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Madeline Dare #4
Valley of Ashes
Madeline Dare trades New York's gritty streets for the tree-lined avenues of Boulder, Colorado when her husband Dean lands a promising job. Madeline, now a full-time homemaker and mother to beautiful toddler twin girls, has achieved everything she thought she always wanted, but with her husband constantly on the road, she's fighting a losing battle against the Betty Friedan riptide of suburban/maternal exhaustion, angst, and sheer loneliness. A new freelance newspaper gig helps her get her mojo back, but Boulder isn't nearly as tranquil as it seems: there's a serial arsonist at large in the city. As Madeline closes in on the culprit, the fires turn deadly-and the stakes tragically personal. She'll need every ounce of strength and courage she has to keep the flames from reaching her own doorstep, threatening all she holds most dear.
Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2012
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About the author
Cornelia Read
11 books198 followersI have circumnavigated the globe, throwing up in many of the world's airports as I hate to fly. I was born in Manhattan, and spent my childhood racketing around from New York to California to Oahu.
I know old-school WASP culture firsthand, having been born into the tenth (and last) generation of my mother's family to live on Oyster Bay's Centre Island. I was subsequently raised near Big Sur by divorced hippie-renegade parents. My childhood mentors included Sufis, surfers, single moms, Black Panthers, Ansel Adams, draft dodgers, striking farmworkers, and Henry Miller's toughest ping-pong rival.
I am now at home molding the characters (evil laugh here) of my twin daughters, the younger of whom has severe autism. I am the world's worst housewife, nicknamed by my intrepid spouse "a lighting rod for entropy in the universe."
I like to read a lot, being especially fond of the backs of cereal boxes and badly garbled assembly instructions written by persons for whom English is not the language of choice (although my all-time favorite bit of writing was contained in the song list on a bootleg Dylan tape in Hong Kong, which claimed "Bowling in the Wind" was the first cut on side A).
For the last several generations, my family's motto has been "Never a Dull Moment." None of us know how you would say this in Latin. I subscribe to my sister's gustatory philosophy, which is that "there are two kinds of food in the world: food that's good, and food that needs more salt."
My two favorite songs are Patsy Cline's "Sweet Dreams" and that little bit of Bach Glenn Gould plays right when the Tralfamadorians are coming out of the stars to kidnap Billy Pilgrim and his old dog Spot in the movie version of Slaughterhouse Five. The Rolling Stones doing "King Bee" gets an honorable mention.
I have now published two novels, A Field of Darkness and The Crazy School. Field was nominated for seven awards, including the Edgar for best first novel. I am also the grateful recipient of a 2008 National Endowment for the Arts Creative Writing Fellowship.
I would like to be Winston Churchill when I grow up.
I know old-school WASP culture firsthand, having been born into the tenth (and last) generation of my mother's family to live on Oyster Bay's Centre Island. I was subsequently raised near Big Sur by divorced hippie-renegade parents. My childhood mentors included Sufis, surfers, single moms, Black Panthers, Ansel Adams, draft dodgers, striking farmworkers, and Henry Miller's toughest ping-pong rival.
I am now at home molding the characters (evil laugh here) of my twin daughters, the younger of whom has severe autism. I am the world's worst housewife, nicknamed by my intrepid spouse "a lighting rod for entropy in the universe."
I like to read a lot, being especially fond of the backs of cereal boxes and badly garbled assembly instructions written by persons for whom English is not the language of choice (although my all-time favorite bit of writing was contained in the song list on a bootleg Dylan tape in Hong Kong, which claimed "Bowling in the Wind" was the first cut on side A).
For the last several generations, my family's motto has been "Never a Dull Moment." None of us know how you would say this in Latin. I subscribe to my sister's gustatory philosophy, which is that "there are two kinds of food in the world: food that's good, and food that needs more salt."
My two favorite songs are Patsy Cline's "Sweet Dreams" and that little bit of Bach Glenn Gould plays right when the Tralfamadorians are coming out of the stars to kidnap Billy Pilgrim and his old dog Spot in the movie version of Slaughterhouse Five. The Rolling Stones doing "King Bee" gets an honorable mention.
I have now published two novels, A Field of Darkness and The Crazy School. Field was nominated for seven awards, including the Edgar for best first novel. I am also the grateful recipient of a 2008 National Endowment for the Arts Creative Writing Fellowship.
