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The House of Charles Swinter
Charles Swinter is eighty. When his estranged wife dies, he decides to go to Thailand and find a bride. He's not ready to die yet. Not by any means. Edward Grant, his best friend, is young enough to be his grandson. When the old man goes missing, Edward travels halfway across the world to find him.
Yet what happens next is not so straightforward. The demands of conscience, murder, mental disturbances, reports of ghosts, a sham marriage, wrongful imprisonment, a slew of irreversibly changed lives.
The House of Charles Swinter is an epic romance. It concerns human dignity, the relationship between the sexes, goodness and beauty, poverty and wealth, globalisation, tradition and modernity.
And one man and woman.
Yet what happens next is not so straightforward. The demands of conscience, murder, mental disturbances, reports of ghosts, a sham marriage, wrongful imprisonment, a slew of irreversibly changed lives.
The House of Charles Swinter is an epic romance. It concerns human dignity, the relationship between the sexes, goodness and beauty, poverty and wealth, globalisation, tradition and modernity.
And one man and woman.
578 pages, Hardcover
First published July 18, 2013
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
February 4, 2014
“House”weet it is to be loved by “Noo”nie. #badwordplay
Did you enjoy the multiple storyline complexity of a show like Lost, but wished that it was about an 80 year old man searching for love in the twilight years of his life? Well A) that’s impossibly specific, and B) this book is literally perfect for you!
Charles Swinter is a very wealthy 80 year old man, who decides to get remarried after his estranged wife passes away. He does what any old, old, rich, old man would do, and goes to Thailand to meet with a marriage broker, to find someone to spend the rest of his life with. It is then that he meets Noonie, and falls in love. And this is just the A plot; there are side plots regarding Charles friend Edward, and a “love triangle” esque situation, how that works, and parts back at home, concerning Charles daughter and granddaughter. There is a lot going on in this book.
Which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Yes, it CAN be convoluted and confusing, but that is not the case here. This book has a nice flow to it, without any big parts that moved too slow, or too fast.
The relationship story (or stories) is a fairly realistic one. You could really connect with everyone involved, and sympathize with them all. It is hard to write a love triangle story without the reader thinking “Well, this one person out of the three is clearly a jerk, and I don’t like them”, but Charles, Edward, and Noonie are all fairly balanced in their vulnerability and selfishness. What I mean is, everyone is relatable as the good guy, the victim, and the bad guy, which is really cool.
All in all, I really enjoyed this book. It seems a little overwhelming sometimes, with everything that’s going on, but if you stick with it, I think you’ll really enjoy it.
Did you enjoy the multiple storyline complexity of a show like Lost, but wished that it was about an 80 year old man searching for love in the twilight years of his life? Well A) that’s impossibly specific, and B) this book is literally perfect for you!
Charles Swinter is a very wealthy 80 year old man, who decides to get remarried after his estranged wife passes away. He does what any old, old, rich, old man would do, and goes to Thailand to meet with a marriage broker, to find someone to spend the rest of his life with. It is then that he meets Noonie, and falls in love. And this is just the A plot; there are side plots regarding Charles friend Edward, and a “love triangle” esque situation, how that works, and parts back at home, concerning Charles daughter and granddaughter. There is a lot going on in this book.
Which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Yes, it CAN be convoluted and confusing, but that is not the case here. This book has a nice flow to it, without any big parts that moved too slow, or too fast.
The relationship story (or stories) is a fairly realistic one. You could really connect with everyone involved, and sympathize with them all. It is hard to write a love triangle story without the reader thinking “Well, this one person out of the three is clearly a jerk, and I don’t like them”, but Charles, Edward, and Noonie are all fairly balanced in their vulnerability and selfishness. What I mean is, everyone is relatable as the good guy, the victim, and the bad guy, which is really cool.
All in all, I really enjoyed this book. It seems a little overwhelming sometimes, with everything that’s going on, but if you stick with it, I think you’ll really enjoy it.
March 6, 2014
There are a lot of little stories going on in this book that sometimes left me a little confused for moments, but the story quickly works itself out and I found myself really loving it. The pace is really steady through the book and I found all the characters to be fascinating.
When a book can take me across the globe I'm always thrilled. This one visits Australia, Thailand, and even England with great imagery and a way about it that makes you believe you've been there as a shadow to these great characters.
I fell in love with the 80 year old Charles Swinter and really just learned that a love triangle is just three stories. These are told in a way that you can put yourself in the position of any of the people and really learn a lot from different perspectives. The book does at times as us to be critical instead of emotional thinkers and in the end that pays off because we learn something different about our emotions and the way we look at situations.
More than anything this book gave me hope. Swinter is an 80 year old man set out for love at an age where society starts to discount people as elderly or on their last leg. My heart felt happy to understand that no matter how old we are that our hearts ever stop needing a companion.
When a book can take me across the globe I'm always thrilled. This one visits Australia, Thailand, and even England with great imagery and a way about it that makes you believe you've been there as a shadow to these great characters.
I fell in love with the 80 year old Charles Swinter and really just learned that a love triangle is just three stories. These are told in a way that you can put yourself in the position of any of the people and really learn a lot from different perspectives. The book does at times as us to be critical instead of emotional thinkers and in the end that pays off because we learn something different about our emotions and the way we look at situations.
More than anything this book gave me hope. Swinter is an 80 year old man set out for love at an age where society starts to discount people as elderly or on their last leg. My heart felt happy to understand that no matter how old we are that our hearts ever stop needing a companion.
February 2, 2014
Wow, there’s a lot going on in this story. So many different lives intermingling in often very tragic ways. Astonishing ways. Shocking. So many lives manipulated for power, money, love. Traversing the globe from England to Thailand with Australia thrown in for a bit of well-meaning subterfuge, the House of Charles Swinter is a mess of characters who lie to others, and to themselves. While not normally a book I would choose, I couldn’t put it down. Didn’t sleep much. Kept reading. Couldn’t stop. Had to know. The characters, most of them, are a bit insane (some seriously so), but in the end, the majority of them had the best of intentions, even if it was only for him or her self. Can’t help the being selfish part sometimes. That’s part of human nature. So is judging others. But in the end, sometimes, when humanity comes out, we can surprise ourselves.
So, while I’ve managed to tell you nothing about the story (spoilers), do hope I’ve piqued your interest. Fair warning, it’s a long novel. Did I mention that I didn’t sleep? Look at it this way, the Kindle edition is only $2.99 and it is worth every penny, and more. Well done.
So, while I’ve managed to tell you nothing about the story (spoilers), do hope I’ve piqued your interest. Fair warning, it’s a long novel. Did I mention that I didn’t sleep? Look at it this way, the Kindle edition is only $2.99 and it is worth every penny, and more. Well done.
March 6, 2014
Losing the woman you love at 80 years old would cause most people to shut down and stop living. Not Charles Swinter. Instead when he loses he wife at 80, he decides it's time to find a new wife, in Thailand. And so his adventure and the story really begin.
I couldn't put this book down. Every detail in it has you feeling like you too are Charles on this grand worldwind of a new lease on life, and the adventure of love and the craziness that ensues. A great read. Highly recommended.
I couldn't put this book down. Every detail in it has you feeling like you too are Charles on this grand worldwind of a new lease on life, and the adventure of love and the craziness that ensues. A great read. Highly recommended.
March 6, 2014
The story is based around the love and marriage of an 80 year old wealthy man. He finds love with the help of a broker in Thailand and rapidly proposes and is married. The speach areas of this book leave something to be desired and is why this story gets a 4 instead of a 5. It is a great read that proves love exists no matter how old you are and can be yours if you look for it. I really enjoyed reading this story.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews