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Swimming at Night
People go traveling for two reasons: because they are searching for something, or they are running from something.
Katie’s world is shattered by the news that her headstrong and bohemian younger sister, Mia, has been found dead at the bottom of a cliff in Bali. The authorities say that Mia jumped—that her death was a suicide.
Although they’d hardly spoken to each other since Mia suddenly left on an around-the-world trip six months earlier, Katie refuses to accept that her sister would have taken her own life. Distraught that they never made peace, Katie leaves her orderly, sheltered life in London behind and embarks on a journey to find out the truth. With only the entries in Mia’s travel journal as her guide, Katie retraces the last few months of her sister’s life and—page by page, country by country—begins to uncover the mystery surrounding her death. . . .
Weaving together the exotic settings and suspenseful twists of Alex Garland’s The Beach with a powerful tale of familial love in the spirit of Rosamund Lupton’s Sister, Swimming at Night is a fast-paced, accomplished, and gripping debut novel of secrets, loss, and forgiveness.
Katie’s world is shattered by the news that her headstrong and bohemian younger sister, Mia, has been found dead at the bottom of a cliff in Bali. The authorities say that Mia jumped—that her death was a suicide.
Although they’d hardly spoken to each other since Mia suddenly left on an around-the-world trip six months earlier, Katie refuses to accept that her sister would have taken her own life. Distraught that they never made peace, Katie leaves her orderly, sheltered life in London behind and embarks on a journey to find out the truth. With only the entries in Mia’s travel journal as her guide, Katie retraces the last few months of her sister’s life and—page by page, country by country—begins to uncover the mystery surrounding her death. . . .
Weaving together the exotic settings and suspenseful twists of Alex Garland’s The Beach with a powerful tale of familial love in the spirit of Rosamund Lupton’s Sister, Swimming at Night is a fast-paced, accomplished, and gripping debut novel of secrets, loss, and forgiveness.
384 pages, Hardcover
First published October 8, 2012
466 people are currently reading
8736 people want to read
About the author
Lucy Clarke
22 books3,092 followersSunday Times bestseller Lucy Clarke is the author of nine destination thrillers. They include Waterstones Thriller of the Month, The Castaways, Richard and Judy Book Club pick, One of the Girls, and international bestseller, The Hike - and her most recent novel, The Surf House. Lucy's novels have sold over a million copies in the UK alone and are published in more than 25 territories worldwide.
Lucy's thriller, No Escape has been released as a major international show for Paramount+. The Castaways has also been adapted into a five-part thriller for Paramount+ and stars BAFTA award-winner Sheridan Smith. Three further novels by Lucy are currently in development for TV/film.
When Lucy isn't away on research trips (the real reason she loves being an author!), she can be found writing from a beach hut on the south coast of England. She lives with her husband and their two children.
Say hello:
Instagram @lucyclarke_author
Facebook: lucyclarkeauthor
Lucy's thriller, No Escape has been released as a major international show for Paramount+. The Castaways has also been adapted into a five-part thriller for Paramount+ and stars BAFTA award-winner Sheridan Smith. Three further novels by Lucy are currently in development for TV/film.
When Lucy isn't away on research trips (the real reason she loves being an author!), she can be found writing from a beach hut on the south coast of England. She lives with her husband and their two children.
Say hello:
Instagram @lucyclarke_author
Facebook: lucyclarkeauthor
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 975 reviews
August 29, 2013
This book was incredible. Absolutely incredible. This is one of those books that will stay with you. It is definitely going to stay with me. The emotion was so intense and the feeling of regret always there throughout the whole story. The way this story came together was both heartbreaking and hopeful. This is a must read.
July 9, 2015
Despite being written by a British author, The Sea Sisters was first published in the US, where it was given a more elegant title - Swimming at Night - and a mysterious, minimalist cover indicative of literary fiction. I'm mentioning this because had I not seen the American edition first, I probably wouldn't have wanted to read this book: the UK title and cover evoke images of some chick-lit/fantasy hybrid in which the sisters turn out to be secret mermaids or something. The book is actually neither literary nor ridiculous: it is a fairly standard mystery that's elevated above the genre with the addition of an evocative travelogue.