I would like to be Winston Churchill when I grow up.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 112 reviews
November 22, 2012
I feel as if Read started off writing edgy crime stories with a funny, foul-mouthed heroine who was pretty much unputdownable, and has veered off into personal angst with a large dash of bitterness. It was a shock to discover at the start of this book that Maddy's husband Dean, who has always been such a honey, has turned into a complaining, high-handed creep. Okay, so 18 months have passed since the end of the last book, but there was never any sign of this earlier. It's hard not to see it as a thinly disguised re-run of Read's own personal traumas - she mentions in the acknowledgements that she was divorced while writing this book, plus her father committed suicide. As for the ending - she has set up the next few books as pretty tragic. I suspect I'll keep following the story of Maddy Dare, for a while at least, but I do regret the disappearance of that wild girl who made me laugh so much. Maybe she just grew up, which everyone is entitled to do, even literary bad girls. The trouble is, I don't read crime stories to be confronted by the exigencies of growing up.
September 7, 2012
Not sure what is happening with Ms. Read these days. I do know she recently went through a divorce and the agony of conflicting emotions one experiences during that process (been there myself) is painfully clear in this novel. In fact, Valley of Ashes is less a mystery and more a raw outpouring of Maddie Dare's personal hell as she struggles to hold it together. The bloom is definitely off the rose as far as her hitherto wonderful husband Dean is concerned. He was a perfect sh*t right out of the gate, in fact, a surprise to me since he and Maddie had a loving and mutually supportive relationship in the earlier novels. I was a little dismayed at how the previously strong and sassy Maddie seemed to wither under the onslaught of her troubles, not the least of which appeared to be the difficulty of being essentially a single mom to twin girls. I kind of got the feeling at the end that Maddie as a literary character has twinkled out of existence, a shame since she's brilliantly drawn and I for one would like to see her back in the saddle again, large and in charge and taking no prisoners (pick your cliche.) Ms. Read is a sharp, witty author but this felt like the classic beginner's mistake, an autobiography thinly disguised as a novel.
September 3, 2012
This was my first book of Read's, and apparently I dropped in on a series. I think the book is pretty well self-contained though...while there are references to things happening earlier in Madeline Dare's life, I don't think any of them are essential to this book.
So, why didn't I like this book? There are some great turns of phrase here, and I think I would like Madeline, the protagonist. But it was less of a mystery than "let me show you what a sack of feces my husband is." And, given that Read talks in the acknowledgements about getting divorced while writing this book, I have a feeling that a lot of the plot around Dean is probably true to life (not the crime part, but the scumbag part.) Perhaps writing a book is better than going to therapy (hey, you can make money instead of spending it!) but seriously, it was painful to read at times...it was like Alanis Morrisette wrote a book instead of a hit song, and instead of it being over in three minutes, it took over three hours.
And the ending was absolutely unacceptable. I won't go into it or use spoiler tags, but if you read it, you'll know why I think it was offensive. I also fear that it was there to set up the next book in the series, and while I might be tempted, since Read is a good writer and the other books might be better, if it has anything to do with what was revealed at the end, that's a pity party I won't be attending.
So, why didn't I like this book? There are some great turns of phrase here, and I think I would like Madeline, the protagonist. But it was less of a mystery than "let me show you what a sack of feces my husband is." And, given that Read talks in the acknowledgements about getting divorced while writing this book, I have a feeling that a lot of the plot around Dean is probably true to life (not the crime part, but the scumbag part.) Perhaps writing a book is better than going to therapy (hey, you can make money instead of spending it!) but seriously, it was painful to read at times...it was like Alanis Morrisette wrote a book instead of a hit song, and instead of it being over in three minutes, it took over three hours.
And the ending was absolutely unacceptable. I won't go into it or use spoiler tags, but if you read it, you'll know why I think it was offensive. I also fear that it was there to set up the next book in the series, and while I might be tempted, since Read is a good writer and the other books might be better, if it has anything to do with what was revealed at the end, that's a pity party I won't be attending.
Read
March 2, 2013This book actually made me angry that I wasted my time on it. It started out well, but the second half completely fell apart. Major plot points raised in the first half were all but dropped in the second half, turning what could have been a good mystery about a series of arsons into a mystery about why those events were even written into the book. Characters were not fleshed out at all so their actions were totally random, and the author TELLS you that people are dear close friends without ever showing you HOW or WHY. The ending was absolutely ridiculous--a version of "the butler did it" without ever previously even mentioning a butler. It's like one author wrote the first half, and then a completely different person--someone who had never read a book--wrote the second half.
I don't think I'm even capable of describing just how disappointing this book is. Zero stars, would not read again.
I don't think I'm even capable of describing just how disappointing this book is. Zero stars, would not read again.
August 25, 2012
I want to be Madeleine's friend. I want to help her with the twins, vacuum her floor, call her when I'm pissed at my husband and kick back beer and some soggy cheese nips with her. If you haven't read any of Cornelia Read's books, what are you waiting for? I love Read's voice in her novels...it is altogether too real.
