In the tradition of Philippa Gregory’s smart, transporting fiction comes this tale of dark suspense, love, and betrayal, featuring two star-crossed...
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Dec 29, 2008
Diana
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When I began this book I was not sure if I even wanted to get through it. I thought the character of May being so sexually liberal from the beginning was a little forced. A woman during that time in England and in America would have been punished (quite wrongly, but still) and therefore I was not surprised at what happened to May in America with her new husband. I really liked the character of Hannah, and her naivete and then her strength. She did what she had to do to protect herself and he
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Jan 21, 2011
Jenny
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2.5 Stars. This one started out iffy for me but I kept going and was glad I did because once Hannah got to America I was hooked on the story. But then just as the mystery of what really happened to May started to heat up, Hannah unraveled and so did the rest of the story. I didn't care for the stupidity that suddenly enveloped Hannah nor the choices she made. In the end, neither of the girls were worthy enough in my eyes to be heroines and I felt like I'd been cheated out of the time it took me
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Sep 14, 2009
Julie
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May Powers is no stranger to a good roll in the hay. In fact, she's a little bit too familiar with it. Her honor gone, and no hope of finding a respectable match in her small English town, her father sends her to America to be wed to a distant cousin's son Gabriel. May's sister Hannah is distraught about this, she doesn't want her sister to leave her all alone with their ailing father. Knowing they will meet again after their father dies, May leaves for America and Hannah is left to cling to her
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Apr 28, 2009
Stacy
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I am honestly not sure what I think about this book. The blurb on the back drew me right in...Colonial Maryland, mystery, intrigue and forbidden love? Count me in! But the further I got into the book, the more unbelievable it seemed. I firmly believe May would never have gotten away with her sexual escapades without some dire consequences. And Hannah, oh Hannah...she started out as my favorite character but it seemed as if the second she stepped off the boat in Maryland she became a completely d
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Aug 07, 2010
Erika
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“A mere optical illusion, Hannah,” her father told her, referring to the vanishing point on the horizon. “In truth, the ship does not disappear. The vessel is still there, even if we on the shore cannot see it.” So it transpired that both people and ships could become ghosts without ever dying or sinking beneath the waves. (Prologue, The Vanishing Point)
The Vanishing Point, by Mary Sharratt, is 364 pages and was published in 2006. It was a gift from my beloved writing critique partn More...
The Vanishing Point, by Mary Sharratt, is 364 pages and was published in 2006. It was a gift from my beloved writing critique partn More...
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Apr 20, 2010
Lauren
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The Vanishing Point is an enjoyable historical romance about two sisters, the beautiful and promiscuous May and the plain and intelligent Hannah. In the late 1680s, May sets off from her native England to Maryland to marry a distant cousin who lives on a tabacco plantation. May has ruined her prospects for marriage in her own village because of her promiscuous behavior. Hannah stays behind in England to tend to their ailing father. After their father dies, Hannah travels to the colonies to j
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Feb 25, 2010
DellaDea
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I absolutely loved this book!!! I couldn't put this book down once I had started it, there were a couple of nights of staying up well into the early morning just because I HAD to know what happened to Hannah and May. I love how the story is written in pieces, revealing multiple layers of perspective in a way that was effortless to follow. There were so many twists and turns; just when I thought I had piece of the story figured out, another layer would appear to add more complexity to the charact
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Sep 26, 2011
Sabrina
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I had all intentions of loving this book. The summary I read had me scrambling all over to find a copy. Unfortunately, while I was engaged in the story overall, the ending had me just plain ‘ole upset.
This was a dark book that contained a lot of grief and hardships. Sharratt did a great job of writing daily life in the 1600’s, the scenes were so descriptive I found I had a clear picture of the surroundings.
<spoiler>I didn’t mind the mystery contained in the book, More...
This was a dark book that contained a lot of grief and hardships. Sharratt did a great job of writing daily life in the 1600’s, the scenes were so descriptive I found I had a clear picture of the surroundings.
<spoiler>I didn’t mind the mystery contained in the book, More...
Sep 12, 2010
Elizabeth
rated it:
I've only recently discovered Mary Sharratt's work after reading her latest novel Daughters of the Witching Hill (which is set near to where I live and is a story I know well).
The Vanishing Point took me into new territory to explore a time and country that I wasn't so familiar with and I found the descriptions vivid and evocative.