Katie Greene is woken in the middle of the night to find the police at her door, delivering the devastating news that her younger sister Mia, who was in the middle of a round-the-world trip with her childhood best friend Finn, has been found dead. She's instantly puzzled by the place this has happened: Bali, a destination that wasn't on Mia's planned route. But a further blow is dealt when the police claim Mia committed suicide. For Katie, this explanation isn't enough, and when her sister's backpack - complete with travel journal - is returned to her, she makes the spontaneous decision to follow in Mia's footsteps in the hope that she can piece together the real story.
I got off to a bit of a bad start with this book because I found the opening chapter jarring: we've barely been introduced to Katie when the news of Mia's death is thrown in, and with no investment in the characters, it's difficult to care much about this. However, once the plot kicks in properly with Katie's decision to travel to the countries her sister visited, the story becomes much more engrossing and the narrative comes into its own. Moving from San Francisco to Maui, Western Australia to Bali, the book's journey evokes both places and emotions with surprising effectiveness. The prose is so descriptive that you can vividly imagine the sights, sounds and smells of each location. Many of the main twists - - I'd guessed within the first few chapters: it's not exactly difficult to figure them out because there are quite obvious hints dropped right at the beginning, but this doesn't mean the plot isn't still compelling. And most importantly, I didn't work out what had happened to Mia until the very end.
The plot of this reminded me of Sister by Rosamund Lupton - the relationship between Katie and Mia is similar (sensible older sister, flighty younger sister who is something of a bohemian spirit) and the basic outline of the plot is the same (the younger sister is found dead and it's ruled to be suicide; the older sister doesn't believe this can be true and sets out to discover what really happened). In fact, I think the two books are likely to appeal to the same audience - which perhaps accounts for the UK title being changed to include the word 'sisters' - but The Sea Sisters does something more interesting with the premise.
I didn't think this book was brilliantly written: it had a lot of scenes where things happened too quickly or someone's reaction seemed unrealistic, there were some truly daft similes, and Mia was a real Manic Pixie Dream Girl whose character sometimes really annoyed me. I also think the narrative would have benefited from at least one first-person perspective. However, the more I read, the more I was drawn into the story, and the travel element was so potent that it really made me want to go to these places. I know I just said this about something else a few days ago, but this really would be the perfect holiday read!
Katie Greene is woken in the middle of the night to find the police at her door, delivering the devastating news that her younger sister Mia, who was in the middle of a round-the-world trip with her childhood best friend Finn, has been found dead. She's instantly puzzled by the place this has happened: Bali, a destination that wasn't on Mia's planned route. But a further blow is dealt when the police claim Mia committed suicide. For Katie, this explanation isn't enough, and when her sister's backpack - complete with travel journal - is returned to her, she makes the spontaneous decision to follow in Mia's footsteps in the hope that she can piece together the real story.
I got off to a bit of a bad start with this book because I found the opening chapter jarring: we've barely been introduced to Katie when the news of Mia's death is thrown in, and with no investment in the characters, it's difficult to care much about this. However, once the plot kicks in properly with Katie's decision to travel to the countries her sister visited, the story becomes much more engrossing and the narrative comes into its own. Moving from San Francisco to Maui, Western Australia to Bali, the book's journey evokes both places and emotions with surprising effectiveness. The prose is so descriptive that you can vividly imagine the sights, sounds and smells of each location. Many of the main twists - - I'd guessed within the first few chapters: it's not exactly difficult to figure them out because there are quite obvious hints dropped right at the beginning, but this doesn't mean the plot isn't still compelling. And most importantly, I didn't work out what had happened to Mia until the very end.
The plot of this reminded me of Sister by Rosamund Lupton - the relationship between Katie and Mia is similar (sensible older sister, flighty younger sister who is something of a bohemian spirit) and the basic outline of the plot is the same (the younger sister is found dead and it's ruled to be suicide; the older sister doesn't believe this can be true and sets out to discover what really happened). In fact, I think the two books are likely to appeal to the same audience - which perhaps accounts for the UK title being changed to include the word 'sisters' - but The Sea Sisters does something more interesting with the premise.
I didn't think this book was brilliantly written: it had a lot of scenes where things happened too quickly or someone's reaction seemed unrealistic, there were some truly daft similes, and Mia was a real Manic Pixie Dream Girl whose character sometimes really annoyed me. I also think the narrative would have benefited from at least one first-person perspective. However, the more I read, the more I was drawn into the story, and the travel element was so potent that it really made me want to go to these places. I know I just said this about something else a few days ago, but this really would be the perfect holiday read!
