The Ivy Tree

The Ivy Tree

by Mary Stewart


(Edited) Blurb:

An English June in the Roman Wall countryside; the ruin of a beautiful old house standing cheek-by-jowl with the solid, sunlit prosperity of the manor farm-- a lovely place, and a rich inheritance for one of the two remaining Winslow heirs. There had been a third, but Annabel Winslow had been presumed dead for years.  However, one day a young woman calling herself Annabel Winslow comes "home" to Whitescar and sets big changes into motion.

My Reaction:

I've loved some of the other books by Mary Stewart that I've read.  I'm never sure how much is down to the strengths and weaknesses of the individual books and how much is "me" and how I may have changed over the years, but I didn't like The Ivy Tree as much as I remember liking many of the others.  It may be difficult to explain my problems with this book without giving away twists and turns, but I'll try... 

-- Didn't love the romance; was disappointed that it was so slow to start.  

-- Found it difficult to know how to take Con, until too far into the book.  I'm sure that was intentional, but I didn't find it enjoyable to read!

-- Found the big twist a bit of a cheat.  Predictable, yet you talk yourself out of it because of the way the book is written.  (The twist shouldn't be possible, really.)  It just didn't "wow" me.  

-- Felt slow for most of the book; not much happening, most of the time.

-- Found the horsey parts completely boring-- not a horse person.  They can be pretty animals, but it's not an obsession I enjoy reading about.  If it had been a dog, I'd probably have been riveted. 😁 (Actually skimmed the horse section of the "thrilling denouement", as well as the driving scene.  Yawn!  Too drawn-out, in my opinion.)

-- Too much "oh, but I'm only a woman!" stuff.  I don't consider myself a militant feminist, but it was so frequent that it was difficult to ignore.  I had to roll my eyes a few times.  Ditto for the Irish stuff with Con.  Blurgh.  

-- Came away feeling very "meh" at the end.  

For positives, there were some nice descriptions of the setting... And I'm always interested to see similarities to Jane Eyre, though in this instance, they were too weak an echo and made me wish I was reading that instead!  Um... There was a character named "Donald" (my husband's name). 😜 That's not necessarily a positive or a negative for most people, I'd assume, but I'm struggling to come up with specific good things!  I enjoyed some aspects of it; I just didn't come away loving the reading experience as a whole.  

Seven Lies

Seven Lies

by Elizabeth Kay

Blurb:

It all started with just one little lie. But we all know that it never ends there. Because, of course, one lie leads to another…

Growing up, Jane and Marnie shared everything. They knew the other’s deepest secrets. They wouldn’t have had it any other way. But when Marnie falls in love, things begin to change.

Because Jane has a secret: she loathes Marnie’s wealthy, priggish husband. So when Marnie asks if she likes him, Jane tells her first lie. After all, even best friends keep some things to themselves. If she had been honest, then perhaps her best friend’s husband might still be alive today…

For, of course, it’s not the last lie. In fact, it’s only the beginning…

My Reaction:

Hm.  This was good in parts, but I was hoping for more.  The rather slow, meandering pace (never a great thing in a "thriller") didn't do this book any favors, and I felt a bit let down by a less-than-satisfying Big Moment conclusion.  

The protagonist is... I guess she's more sympathetic, in a way, than she has any right to be.  At least, I think I felt some twisted sympathy for her at times, when I was reading the book.  Looking back, now, after a few days, I'm much less sympathetic.  More weary of her than anything else.  She's self-destructive, but it's not just herself she destroys.  She's been dealt a crappy hand by life, but she amplifies her misfortunes and unhappiness by making poor choices (to put it mildly).  Her life didn't have to spiral out of control like this.  It's deeply depressing, if you try to care about any of these characters at all.

Also, Marnie (the supposed "goodness and light" counterbalance to the darker character of Jane) is irritating.  On the surfaces, she's perfect, but... Is it just me?  I think she turns into a bit of a user (after a significant life event that I won't name here, in the interests of avoiding a spoiler), expecting Jane to be available to clean or come to her aid whenever it's convenient for Marnie, then dropping Jane the instant she's gotten what she needed.  Yes, she's understandably distracted by this major life event, but she's making time for other people in her life.  And yes, Jane hasn't really been a true, sane friend to Marnie by the time all this happens, but Marnie doesn't know that, so it hardly excuses the hot-and-cold act.  Ugh. 

