Wednesday, April 21, 2010

I'm Back! And I've Brought a Review With Me!

Wow...almost a year. I've missed blogging, but my hectic life has kept me too busy to do much other than spend time with my family and work work work. I'm back in the Corps full-time, and after going to Quantico, then North Carolina, and finally Camp Pendleton, life has settled enough for me to actually indulge in a few things for myself. I've been reading again, which for me is a HUGE luxury, and something I've been really missing in my life. There's some other things going on, which I'm sure I'll divulge as the days go on (I don't want to give away too much too fast!).

I thought it would be appropriate to kick off my return with a review on a great ARC (Advanced Reader Copy) that I received of The Swimming Pool by Holly LeCraw, courtesy of the publisher, Doubleday.



After finishing the book, it was hard to believe that this was LeCraw's freshman work. The story centers on Marcella, a divorced woman who finds herself in a relationship with Jed, the grown son of the man with whom she had an affair seven years before. LeCraw builds the characters so well, that even secondary ones like Marcella's daughter Toni and Jed's sister Callie have developed storylines that really let the reader feel they are a part of this inner circle.
The book gives you a almost-voyeuristic view into the emotions that drive all the characters' actions. The decisions they make would under other writers' hands turn into a story best left to afternoon talk shows and tabloids. LeCraw magnificently delves into the psyche of each character and their choices, and thereby makes the reader empathize with each.
The relationships, of Jed and his sister, Marcella and her ex-husband, are explored on more than just a surface level. The story is told in vignettes bouncing from past to present, and while I usually find that annoying, the forgeous prose that LeCraw uses made the transitions almost seamless.
This is a story of love, hurt, betrayal, forgiveness, and secrets. The characters are on the precipice of falling into a dangerous unknown, and I found myself cheering them on to find ways off their ledges. Even when they indulged in selfish deeds, I still loved them all.
The novel does have a bit of sexual content, but this did not distract from what a great book it is. I would have loved to have the ending a bit more developed, but overall this would definitely be a book I recommend for a summer read!

1 comment:

  1. Happy Memorial Day and welcome back...I'm just catching up on long overdue blog reading, and loved your review. I have this one sitting on my ARC pile, so now I really want to dive in (bad pun I know.) Look forward to seeing more posts. Stay safe.

    ReplyDelete

About Me

My photo
I first joined the Marine Corps in February of 1999. I was stationed at Camp Pendleton for three years and in Okinawa for one. I left active duty in 2003 and joined the Reserves that year. I had my first daughter in 2005, and moved from California to Massachusetts in 2006. I left the Marine Corps at that time, and had my second daughter in 2007. I reenlisted in the Corps in September of 2008 and went Active in 2009. I'm currently stationed back in California, loving the weather and the life!