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Bittersweet: A Novel by Miranda Beverly-Whittemore
Ein schwarzer Abgrund hinter der glitzernden Fassade. Lässt Mabel sich mit hineinziehen?
Ev Winslow ist reich, beliebt und wunderschön. Alles, was ihre College-Zimmergenossin Mabel nicht ist. Umso mehr freut sich Mabel, als Ev sie einlädt, den Sommer mit ihr in Bittersweet zu verbringen, auf dem Landsitz der Winslows in Vermont. Mabel genießt die windzerzausten Segeltörns, das mitternächtliche Schwimmen, die Sommerfeste unterm Sternenhimmel. Und plötzlich hat sie alles, wovon sie je geträumt Freunde, die erste Liebe und das Gefühl, dazuzugehören. Doch auf die ungetrübten, flirrenden Tage fällt ein Schatten, als Mabel eine schreckliche Entdeckung macht und sie entscheiden muss, ob sie aus dem Paradies vertrieben werden will – oder die dunklen Geheimnisse der Familie bewahrt, um endlich eine der Ihren zu werden. Eine strahlende Familie, die das eigene Dunkel in den Abgrund reißen Bittersweet erzählt von einer scheinbar idyllischen, glamourösen Welt und dem Wunsch einer Außenseiterin, Teil dieser Welt zu sein. Um jeden Preis.
Ev Winslow ist reich, beliebt und wunderschön. Alles, was ihre College-Zimmergenossin Mabel nicht ist. Umso mehr freut sich Mabel, als Ev sie einlädt, den Sommer mit ihr in Bittersweet zu verbringen, auf dem Landsitz der Winslows in Vermont. Mabel genießt die windzerzausten Segeltörns, das mitternächtliche Schwimmen, die Sommerfeste unterm Sternenhimmel. Und plötzlich hat sie alles, wovon sie je geträumt Freunde, die erste Liebe und das Gefühl, dazuzugehören. Doch auf die ungetrübten, flirrenden Tage fällt ein Schatten, als Mabel eine schreckliche Entdeckung macht und sie entscheiden muss, ob sie aus dem Paradies vertrieben werden will – oder die dunklen Geheimnisse der Familie bewahrt, um endlich eine der Ihren zu werden. Eine strahlende Familie, die das eigene Dunkel in den Abgrund reißen Bittersweet erzählt von einer scheinbar idyllischen, glamourösen Welt und dem Wunsch einer Außenseiterin, Teil dieser Welt zu sein. Um jeden Preis.
Hardcover
First published May 13, 2014
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About the author
Miranda Beverly-Whittemore
8 books623 followersI love to meet with book clubs, especially via Zoom. Please email me: mirandabeverlywhittemore@gmail.com and we can work something out!
I write novels, and most of those novels have to do with secrets. My fifth book, FIERCE LITTLE THING, will be out from Flatiron Books on July 27, 2021.
Set in the backwoods of Maine, FIERCE LITTLE THING has been described as "The Girls" meets "The Interestings." It's about a woman who is blackmailed into returning to Maine and the cult of her youth when someone threatens to reveal the terrible deed she committed with her childhood friends.
My other novels include JUNE and New York Times bestseller BITTERSWEET.
Check out more about me and my work at MirandaBW.com, on Instagram: @MirandaBW1 and Twitter: @MirandaBW.
I write novels, and most of those novels have to do with secrets. My fifth book, FIERCE LITTLE THING, will be out from Flatiron Books on July 27, 2021.
Set in the backwoods of Maine, FIERCE LITTLE THING has been described as "The Girls" meets "The Interestings." It's about a woman who is blackmailed into returning to Maine and the cult of her youth when someone threatens to reveal the terrible deed she committed with her childhood friends.
My other novels include JUNE and New York Times bestseller BITTERSWEET.
Check out more about me and my work at MirandaBW.com, on Instagram: @MirandaBW1 and Twitter: @MirandaBW.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 2,029 reviews
December 10, 2020
Mabel Dagmar, the narrator of this tale is the dowdy, dumpy roommate of Genevra (Ev) Winslow – slim, beautiful, petulant and spoilt young brat of the Winslow clan. Ev tolerates Mabel – only just – but then, surprisingly, invites her to spend the summer at Winloch, the summer home where the whole family gathers. Oh Joy, thinks Mabel, as she jumps at the opportunity to escape her own awful family for a few months. She grabs what few clothes she possesses and her copy of Paradise Lost – a not too subtle comparison the author tries to draw between the “paradise” that is Winloch and Milton’s classic which Mabel never manages to finish, despite that fact that she drags it with her wherever she goes.
Despite the wealth of the Winslows, Winloch is made up of various dilapidated cottages, each with it’s own twee flower or plant-based name, Bittersweet being one of them. Other unlikely ones are Jack-in-the-Pulpit and Queen Anne’s Lace; I’m all for giving houses names, but these are just plain silly. Likewise the names of the Winslows – not a Chardonnay or Sharon, Kayden or Kylie among them – no, these people bear names such as Galway, Luvinia, Athol and Birch as befits their wealth and standing.
The characters are obnoxious and mean; even Mabel is thoroughly unlikeable. Acutely embarrassed and angry at being found in a compromising position she thinks nothing of spying on at least two couples engaged in sexual activity, never for once thinking how they would feel if they knew they were being watched. Mabel is encouraged by an old Winslow crone to dig up some family dirt, secrets from generations ago, a task she undertakes with relish. She is selfish, greedy and sneaky – actually more like a Winslow than she realises, but I somehow don’t think this was the author’s intention.
The story becomes more and more far-fetched the further it goes until I got to the point where I really didn’t care what happened to any of these horrible people. However, I persevered but feel annoyed that I wasted so much time on it.
This book has been compared to Tigers in Red Weather by Liza Klaussmann. Whilst they are both stories of wealthy families spending their time in summer homes – this is where the comparison ends. Although I didn’t particularly rate the latter it is better than this which is so clunky and clumsy, liberally sprinkled with outdated words and phrases which I found irritating. The author labours under the belief that the more descriptive narrative the better, so she piles it on, however the result is an overblown novel which now I have, thankfully, read the last page, I will not think about again.
Despite the wealth of the Winslows, Winloch is made up of various dilapidated cottages, each with it’s own twee flower or plant-based name, Bittersweet being one of them. Other unlikely ones are Jack-in-the-Pulpit and Queen Anne’s Lace; I’m all for giving houses names, but these are just plain silly. Likewise the names of the Winslows – not a Chardonnay or Sharon, Kayden or Kylie among them – no, these people bear names such as Galway, Luvinia, Athol and Birch as befits their wealth and standing.
The characters are obnoxious and mean; even Mabel is thoroughly unlikeable. Acutely embarrassed and angry at being found in a compromising position she thinks nothing of spying on at least two couples engaged in sexual activity, never for once thinking how they would feel if they knew they were being watched. Mabel is encouraged by an old Winslow crone to dig up some family dirt, secrets from generations ago, a task she undertakes with relish. She is selfish, greedy and sneaky – actually more like a Winslow than she realises, but I somehow don’t think this was the author’s intention.
The story becomes more and more far-fetched the further it goes until I got to the point where I really didn’t care what happened to any of these horrible people. However, I persevered but feel annoyed that I wasted so much time on it.
This book has been compared to Tigers in Red Weather by Liza Klaussmann. Whilst they are both stories of wealthy families spending their time in summer homes – this is where the comparison ends. Although I didn’t particularly rate the latter it is better than this which is so clunky and clumsy, liberally sprinkled with outdated words and phrases which I found irritating. The author labours under the belief that the more descriptive narrative the better, so she piles it on, however the result is an overblown novel which now I have, thankfully, read the last page, I will not think about again.