September 13, 2012
This fourth book in the Madeline Dare series took me by surprise. I've enjoyed the three previous books. They were funny and dark and really well written. This one is funny, dark, really well written and VERY personal. It's 1995 in Boulder, CO. Madeline is living in a rental house with hideous orange everything. Dean, her husband, is immersed in a job that keeps him either working late or traveling. They now have twin daughters who are about to turn a year old, the house is in a perpetual mess, money is tight and neither Dean nor Madeline have had a good night's sleep since the babies were born. Happily, Madeline is offered the opportunity to work for a local newspaper as a freelance. The money isn't much, but she's just going to be a restaurant critic right? That works out fine until she starts getting interested in a series of fires that have been set around the area, some of which are uncomfortably close to her own home. Then one of the fires hits TOO close......Yes, this sounds like another good mystery, but it's far more than that. I don't want to give away the ending here. All I can say, is I hope less time passes until #5 comes out!
September 21, 2012
I suspect this was a book she had to write but I shouldn't have read. Not a mystery and not my thing. The first part, with Maddy struggling to keep her 1 year old twins in line and do the housework too, is hilarious. The rest is meh. This is not chick-lit. It's stay-at- home-mom of young children with husband scurrying up the corporate ladder lit. Even with the laughs, it's pretty depressing.
October 8, 2012
So far, fantastic like all of Cornelia's books. Edgy, real voice. Real characters with baggage. More detailed review to come.
September 7, 2012
Cornelia Read does it again. Madeline Dare has moved to Colorado with her husband after he gets a job with Ionix. She is completely bowed under with caring for twins under a year old and life in Boulder is just way too granola for an East Coast girl like Madeline. She gets a job writing restaurant reviews for a small Boulder newspaper and ends up following around an arson investigator who becomes her friend. Mimi is on the trail of a serial arsonist and Madeline wants to help. She is encouraged by another friend, Cary, who knows how much it means to Madeline to be involved in writing again. Meanwhile, Dean is too absorbed in work and work-related travel to really be paying attention to Madeline and their relationship becomes more and more strained. Then Cary is murdered and Madeline knows something is very wrong at Ionix. Cornelia writes so very well; I like to read sentences out loud because the words are things I would say in the same situations in which Madeline finds herself. Another great entry in this series of books, highly recommended.
February 6, 2016
Filled with snarky attitude, sarcasm, and the overwhelming use of the "f word" Valley of Ashes was rather a disappointment. Each of the preceding characteristics might work well individually or even in combination (well, maybe not the overuse of the f word) but were not put to good use in this case. Too much of a 'good' thing.
Also taxing my ability to suspend disbelief was the primary character, Madeline's, parenting role. Her children, 1-year-old twins, and their needs, were her main focus, except when they were not. Madeline was written as a caring and concerned mother yet her lapses were not believable; not in character. Not to say that mothers (and fathers) can't and don't have lapses, because, of course, they do, but Madeline's lapses made no sense.
While there were a few entertaining bits and pieces, overall, this book was not well written.
Also taxing my ability to suspend disbelief was the primary character, Madeline's, parenting role. Her children, 1-year-old twins, and their needs, were her main focus, except when they were not. Madeline was written as a caring and concerned mother yet her lapses were not believable; not in character. Not to say that mothers (and fathers) can't and don't have lapses, because, of course, they do, but Madeline's lapses made no sense.
While there were a few entertaining bits and pieces, overall, this book was not well written.
September 4, 2012
I loved this book! Spent Labor Day in a hammock at the Lake with my Kindle. I just could not put it down to swim, cook or ride the wave runners. Every mother can relate to Madeline. I especially loved it that Cornelia Read has Madeline saying words and having thoughts I've had about a man who was and still is self-centered, but I have never been clever enough to voice so wonderfully well. She nails it.
June 2, 2024
It got to be really depressing toward the end. But still enjoyable.
July 19, 2013
I dind't like this book.
I gave it one star only, because it felt like the author was using this book as a kind of catharsis, to work through her own stuff and it appeared that a lot of her own pain went into the book.
However, from a literary point of view, the book missed the topic entirely.
I started off as a crime novel, which took such second place to mundaine life stuff that it was no longer funny. The end was strange, unexpected, but not pleasantly so.
There was way too much pain in this book to make it an easy read or enjoyable. It felt like it ought to have been on the far other end of the shelf to where chick lit resides. Somewhere among the dark, the distressing and the boring zeitgeist babble.
I disliked the deterioration of the protagonist intensly, especially because she had been such a strong person in her past. Although it was in keeping with all the stuff she had to deal with I would have thought she'd cope better with a couple of kids. I admit I have no children of my own, and some would therefore claim this disqualifies me from commenting, however, I find that most women these days are not capable of looking after one child, with all the mod cons one could wish for. My mother had 3 children under 3 years of age, no car, no washing mashine or dryer, no disposable diapers/nappies, the closest shop was 20 minutes to walk just to get a bottle of milk, and my father was a traveling saleman, away from home 5 days a week returning with a suitcase full of dirty clothes that needed washing and had to be dry by Monday morning and she coped! I ask, what is wrong with modern mothers? They can't even put on make-up or tidy the house.
