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A Seahorse in the Thames
In this new novel by critically acclaimed author Susan Meissner, readers will again applaud the storytelling efforts that last year resulted in the author’s previous book, A Window to the World, being named by Booklist Magazine as one of the top ten Christian novels of 2005.
Alexa Poole’s older sister, Rebecca, has lived at the Falkman Residential Center since an accident left her mentally compromised—vulnerable, innocent. Now, 17 years later, she has vanished.
As Alexa searches for Rebecca, disturbing questions surface. Why did the car that Rebecca was riding in swerve off the road killing her college friend, Leanne McNeil? And what about the mysterious check for $50,000 found in Rebecca’s room signed by her friend’s father, Gavin McNeil?
288 pages, Paperback
First published July 1, 2006
14 people are currently reading
1268 people want to read
About the author
Susan Meissner
33 books9,220 followersSusan Meissner is a USA Today bestselling novelist with more than a million books in the hands of readers, and in eighteen languages. Her critically acclaimed works of historical fiction have been named to numerous lists including Publishers Weekly’s annual roster of 100 best books, Library Reads Top Picks, Real Simple annual tally of best books, Goodreads Readers’ Choice awards, Booklist’s Top Ten, and Book of the Month.
She attended Point Loma Nazarene University in San Diego and is a former managing editor of a weekly newspaper. Susan’s expertise as a storyteller and her thoroughly researched topics make her a favorite author of book clubs everywhere. Her engaging and warm speaking style appeal to all manner of women’s groups, literary organizations, libraries and learning institutions, and service clubs.
When she is not working on a new novel, she enjoys teaching workshops on writing, spending time with her family, music, reading great books, and traveling.
She attended Point Loma Nazarene University in San Diego and is a former managing editor of a weekly newspaper. Susan’s expertise as a storyteller and her thoroughly researched topics make her a favorite author of book clubs everywhere. Her engaging and warm speaking style appeal to all manner of women’s groups, literary organizations, libraries and learning institutions, and service clubs.
When she is not working on a new novel, she enjoys teaching workshops on writing, spending time with her family, music, reading great books, and traveling.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 67 reviews
March 17, 2016
I have finished reading this book. The author surprised me with the plot. Even though, I was unhappy with the story, unlike a previous novel I read. But she remains a writer who has a typical and I must read her other novels.
January 11, 2009
Susan Meissner is going to be one of my new favorites!! I don't know how I've missed her before now! This book is uplifting, worthy of your time!
February 15, 2016
I struggled with whether to give this book 2 stars or 3. While I enjoyed the book for the most part. What didn't make sense was Rebecca's disappearance from her residential care centre, secret marriage to the gardener and subsequent escape to Italy. According to the author, Rebecca had the mind of a 12 year old in a 40 year old body. Once her family knew the details of her disappearance they were for the most part happy for her that she found happiness. Really?
Other than that, I liked the story line and how through the pain of broken families, lies and deception, comes forgiveness and repentance. I also loved the child's story book, Clement. A beautiful seahorse who was found in a filthy river by a fisherman who was at the saddest point of his life. He reached in and removed Clement from the seaweed and brought him to the aquarium so everyone who sees it can be reminded to look close, bend down, and watch for beauty.
Other than that, I liked the story line and how through the pain of broken families, lies and deception, comes forgiveness and repentance. I also loved the child's story book, Clement. A beautiful seahorse who was found in a filthy river by a fisherman who was at the saddest point of his life. He reached in and removed Clement from the seaweed and brought him to the aquarium so everyone who sees it can be reminded to look close, bend down, and watch for beauty.
February 18, 2016
I'll admit that I bought this book about 9 months before I read it (I do this too frequently), so I had forgotten what the "preview" told me it was about. I thought it was going to be set in London, and did not realize that this was a "religious" book in any way.