May 28, 2014
Man, I've really got to stop reading this crap. I mean, it seems fine in theory - read something easy and suspenseful! entertainment! But it never works. I always end up wanting to punch the book in the throat and get annoyed at hours of my life that I will not be getting back.
The narrator here is dense and annoying, but chubby and therefore relatable. She is obsessed with a rich family with dark, dark secrets. What kind of secrets? Hint: starts with i and ends with ncest. Also, Nazis.
Paradise Lost gets referenced a ridiculous number of times. The mentions went from painfully clunky to downright embarrassing within the first 50 pages. I think it might have had some sort of symbolism. Maybe?
The narrator here is dense and annoying, but chubby and therefore relatable. She is obsessed with a rich family with dark, dark secrets. What kind of secrets? Hint: starts with i and ends with ncest. Also, Nazis.
Paradise Lost gets referenced a ridiculous number of times. The mentions went from painfully clunky to downright embarrassing within the first 50 pages. I think it might have had some sort of symbolism. Maybe?
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 9, 2014
Read more reviews at Inspiring Insomnia.
After finishing Bittersweet, I’m wondering if I was supposed to love the MC, Mabel, or to hate her. I suspect we’re supposed to regard her as plucky and resourceful, but she’s really quite awful. When we meet her, she’s in the midst of what looks like a Single White Female type of obsession with (or possibly a crush on) her beautiful roommate, Ev Winslow. I thought that this had the potential to be fun, but that angle is quickly discarded for a ho-hum murder mystery involving Ev’s family.
But first, we need to get Mabel to Ev’s family’s summer compound, known as Winloch. It seems that Ev has only the most minimal amount of tolerance for Mabel, so I was as shocked as Mabel was when Ev invited Mabel to visit her family for the summer. Mabel leaps at the opportunity – anything to be close to Ev and to win her affection. When the girls arrive at Winloch, Mabel is surprised to see it consists of somewhat shabby houses. Aren’t these people supposed to be rich??? Ev then tells Mabel that she needs help cleaning up one of the houses so that her mother and father would transfer ownership to her. No, it didn’t make much sense when I was reading it, either.
Quite suddenly, unbelievably, and without provocation, Mabel transforms from Ev’s lapdog into an overbearing, scheming villain. With a tiny bit of coaxing from one of the Winslows, Mabel begins to spy on all of the family members. She’s instructed to “take them all down,” and her reward will be one of the Winslow’s houses. She inserts herself into the middle of the family drama and pries into their financial affairs. She spies on them while they’re having sex. She feels perfectly entitled to ownership of a house that has been in the family for generations. If that’s not enough, here’s a few more of Mabel’s not-so-shining moments:
- When someone reveals a pregnancy to Mabel, Mabel’s first thought is, “How is this going to disturb MY life?”
- She bursts into tears at a restaurant because she’s under-dressed.
- She’s upset at the gift of a friendship bracelet from a younger girl, because rich people are supposed to give extravagant gifts.
- She feigns sympathy with a mother bereaved over the loss of her son in order to pump the woman for Winslow family secrets.
- She’s informed that a family member to whom she’s grown close is dying of brain cancer, but moments later, Mabel is laughing and continuing on her quest to take down the Winslows.
- She resents a dog for not properly thanking her after she rescued it.
The Winslows aren’t any better than Mabel, but at least their wickedness is (unintentionally) cartoonish. What’s the point of Bittersweet? That rich people are evil, twisted, and sick? Even the few “good” ones in this family are characterized mostly by their cluelessness and their total lack of regard for their family members.
Bittersweet would have worked better as a telenovela. Unfortunately, it fails as a high-falutin’ novel.
Note: I received a copy of the book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
After finishing Bittersweet, I’m wondering if I was supposed to love the MC, Mabel, or to hate her. I suspect we’re supposed to regard her as plucky and resourceful, but she’s really quite awful. When we meet her, she’s in the midst of what looks like a Single White Female type of obsession with (or possibly a crush on) her beautiful roommate, Ev Winslow. I thought that this had the potential to be fun, but that angle is quickly discarded for a ho-hum murder mystery involving Ev’s family.
But first, we need to get Mabel to Ev’s family’s summer compound, known as Winloch. It seems that Ev has only the most minimal amount of tolerance for Mabel, so I was as shocked as Mabel was when Ev invited Mabel to visit her family for the summer. Mabel leaps at the opportunity – anything to be close to Ev and to win her affection. When the girls arrive at Winloch, Mabel is surprised to see it consists of somewhat shabby houses. Aren’t these people supposed to be rich??? Ev then tells Mabel that she needs help cleaning up one of the houses so that her mother and father would transfer ownership to her. No, it didn’t make much sense when I was reading it, either.
Quite suddenly, unbelievably, and without provocation, Mabel transforms from Ev’s lapdog into an overbearing, scheming villain. With a tiny bit of coaxing from one of the Winslows, Mabel begins to spy on all of the family members. She’s instructed to “take them all down,” and her reward will be one of the Winslow’s houses. She inserts herself into the middle of the family drama and pries into their financial affairs. She spies on them while they’re having sex. She feels perfectly entitled to ownership of a house that has been in the family for generations. If that’s not enough, here’s a few more of Mabel’s not-so-shining moments:
- When someone reveals a pregnancy to Mabel, Mabel’s first thought is, “How is this going to disturb MY life?”
- She bursts into tears at a restaurant because she’s under-dressed.
- She’s upset at the gift of a friendship bracelet from a younger girl, because rich people are supposed to give extravagant gifts.
- She feigns sympathy with a mother bereaved over the loss of her son in order to pump the woman for Winslow family secrets.
- She’s informed that a family member to whom she’s grown close is dying of brain cancer, but moments later, Mabel is laughing and continuing on her quest to take down the Winslows.
- She resents a dog for not properly thanking her after she rescued it.
The Winslows aren’t any better than Mabel, but at least their wickedness is (unintentionally) cartoonish. What’s the point of Bittersweet? That rich people are evil, twisted, and sick? Even the few “good” ones in this family are characterized mostly by their cluelessness and their total lack of regard for their family members.
Bittersweet would have worked better as a telenovela. Unfortunately, it fails as a high-falutin’ novel.
Note: I received a copy of the book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
May 8, 2016
Majority was audiobook. The last 100 -150 pages I read my physical hard copy.
NOTE: This is now a $1.99 Kindle special! GREAT PRICE............(very enjoyable for a $1.99)
Ev and Mabel are roommates at a prestigious east coast school.
Ev is thin, blonde, suntan, traditionally glamorous & styled appropriately. She comes from wealth. Privileged, bored, and aloof....she tolerates family expectations....positively seething as if being asked to be polite is an outrageous sacrifice. She has grown tiresome, maneuvering through the verbal minefield as a daughter from her strange high society Winslow family.
Only a freshman in college, and already Ev, has developed her snobby -bitch- girl attitude like a champ.
Mabel...(the narrator of "Bittersweet"), lacks the 'snobby-bitch-girl' skills. She's a scholarship student, loves literature, art history, has a high GPA, yet because she doesn't have blond hair, isn't traditionally bone thin, or own many nice clothes, we see a bright girl promptly ready to sell her soul for a little 'Ev flattering'.
This tale kicks off into high gear when 'bitch-girl' invites 'in-aw-of-the-rich-and-bitchy', (Ev invites Mabel), to her summer compound known as Winloch....
"The Bittersweet Compound".....off the shores of Lake Champlain in Vermont.
