Julia Rasmussen added a quote:
"Don't Worry Be Happy" — Meher Baba

Julia Rasmussen added a quote:
"Most of the evil in this world is done by people with good intentions." — T.S. Eliot

Julia Rasmussen read and liked Antof9's review of The Weight of Water:

"It's very rare that a book -- especially a standard-issue novel -- sends me to the dictionary. This one did not once, but twice, and early in the book. Although I've heard both words many times, and knew in general what they meant, I felt compelled...more It's very rare that a book -- especially a standard-issue novel -- sends me to the dictionary. This one did not once, but twice, and early in the book. Although I've heard both words many times, and knew in general what they meant, I felt compelled to look up their real meanings, given the sentences they fell in. The sentences, with the words in italics below:
"The island is not barren, but it is sere and bleak."
"The Isles of Shoals, an archipelago, lie in the Atlantic, ten miles southeast off the New Hampshire coast at Portsmouth."

Another quote that stuck out to me -- not a new expression, but a good interpretation, and also something indicative of the immigrant experience: "I have found, in the course of my adult life, that the best cure for melancholy is industry."

I don't have much to say about this book -- it was very interesting, but also pretty depressing. I think this is only my second Shreve book, but she seems to be overly preoccupied with extramarital affairs. I'd like to see her pick a new topic, or not write about marriage at all. She's such a good writer that her books are intriguing, regardless of the subject matter, but wow, they're depressing. I'm trying to think of anything redemptive in this book, and don't think it exists. The descriptions of a part of the country I'm unfamiliar with were very interesting, though.(less) "

Julia Rasmussen read and liked Tory's review of The Weight of Water:

"This writer has the most somber, yet beautiful voice. Her stories, though the characters can at times be a bit thin, are incredibly emotional.

This book switched back and forth between a modern day photographer, and the story of the island...more This writer has the most somber, yet beautiful voice. Her stories, though the characters can at times be a bit thin, are incredibly emotional.

This book switched back and forth between a modern day photographer, and the story of the island she was photographing,d and the memoir written of the only surviving member of a murder that took place on the island.

The plot was somewhat scattered, and none of the characters were as developed as much as they needed to be to love them. But, it really didn’t take anything from the book for me. Some writers, good characters are all they have, but Shreve’s voice is stunning enough in itself, that the actual story can become somewhat immaterial to me.

Not that this story was bad, because it wasn’t. Far from it. (less) "

Julia Rasmussen read and liked Michelle Powers's review of The Weight of Water:

"One of those novels that is 2 stories in one. A contemporary story of a woman, her husband and daughter, sailing with his brother and the brother's girlfriend off the coast of New Hampshire and Maine so she can photograph the scene of a murder that t...more One of those novels that is 2 stories in one. A contemporary story of a woman, her husband and daughter, sailing with his brother and the brother's girlfriend off the coast of New Hampshire and Maine so she can photograph the scene of a murder that took place 150 years earlier. The tension of the people on the boat is revealed right away.

And then through trial transcripts and a memoir that has never been found before, the story of Norwegian immigrants who settled on this islands off the coast. While the men were fishing and couldn't get home one night, two of the women in the house were murdered with an ax, one is found the next morning hiding in a cave. (The house is the only one on the island.)

Those who work in archives or libraries will appreciate how I shuddered as the main character stole a file from an unorganized archival collection--the file which contains the truth about the murders.

The story is not very surprising and the ending while not predictable is not shocking. The language and storytelling is very smooth and sort of carries the reader along very easily. I enjoyed the exploration of emotion between the characters in the contemporary story.



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