It was written in an interesting and unusual way that twisted together the stories of the lives of two sisters and a man. The plot was unexp More...
The Vanishing Point took me into new territory to explore a time and country that I wasn't so familiar with and I found the descriptions vivid and evocative.
It was written in an interesting and unusual way that twisted together the stories of the lives of two sisters and a man. The plot was unexp More...
Aug 04, 2011
Bianca
rated it:
This was a great page turner. The story starts in England with two sisters who love eachother but are vastly different. When the older sister commits acts that prevent her from marrying someone in her community so her father is forced to send her to the New World. There she starts a new life but shortly later, a major life change occurs and the younger sister is forced to follow her sister to Maryland. At this point, the family has lost track of the older sister and so a great risk is at stake.
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Jun 22, 2009
Andrea
rated it:
I would really rate this one 2.5 stars instead of just two.
In short, it tells the story of a "loose" girl from England living in the 16th century who gives away her virtue and takes lover after lover. She's sent to America to marry a distant cousin in the hopes that the marriage will reform her.
After her father dies and her younger sister (the epitome of virtue) goes to America to be reunited with her sister. Instead she finds her and her newborn dead and her husb More...
In short, it tells the story of a "loose" girl from England living in the 16th century who gives away her virtue and takes lover after lover. She's sent to America to marry a distant cousin in the hopes that the marriage will reform her.
After her father dies and her younger sister (the epitome of virtue) goes to America to be reunited with her sister. Instead she finds her and her newborn dead and her husb More...
Feb 09, 2011
Joanne
rated it:
The pages flew past as I read on feverishly trying to find the answers to this lusty, sad and absorbing novel. Set in the American wilderness of the late seventeenth century, Hannah Powers, follows her sister, May, from England to colonial Maryland where she envisions her fully entrenched in her new life as wife to their distant relative Gabriel. Mystery snowballs with each chapter, as the reader picks up the scent of foul play, becoming Hannah's accomplice in her hunt to dig out the truth on th
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Jun 20, 2008
Margaret
rated it:
I couldn't put this one down. It interesting in that it's about sister's who move to Maryland to wed after their father dies in England in the 1600's. There is a twist and the plot keeps you guessing.
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Jun 09, 2011
Becky
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period piece - - set between England the new colonies in the Americas in the mid to late 1800s. This isn't a time period I tend to read about or have much interest in - but I really did enjoy this book. It wasn't heavy on plot twists, but the dialogue and characters were well-developed, and I found myself wanting to know how they dealt with the everyday problems they were encountering. my heart strings were tugged at the end when the book tied story lines together, but yet not necessarily wit
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Jul 10, 2011
Charleen
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Please do not read the description of this book on Amazon, Goodreads, or the book jacket - they all contain spoilers. Read my spoiler-free review below:
This book is about two sisters in England in the 1600's. The eldest is sent to America to marry her distant cousin, sight unseen. Upon the death of the father, the younger daughter travels to Virginia to join her sister. Once she gets there, she finds that things are not as she expected.
This book has different levels: pe More...
This book is about two sisters in England in the 1600's. The eldest is sent to America to marry her distant cousin, sight unseen. Upon the death of the father, the younger daughter travels to Virginia to join her sister. Once she gets there, she finds that things are not as she expected.
This book has different levels: pe More...
Jun 14, 2010
Michelle
rated it:
I finished reading the book this morning before I went to work. Bad idea. I could not stop thinking about the ending ( I really do not want to give anything away). I could not stop my brain from trying to process all the different emotions I was going through. It is a good book. It is a thought provoking, passionate book you will not be able to put down ... whether you love OR hate the book. There are characters you love; characters you weep for; and characters you hate and wish Karma would ha
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Jul 31, 2009
Mollie
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I loved this book. Okay, yes, May's wanton ways gave me pause. But I've always suspected there were many women like her around and not written about very often. And in the authors after note she explains where May must have gotten her ideas from, which probably should have been handled somehow in the text itself. But I thought it was written well and the plot and characterization were wonderful. I loved the way it glimpsed early American history through very personal terms. I enjoyed her writing
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Mar 08, 2009
Joni
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I found that after I finished this book, I was still caught up in it. I mourned for Hannah and Gabriel what could've have been if only they had listened to their hearts, instead of choosing to believe lies. May's character was a bit hard to believe; the sexual liberties that she took during the time period would have been unacceptable, both before she left England, as well as once she was in the new World. Beyond that it made me examine the decisions that we make and the consequences with whi
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Aug 18, 2011
Gaile
rated it:
This book was so absorbing I read it in one day. It doesn't fit any of the genres of modern day but either do I think it was written in the tradition of Philippa Gregory. This book reminds me more of an older writer, Elizabeth Goudge.