Turns out Mabel is surprised to see how shabby the houses are. In Ev's family it's a tradition that before a sibling inherits ownership of one of the houses - they must first prove they can clean, decorate, remodel, and transform a shabby house - pass inspection - before allowed full privilege to claim it theirs. So, Mabel helps Ev with the summer cleaning. That's not all she cleans.
In the meantime...Mabel, ( girl on the sidelines), is coaxed into spying on all the family members. Disturbing secrets are uncovered about almost every character in this story. Twists- turns- cliffhangers - nutty-fun-mystery...with interesting characters.
I think the best way to enjoy this novel is to suspend 'reality' beliefs ---roll with the flow. It's not a novel without flaws. The characters could use a course in enlightenment -- but... as an audiobook -- it was a great-walking tantalizing juicer.
NOTE: This is now a $1.99 Kindle special! GREAT PRICE............(very enjoyable for a $1.99)
Ev and Mabel are roommates at a prestigious east coast school.
Ev is thin, blonde, suntan, traditionally glamorous & styled appropriately. She comes from wealth. Privileged, bored, and aloof....she tolerates family expectations....positively seething as if being asked to be polite is an outrageous sacrifice. She has grown tiresome, maneuvering through the verbal minefield as a daughter from her strange high society Winslow family.
Only a freshman in college, and already Ev, has developed her snobby -bitch- girl attitude like a champ.
Mabel...(the narrator of "Bittersweet"), lacks the 'snobby-bitch-girl' skills. She's a scholarship student, loves literature, art history, has a high GPA, yet because she doesn't have blond hair, isn't traditionally bone thin, or own many nice clothes, we see a bright girl promptly ready to sell her soul for a little 'Ev flattering'.
This tale kicks off into high gear when 'bitch-girl' invites 'in-aw-of-the-rich-and-bitchy', (Ev invites Mabel), to her summer compound known as Winloch....
"The Bittersweet Compound".....off the shores of Lake Champlain in Vermont.
Turns out Mabel is surprised to see how shabby the houses are. In Ev's family it's a tradition that before a sibling inherits ownership of one of the houses - they must first prove they can clean, decorate, remodel, and transform a shabby house - pass inspection - before allowed full privilege to claim it theirs. So, Mabel helps Ev with the summer cleaning. That's not all she cleans.
In the meantime...Mabel, ( girl on the sidelines), is coaxed into spying on all the family members. Disturbing secrets are uncovered about almost every character in this story. Twists- turns- cliffhangers - nutty-fun-mystery...with interesting characters.
I think the best way to enjoy this novel is to suspend 'reality' beliefs ---roll with the flow. It's not a novel without flaws. The characters could use a course in enlightenment -- but... as an audiobook -- it was a great-walking tantalizing juicer.
June 22, 2014
This book has everything one might expect from literary fiction--unlikable characters, overblown metaphors, disturbing sexual scenes, and an ending that reminds you of the emptiness of modern life.
October 10, 2019
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Un thriller suspans cu accente noir, un amalgam se enigme și secrete demult îngropate. Un roman foarte frumos, alert și captivant. Povestea unei familii privită prin ochii unei persoane străine... O tânără care reușește să-i schimbe pe toți și sa ii țină în alertă.
Recenzia mea completă o găsiți aici:
https://www.delicateseliterare.ro/vac...
Un thriller suspans cu accente noir, un amalgam se enigme și secrete demult îngropate. Un roman foarte frumos, alert și captivant. Povestea unei familii privită prin ochii unei persoane străine... O tânără care reușește să-i schimbe pe toți și sa ii țină în alertă.
Recenzia mea completă o găsiți aici:
https://www.delicateseliterare.ro/vac...
December 31, 2013
Bittersweet is one of those stay up all night and read no matter how early you have to get up in the morning kind of books. I tried to savor it as long as possible because I knew that I would mourn finishing it. Desperately wanted to share it with high school and college girlfriends who would completely understand the complexities of the Mabel/Ev dynamic. Can't wait to buy it for friends and family so they can get just as lost in this incredible page turner.
July 27, 2025
“I know you're picturing gold candlesticks and infinity pools, but this place they made isn't decadent, no, it's rustic in the way only a rich person's place can be, with money flowing under it invisibly, so that they get to pretend they're just like the rest of us.”
― Miranda Beverly-Whittemore, Bittersweet
I had a really difficult time with this book. It started out OK but the pacing was quite slow and I did not get into it as the book went on. I was surprised..very..because I thought I'd love this.
The book was a bit different then I thought it would be. But I had a few issues that prevented me from really loving it. I could not stand the character of Mabel. I can't help it, she started out unlikable and got worse as the book went on. But the book also moved at a very leisurely pace and after awhile I got bored.
Mysteries about wealthy people can go alot of ways but I really struggled with this and ended up skimming to finish. I think part of the issue is I was prepared for the book to be very dialogue driven and it wasn't. And there was a lack of tension. The mood was very gloomy throughout. I could not become invested in the story although I tried.
To really get into a story such as this, I have to be at least a bit invested in the characters. Not so here. Not with Mabel anyway. Mabel was a bizarre character whom I disliked reading about. The slow pacing and lack of any real intensity bothered me. I am not sure what I was expecting but Bittersweet seemed, to me, like it was combining the Young Adult genre with Gothic with maybe a bit of Erotica thrown in as well. And it did not work for me.
My favorite part of the book is that it takes place in Vermont..a beautiful place! I appreciated the descriptive elements used to describe the lake house and the atmosphere. But at the end of the day it just was not the right book for me.
― Miranda Beverly-Whittemore, Bittersweet
I had a really difficult time with this book. It started out OK but the pacing was quite slow and I did not get into it as the book went on. I was surprised..very..because I thought I'd love this.
The book was a bit different then I thought it would be. But I had a few issues that prevented me from really loving it. I could not stand the character of Mabel. I can't help it, she started out unlikable and got worse as the book went on. But the book also moved at a very leisurely pace and after awhile I got bored.
Mysteries about wealthy people can go alot of ways but I really struggled with this and ended up skimming to finish. I think part of the issue is I was prepared for the book to be very dialogue driven and it wasn't. And there was a lack of tension. The mood was very gloomy throughout. I could not become invested in the story although I tried.
To really get into a story such as this, I have to be at least a bit invested in the characters. Not so here. Not with Mabel anyway. Mabel was a bizarre character whom I disliked reading about. The slow pacing and lack of any real intensity bothered me. I am not sure what I was expecting but Bittersweet seemed, to me, like it was combining the Young Adult genre with Gothic with maybe a bit of Erotica thrown in as well. And it did not work for me.
My favorite part of the book is that it takes place in Vermont..a beautiful place! I appreciated the descriptive elements used to describe the lake house and the atmosphere. But at the end of the day it just was not the right book for me.
May 29, 2014
I'm not completely sure what to make of this. On one hand, it was well written and kept the pages turning. On the other, it was too long, the pacing slow and the author resorted to using too many cliches.
Mabel Dagmar is a scholarship student at a college with a spoiled princess for a roommate. After bonding briefly, Ev invites Mabel to spend the summer at the family's compound in Vermont. Mabel, desperate to not return to her parents, agrees. Once there she is dazzled by the wealthy blond people so perfect on the surface but rotten underneath.
Aunt Indo encourages Dagmar to investigate the family's origins by working through the old financial records. Indo, like Ev, shows signs of bipolar disorder, constantly demanding Dagmar to solve the mystery while giving her little to work with.
I found myself getting frustrated with passages that went no where and a cast of people in desperate need of industrial strength therapy. At the end, I wasn't even rooting for Mabel. She'd grown tiresome--desperate to join this family of sociopaths and criminals.
