On Smuttynose Island, off the coast of New Hampshire, more than a century ago, two Norwegian immigrant women were brutally murdered. A third woman survived by hiding in a cave until dawn. In 1995, Jean, a photographer, is sent on an assignment to shoot a photo essay about the legendary crime. Taking her extended family with her, Jean stays in a sailboat anchored off the coast, and finds herself gradually becoming more and more engrossed in the bay's mysterious and gruesome past. Wandering into a library one day, she ...
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On Smuttynose Island, off the coast of New Hampshire, more than a century ago, two Norwegian immigrant women were brutally murdered. A third woman survived by hiding in a cave until dawn. In 1995, Jean, a photographer, is sent on an assignment to shoot a photo essay about the legendary crime. Taking her extended family with her, Jean stays in a sailboat anchored off the coast, and finds herself gradually becoming more and more engrossed in the bay's mysterious and gruesome past. Wandering into a library one day, she unearths letters written by Maren, the sole survivor of the murder spree. Jean's fear of losing all that she cares about is reflected in Maren's poignant tale of love and loss, and her obsession with the ancient story drives her to wild impulsive action -- with unrecoverable consequences.
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Seller's Description:
Dispatched, from the UK, within 48 hours of ordering. Though second-hand, the book is still in very good shape. Minimal signs of usage may include very minor creasing on the cover or on the spine.
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Seller's Description:
Dispatched, from the UK, within 48 hours of ordering. Though second-hand, the book is still in very good shape. Minimal signs of usage may include very minor creasing on the cover or on the spine. Aged book. Tanned pages and age spots, however, this will not interfere with reading.
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Seller's Description:
Dispatched, from the UK, within 48 hours of ordering. This book is in good condition but will show signs of previous ownership. Please expect some creasing to the spine and/or minor damage to the cover. Damaged cover. The cover of is slightly damaged for instance a torn or bent corner.
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Very good. This book is in stock now, in our UK premises. Photos of our books are available on request (the pictures you see on Alibris are NOT our own).
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Very Good. A fascinating tale of obsessive love, hidden motivations and the endless resonance of guilt. Shortlisted for the Orange Prize in 1998. Num Pages: 256 pages. BIC Classification: FA. Category: (G) General (US: Trade). Dimension: 198 x 127 x 17. Weight in Grams: 184. Good clean copy with some minor shelf wear. 1998. Reprinted Edition. Paperback.....We ship daily from our Bookshop.
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Very good. All orders are dispatched within 1 working day from our UK warehouse. Established in 2004, we are dedicated to recycling unwanted books on behalf of a number of UK charities who benefit from added revenue through the sale of their books plus huge savings in waste disposal. No quibble refund if not completely satisfied.
Choose your shipping method in Checkout. Costs may vary based on destination.
Seller's Description:
Good. All orders are dispatched within 1 working day from our UK warehouse. Established in 2004, we are dedicated to recycling unwanted books on behalf of a number of UK charities who benefit from added revenue through the sale of their books plus huge savings in waste disposal. No quibble refund if not completely satisfied.
In 1873 two women are brutally murdered on a small island off the coast of New Hampshire. A third woman, Maren, scared, alone and covered in blood hides in a cave on the shoreline. In what becomes referred to as the ?trial of the century? by newspapers of the time, Louis Wagner is arrested, charged, tried and hanged for the murders. In the present day, Jean, a photojournalist, is visiting the island where the murders took place on an assignment for the magazine she works for. Her editor thinks there is a link between the 1873 murders and a famous trial in the 1990s involving ?a double murder, with a blade, a famous trial, circumstantial evidence that hinges on tiny factual details.?
On the trip with Jean are her husband Thomas, her daughter Billie, her brother in law Rich and his girlfriend Adaline. Using Rich?s boat they travel to what is an archipelago of nine islands, eight at low tide. Thomas is a university professor and poet and an alcoholic. He told Jean that he loved her the day after they met but Jean feels at times that she is more of a muse to Thomas than someone he truly loves. Jean also begins to believe that her husband is having an affair with Adaline.
The novel switches between the present day and a document of 1899 written by Maren on her deathbed. The document is found by Jean in the archives of a local island library, which she steals from the library with the intention of returning it at a later date.
The novel is laden with metaphors. The sea of course is the novel?s strongest metaphor with its allusions to emotional undercurrents, its inherent beauty and benign nature when calm but unforgiving and treacherous as life can be when we least expect it. The weight of emotions, expectations, dreams, desires, loved one?s needs, fears and disappointments that pressurize us the deeper we enter our mortal coil.
Anita Shreve?s novel is a light book of only 246 pages but weighs heavily on the mind after reading it with its genuinely emotional writing. In less competent hands this story would have become fatuous, over-wrought and sentimental but the author steers the story away from those over populated islands and sails us toward the more treasured, resplendent islands of intelligent, empathetic, well-crafted and erudite.
My only criticism is the denouement of Maren?s document and the reason why the murderer committed the heinous crimes they did. I felt it neither rang true nor was satisfactory in its reasoning. The events that led to the murders felt contrived and lacked any narrative truth. However, Jean?s story ends truthfully and leaves one feeling battered and bruised by the storm of edifying, emotionally charged prose