Back to the book , the protagonists husband was a right "idiot" (I would have used another word here, but wanted to refrain from using 4 letter words.). His actions made me want to put my fist into his face to say the least.
I understand that this is book 4 or so in a series and this was my introduction to it.
I must say, this book will not make me want to rush out to get the previous books, nor will I be in a hurry to get the next book. This one was quite depressing enough.
The only reason I didn't discard this book is that I had discarded two other books in the past 10 days and made myself get through this as an exercise in discipline and to prevent myself from discarding books because after reading as many books as I have I might be getting a little fussy.
All up the book was rather boring. As mentioned the book was supposed to be about a firebug and the protagonists investigative journalism. Turns out most of the book was about the 1 year old twins, which I found the most boring topic ever. I really am not a keen on small children, or children of any agae and found the endless talk about them interminably dull, uninteresting, and soul-distroying. Let's be honest, if you pick up a book about a firebug and an investigative journalist, you don't expect to have to read about broccoli in the hair of babies and whether they wear the stripy leggins or the baby jamy-suits with the blue background and the little cows on it.
Maybe this would be a good book for the new mothers book shelf. They can put up with such unsatisfying dribble.
And one last thing: there is a rule about children's development. "Walk by 1, talk by 2". It means children walk by the age of 1 year, and talk by the age of 2 years. (on average.)
This author seems to entirely ignore this basic rule, as she has her 1 years olds talk all the time. And say comlicated phrases like "Winnie the poo" and ask questions like "mummie all right?" One year olds have not got the capacity to see that mum might not be ok and voice it as a question. Get real.
I gave it one star only, because it felt like the author was using this book as a kind of catharsis, to work through her own stuff and it appeared that a lot of her own pain went into the book.
However, from a literary point of view, the book missed the topic entirely.
I started off as a crime novel, which took such second place to mundaine life stuff that it was no longer funny. The end was strange, unexpected, but not pleasantly so.
There was way too much pain in this book to make it an easy read or enjoyable. It felt like it ought to have been on the far other end of the shelf to where chick lit resides. Somewhere among the dark, the distressing and the boring zeitgeist babble.
I disliked the deterioration of the protagonist intensly, especially because she had been such a strong person in her past. Although it was in keeping with all the stuff she had to deal with I would have thought she'd cope better with a couple of kids. I admit I have no children of my own, and some would therefore claim this disqualifies me from commenting, however, I find that most women these days are not capable of looking after one child, with all the mod cons one could wish for. My mother had 3 children under 3 years of age, no car, no washing mashine or dryer, no disposable diapers/nappies, the closest shop was 20 minutes to walk just to get a bottle of milk, and my father was a traveling saleman, away from home 5 days a week returning with a suitcase full of dirty clothes that needed washing and had to be dry by Monday morning and she coped! I ask, what is wrong with modern mothers? They can't even put on make-up or tidy the house.
Back to the book , the protagonists husband was a right "idiot" (I would have used another word here, but wanted to refrain from using 4 letter words.). His actions made me want to put my fist into his face to say the least.
I understand that this is book 4 or so in a series and this was my introduction to it.
I must say, this book will not make me want to rush out to get the previous books, nor will I be in a hurry to get the next book. This one was quite depressing enough.
The only reason I didn't discard this book is that I had discarded two other books in the past 10 days and made myself get through this as an exercise in discipline and to prevent myself from discarding books because after reading as many books as I have I might be getting a little fussy.
All up the book was rather boring. As mentioned the book was supposed to be about a firebug and the protagonists investigative journalism. Turns out most of the book was about the 1 year old twins, which I found the most boring topic ever. I really am not a keen on small children, or children of any agae and found the endless talk about them interminably dull, uninteresting, and soul-distroying. Let's be honest, if you pick up a book about a firebug and an investigative journalist, you don't expect to have to read about broccoli in the hair of babies and whether they wear the stripy leggins or the baby jamy-suits with the blue background and the little cows on it.
Maybe this would be a good book for the new mothers book shelf. They can put up with such unsatisfying dribble.
And one last thing: there is a rule about children's development. "Walk by 1, talk by 2". It means children walk by the age of 1 year, and talk by the age of 2 years. (on average.)
This author seems to entirely ignore this basic rule, as she has her 1 years olds talk all the time. And say comlicated phrases like "Winnie the poo" and ask questions like "mummie all right?" One year olds have not got the capacity to see that mum might not be ok and voice it as a question. Get real.