I read the book in one night (about 2.5 hours, I'd estimate), and it was just ok. It seemed like a good story but then all the sudden Alexa was narrating about God and religion and those bits just didn't seem to fit, they were almost like an after thought and it threw off the flow of the book for me.
Maybe I've been reading too many "Gone Girl" genre books lately but I kept waiting for someone (usually Stephen) to turn into a bad guy...but he wasn't (which is also ok!). Or waiting for there to be more serious drama than there was.
I read the book in one night (about 2.5 hours, I'd estimate), and it was just ok. It seemed like a good story but then all the sudden Alexa was narrating about God and religion and those bits just didn't seem to fit, they were almost like an after thought and it threw off the flow of the book for me.
Maybe I've been reading too many "Gone Girl" genre books lately but I kept waiting for someone (usually Stephen) to turn into a bad guy...but he wasn't (which is also ok!). Or waiting for there to be more serious drama than there was.
December 31, 2021
Decent storyline. More surprises then I had expected. Quite a bit of God thrown into the story. I’m not anti Christian or any such thing at all…but I also don’t care to be ‘preached at’ so usually would steer away from the subject matter in novels. That said, it wasn’t overbearing. I’ve read and enjoyed quite a few of Meissners novels and I do recommend her books.
June 19, 2019
Ok book about a woman whose mentally disabled sister goes missing, discovers things about the past. Couldn't really connect with the story at all.
February 16, 2018
Faith-based, Christian fiction
Again faced with the dilemma of rating this 2.5 or 3 stars and again rounded up, more because I like Meissner's later books and because I can recommend any of her books to most anyone - particularly my mother (they are always squeaky clean). This is one of the author's earlier books, written back in 2006.
After reading the first few pages I almost put it down and returned it to the library, it just seemed too syrupy, corny. However, this was an interlibrary loan that had taken awhile to come in so I felt I should finish it. I'm glad I did, if nothing else it was a worthwhile reminder that by offering forgiveness (even though undeserving) can truly be liberating.
What just didn't ring true to me was Rebecca's storyline following her departure from the residential center, and Gavin's final disclosure to the police - it seemed to tie up just a bit too tidily.
Again faced with the dilemma of rating this 2.5 or 3 stars and again rounded up, more because I like Meissner's later books and because I can recommend any of her books to most anyone - particularly my mother (they are always squeaky clean). This is one of the author's earlier books, written back in 2006.
After reading the first few pages I almost put it down and returned it to the library, it just seemed too syrupy, corny. However, this was an interlibrary loan that had taken awhile to come in so I felt I should finish it. I'm glad I did, if nothing else it was a worthwhile reminder that by offering forgiveness (even though undeserving) can truly be liberating.
What just didn't ring true to me was Rebecca's storyline following her departure from the residential center, and Gavin's final disclosure to the police - it seemed to tie up just a bit too tidily.
May 17, 2017
The story/anecdote on which the title is based is truly moving, and provides a great motif for the entire plot of this novel; it's worth reading for the seahorse story/parable alone! I really liked the protagonist, Lexie, and especially her love interest, a truly believable and sincere believer with a checkered past. Their relationship was one of the highlights of this story, and the impact on Lexie's own growing faith. Some of the other storylines weren't as credible to me, and the ending tied up loose ends a bit too neatly (like her other books that I've read, as well). But overall, this was an enjoyable read and I will remember Lexie and Stephen and the impact one life, one broken life, can have on another through a faith truly lived. If you like Christian fiction, this is one to try.
April 12, 2022
A lot going on in this story, Alexa found the guy who she thinks is her one true love, her sister Rebecca disappears from the residential center where she lives leaving her an uncashed check for $50,000, and finally her sister, Priscilla comes for a visit from England with a big surprise. Oh, and there are the divorced parents, Alexa's mother won't even use a phone, her dad stays in the background. Read this book to find out what is going on with this family. A really good book.
May 19, 2020
This is one of those books that you really have no idea what it is going to be about. Neither the cover or the title give any hints.