October 31, 2021
I thought this was a more entertaining novel than my previous read, ‘The Castaway’ by this author. After reading very positive reviews of ‘The Castaway’ I was left feeling a little disappointed and had reservations about starting this one.
‘Swimming at Night’ is the debut novel by author Lucy Clarke and focuses on the relationship between sisters Mia and Katie. They have a complicated relationship and are often at loggerheads with their rivalry. They maybe sisters but they are very different personalities, Mia is very much living for today whereas Katie follows a more accepted lifestyle of hard work and building friendships. During their childhood they had a strong bond and were the best of friends but as they matured they drifted apart and argued.
Despite their differences Katie’s world is crushed when she learns that her sister Mia’s body has been discovered in Bali in an apparent suicide. Although they have not been close for a long time Katie is positive that Mia would not take her own life. So much so that she makes the decision to travel to Bali to retrace Mia’s journey and uncover the truth.
By following Mia’s journey as well as following her journal a day at a time Katie starts to uncover secrets that may answer the questions that are causing so much pain.
I found this to be an enjoyable read and a good start for the author. Couldn’t help feeling irritated that Katie would choose to read her sisters journal so slowly when I think everyone would read it in one sitting to try and uncover the truth. I suppose it makes better reading.
‘Swimming at Night’ is the debut novel by author Lucy Clarke and focuses on the relationship between sisters Mia and Katie. They have a complicated relationship and are often at loggerheads with their rivalry. They maybe sisters but they are very different personalities, Mia is very much living for today whereas Katie follows a more accepted lifestyle of hard work and building friendships. During their childhood they had a strong bond and were the best of friends but as they matured they drifted apart and argued.
Despite their differences Katie’s world is crushed when she learns that her sister Mia’s body has been discovered in Bali in an apparent suicide. Although they have not been close for a long time Katie is positive that Mia would not take her own life. So much so that she makes the decision to travel to Bali to retrace Mia’s journey and uncover the truth.
By following Mia’s journey as well as following her journal a day at a time Katie starts to uncover secrets that may answer the questions that are causing so much pain.
I found this to be an enjoyable read and a good start for the author. Couldn’t help feeling irritated that Katie would choose to read her sisters journal so slowly when I think everyone would read it in one sitting to try and uncover the truth. I suppose it makes better reading.
November 7, 2021
For books, I found most entertaining, be sure to visit my favourites.
Quick read—had me hooked from the start. Unfortunately, I predicted the ending, so it was rather anti-climatic. The characters come off as complex but were relatively simple if that makes any sense. I've read far better books. However, enough was going on to keep me reading. This book would make a good airplane read or beach read.
"People go travelling for two reasons: because they are searching for something, or because they are running from something."
Quick read—had me hooked from the start. Unfortunately, I predicted the ending, so it was rather anti-climatic. The characters come off as complex but were relatively simple if that makes any sense. I've read far better books. However, enough was going on to keep me reading. This book would make a good airplane read or beach read.
"People go travelling for two reasons: because they are searching for something, or because they are running from something."
June 21, 2013
There are some currents in the relationship between sisters that run so dark and so deep, it’s better for the people swimming on the surface never to know what’s beneath . . .
Katie’s carefully structured world is shattered by the news that her headstrong younger sister, Mia, has been found dead in Bali – and the police claim it was suicide.
With only the entries of Mia’s travel journal as her guide, Katie retraces the last few months of her sister’s life, and – page by page, country by country – begins to uncover the mystery surrounding her death.
What she discovers changes everything. But will her search for the truth push their sisterly bond – and Katie – to breaking point?
I seem to be the odd one out with my rating but I couldn't bring myself to give higher than 2 stars. The writing was lovely but the story was weak. The coincidences were too great and the fact that Katie was reading Mia's diary only when she went to the same place was just too unbelievable!
Katie’s carefully structured world is shattered by the news that her headstrong younger sister, Mia, has been found dead in Bali – and the police claim it was suicide.
With only the entries of Mia’s travel journal as her guide, Katie retraces the last few months of her sister’s life, and – page by page, country by country – begins to uncover the mystery surrounding her death.
What she discovers changes everything. But will her search for the truth push their sisterly bond – and Katie – to breaking point?