August 18, 2012
First Line: When we first moved to Boulder, I was entirely too happy-- a state of being so rare in my experience that I found it rather terrifying.
Madeline's husband Dean found a job in Boulder, Colorado, and while he spends a lot of his time on the road as a salesman, Madeline is a stay-at-home mother of two toddler twin girls, India and Parrish. Her world couldn't be any more different from the life she knew in New York City.
At first Madeline is ecstatically happy, but as exhaustion wears her down, she becomes dissatisfied. Her world has shrunk to an endless round of taking care of two demanding babies, a house that is never clean, and a husband who, when he is home, is more and more critical of her.
When her mother and her friends tell her that she needs to do something outside the house just for her, she manages to get a job writing restaurant reviews for a local newspaper. The editor loves her writing and asks her to attend a neighborhood meeting in which fire department officials will advise residents on how to defend themselves against an arsonist who's been torching buildings in the area. The subject fascinates her, and Madeline becomes friends with one of the arson investigators. She even begins to do a bit of investigating on her own, but when the fires turn deadly and the stakes disastrously personal, Madeline finds that she needs every atom of courage she possesses to keep those whom she loves safe from harm.
When someone asks me to list my favorite writers of any genre, Cornelia Read is always in the top tier. Her creation, Madeline Dare, is the best blend of smart alecky, brave vulnerability that I've ever encountered. At first, I was hesitant with this book. Madeline as a mother? I chose not to procreate for a very good reason: I am not child friendly. Read made me forget all that as Madeline hauled her children all over town in a red wagon, as she fixed them broccoli, and made sure she packed the sippy cups and extra diapers. Madeline was a natural, and she made me forget that I'm not.
I cheered as she found the job at the newspaper so she could do something she liked to do that didn't involve babies... something that made her feel better about herself. She needed that because as the pages turned I had grave misgivings about the way her marriage was going, and so did her friends in Boulder.
The mystery concerning the arsonist is an intriguing one, but this book is about so much more than arson. It's about motherhood and marriage, it's about friendship and tragedy and grief. It's about standing up for yourself and those you love. There are many things in life that can turn to ash within the blink of an eye. As Madeline deals with all these issues, I was intensely emotionally involved. This sassy-mouthed woman with a big, big heart is one of the few fictional characters who can make me cheer, laugh, gasp, and cry within the space of a very few sentences.
If I didn't know better, I'd swear that Cornelia Read dips her pen in her own heart's blood as she writes. This is beautifully written, emotional, soul-searing and laugh-out-loud funny fiction at its very best. It's anyone's guess as to whose soul is bared the most throughout the book, Madeline's or Cornelia's, and it really doesn't matter. What does matter is that I want more. Lots more.
Madeline's husband Dean found a job in Boulder, Colorado, and while he spends a lot of his time on the road as a salesman, Madeline is a stay-at-home mother of two toddler twin girls, India and Parrish. Her world couldn't be any more different from the life she knew in New York City.
At first Madeline is ecstatically happy, but as exhaustion wears her down, she becomes dissatisfied. Her world has shrunk to an endless round of taking care of two demanding babies, a house that is never clean, and a husband who, when he is home, is more and more critical of her.
When her mother and her friends tell her that she needs to do something outside the house just for her, she manages to get a job writing restaurant reviews for a local newspaper. The editor loves her writing and asks her to attend a neighborhood meeting in which fire department officials will advise residents on how to defend themselves against an arsonist who's been torching buildings in the area. The subject fascinates her, and Madeline becomes friends with one of the arson investigators. She even begins to do a bit of investigating on her own, but when the fires turn deadly and the stakes disastrously personal, Madeline finds that she needs every atom of courage she possesses to keep those whom she loves safe from harm.
When someone asks me to list my favorite writers of any genre, Cornelia Read is always in the top tier. Her creation, Madeline Dare, is the best blend of smart alecky, brave vulnerability that I've ever encountered. At first, I was hesitant with this book. Madeline as a mother? I chose not to procreate for a very good reason: I am not child friendly. Read made me forget all that as Madeline hauled her children all over town in a red wagon, as she fixed them broccoli, and made sure she packed the sippy cups and extra diapers. Madeline was a natural, and she made me forget that I'm not.
I cheered as she found the job at the newspaper so she could do something she liked to do that didn't involve babies... something that made her feel better about herself. She needed that because as the pages turned I had grave misgivings about the way her marriage was going, and so did her friends in Boulder.
The mystery concerning the arsonist is an intriguing one, but this book is about so much more than arson. It's about motherhood and marriage, it's about friendship and tragedy and grief. It's about standing up for yourself and those you love. There are many things in life that can turn to ash within the blink of an eye. As Madeline deals with all these issues, I was intensely emotionally involved. This sassy-mouthed woman with a big, big heart is one of the few fictional characters who can make me cheer, laugh, gasp, and cry within the space of a very few sentences.
