more
This is the fifth book by Karen White that I have read and I become more intrigued with every book that I read. Karen White is quickly becoming one of my favorite contemporary fiction author to read. I could not put The Color of Light down. The characters just came to life for me. Watching them cope with loss and learn to live and love again is compelling. These characters have all been damaged in some way throughout their lives and they felt incredibly real to me. Jillian’s character especially...more
I just finished reading The Color of Light by Karen White and would highly recommend it. I thought it was an excellent book. The main character, Jillian grew up with distant and abusive parents. She spent her life trying to make her parents care about her. Because of how her parents treated her, she is afraid that she is/will be a terrible mother.
Jillian's refuge was her grandmother's house on Pawley's Island. Her grandmother was more of a mother to her than her own mother.
While a teenager one o...more
Jillian's refuge was her grandmother's house on Pawley's Island. Her grandmother was more of a mother to her than her own mother.
While a teenager one o...more
It's not often I can say I enjoyed every moment of a book whose ending I saw coming from very early pages. Karen White creates beautiful characters who naturally become friends.
The Color of Light is a story of growth despite constraints; hope in seeming hopelessness; and love that, like a precious pearl, finds its beauty only after great pain.
There were a few aspects to the book that nagged at me, but I am turning off my "editor hemisphere" to focus on the beauty and pleasure of a wonderful no...more
The Color of Light is a story of growth despite constraints; hope in seeming hopelessness; and love that, like a precious pearl, finds its beauty only after great pain.
There were a few aspects to the book that nagged at me, but I am turning off my "editor hemisphere" to focus on the beauty and pleasure of a wonderful no...more
Jillian Parrish had a troubled childhood and the only joy she found in it was spending summers on Pawleys Island, South Carolina with her grandmother. The summer when she was 17 years old her best friend Lauren disappears. Now 16 years later after a divorce Jillian returns to Pawleys Island and her grandmothers house with her children.
Couldn't put it down, some parts gave me chills and had me looking over my shoulder. Highly recommend this book for your beach reading.
Couldn't put it down, some parts gave me chills and had me looking over my shoulder. Highly recommend this book for your beach reading.
Jillian is pregnant with her second child and newly divorced. She moves to the South Carolina beach house where she spent glorious summers with her grandmother and best friends, Lauren and Linc. She didn't stay in touch with Lauren and Linc because Lauren mysteriously disappeared one summer, and Linc was a key suspect immediately following her disappearance. As Jillian tries to untangle her future, she finds she also has to unravel the past.
This was a good read with good characters- not that complicated of story but always a zinger at the end from Karen White. Pregnant woman with small child returns to childhood beach house to start over. The zinger at the end makes me want to give it 4 stars when it really deserves less. However, good quick read. Involves finding out the truth about her past, parentage and solving the disappearance of her teenage friend.
I think I read this before, but had forgotten the details and the ending. Enjoyed the book. A single mom comes "home" to her grandmother's house (now deceased) to relive a tragic story about the disappearance of a friend - What happened to that person? And falls in love with that friend's old boyfriend. Learns more than she probably wanted to know about her family, her unloving mother, and her ability to love as a mother.
I wasn't sure what to expect when I picked this book up at a thrift store, but it was worth the $2.50 I spent. The ability of the author to use description to create place and mood made reading enjoyable. The story is part coming into one's own, part mystery, part supernatural, and part love stories. All of these elements are woven together to tell a story that kept the tension of the plot steady throughout.
I really enjoyed this well written mystery and although there were parts of it figured out, there were twists at the end that I didn't see coming. However, I could have done without the intimacies that made me skip a paragraph here and there. I think the progression of the relationship was very well revealed without needing to throw in the sexy stuff.
Once again, this probably would have just been three stars, but it's set on Pawley's Island in low country SC. It's sort of about finding yourself again after you've immersed yourself in things that aren't real or lasting. The Charleston area beaches, good food, some mystery, and a handsome boy next door made for a quick, not-too-deep read.
At first I wasnt sure exactly how I felt about this book... But soon fell in love with the characters- and while I figured out the plot rather quickly- I still really enjoyed watching these lives come full circle- the characters became real... And I am sad their story is over...
Another Fabulous Karen White novel. I love how real her characters are with all their faults and gifts. Her novels really seem to grab at me. The honesty, drama and story telling of her novels make them so enjoyable to me. I will continue to read her novels... Really Really like Jillian and Linc
While I didn't have much problem figuring out what really happened in this book, I still enjoyed it. Certain aspects were slightly brushed over, and while at first it bothered me I came to appreciate the quick flashbacks that helped you understand the characters.
I love this story, the relationship between Jillian and Grace, even though it seemed precarious at times, with Jillian struggling with her maternal nature. The struggle for Jillian to reconcile her past and her fears made for an extremely engaging read :)
I really liked this book. The characters are very well writen, and the descriptions of the surroundings are so vivid. The mystery in the story is facinating. As usual, Karen White holds the readers attention. She has become one of my favorite writers.
This is a wonderful book. Has an interesting plot, and characters you will laugh and cry with. I read it for cover to cover in a day- I couldn't put it down. This is the first book I have read by this author, but it won't be the last!
This is the only author who has me reading in bed IN THE MORNING before my feet hit the floor! BUT! Vacation season is over and I ended it with this 4th novel of White's this summer....The plot was most intriguing but I didn't 'fall into' the characters and craved more of the 'real' Pawleys Island. Karen White, you will be my vacation companion again in the future.....
I really enjoyed this book. A bit of mystery, romance, and working out individual problems. This can be a very easy read with nothing more than a fun story. But there is more underneath with the symbolism.
Karen White is just an incredible writer! I have yet to read a book written by her that I didn't love and this one is not exception!
The setting is the South Carolina low country, with the marshes, egrets, turtles and sand dollars adding a great deal to the story.
I loved Jilly Bean and her daughter and all the characters surrounding her, except of course for her parents, but that's part of the story, so I won't go into here. The characters are so real that I still think about them after I have fi...more
The setting is the South Carolina low country, with the marshes, egrets, turtles and sand dollars adding a great deal to the story.
I loved Jilly Bean and her daughter and all the characters surrounding her, except of course for her parents, but that's part of the story, so I won't go into here. The characters are so real that I still think about them after I have fi...more
Loaned by a friend...lighter than some of my last reads...I will keep you posted. Takes place in the spring on Pawley's island.
I figured it out sooner than I wanted to; however, a nice read....Terise, it's a spring or a summer.
I figured it out sooner than I wanted to; however, a nice read....Terise, it's a spring or a summer.
I read this book in a day and it held my attention the entire way through. It was neat because I figured out what was happening the same time the main character did and I really enjoyed it.
This was my first Karen White book, and I really enjoyed the style...and the fact that it was set in the South at Pawley's Island. I look forward to reading the other books by this author!
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