But "Bittersweet" would probably make a great beach read. Better than 'Paradise Lost' which Dagmar spends the summer with, puzzling over its themes of embracing evil while never understanding the warnings about such an action.
Mabel Dagmar is a scholarship student at a college with a spoiled princess for a roommate. After bonding briefly, Ev invites Mabel to spend the summer at the family's compound in Vermont. Mabel, desperate to not return to her parents, agrees. Once there she is dazzled by the wealthy blond people so perfect on the surface but rotten underneath.
Aunt Indo encourages Dagmar to investigate the family's origins by working through the old financial records. Indo, like Ev, shows signs of bipolar disorder, constantly demanding Dagmar to solve the mystery while giving her little to work with.
I found myself getting frustrated with passages that went no where and a cast of people in desperate need of industrial strength therapy. At the end, I wasn't even rooting for Mabel. She'd grown tiresome--desperate to join this family of sociopaths and criminals.
But "Bittersweet" would probably make a great beach read. Better than 'Paradise Lost' which Dagmar spends the summer with, puzzling over its themes of embracing evil while never understanding the warnings about such an action.
September 6, 2014
Bittersweet by Miranda Beverly-Wittemore is 2014 Crown publishing release. I was provided a copy of this book by the publisher, Edelweiss, and Blogging for Books- in exchange for an honest review.
I could envision this idealistic estate set in Vermont during the summer months, could see the cottages, and could understand Mabel's attraction to the Winslow family. The roommate of Ev, a girl that seems to only need Mabel when it suits her, gives Mabel the opportunity of a lifetime when she is invited to spend the summer with her. Bittersweet is the name of the cottage Ev will inherit and she enlist Mabel to help her get the place in shape.
Told in first person narrative, the Winslow family has Mabel enthralled and she will do anything in order to remain on the estate. But, when one of the relatives living on the estate ask Mabel to look into the family history, hinting at something that might prove the family came by it's wealth by being involved in something shady or criminal, Mabel is intrigued. Of course she must keep her research a secret from the rest of the family.
As Mabel learns the lay of the land, so to speak, she encounters the adopted daughter, Lu, and Ev's brother, Galway and assorted other rather eccentric relatives, all with their own cottage.
But, the Winslow family are not the only ones with a deep dark secret. Mabel herself has a few things she would prefer the Winslow family not to know about her and her family.
This book has been categorized as literary fiction, mystery, and even a few labeling it “Gothic”. I think this book would indeed fit into all these genres. The first person telling, which in my opinion is the hardest to pull off, was done very well, the suspense is an excruciatingly slow build, which left me with a constant sense of foreboding, and the mystery is compelling, and Gothic? Well, not the Jane Eyre type of Gothic and this book does not have any supernatural elements which many think is what Gothic is all about, but more of a V.C. Andrews style of Gothic. It's a strange combination, but overall it worked. Now, if you are one of those people that absolutely must have your characters likeable, you might want to move on, because while I could identify with Mabel on many occasions, she has her own flaws. Is she really any better than the Winslow's? If you love old family secrets with lots of twist and turns, then you will like this one. This book most likely hit close to the mark with families like the Winslow's who may have a rather sordid history but know how to put a positive spin on it with the public. It happens all the time I am sure. I found this book very absorbing and atmospheric. The weather patterns even added to the drama with wind and storms during the summer months hinting at a type of turbulence that mirrored what was happening with the Winslow family and with Mabel.
This would make a good book club read and I recommend to those that enjoy all genre's I listed above and those that like to read something a bit off the beaten path. This one is 4 stars.
I could envision this idealistic estate set in Vermont during the summer months, could see the cottages, and could understand Mabel's attraction to the Winslow family. The roommate of Ev, a girl that seems to only need Mabel when it suits her, gives Mabel the opportunity of a lifetime when she is invited to spend the summer with her. Bittersweet is the name of the cottage Ev will inherit and she enlist Mabel to help her get the place in shape.
Told in first person narrative, the Winslow family has Mabel enthralled and she will do anything in order to remain on the estate. But, when one of the relatives living on the estate ask Mabel to look into the family history, hinting at something that might prove the family came by it's wealth by being involved in something shady or criminal, Mabel is intrigued. Of course she must keep her research a secret from the rest of the family.
As Mabel learns the lay of the land, so to speak, she encounters the adopted daughter, Lu, and Ev's brother, Galway and assorted other rather eccentric relatives, all with their own cottage.
But, the Winslow family are not the only ones with a deep dark secret. Mabel herself has a few things she would prefer the Winslow family not to know about her and her family.
This book has been categorized as literary fiction, mystery, and even a few labeling it “Gothic”. I think this book would indeed fit into all these genres. The first person telling, which in my opinion is the hardest to pull off, was done very well, the suspense is an excruciatingly slow build, which left me with a constant sense of foreboding, and the mystery is compelling, and Gothic? Well, not the Jane Eyre type of Gothic and this book does not have any supernatural elements which many think is what Gothic is all about, but more of a V.C. Andrews style of Gothic. It's a strange combination, but overall it worked. Now, if you are one of those people that absolutely must have your characters likeable, you might want to move on, because while I could identify with Mabel on many occasions, she has her own flaws. Is she really any better than the Winslow's? If you love old family secrets with lots of twist and turns, then you will like this one. This book most likely hit close to the mark with families like the Winslow's who may have a rather sordid history but know how to put a positive spin on it with the public. It happens all the time I am sure. I found this book very absorbing and atmospheric. The weather patterns even added to the drama with wind and storms during the summer months hinting at a type of turbulence that mirrored what was happening with the Winslow family and with Mabel.
This would make a good book club read and I recommend to those that enjoy all genre's I listed above and those that like to read something a bit off the beaten path. This one is 4 stars.
August 5, 2014
Bittersweet is a very intriguing novel from beginning to end. Mabel, a poor and plain looking college student, is invited by Ev, her beautiful and very wealthy roommate, to spend the summer at Bittersweet. Bittersweet is one of many cottages located on an expansive estate that has been in the Winslow family for decades. It is a place to relax, swim, play, eat and enjoy all the advantages of the wealthy Winslow family.
However nothing is as perfect as it seems and as Mabel becomes more involved in the family, secrets are revealed and terrible and disgusting discoveries made. Poor Mabel. She is in a dilemma. She loves the good life but if she reveals secrets she may lose what she thinks is important to her. This is the story of good versus evil, morals, and the price one pays to live your dream life. This story is very engaging and suspenseful. Very much a page turner especially the last 50+ pages.
I won this ARC from LibraryThing.
However nothing is as perfect as it seems and as Mabel becomes more involved in the family, secrets are revealed and terrible and disgusting discoveries made. Poor Mabel. She is in a dilemma. She loves the good life but if she reveals secrets she may lose what she thinks is important to her. This is the story of good versus evil, morals, and the price one pays to live your dream life. This story is very engaging and suspenseful. Very much a page turner especially the last 50+ pages.
I won this ARC from LibraryThing.
March 4, 2015
This had the potential to be a good story, but ultimately it collapsed under the weight of its own implausibility. The author's occasional insights or moments of truth (I thought my lack of wholeness was somehow my fault. I had no idea everyone feels this way--that the most essential part of growing up is figuring out where your empty places are and learning how to fill them by, and for, yourself) were undermined by the silliness at the heart of the mystery.