If I didn't know better, I'd swear that Cornelia Read dips her pen in her own heart's blood as she writes. This is beautifully written, emotional, soul-searing and laugh-out-loud funny fiction at its very best. It's anyone's guess as to whose soul is bared the most throughout the book, Madeline's or Cornelia's, and it really doesn't matter. What does matter is that I want more. Lots more.
September 11, 2012
I'm very fond of Madeline Dare. She's smart, snarky, tough, and downright lovable. In her latest adventure she's moved to Boulder with husband Dean and is sorting through what it means to be a full-time mother to two twin toddlers. When I say "full-time mother" that's exactly what I mean - no working, no money of your own - in many ways blissful yet utterly dependent on the person who earns the money who may or may not deserve you and your efforts.
Valley of Ashes is a great story, but it's also a really sad one. Watching Madeline try to juggle everything, deal with some awful things happening with her friends and with her marriage is both inspiring and heartbreaking. Add to this the fact that her best friend is dealing with similar issues in her own marriage and I was too closely reminded of the time period before my divorce (different issues, but similar pain).
Women who get to stay home with their kids make a lot of sacrifices and are very lucky. I know I was grateful to spend the first 18 months of my son's life home with him. It created a bond that has been unbreakable our whole lives. It's tough work, but the reward is great. The choice definitely must be made with the right partner. In my experience money creates a power differential and when you're the one not making any you're usually the loser in that equation. I was fortunate that I didn't have that problem in my own situation, but many women aren't so lucky.
It was, as always, great to watch Madeline kick ass and take names and utterly heartbreaking to experience the outcomes with her. I hope she'll come back in a new place in her life when next we see her. Ms. Read is a great writer and in Madeline Dare she's created a heroine I won't soon forget.
Valley of Ashes is a great story, but it's also a really sad one. Watching Madeline try to juggle everything, deal with some awful things happening with her friends and with her marriage is both inspiring and heartbreaking. Add to this the fact that her best friend is dealing with similar issues in her own marriage and I was too closely reminded of the time period before my divorce (different issues, but similar pain).
Women who get to stay home with their kids make a lot of sacrifices and are very lucky. I know I was grateful to spend the first 18 months of my son's life home with him. It created a bond that has been unbreakable our whole lives. It's tough work, but the reward is great. The choice definitely must be made with the right partner. In my experience money creates a power differential and when you're the one not making any you're usually the loser in that equation. I was fortunate that I didn't have that problem in my own situation, but many women aren't so lucky.
It was, as always, great to watch Madeline kick ass and take names and utterly heartbreaking to experience the outcomes with her. I hope she'll come back in a new place in her life when next we see her. Ms. Read is a great writer and in Madeline Dare she's created a heroine I won't soon forget.
October 10, 2012
As I again entered the world of Madeline Dare, I found myself thinking I recognized this woman. Heck, I’ve been this woman! Madeline, an English major and would-be journalist and/or fiction writer, is now at 32 a full-time homemaker, the mother of gorgeous one-year-old twin girls, whose housekeeping skills could use a little work.
Manhattan born and bred, she has done her penance in Syracuse, New York in the early years of her marriage, now trying to get used to life in Colorado where her husband, Dean [“Intrepid Spouse”], has a new and demanding job, one that keeps him on the road a good deal of the time. Having a bit of trouble adjusting, she thinks “There was just something about the sheer numbing expanse and tonnage of those amber waves of grain, once you’d turned your back on purple mountains’ majesty . . . I wanted to be near water, preferably an ocean.”
Maddie’s personal history is interesting, to say the least: Her mother has just entered into her fifth marriage, and her new husband is on death row. Maddie has landed a job, on spec initially, at a free weekly paper, the Boulder New Times, as a restaurant critic, but is hopeful that real reporting lies ahead: There has been a rash of fires locally about which there is a suspicion of a serial arsonist at work. Gears suddenly change when things take a tragic and very personal turn of events, and what has till now been an enjoyable and well-written tale, with liberal doses of dry humor, becomes a suspenseful page-turner that I couldn’t put down.
This is the best one yet for Cornelia Read in the series. As was the case with the last Madeline Dare novel, "Invisible Boy," this one too is highly recommended.
Manhattan born and bred, she has done her penance in Syracuse, New York in the early years of her marriage, now trying to get used to life in Colorado where her husband, Dean [“Intrepid Spouse”], has a new and demanding job, one that keeps him on the road a good deal of the time. Having a bit of trouble adjusting, she thinks “There was just something about the sheer numbing expanse and tonnage of those amber waves of grain, once you’d turned your back on purple mountains’ majesty . . . I wanted to be near water, preferably an ocean.”