I’ve had it on my shelf, wanting to read it, and today was finally that day.
I found this a moving story. About strained family relationships, forgiveness, love, and more.
Heart warming and thought provoking.
I’ve had it on my shelf, wanting to read it, and today was finally that day.
I found this a moving story. About strained family relationships, forgiveness, love, and more.
Heart warming and thought provoking.
July 27, 2022
Meissner's newer books are much better, but this one is still an enjoyable read. A little preachy at parts and tries a little too hard to be a Christian novel...also, the storyline with Stephen felt really forced to me. The family drama was interesting.
January 7, 2018
This author is one of my favorites! This story was a little slow for me at first. It did pick up and I loved the story it became!
April 24, 2018
Excellent book about faith, love, and the need for forgiveness that we all crave. It is a great story that grabs you and you want to keep reading to see what happens next.
January 4, 2019
Another great story.
February 20, 2020
A wonderful story of finding beauty in unexpected places, of forgiveness and acceptance and finding truth.
July 6, 2020
A nice story about re-establishing family connections, with a little bit of a mystery thrown in!
October 16, 2020
A pleasant read - twins live apart after their family disintegrated following their older sister's accident. When she goes missing, everyone has to get involved.
July 23, 2021
Loved it!
January 9, 2022
I loved this book. Four subplots tie up together in a beautiful way. A great look at how tragedy, sadness, and misunderstanding can be turned around through hope, forgiveness and love of family.
July 6, 2022
3.5 I like her writing---clean & literary.
December 14, 2022
A little mystery, a little romance. Someone else referred to Susan Meissner as a Christian author. It was a refreshing kind of quick read.
February 23, 2023
A good read but has a little too much God references for my taste.
November 30, 2023
I really enjoy Susan Meissner's books. This is a precious, sweet story. I loved it and enjoyed reading it.
January 3, 2024
Fun to read about San Diego places but overall - meh. Liked others of hers much better.
February 21, 2017
Sometimes, you read a book which a review doesn't do justice, because any description of the book seems insufficient. 'A Seahorse in the Thames' (I read it in Dutch: 'Een zeepaardje in de Theems') was that kind of book for me. The book offered rather an experience than a story, not in the least because of Susan Meissner's writing style: fluent, original and refreshing in the mush of Christian novels of which you know the ending before you've even begun reading. Meissner's storyworld is realistic and touches upon essential themes (also more specific in Christian life) without getting too 'heavy' and depressing. (For the record: relaxing books with about the development of not-too-complicated relationship are nice at times, but reading just those predictable thingies non-stop gets sappy.) The storyline had the right amount of tension for me: making me curious to know the outcome, without giving away too much in the while. Main theme of the book eventually is, as Susan Meissner herself stated, finding beauty in unexpected places. Motive in it all is a stuffed seahorse with spangles, via-via connected to the true event of a seahorse being found in the river Thames.
I caught myself thinking of the characters during the day even after finishing the book. That's perhaps the only drawback of this book for me: that it ended.
[Extra note: Dutch translation was OK. However, there was this weird thing with the page numbers (for example 62-63-64-65-64-65-66-69) that triggered the neurotic in me.)
I caught myself thinking of the characters during the day even after finishing the book. That's perhaps the only drawback of this book for me: that it ended.
[Extra note: Dutch translation was OK. However, there was this weird thing with the page numbers (for example 62-63-64-65-64-65-66-69) that triggered the neurotic in me.)
September 18, 2007
Book Description:
Alexa Poole’s older sister, Rebecca, has lived at the Falkman Residential Center since an accident left her mentally compromised—vulnerable, innocent. Now, 17 years later, she has vanished. As Alexa searches for Rebecca, disturbing questions surface. Why did the car that Rebecca was riding in swerve off the road killing her college friend, Leanne McNeil? And what about the mysterious check for $50,000 found in Rebecca’s room signed by her friend’s father, Gavin McNeil?