The heroine is invited to spend the summer with her rich, beautiful college roommate. The reader suspects from the beginning that the roommate, Ev, is merely using the heroine, Mabel, for reasons to be revealed later. Mabel suspects it too, to a certain extent, but she is quickly overcome with so much love for the Winslows and their vacation paradise, Winloch, that she stops caring about being friends with Ev and starts concentrating on keeping her place at Winloch no matter what. This is not an attractive characteristic, but it's only one of many unattractive characteristics that Mabel displays. To say she's difficult to sympathize with is an understatement.
Not long after Mabel arrives at Winloch, an elderly aunt asks her to find some papers/uncover some mystery/destroy the Winslow family by delving into the family archives. Why she does this, or what exactly the aunt is after, we're never told. The aunt seems like a sweet old lady, but everyone else in the family hates her. Why? We're never told. Mabel begins her quest and is soon joined by Galway, Ev's brother, whom Mabel meets in the least cute meet-cute ever. It was probably this scene, as much as anything, that began my dissatisfaction with this novel. It felt contrived to create a source of romantic conflict between them and made Galway seem like a half-witted voyeur. His character does a 180 from that point, which just made their meeting seem even more tacked on.
Eventually, Mabel uncovers evidence that there have been some financial shenanigans in the family history. One head of the family was unseated in favor of his second son, an unprecedented move that she thinks might be tied to the mystery of the family's recovering fortunes. Why did it happen? We're never told. We eventually find out that the family coffers were replenished through looting from Jews during the Holocaust. How exactly did they do that from America (seems like the Germans might have been pretty exclusive about that)? We're never told. The family is also meant to have been looting throughout the rest of the 20th century, wherever there was conflict around the world. How? We're never told. (You dial 1-800-CONFLICT and they hook you up with unscrupulous types who will funnel money and goods your way?)
The other deep, dark secret Mabel uncovers is that the current head of the family is a monster. But he isn't just your garden-variety monster. He's an incestuous, murdering, Nazi-sympathizing, rapist monster. And for no real reason that the author felt called upon to give. It was apparently justification enough that he was from a wealthy family that had profited from ill-gotten gains. Boom: instant monster. Oh, and he's omniscient too. He's able to track anyone, find out any secret, foil any plot. The head of SPECTRE isn't as plugged in as this guy. Why does his family cover up for him year after year, crime after crime? We're never told. I guess it's supposed to be enough that eventually the wife reaches her limit and takes care of him. And we know she takes care of him because she gives Mabel a flinty look at the funeral that clearly shows she took care of him, and because of course: heart attack pill!
There was a good story to be told here, and I really appreciated the world the author creates with Winloch, but in the end, the silliness of it was too much. Too bad, really.
The heroine is invited to spend the summer with her rich, beautiful college roommate. The reader suspects from the beginning that the roommate, Ev, is merely using the heroine, Mabel, for reasons to be revealed later. Mabel suspects it too, to a certain extent, but she is quickly overcome with so much love for the Winslows and their vacation paradise, Winloch, that she stops caring about being friends with Ev and starts concentrating on keeping her place at Winloch no matter what. This is not an attractive characteristic, but it's only one of many unattractive characteristics that Mabel displays. To say she's difficult to sympathize with is an understatement.
Not long after Mabel arrives at Winloch, an elderly aunt asks her to find some papers/uncover some mystery/destroy the Winslow family by delving into the family archives. Why she does this, or what exactly the aunt is after, we're never told. The aunt seems like a sweet old lady, but everyone else in the family hates her. Why? We're never told. Mabel begins her quest and is soon joined by Galway, Ev's brother, whom Mabel meets in the least cute meet-cute ever. It was probably this scene, as much as anything, that began my dissatisfaction with this novel. It felt contrived to create a source of romantic conflict between them and made Galway seem like a half-witted voyeur. His character does a 180 from that point, which just made their meeting seem even more tacked on.
Eventually, Mabel uncovers evidence that there have been some financial shenanigans in the family history. One head of the family was unseated in favor of his second son, an unprecedented move that she thinks might be tied to the mystery of the family's recovering fortunes. Why did it happen? We're never told. We eventually find out that the family coffers were replenished through looting from Jews during the Holocaust. How exactly did they do that from America (seems like the Germans might have been pretty exclusive about that)? We're never told. The family is also meant to have been looting throughout the rest of the 20th century, wherever there was conflict around the world. How? We're never told. (You dial 1-800-CONFLICT and they hook you up with unscrupulous types who will funnel money and goods your way?)
The other deep, dark secret Mabel uncovers is that the current head of the family is a monster. But he isn't just your garden-variety monster. He's an incestuous, murdering, Nazi-sympathizing, rapist monster. And for no real reason that the author felt called upon to give. It was apparently justification enough that he was from a wealthy family that had profited from ill-gotten gains. Boom: instant monster. Oh, and he's omniscient too. He's able to track anyone, find out any secret, foil any plot. The head of SPECTRE isn't as plugged in as this guy. Why does his family cover up for him year after year, crime after crime? We're never told. I guess it's supposed to be enough that eventually the wife reaches her limit and takes care of him. And we know she takes care of him because she gives Mabel a flinty look at the funeral that clearly shows she took care of him, and because of course: heart attack pill!
There was a good story to be told here, and I really appreciated the world the author creates with Winloch, but in the end, the silliness of it was too much. Too bad, really.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 14, 2014
This is a book that is hard to talk about without giving too much away, so rather than throw down some spoiler alerts that no one pays attention to except the best among us* I will say that I really loved reading this.
*yeah, I blow past spoiler alerts. What's it to you?
*yeah, I blow past spoiler alerts. What's it to you?
May 1, 2016
Mixing truth with Gothic fantasy for an eccentric and dark ride ---a family of secrets and lies, violence, madness, corruption, deception, and greed. Welcome, to BITTERSWEET Vermont by Miranda Beverly-Whittemore!
From the mysterious front cover, you try and prepare yourself for what lies behind the walls, the people, and their lives . . Nothing can prepare you for chilling events to unfold, nor the ones from the past yet to be discovered.
This mesmerizing novel, reminded me a bit of The Great Gatsby--the house, and the strong obsession to be a part of the powerful, alluring, wealthy lifestyle—and the lengths a person will go, to achieve (an outsider’s hunger to belong). Until they discover there is always price to pay –a deal with the devil. A pattern of evil emerging from behind the plush facade.
The chosen one – enticing the character into a world of intrigue, mystery, wealth, and power; however, be aware- things are not as they seem, but sometimes you are in too deep to escape.
A riveting thriller, keeping you on the edge of the seat, with suspense building from beginning to the surprising twist towards the end. I highly recommend the audiobook--Cassandra Campbell performed flawlessly!
Miranda Beverly-Whittemore's heroine is an outsider invited into the secret, world of the super-rich, yet dark and mysterious. She plans each step, with precision; pacing and holding back enough for the buildup, and climatic ending.
Mabel, the protagonist, invited by her beautiful and wealthy college roommate Geneva (Ev), to spend the summer at the family’s estate cottage in Vermont. She looks at this family and desires to become one of them, and compares it to her life. She never wants to leave. However, both girls have a secret
As the story unravels, nothing is as it seems, and the past may resurface for their worst nightmare. Are these people nuts? Mabel cannot understand why they are cleaning the house, when this family is rich enough to hire people do these tasks—and the locks?
The summer starts out wonderfully (like Gatsby), with picnics, parties, romance, and late night swims in this idyllic setting. Slowly, the Winslow family becomes strange, as secrets continue to be covered up, as Mabel aggressively begins to uncover more about these century old secrets from older journals.
More complications: an eccentric aunt of Ev’s requests Mabel to learn more about the family’s secrets. One source is the mysterious Winslow money, with rumors of incest, and more evil - pointing to Birh, Ev’s father. Aunt Indo who claims that the family is out to get her and promises her cottage to Mabel if she can find the necessary information to help her.