Maddie’s personal history is interesting, to say the least: Her mother has just entered into her fifth marriage, and her new husband is on death row. Maddie has landed a job, on spec initially, at a free weekly paper, the Boulder New Times, as a restaurant critic, but is hopeful that real reporting lies ahead: There has been a rash of fires locally about which there is a suspicion of a serial arsonist at work. Gears suddenly change when things take a tragic and very personal turn of events, and what has till now been an enjoyable and well-written tale, with liberal doses of dry humor, becomes a suspenseful page-turner that I couldn’t put down.
This is the best one yet for Cornelia Read in the series. As was the case with the last Madeline Dare novel, "Invisible Boy," this one too is highly recommended.
August 18, 2012
Madeline Dare is a snarky, quick-whitted heroine; a personality made real through the skilled writing of Cornelia Read.
Madeline (aka "Bunny" as known by the selfish husband), has just moved to Boulder with her husband and is painfully in need of friends, while she skillfully juggles twins on the cusp of their first birthday. She's a darn-near perfect mother, but Read weaves in a bit of the failed homemaker misery without spoiling the awesome mom image. There are things that lurk beyond Madeline's periphery that turn an interesting and uproariously funny story into heart-stopping suspense. All is not as it seems in their small circle of new friends in Boulder. Can't say much else without spoilers, so will refrain from much more on the storyline.
Read writes this in first person point of view, bringing alive every thought in Madeline's head. As a writer, I particularly enjoyed her musings while she crafts articles for a small local paper. She also manages to skillfully blend what Madeline's husband is say and what she wishes he would say without disrupting the storyline. One thing to keep in mind, Madeline and friends are even more real with their use of foul language in dialog and narrative. I found it added to the hilarity and gravity of situations in the book, but sensitive souls may find it upsetting.
Madeline (aka "Bunny" as known by the selfish husband), has just moved to Boulder with her husband and is painfully in need of friends, while she skillfully juggles twins on the cusp of their first birthday. She's a darn-near perfect mother, but Read weaves in a bit of the failed homemaker misery without spoiling the awesome mom image. There are things that lurk beyond Madeline's periphery that turn an interesting and uproariously funny story into heart-stopping suspense. All is not as it seems in their small circle of new friends in Boulder. Can't say much else without spoilers, so will refrain from much more on the storyline.
Read writes this in first person point of view, bringing alive every thought in Madeline's head. As a writer, I particularly enjoyed her musings while she crafts articles for a small local paper. She also manages to skillfully blend what Madeline's husband is say and what she wishes he would say without disrupting the storyline. One thing to keep in mind, Madeline and friends are even more real with their use of foul language in dialog and narrative. I found it added to the hilarity and gravity of situations in the book, but sensitive souls may find it upsetting.
October 13, 2012
I think there is something unique going on in this book, but a couple of things made it difficult for me to figure out what.
First, the entire book seems to be composed of one-sentence paragraphs. I don't know if this is an editing decision, or if the author intended it that way, but it was very distracting.
Second, the narrative voice is extremely funny -- there are some truly hilarious lines -- but it goes way, way over the top, to the point where it feels almost farcical. Which, I think, would work great if the story were a farcical one, but it's not.
I'll be curious to read future books by this author to see how she develops.
First, the entire book seems to be composed of one-sentence paragraphs. I don't know if this is an editing decision, or if the author intended it that way, but it was very distracting.
Second, the narrative voice is extremely funny -- there are some truly hilarious lines -- but it goes way, way over the top, to the point where it feels almost farcical. Which, I think, would work great if the story were a farcical one, but it's not.
I'll be curious to read future books by this author to see how she develops.
June 21, 2015
This was the most difficult of the Madeline Dare books to get through as Madeline and Dean are going through a brutal rough patch in their marriage. The mystery takes a backseat to the emotional turmoil and struggles Madeline is having as a stay-at home mom who is alone much of the time. Their are glimpses at the snarky, very funny, powerhouse Madeline I came to know in love in earlier books, but I spent most of the read aching for her and pissed off at Dean. The experience is akin to watching your strong funny friend suffer. Not a pleasant reading experience, but I am devoted to Madeline and so I soldiered through and was rewarded.
August 18, 2012
I absolutly loved this book. Madeline Dare is a tough, strong, smart, kickass chick and I wanna be just like her when I go up!! Cornelia Read's writing style is different and unique. I hope there ALOT more books from her in the future!
August 19, 2012
I love, love, love the Madeline Dare books. She is the quick witted, sharp tongued tough smart broad we'd all like to be. I was glad that becoming a mom didn't slow her down much but was dismayed that (SPOILER ALERT) Dean turned out to be such a turd.
October 14, 2012
What can I say? I loved this book until I didn't. I gave it three stars...an average of four for the beginning and two for the end.