I seem to be the odd one out with my rating but I couldn't bring myself to give higher than 2 stars. The writing was lovely but the story was weak. The coincidences were too great and the fact that Katie was reading Mia's diary only when she went to the same place was just too unbelievable!
September 27, 2016
Received this book from Simon &Schuster, Inc.
People go traveling for two reasons: because they are searching for something, or they are running from something.
As the book begins, older sister Kate receives news that her younger sister, Mia has been found dead at the bottom of a cliff in Bali. The sisters had very little communication since the day Mia suddenly announced that she was going on a trip around the world. This trip appeared to come out of the blue with Mia convincing her best friend, Finn to quit his job and travel with her.
Kate has always been the responsible one. She went to college, moved to London and was there for her Mother when she was dying. Mia is the young reckless one, the one who lives out of her suitcases and does as she pleases. Both appear to be polar opposites of the other but both yearn for the close relationship they had when they were young girls.
Devastated and confused when her sister's death is ruled a suicide, Kate decides that she is going to retrace her sister's travel route to try and understand what her sister was doing in Bali (it was not part of her itinerary). No one thinks this is a good idea, not her friends, not her fiance, not her co-workers. But grief is a terrible thing...as is the need for closure. Kate does not believe her sister would ever commit suicide. She needs to see for herself what journey her sister took in order to understand what lead her sister to that cliff where she lost her life. Using her sister's travel journal, Kate retraces Mia's route. Through retracing her sister's route, she learns more about her sister, her hidden thoughts, secrets, emotions, and motivations for her actions. She also comes to learn about the actions and secrets about other's in both her's and Mia's lives.
I really enjoyed seeing both sister's POV chapters. Not only does it gives us insight into both of the women's thoughts and emotions, it helps to keep the story moving at a fast pace. Both women's journey in this book, is both a physical and emotional one. They are both learning things about themselves, their shared history, and about each other.
This book has many themes: love of a sibling, friendship, family, family secrets, romantic love, being brave, betrayal, misunderstanding, sacrifice and forgiveness.
This is a very fast and enjoyable read. The POV chapters keep the story going at a really nice pace and keep the reader interested. I enjoy how the book unfolded and the "truth" came out. Was all tied up a little too nicely? Perhaps, but who cares? I didn't. I really enjoyed this book. It grabbed and kept my attention from page one.
To read more of my reviews, visit www.openbookpost.com
People go traveling for two reasons: because they are searching for something, or they are running from something.
As the book begins, older sister Kate receives news that her younger sister, Mia has been found dead at the bottom of a cliff in Bali. The sisters had very little communication since the day Mia suddenly announced that she was going on a trip around the world. This trip appeared to come out of the blue with Mia convincing her best friend, Finn to quit his job and travel with her.
Kate has always been the responsible one. She went to college, moved to London and was there for her Mother when she was dying. Mia is the young reckless one, the one who lives out of her suitcases and does as she pleases. Both appear to be polar opposites of the other but both yearn for the close relationship they had when they were young girls.
Devastated and confused when her sister's death is ruled a suicide, Kate decides that she is going to retrace her sister's travel route to try and understand what her sister was doing in Bali (it was not part of her itinerary). No one thinks this is a good idea, not her friends, not her fiance, not her co-workers. But grief is a terrible thing...as is the need for closure. Kate does not believe her sister would ever commit suicide. She needs to see for herself what journey her sister took in order to understand what lead her sister to that cliff where she lost her life. Using her sister's travel journal, Kate retraces Mia's route. Through retracing her sister's route, she learns more about her sister, her hidden thoughts, secrets, emotions, and motivations for her actions. She also comes to learn about the actions and secrets about other's in both her's and Mia's lives.
I really enjoyed seeing both sister's POV chapters. Not only does it gives us insight into both of the women's thoughts and emotions, it helps to keep the story moving at a fast pace. Both women's journey in this book, is both a physical and emotional one. They are both learning things about themselves, their shared history, and about each other.
This book has many themes: love of a sibling, friendship, family, family secrets, romantic love, being brave, betrayal, misunderstanding, sacrifice and forgiveness.
This is a very fast and enjoyable read. The POV chapters keep the story going at a really nice pace and keep the reader interested. I enjoy how the book unfolded and the "truth" came out. Was all tied up a little too nicely? Perhaps, but who cares? I didn't. I really enjoyed this book. It grabbed and kept my attention from page one.