My Review:
For me, Seahorse in the Thames was a completely riveting and thoroughly engrossing novel unlike any I've read this past year. The mystery of the heroine's sister's disappearance is only the proverbial tip of the iceberg in this intense novel. Meissner immediately drew me in to the story with her opening chapter. Her masterfully-crafted pacing and tension kept me reading to the very end. This book was truly hard to put down. I felt like Alexa AKA Lexi was my friend. My heart went out to her because of the struggles she had with her family. I understood her desire for a relationship and clearly saw where the need came from. Also, Lexi's heart for Stephen and the way she saw him intrigued me. In short, I cared about every character in the story. Even the "bad guys."
Meissner also tucks a wealth of life-changing spiritual material seamlessly into the pages of this novel. In many ways the message she delivers is subtle, yet it rings with such a profound and universal truth that for the believer the lesson goes straight to the heart of the matter. Just like the story of the seahorse found in the Thames, the treasure discovered by the fisherman in the murky, polluted waters of the river, a precious lesson was unearthed during one of the worst times in Lexi's life. I was blown away by the author's insight and amazed by the impact this novel had on my heart. I devoured every page. Words can't adequately express how much this story ministered to me. In fact, I'll stop trying, since I've barely skimmed the surface of what I'd meant to say.
On the easier-to-explain craft of writing, I found the characters and their problems to be very realistic. They seemed more like friends than characters in a book. The plot had many unexpected twists and there was nothing cliche or predictable. I loved that about the story. The emotion was genuine, and not once did I feel manipulated by the author. And to top that all off, the setting was so rich I felt like packing up my belongings and heading for the beach! If I were to grade this novel I'd give it an A++. Well done and highly recommended!
Alexa Poole’s older sister, Rebecca, has lived at the Falkman Residential Center since an accident left her mentally compromised—vulnerable, innocent. Now, 17 years later, she has vanished. As Alexa searches for Rebecca, disturbing questions surface. Why did the car that Rebecca was riding in swerve off the road killing her college friend, Leanne McNeil? And what about the mysterious check for $50,000 found in Rebecca’s room signed by her friend’s father, Gavin McNeil?
My Review:
For me, Seahorse in the Thames was a completely riveting and thoroughly engrossing novel unlike any I've read this past year. The mystery of the heroine's sister's disappearance is only the proverbial tip of the iceberg in this intense novel. Meissner immediately drew me in to the story with her opening chapter. Her masterfully-crafted pacing and tension kept me reading to the very end. This book was truly hard to put down. I felt like Alexa AKA Lexi was my friend. My heart went out to her because of the struggles she had with her family. I understood her desire for a relationship and clearly saw where the need came from. Also, Lexi's heart for Stephen and the way she saw him intrigued me. In short, I cared about every character in the story. Even the "bad guys."
Meissner also tucks a wealth of life-changing spiritual material seamlessly into the pages of this novel. In many ways the message she delivers is subtle, yet it rings with such a profound and universal truth that for the believer the lesson goes straight to the heart of the matter. Just like the story of the seahorse found in the Thames, the treasure discovered by the fisherman in the murky, polluted waters of the river, a precious lesson was unearthed during one of the worst times in Lexi's life. I was blown away by the author's insight and amazed by the impact this novel had on my heart. I devoured every page. Words can't adequately express how much this story ministered to me. In fact, I'll stop trying, since I've barely skimmed the surface of what I'd meant to say.
On the easier-to-explain craft of writing, I found the characters and their problems to be very realistic. They seemed more like friends than characters in a book. The plot had many unexpected twists and there was nothing cliche or predictable. I loved that about the story. The emotion was genuine, and not once did I feel manipulated by the author. And to top that all off, the setting was so rich I felt like packing up my belongings and heading for the beach! If I were to grade this novel I'd give it an A++. Well done and highly recommended!