I hated that every single character seemed to have some tragic backstory.  Widowhood soon after marriage, miscarriage, infidelity, dementia, cancer, anorexia, on and on.  Just one terrible, sad thing after another.  Real life has enough of that.  I don't want tragedy after tragedy in my reading, too, thanks so much.  (This really wasn't the right book for me...)

As I mentioned before, I was disappointed by the Big Moment; it felt slightly silly and anti-climactic, especially after it was teased/telegraphed/hinted at by the (weirdly inconsistent) obsessive journalist character.  It also didn't help that I'd figured out who Jane was addressing quite a while beforehand, so that wasn't a surprise, either. 



--SPOILER ALERT-- 

I found it strange that the police so easily accepted that Charles fell down the stairs and died instantly of a broken neck.  Wasn't there plenty of evidence that he'd been lying there, alive, for hours?  He was bleeding, right?  Unless I'm mistaken, people don't bleed the same way after they die, so a halfway-decent forensics team would've spotted that and looked more closely.  I'd have found it more realistic if it had been presented that they decided he'd fallen, injured himself, been unconscious for a while, eventually struggled to stand/move, and had slipped and fallen a second time with enough force to then break his neck.  

Also, what kind of weird "luck" does Jane have, to be presented with this golden opportunity to take out her nemesis?  It's a mere week after her dramatic confrontation with Charles and Marnie, and then this just... happens?  Hm.  Okay, if you say so!

--END SPOILER--

My final word: This book had some interesting ideas and was well-written in parts, but it didn't quite completely come together for me.  I think it would have been more effective if it had been more tightly edited, and it probably works better for people who don't mind a steady diet of misery.  

Modelland

Modelland

by Tyra Banks

Blurb:

No one gets in without being asked. And with her untamable hair, large forehead, and gawky body, Tookie De La Crème isn’t expecting an invitation. Modelland—the exclusive, mysterious place on top of the mountain—never dares to make an appearance in her dreams.

But someone has plans for Tookie. Before she can blink her mismatched eyes, Tookie finds herself in the very place every girl in the world obsesses about. And three unlikely girls have joined her.

Only seven extraordinary young women become Intoxibellas each year. Famous. Worshipped. Magical. What happens to those who don’t make it? Well, no one really speaks of that. Some things are better left unsaid.

Thrown into a world where she doesn’t seem to belong, Tookie glimpses a future that could be hers—if she survives the beastly Catwalk Corridor and terrifying Thigh-High Boot Camp. Or could it? Dark rumors like silken threads swirl around the question of why Tookie and her new friends were selected . . . and the shadows around Modelland hide sinister secrets.

Are you ready? Modelland is waiting for you. . . .

My Reaction:

We read this along with the "372 Pages We'll Never Get Back" book-club podcast.  

This is one of the most bizarre books I've ever read, even for 372-Pages!  (It's not the worst thing we've read, though.  Bob Honey Who Just Do Stuff was literally unreadable, in my opinion, and Shadow Moon was the most awful, painful slog of anything we've read for the book-club.)

As I was saying, this novel is just one weird thing after another.  There are times that you can see where she probably drew inspiration (from Harry Potter, for instance), but more often than not, I had no idea what would happen next, because it's just that kooky.  (Kooky Tookie.)

While I didn't enjoy the book, per se, it was certainly interesting, in its way.  I'm curious what the author had planned for the rest of the books in this series.  It was meant to be a trilogy, I believe, but after this novel's lack of success, it seems unlikely the other books will ever be written, even though Tyra Banks is moving forward with other "Modelland"-related projects.  I wouldn't really want to read another book set in this universe, but I'd be curious enough to skim a synopsis.  (There were quite a few unanswered questions at the end of "Book 1".)

Modelland revealed some odd things about its creator.  For instance, there's some real animosity toward actors here, which is a bit funny coming from a supermodel.  Then there are the strange ideas about what's romantic or sexy in a brand-new relationship between teenagers.  Jumping right to thumbs in mouths?  Smoothing your beloved's eyebrows with saliva on your thumb? (Ugh, so disgusting!  Please, don't rub your spit on someone's face as a sign of affection or desire!)