May Powers is seven years older than her sister, Hannah. She is also a loose woman. Having earned a bad reputation in their small village, her father decides to send her to the new world as a bride for his cousin's son. May thinks of the journey as a great adve More...
May Powers is seven years older than her sister, Hannah. She is also a loose woman. Having earned a bad reputation in their small village, her father decides to send her to the new world as a bride for his cousin's son. May thinks of the journey as a great adve More...
Feb 08, 2011
Renee
rated it:
"The Vanishing Point" was far, far different from what I was expecting it to be. And far, far darker too- but in a good way.
The summary on the back of the book really doesn't do justice to the complexity of the story. Before reading it, I only knew the basic start to Hannah's story: her sister May goes to America for an arranged marriage, Hannah follows her there a while later, she finds out that May has passed away, and she falls in love with May's widow, Gabriel. And bein More...
The summary on the back of the book really doesn't do justice to the complexity of the story. Before reading it, I only knew the basic start to Hannah's story: her sister May goes to America for an arranged marriage, Hannah follows her there a while later, she finds out that May has passed away, and she falls in love with May's widow, Gabriel. And bein More...
May 28, 2011
Tori
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
To view it, click here
Aug 05, 2010
Ashley
rated it: 
This book was painful to read and I had to force myself to finish it. THe summary on the back cover was not the same as the book itself. By the end of this book I hated every character and couldn't wait to finish it so that I could move on. The distrubing details about the animal slaughterings were unnecessary and were two pages long. I would not recommend this book to anyone.
Jul 25, 2011
2010- This was a quick read for me, mainly because the author did a good job of building a suspenseful plot. The main characters, sisters May and Hannah, have unique voices and I liked that the author used multiple viewpoints.One thing that irked me was the description on the back of the book. I felt it revealed too much of the plot and probably should be rewritten.
Oct 14, 2009
Lindy
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Audra let me borrow this book, and I really loved it until I realized that it was one of those books where nothing turns out the way it should. When I finished it I was seriously depressed and had to rewrite the ending just to not be down in the dumps. The two sisters in this story destroy Gabriel's life, leaving him alone to a life of solitary roaming.
Aug 20, 2010
Natalie
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I would give this book 15 stars if I could, 5 doesn't come remotely close! I've read three of Mary Sharratt books in the last 6 weeks, and whilst this one took me slightly longer to get into than the other two, it easily became my favourite!
I got totally sucked in to Hannah and Gabriel's romance, and was devastated when it all went wrong! I was hooked on the mystery of what happened to May too!
I cannot recommend this book highly enough!
I got totally sucked in to Hannah and Gabriel's romance, and was devastated when it all went wrong! I was hooked on the mystery of what happened to May too!
I cannot recommend this book highly enough!
Nov 25, 2009
Sarah
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The book started off well enough. But by the end I became so tired of Hannah crying, using the same tired words about her sister, and accusing the man she apparently loves of murder every chapter, that several times I thought it would be satisfying to throw the book across the room. I wish I would have listened to myself and gave up on this book long ago. :-(
Aug 06, 2011
Rebecca
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This book had a very ephemeral quality-dark, foggy, and mysterious. It reminded me of the mood of A Reliable Wife, though it wasn't quite as dark. I was starting to wonder if I really liked the book about two-thirds through, but the author made me a believer by the end. a good read!
Jun 14, 2010
Becky
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Good historical fiction. More romance than action -- i.e. all action is propelled by emotion and personal decisions. Emotions always conflicted, providing the tension. This would appeal to people who enjoy historical fiction and romances. A cut above the typical book of either genre.
Jul 12, 2011
Sandy
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If you like historical fiction you will enjoy this book. The writing is vivid, transporting you back into a time in our history where the land harsh and unforgiving, and many open spaces of wilderness. The book comes together in pieces with many twists and turns, unraveling a mystery and a raw love.
An excellant read.
An excellant read.
May 15, 2009
Alicia
rated it:
Overall a good read- a good, quick read. However, it left me wanting more facts about life in the colonies and treatment of women/men/indentured servants. The author hit on many different aspects, but never really delved deeply into any of them.