January 17, 2010
When I finished "A Seahorse in the Thames," I felt like I'd just awoken from a nice dream that I will remember fondly. It's a novel about finding beauty in an unexpected place. It's partly a romance and partly a mystery, but mostly it's a thoughtful book about finding healing after tragedy.
Alexa spent a lot of time in her thoughts, thinking things over. There were a lot of flashbacks at the beginning (including both a summary and a detailed version of what had just happened--I wish Susan Meissner had simply begun with the accident). However, the flashbacks decreased and the pacing picked up after the first few chapters.
The characters were complex, realistic, and people I could care about. The romance was sweet and dealt with the question "is loving someone worth it if they might die within a year?" It also explored the family dynamics created when a child died shortly after birth and another had brain damage after a car accident. There was a lot of pain to heal.
God was mentioned, but the Christian elements were subtle. The novel wasn't at all preachy. I think both Christians and non-Christians would enjoy the book.
The novel was written in present tense ("I see" vs "I saw") and occasionally the wording "sounded" a bit awkward to me. There was no sex. There was a minor amount of "he cussed" style of bad language. Overall, I really enjoyed this novel and would highly recommend it as good, clean reading.
Alexa spent a lot of time in her thoughts, thinking things over. There were a lot of flashbacks at the beginning (including both a summary and a detailed version of what had just happened--I wish Susan Meissner had simply begun with the accident). However, the flashbacks decreased and the pacing picked up after the first few chapters.
The characters were complex, realistic, and people I could care about. The romance was sweet and dealt with the question "is loving someone worth it if they might die within a year?" It also explored the family dynamics created when a child died shortly after birth and another had brain damage after a car accident. There was a lot of pain to heal.
God was mentioned, but the Christian elements were subtle. The novel wasn't at all preachy. I think both Christians and non-Christians would enjoy the book.
The novel was written in present tense ("I see" vs "I saw") and occasionally the wording "sounded" a bit awkward to me. There was no sex. There was a minor amount of "he cussed" style of bad language. Overall, I really enjoyed this novel and would highly recommend it as good, clean reading.
April 3, 2013
I love Susan Meissner's books so I ordered it. The main quote on the back that ends with "...so this is what it is like to fall in love" disappointed me. I wanted something more than a sappy romance. Mentally reviewing previously read Meissner books, I couldn't imagine her writing a "sappy romance" novel, so I started to read and was instantly pulled into the story. I quickly realized it was not that initial quote that described the story but the last line on the back of the book that captured it best: "A Seahorse in the Thames is an emotional ride that begins and ends with the heart." It is a story of life, hurt, betrayal, division, pain, forgiveness, renewal, and God's providence. Meisnner guides the reader to find hope even in the dark and murky waters of life. It is a delicate story that keeps your interest until it is over and then it begs you analyze your own life in light of what you read--how do you react to the past? How do you deal with the present? How will you move into the future? Is there a way to find hope even in the darkest times? Where do you go to understand and change? Susan Meissner gently helps you, through her characters, consider solid answers.
May 31, 2013
I only gave this book 2 stars because I finished it. I found it very disappointing. As another reviewer said, the dialogue was stilted and unrealistic. And many of the plot elements I found very unbelievable. That someone would move to England, have a child and not tell her family for any reason other than child abuse or something equivalent totally did not sit right with me. GMAB - you run away from your family because your daddy left your mommy? Most of the USA would be living in the UK right now if that were the case.
The romance was about at the level of a Harlequin. Formulaic and totally unbelievable.
I had no idea Meissner was a bible-thumper, glad I found out so I can avoid the rest of her books. I loved The Shape of Mercy - bears NO resemblance to this book.
The romance was about at the level of a Harlequin. Formulaic and totally unbelievable.
I had no idea Meissner was a bible-thumper, glad I found out so I can avoid the rest of her books. I loved The Shape of Mercy - bears NO resemblance to this book.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 67 reviews