The very long section of "Acknowledgements" at the end was almost sad to read.  It felt so optimistic about this novel's chances of success, referring to future books in the series... The way she documented exactly where different parts of the book were written (for posterity), because surely the legions of adoring fans would be agog to learn every little detail about the creation of this beloved work of fiction... Yeah, kind of sad, until I reminded myself that the author is extremely wealthy and is a famous model/TV personality/whatever else she does/has done.  I'm sure she bounced right back from any disappointment over this book's reception! 

Other Worlds

Other Worlds

by Barbara Michaels

Severely Edited Blurb:

In a London Club, Houdini, Conan Doyle, and other psychic investigators and debunkers gather to tell ghost stories. Their purpose is to tell the tale, and then each will pick it apart to try to find an explanation for the phenomenon in question. The first story is one of the most famous historical hauntings in U.S. history: the Bell Witch in Tennessee. The second is a moderately well-known haunting in Stratford, Connecticut, called, appropriately, the Stratford Haunting. Each tale is told, and then the guests gather around the club describe their understanding of whether the hauntings are either fake or very real.

My Reaction:

Well, the title (Other Worlds) certainly sounds like it could be creepy and interesting and typical of a Barbara Michaels gothic thriller.  The reality, unfortunately, is nothing like her usual tales.  I'm sorry, but I found it dry and dull.  I recognize the Bell Witch, so I don't expect a satisfying conclusion-- or indeed, anything from this retelling to be worth this slog... I just can't.  Not right now.  Maybe I'll pick it up again at a later date, but for now, it's a DNF!  I stopped 15% of the way through.  On to greener pastures! 

(Incidentally, this is the second DNF I have for this author.  With the other one, Smoke and Mirrors, I think I quit after the first page or two, because something annoyed me, I peeked at a few reviews, and I had my suspicions confirmed.  Political plot?  Heavy on the "Democrats are good, Republicans are evil"?  Oh, good grief!  No, thanks.  Life's too short.)

The Hunting Party

The Hunting Party

by Lucy Foley

Severely Edited Blurb:

A group of thirtysomething friends from Oxford meet to welcome in the New Year together, a tradition they began as students ten years ago. For this vacation, they’ve chosen an idyllic and isolated estate in the Scottish Highlands—the perfect place to get away and unwind by themselves.  However, after a decade, the weight of secret resentments has grown too heavy for the group’s tenuous nostalgia to bear.

By dawn on New Year's Day, a blizzard has shut the lodge off from the rest of the world-- and one of the group has been murdered.

Keep your friends close, the old adage goes. But just how close is too close?

My Reaction:
I always want to like this kind of book-- just mindless "thriller" entertainment-- but sometimes they disappoint, and it's rare that one is anything particularly special.  More often than not, they don't live up to expectations.  Characters do things that don't make sense, and frequently the characters themselves are all so horrible that I don't care what happens to them, one way or the other!  That was definitely the case with this one.  

I'm not sure what I think about the format of the book... It's a fairly large cast, and it took me a while to get all the characters straight in my head.  Then there's the fact that not only does the POV shift among a handful of characters from chapter to chapter, but we toggle back and forth in time between before and after the murder-- and yet we're not explicitly told/shown who the murder victim is until rather late in the novel.  By that point, I'd long since sussed out the identity of not only the victim, but also the murderer!

Everything was dragged out longer than it needed to be, and some "twists"/red herrings or minor mysteries about characters' backstories were needlessly, endlessly teased.  Practically everything that was supposed to be a surprise failed to do so.  More than a bit cliché and predictable.  

Maybe it's a nit-picky thing, but it drove me crazy when the author repeatedly used question marks incorrectly.  If it's not a question, it doesn't get a question mark!  Or have the rules of grammar and punctuation changed since the last time I took an English class?  Where was the editor? 

To top it all off, the epilogue hits you with something that makes no sense.  To avoid spoilers, let's just say that the murderer apparently doesn't even face trial for all of the crimes s/he committed in this book!  To be honest, I didn't initially notice that myself-- just reeling from the onslaught of cliché after cliché, really-- but after skimming a few other reviews, I saw it mentioned and realized that those reviewers were correct.  Very strange!  It's a huge, glaring error of that type that makes you question, again, what the editor was thinking.  

Meh.