She begins questioning good versus evil, and how will she escape this madness? What a twist with the reference of Adam and Eve and the Garden of Eden.
Near the ending--so many details coming to the surface, I had to rewind to ensure I did not miss anything. BITTERSWEET also contained some of the funniest and sarcastic lines--found myself laughing out loud.
Brilliantly written Look forward to reading more from this masterful storyteller!
JDCMustReadBooks
Stay tuned for her upcoming JUNE: A Novel, coming May 31, 2016! 5 Stars
From the mysterious front cover, you try and prepare yourself for what lies behind the walls, the people, and their lives . . Nothing can prepare you for chilling events to unfold, nor the ones from the past yet to be discovered.
This mesmerizing novel, reminded me a bit of The Great Gatsby--the house, and the strong obsession to be a part of the powerful, alluring, wealthy lifestyle—and the lengths a person will go, to achieve (an outsider’s hunger to belong). Until they discover there is always price to pay –a deal with the devil. A pattern of evil emerging from behind the plush facade.
The chosen one – enticing the character into a world of intrigue, mystery, wealth, and power; however, be aware- things are not as they seem, but sometimes you are in too deep to escape.
A riveting thriller, keeping you on the edge of the seat, with suspense building from beginning to the surprising twist towards the end. I highly recommend the audiobook--Cassandra Campbell performed flawlessly!
Miranda Beverly-Whittemore's heroine is an outsider invited into the secret, world of the super-rich, yet dark and mysterious. She plans each step, with precision; pacing and holding back enough for the buildup, and climatic ending.
Mabel, the protagonist, invited by her beautiful and wealthy college roommate Geneva (Ev), to spend the summer at the family’s estate cottage in Vermont. She looks at this family and desires to become one of them, and compares it to her life. She never wants to leave. However, both girls have a secret
As the story unravels, nothing is as it seems, and the past may resurface for their worst nightmare. Are these people nuts? Mabel cannot understand why they are cleaning the house, when this family is rich enough to hire people do these tasks—and the locks?
The summer starts out wonderfully (like Gatsby), with picnics, parties, romance, and late night swims in this idyllic setting. Slowly, the Winslow family becomes strange, as secrets continue to be covered up, as Mabel aggressively begins to uncover more about these century old secrets from older journals.
More complications: an eccentric aunt of Ev’s requests Mabel to learn more about the family’s secrets. One source is the mysterious Winslow money, with rumors of incest, and more evil - pointing to Birh, Ev’s father. Aunt Indo who claims that the family is out to get her and promises her cottage to Mabel if she can find the necessary information to help her.
She begins questioning good versus evil, and how will she escape this madness? What a twist with the reference of Adam and Eve and the Garden of Eden.
Near the ending--so many details coming to the surface, I had to rewind to ensure I did not miss anything. BITTERSWEET also contained some of the funniest and sarcastic lines--found myself laughing out loud.
Brilliantly written Look forward to reading more from this masterful storyteller!
JDCMustReadBooks
Stay tuned for her upcoming JUNE: A Novel, coming May 31, 2016! 5 Stars
June 16, 2014
Pathetic sophomoric attempt at a modern gothic, desperately in need of editing "she opined"--dragged out, sluggish, clunky, etc. I would have tossed it against the wall, but I had to see how bad the train wreck actually was. Better than I expected or I'd have given it one star. The positive review I read must have been a favor to somebody important somehow. Any decent genre romance would have been more tightly written. Totally predictable, totally obvious, so many obvious answers to stupid questions. Really...the question is what idiot editor bought this and then didn't have the skill to edit it into something possibly worthy of self-publishing. Sheesh.
May 16, 2014
2.5 stars.
Felt I was reading a well written soap opera, where the use of descriptions was better than the plot.
A poor, plain scholarship student, Mabel, is attending a posh college. Her roommate Ev is beautiful, snobbish and ignores her most of the semester.It comes as a surprise when Ev invites Mabel to spend the summer at her family's lakeside estate in Vermont for the summer. Mabel is delighted and excited at the prospect. She badly wants Ev as a friend, and feels estranged from her own family. There is a deep longing to belong.
There is a feeling of unease when Mabel arrives at the very wealthy family's summer compound. Ev immediately enlists her to help repair and clean up the cottage where they will be staying and hints that both will live there in the future. No explanation is given why many of the buildings are double locked from inside. Ev's father seems friendly to Mabel while the mother is cold and aloof.The rest of the extended family range from eccentric to rude and unpleasant , and many don't get along with other family members. Ev disappoints Mabel by disappearing for many hours with no explanation. Sometimes she is sweet and generous to Mabel alternating with verbal abuse.
Mabel becomes obsessed with the family and their dark secrets, showing increasing greed and envy.She is mistreated or ignored by the people to which she wants to belong. She begins to uncover terrible things which have occurred in the past and which are still happening. Also the source of the great wealth is shocking. This does not deter her from wanting to stay there even after Ev disappears.
I found the plot hard to believe, and the characters mainly unlikeable, including Mabel. The description of the countryside around the estate and lake was beautifully done.
Felt I was reading a well written soap opera, where the use of descriptions was better than the plot.
A poor, plain scholarship student, Mabel, is attending a posh college. Her roommate Ev is beautiful, snobbish and ignores her most of the semester.It comes as a surprise when Ev invites Mabel to spend the summer at her family's lakeside estate in Vermont for the summer. Mabel is delighted and excited at the prospect. She badly wants Ev as a friend, and feels estranged from her own family. There is a deep longing to belong.
There is a feeling of unease when Mabel arrives at the very wealthy family's summer compound. Ev immediately enlists her to help repair and clean up the cottage where they will be staying and hints that both will live there in the future. No explanation is given why many of the buildings are double locked from inside. Ev's father seems friendly to Mabel while the mother is cold and aloof.The rest of the extended family range from eccentric to rude and unpleasant , and many don't get along with other family members. Ev disappoints Mabel by disappearing for many hours with no explanation. Sometimes she is sweet and generous to Mabel alternating with verbal abuse.
Mabel becomes obsessed with the family and their dark secrets, showing increasing greed and envy.She is mistreated or ignored by the people to which she wants to belong. She begins to uncover terrible things which have occurred in the past and which are still happening. Also the source of the great wealth is shocking. This does not deter her from wanting to stay there even after Ev disappears.
I found the plot hard to believe, and the characters mainly unlikeable, including Mabel. The description of the countryside around the estate and lake was beautifully done.
March 17, 2014
This was an enjoyable come-of-age story with a gothic tone and great setting. One "secret" was easily figured out about halfway through but the other was a bit of a surprise. With its foreboding tone and doled out family revelations, this is a good readalike for Kate Morton and Kimberley Freeman.
April 3, 2017
Started out interesting, but plateaued real quick, before I was halfway finished. The characters were not believable, borderline stereotypes of rich people. And the idea of a perfect stranger rifling through a family's private, personal papers is crazy.
September 26, 2016
1.5 stars
I can read a book in 2 days. It took me that long to get through the first 100 pages. Then I kept reading because it was book club and it was sort of like "where the hell is this going to go". It wasn't enjoyable per se, but I wanted to see just where it was going.
All the main characters were unlikable, but that doesn't always stop me from enjoying a book. They weren't even unlikable in the "they're so unlikable I love it" way.