June 8, 2019
I have read all the Madeline Dare mysteries. I loved most of them, even with the over the top "patois" Cornelia Read's females use (Bunny still calls everyone "Dude", and has some strings of creative cursing with her friend Ellis, but the dialect pervading past novels was gone.)
I've recommended past entries in this series to my Mystery Book Group.
But Valley of Ashes....what a mess.
There is really no mystery here, just a long, drawn out dissolution of Madeline's marriage.
How did such a strong, interesting female character become such a whining ninny?
There is a murder, and a string of fires labeled arson. But they are secondary, no-strike that--background noise really. All we get is Madeline's increasingly boring stay-at-home Mommy routine, how miserable she is, what an ass her husband is, and glimpses of her adorable twins. I think we are 25 chapters in before there is even a hint of something mysterious going on.
There are strands of possibilities in the story that are just left hanging. And long, boring details about the fires--and then the solving of this case is related to absolutely nothing that has happened in the story. Wrapped up as a coda towards the end...meaningless. And the murderer? Ridiculous.
And then, just when you think it's over...there are these bizarre last few chapters tacked on. I'm still trying to figure out why any editor would have let this mess of an ending happen.
Big disappointment.
I've recommended past entries in this series to my Mystery Book Group.
But Valley of Ashes....what a mess.
There is really no mystery here, just a long, drawn out dissolution of Madeline's marriage.
How did such a strong, interesting female character become such a whining ninny?
There is a murder, and a string of fires labeled arson. But they are secondary, no-strike that--background noise really. All we get is Madeline's increasingly boring stay-at-home Mommy routine, how miserable she is, what an ass her husband is, and glimpses of her adorable twins. I think we are 25 chapters in before there is even a hint of something mysterious going on.
There are strands of possibilities in the story that are just left hanging. And long, boring details about the fires--and then the solving of this case is related to absolutely nothing that has happened in the story. Wrapped up as a coda towards the end...meaningless. And the murderer? Ridiculous.
And then, just when you think it's over...there are these bizarre last few chapters tacked on. I'm still trying to figure out why any editor would have let this mess of an ending happen.
Big disappointment.
January 10, 2020
This was a drastic change of tone from the previous books - much more an exploration of marriage and motherhood than a mystery or thriller. It felt incredibly real and reading some biographical information about the author afterwards, it seems like it must have largely come out of personal experience. It definitely felt like a story written as a way of working through some strong emotions, but because of that it had a rawness and depth I didn't expect. The problem was, we don't always want the same things from fiction that we have in life, and I was so sad to lose what had previously been such an inspiringly solid relationship between Madeline and her husband. It also made some of the events at the end seem somewhat ridiculous, as they stood in contrast to the real-world feel of the rest of the story, unlike the previous books where suspension of disbelief was easier.
November 14, 2024
Valley of Ashes by Cornelia Read ended up being more of a dry read than I’d hoped, and part of that frustration was due to discovering only after starting that it’s the fourth book in a series—something not made clear when I had first picked up the book. Without the context of the earlier books, I struggled to connect, and the excessive detail made it feel tedious at times. The story follows familiar themes—motherhood, feeling trapped, yearning for more—but didn’t add anything new to those well-worn tropes. I was especially let down by the forced redemption arc, which didn’t feel authentic. Rather than a neat, tied-up ending, I would have preferred an honest take on the challenges depicted.
March 30, 2020
3.5 rounded to 4 Stars. Madeline Dare, snark extraordinaire. This is the first book I've read by Cornelia Read and I've never found an author before that writes with snarky abandon so similar to the narration to life that goes on in my own head. A wonderful commentary on how women lose their sense of self identity when they have children, and the crushing exhaustion that accompanies. The plot line seemed a little scattered at times, but all the times I laughed out loud and my spouse gave me "the look" made this read well worth it.
November 23, 2024
I read this not knowing it was a series and honestly, it does still work as a standalone. The story definitely did not go where I was expecting it to go though. I assumed the arson would be a bigger plot point than it was considering that's what the book was supposed to be about, but it seemed more of a side plot to me, taking a backseat to Madeline's messy relationship. Don't get me wrong, it was an enjoyable book, but I wouldn't say it belongs in the suspense section of the library in my opinion.
September 21, 2021
First, I did not realize that this book was part of a series, but I couldn't even finish this one so I won't be bothering to look up the other ones. I felt that there was no real story, just a bunch of ideas thrown together. I struggled through it on and off for about three weeks and finally just gave up when I was nearing the halfway mark. I read three other books during that time.
February 5, 2022
I almost didn't continue with this book after reading other comments. My first read by this author & it was actually ok. Maybe because i saw alot of my crazy self in Madeleine, i would've snapped on Dean long b4 tho lol. It definitely took a turn at the end which i read with tears in my eyes. No spoilers here
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