The rest of the story moved along quicker - maybe because I didn't really care much about what was going to happen to any of the main players at that point and some of the secondary characters I was actually pulling for. Mabel goes from sad and bitchy to manipulative, sad and bitchy. Kind of a convoluted storyline as to where the money came from - though that wasn't completely explained. Moral of the story is money is better than everything else, especially if you're a miserable person to begin with, at least you can become manipulative and miserable and have a lot of money to go with it.
I can read a book in 2 days. It took me that long to get through the first 100 pages. Then I kept reading because it was book club and it was sort of like "where the hell is this going to go". It wasn't enjoyable per se, but I wanted to see just where it was going.
All the main characters were unlikable, but that doesn't always stop me from enjoying a book. They weren't even unlikable in the "they're so unlikable I love it" way.
The rest of the story moved along quicker - maybe because I didn't really care much about what was going to happen to any of the main players at that point and some of the secondary characters I was actually pulling for. Mabel goes from sad and bitchy to manipulative, sad and bitchy. Kind of a convoluted storyline as to where the money came from - though that wasn't completely explained. Moral of the story is money is better than everything else, especially if you're a miserable person to begin with, at least you can become manipulative and miserable and have a lot of money to go with it.
December 31, 2013
I'm a self-admitted slow reader, and I tore through Bittersweet. It's beautifully written with a gripping story, making it a fast and enjoyable read.
The Vermont estate where the book takes place really draws you in, giving you the sense that it's both devastatingly beautiful and creepily haunting. (Much like some of the characters in the book.) I really felt like I was there and like I was getting to know Mabel, as she was getting to know herself. And without giving anything away, I loved the unexpected twists and turns that show up in the second half of the book.
If you like a meaty story with great characters, you'll love this book as much as I did.
The Vermont estate where the book takes place really draws you in, giving you the sense that it's both devastatingly beautiful and creepily haunting. (Much like some of the characters in the book.) I really felt like I was there and like I was getting to know Mabel, as she was getting to know herself. And without giving anything away, I loved the unexpected twists and turns that show up in the second half of the book.
If you like a meaty story with great characters, you'll love this book as much as I did.
Read
January 2, 2014I read a MS version of this book and it is FANTASTIC. Cannot wait until it comes out, and I get to see it in its finished form.
June 5, 2014
I want all of the hours of my life back that I invested in reading this book. So many twists and turns that didn't add anything to this book.
August 22, 2014
God, this book was terrible. The premise seemed so good, too, but it was just... awful.
Bittersweet is the story of Mabel Dagmar -- yes, that's supposed to be the name of an 18-year-old who is living not in 1922 or something, but in present day America. She is roommates with Genevra Winslow at college, who goes by Ev for short. Ev is part of an extremely wealthy family, the ultimate caricature of blue bloods, so naturally she is tall, slim, blonde, and beautiful. Mabel, meanwhile, is plain and dumpy (which is all we apparently need to make her relatable). Ev likes to party; Mabel likes to read, even toting around "Paradise Lost" consistently throughout the novel, as if to serve a dual purpose of showing us how Smart and Deep Mabel is, while also serving as a metaphor. (See, Mabel's story of discovering Winloch is just like Paradise Lost!!) Somehow, though, these two become "friends", we're told, although nothing ever seems to indicate an actual friendship. Sometimes they get along, other times they don't, but they seem to never do much more than tolerate each other. Mabel doesn't want to spend her summer off in Maryland with her family, so when Ev invites her to go with her for the summer to Winloch, her family's huge summer estate in Vermont, Mabel jumps on the opportunity. Each child is given a cottage when they come of age, and each cottage is named after a plant or flower (Clover, Queen Anne's Lace, etc.). Ev's cottage is named Bittersweet (the author is practically jumping up and down, begging you to GET IT?? GET IT??).
And so the summer begins, with Ev starting up a forbidden romance with the servant's boy, because in 2014, people still care about that kind of thing and all. Mabel develops a crush on one of Ev's brothers, Galway. And speaking of Galway, all of these people are given absolutely ludicrous names -- Mabel, Ev, Galway, Athol, Luvinia, Tilde, Birch, Indo. Anyway, she starts up a relationship with Galway after he acts as a literal peeping tom, watching her as she masturbates inside Bittersweet, thinking she is alone. Ah, romance. Mabel, the person who is supposed to be the protagonist, could also not be less likeable. She is greedy, selfish, entitled, hypocritical, and ungrateful. She is absolutely horrified that Galway caught her masturbating, yet she thinks absolutely nothing of watching people have sex herself -- not once, but twice. One of the older Winslows, Indo, encourages Mabel to snoop and dig up old family secrets, which Mabel does in the hopes that she'll somehow be able to become an unofficial member of the Winslow family. She has absolutely no right to anything at Winloch, but she figures that if she gets enough dirt to use as leverage against them, she can inherit Indo's cottage after she dies.
Somehow, we're supposed to like Mabel after all is said and done. She's the good wife, the good mom, the person with the moral center who ultimately put everything at Winloch right! Except the truth is that she did absolutely nothing of the sort. There is the notion that because she's dumpy and poor, she's therefore morally superior to these beautiful and wealthy people somehow. The entire book was rather sickening, especially seeing how Mabel treated her friendship with Ev. She gets so angry at Ev for not being a good enough friend, but anyone have any guesses on whether Mabel is a great friend to Ev as well? When all of the secrets are finally revealed, it's done with the subtlety of a sledgehammer. There are no clues or hints or foreshadowing throughout the novel; Mabel snoops unsuccessfully throughout the novel until BAM, everything is dropped on your head all at once, and I mean that literally -- it is one of those clichéd scenes where the entire family is in a room together and the villain just arrogantly discloses all. (The Incredibles called it "monologuing".) Yep, everyone just lays everything out for all to see, because that's how smart people work to bring an incredibly wealthy and powerful man down.
I just can't even say how disappointed and annoyed by this book I was. Again, it sounded so good, and seemed to have such promise, but nope. It's just a festering pile of crap. I wasted days of my life on this tripe. Who do I contact to get them back?
Bittersweet is the story of Mabel Dagmar -- yes, that's supposed to be the name of an 18-year-old who is living not in 1922 or something, but in present day America. She is roommates with Genevra Winslow at college, who goes by Ev for short. Ev is part of an extremely wealthy family, the ultimate caricature of blue bloods, so naturally she is tall, slim, blonde, and beautiful. Mabel, meanwhile, is plain and dumpy (which is all we apparently need to make her relatable). Ev likes to party; Mabel likes to read, even toting around "Paradise Lost" consistently throughout the novel, as if to serve a dual purpose of showing us how Smart and Deep Mabel is, while also serving as a metaphor. (See, Mabel's story of discovering Winloch is just like Paradise Lost!!) Somehow, though, these two become "friends", we're told, although nothing ever seems to indicate an actual friendship. Sometimes they get along, other times they don't, but they seem to never do much more than tolerate each other. Mabel doesn't want to spend her summer off in Maryland with her family, so when Ev invites her to go with her for the summer to Winloch, her family's huge summer estate in Vermont, Mabel jumps on the opportunity. Each child is given a cottage when they come of age, and each cottage is named after a plant or flower (Clover, Queen Anne's Lace, etc.). Ev's cottage is named Bittersweet (the author is practically jumping up and down, begging you to GET IT?? GET IT??).
And so the summer begins, with Ev starting up a forbidden romance with the servant's boy, because in 2014, people still care about that kind of thing and all. Mabel develops a crush on one of Ev's brothers, Galway. And speaking of Galway, all of these people are given absolutely ludicrous names -- Mabel, Ev, Galway, Athol, Luvinia, Tilde, Birch, Indo. Anyway, she starts up a relationship with Galway after he acts as a literal peeping tom, watching her as she masturbates inside Bittersweet, thinking she is alone. Ah, romance. Mabel, the person who is supposed to be the protagonist, could also not be less likeable. She is greedy, selfish, entitled, hypocritical, and ungrateful. She is absolutely horrified that Galway caught her masturbating, yet she thinks absolutely nothing of watching people have sex herself -- not once, but twice. One of the older Winslows, Indo, encourages Mabel to snoop and dig up old family secrets, which Mabel does in the hopes that she'll somehow be able to become an unofficial member of the Winslow family. She has absolutely no right to anything at Winloch, but she figures that if she gets enough dirt to use as leverage against them, she can inherit Indo's cottage after she dies.
Somehow, we're supposed to like Mabel after all is said and done. She's the good wife, the good mom, the person with the moral center who ultimately put everything at Winloch right! Except the truth is that she did absolutely nothing of the sort. There is the notion that because she's dumpy and poor, she's therefore morally superior to these beautiful and wealthy people somehow. The entire book was rather sickening, especially seeing how Mabel treated her friendship with Ev. She gets so angry at Ev for not being a good enough friend, but anyone have any guesses on whether Mabel is a great friend to Ev as well? When all of the secrets are finally revealed, it's done with the subtlety of a sledgehammer. There are no clues or hints or foreshadowing throughout the novel; Mabel snoops unsuccessfully throughout the novel until BAM, everything is dropped on your head all at once, and I mean that literally -- it is one of those clichéd scenes where the entire family is in a room together and the villain just arrogantly discloses all. (The Incredibles called it "monologuing".) Yep, everyone just lays everything out for all to see, because that's how smart people work to bring an incredibly wealthy and powerful man down.
I just can't even say how disappointed and annoyed by this book I was. Again, it sounded so good, and seemed to have such promise, but nope. It's just a festering pile of crap. I wasted days of my life on this tripe. Who do I contact to get them back?
July 16, 2015
I was skeptical going into this book, due to the pretty low ratings, but I actually LOVED it! Winloch is basically its own world set apart, where the wealthy Winslows can enjoy their sanctuary without even deigning to mingle with commoners, except their servants. The mystery had so many twists and turns, and small details that kept shocking me over and over. Great novel!
August 13, 2014
This was really good, suspenseful, with lots of twists and turns that I didn't see coming. This is the kind of book that keeps you up late at night because you can't wait to see what happens. I could not put it down. Highly recommend!
January 3, 2018
This book was a “buying surprise” for me, because I found it around more than half the price in the library, so I was very suspicious about if it was good or not, but here are my thoughts on it. As a key note, I recommend it if you like “We were liars”.
-Plot/Development: The book is about Mabel Dagmar, who gets a scholarship to one of the most famous and rich universities. There she meets Genevra, who becomes her friend, because of an unfortunate event in her family. That is when Ev (Genevra) decides to invite her roommate, Mabel, to spend the summer vacation with his family in Winsloch, but what she doesn’t know is that the Winslow family hides secrets.
The book is almost 500 pages, which is kind of medium reading for me, but I never felt it slow, mostly because is a book that always has a plot twist and secret in each chapter. There are sixty chapters, but I only believe that two or three are not necessary.
This is a story where you not be guessing or taking clues during the chapters, it is something that will be solved by itself.
-Characters: Most of the characters are enjoyable. Mabel is kind of annoying and silly, from my point of view, at believing some things that her lover and friends say, but it can be justified because of her background and she’s a teenager. About Genevra, she’s a rich girl who thinks she can controls everything and knows that her life is solved, but she’s mean and with some self-esteem issues that are not necessarily mention in the story, but you can infer.
About the family, my favorite character was Tilde, she’s the mother of Ev and some other characters you will know, but the woman is hard and weak at the same time, so you can hate her or love her, but her development is so good and mysterious. Luviana is her daughter and she also applies on my favorite character’s list since she is more mature than a lot of people.
-Ending: It wasn’t surprising, but also unexpected, because it was a combination of several emotions and situations that I was hoping to happen, but I didn’t know who and how different events will be situated.
-Genre: YA Mystery that is totally enjoyable and you can appreciate that in each chapter.
-Writing: I loved it, I read the Spanish version and it was really good. The author really studied how “higher class” is supposed to live and the vocabulary they are pretended to use.
-Plot/Development: The book is about Mabel Dagmar, who gets a scholarship to one of the most famous and rich universities. There she meets Genevra, who becomes her friend, because of an unfortunate event in her family. That is when Ev (Genevra) decides to invite her roommate, Mabel, to spend the summer vacation with his family in Winsloch, but what she doesn’t know is that the Winslow family hides secrets.
The book is almost 500 pages, which is kind of medium reading for me, but I never felt it slow, mostly because is a book that always has a plot twist and secret in each chapter. There are sixty chapters, but I only believe that two or three are not necessary.
This is a story where you not be guessing or taking clues during the chapters, it is something that will be solved by itself.
-Characters: Most of the characters are enjoyable. Mabel is kind of annoying and silly, from my point of view, at believing some things that her lover and friends say, but it can be justified because of her background and she’s a teenager. About Genevra, she’s a rich girl who thinks she can controls everything and knows that her life is solved, but she’s mean and with some self-esteem issues that are not necessarily mention in the story, but you can infer.
About the family, my favorite character was Tilde, she’s the mother of Ev and some other characters you will know, but the woman is hard and weak at the same time, so you can hate her or love her, but her development is so good and mysterious. Luviana is her daughter and she also applies on my favorite character’s list since she is more mature than a lot of people.
-Ending: It wasn’t surprising, but also unexpected, because it was a combination of several emotions and situations that I was hoping to happen, but I didn’t know who and how different events will be situated.
-Genre: YA Mystery that is totally enjoyable and you can appreciate that in each chapter.
-Writing: I loved it, I read the Spanish version and it was really good. The author really studied how “higher class” is supposed to live and the vocabulary they are pretended to use.
December 31, 2013
You really can't miss this book. I got my hands on an advanced copy when I was sick in the hospital and NOTHING could have been better distraction! As the story unfolds, the idyllic setting of a Vermont summer house gives way to some spine-tingling revelations for the main character, Mabel. I found it well-paced and beautifully written. The book is about many things, but perhaps the ones everyone can relate to are the themes of belonging, and the stories we tell ourselves in our friendships. Read it!
May 6, 2015
It didn't totally suck. Kinda like a Lifetime Saturday afternoon movie doesn't suck. The ridiculous one that you watch because there's a thread of an interesting plot and a whisper of a mystery you just can't figure out. Then in the end you find out that your first inkling was correct. I solved the mysteries at the first mention of each secret. Not because I'm that good, but because the book wasn't.
May 16, 2014
Listen, this isn't a happy read. One secret in particular is quite disturbing, but the sense of foreboding creates a darker tone from the very beginning of the book. And yet I still really enjoyed reading this story! As unenjoyable as aspects were, Bittersweet was written in a way that had me riveted. I think this book would be perfect for fans of gothic mysteries or people who enjoy suspenseful stories, unreliable narrators or secrets lurking beneath a picture perfect surface.
See my full review at So Obsessed With!
See my full review at So Obsessed With!
May 28, 2014
This was a well-written novel, but I felt as if I were reading it from a distance. The problem for me was that I didn't find any of the characters likable. It's so hard to care about a story when the people in it leave you cold. I don't believe that the Winslow family, who were the focus of the story, were meant to be likable. They were rich and powerful, pretty much did what they wanted, and certainly didn't care who was stepped on along the way. I wanted to root for awkward Mabel Dagmar as she tried to take them on, but I just didn't. You know who I did root for? The family dogs.
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