To read more of my reviews, visit www.openbookpost.com
August 19, 2013
I'm pretty conflicted on this book. Initially I enjoyed the premise: Mia sets off traveling after the death of her mother and dies whilst in Bali, a country that was never on her original route. The authorities tell her sister Katie, her only remaining family, that she committed suicide but her sister knows this cant be true and tries to retrace her steps using Mia's travel journal to uncover what really happened.
At first I didn't like any of the characters and I was really hoping that it would change and that they would become more complex as the story unfolded. But as the story continued, and more characters entered the story, I just found that none of them appealed to me at all, and this made the story feel almost stagnant. I also grew a little tired of all the plot "twists" which, in my mind, were all lazy, easy options for trying to add drama into the story and ended up verging on the ridiculous as it emerged that eventually they'd all ended up sleeping with each other.
That said, I was reasonably gripped and wanted to keep reading on. One of the biggest things I enjoyed about it was the travel element and the description of the places that the sisters has travelled. The author has been to all these places herself and it shows; her travel writing is very evocative. Also, ultimately, I just wanted to know how Mia had died as my curiosity had been peaked.
The Sea Sisters was an easy read, and would no doubt be perfect if you were laying on a beach somewhere and wanted something light and non-taxing. I only hope that in Lucy Clarke's next book she manages to weave a more engaging narrative around her very promising travel writing.
At first I didn't like any of the characters and I was really hoping that it would change and that they would become more complex as the story unfolded. But as the story continued, and more characters entered the story, I just found that none of them appealed to me at all, and this made the story feel almost stagnant. I also grew a little tired of all the plot "twists" which, in my mind, were all lazy, easy options for trying to add drama into the story and ended up verging on the ridiculous as it emerged that eventually they'd all ended up sleeping with each other.
That said, I was reasonably gripped and wanted to keep reading on. One of the biggest things I enjoyed about it was the travel element and the description of the places that the sisters has travelled. The author has been to all these places herself and it shows; her travel writing is very evocative. Also, ultimately, I just wanted to know how Mia had died as my curiosity had been peaked.
The Sea Sisters was an easy read, and would no doubt be perfect if you were laying on a beach somewhere and wanted something light and non-taxing. I only hope that in Lucy Clarke's next book she manages to weave a more engaging narrative around her very promising travel writing.
August 29, 2017
3.5 stars
Though I found it difficult to put this book down, I was a little frustrated with the ending. There was just so much build-up and the resolution felt fairly predictable and unspectacular when it came. I also disliked Mia throughout the story, though I definitely sympathized with the character of Katie. All in all, I liked the illustration of the complexities in sisters' relationships and the build-up of the plot. I also thought the characters were well drawn out, even if I didn't connect to one of the protagonists, it was only the ending that fell flat. The writing was quite good and at times almost lyrical, which made the story flow well. I would read books by this author again.
Find more reviews and bookish fun at http://www.princessandpen.com
Though I found it difficult to put this book down, I was a little frustrated with the ending. There was just so much build-up and the resolution felt fairly predictable and unspectacular when it came. I also disliked Mia throughout the story, though I definitely sympathized with the character of Katie. All in all, I liked the illustration of the complexities in sisters' relationships and the build-up of the plot. I also thought the characters were well drawn out, even if I didn't connect to one of the protagonists, it was only the ending that fell flat. The writing was quite good and at times almost lyrical, which made the story flow well. I would read books by this author again.
Find more reviews and bookish fun at http://www.princessandpen.com
February 10, 2023
When Katie is informed of her sister Mia's death by suicide in Bali, she decides to investigate further, believing her sister would not have taken such extreme measures. With Mia's travel diary in hand, she traces the last few days before her death and is shocked with what she discovers.
Lucy Clarke is fast becoming one of my favourite authors. Every month I look forward to diving into another of her titles. I thoroughly enjoyed The Sea Sisters. If you haven't read one of Lucy's books, I highly recommend picking one up - she's the Queen of destination thrillers!
Lucy Clarke is fast becoming one of my favourite authors. Every month I look forward to diving into another of her titles. I thoroughly enjoyed The Sea Sisters. If you haven't read one of Lucy's books, I highly recommend picking one up - she's the Queen of destination thrillers!
September 5, 2015
In the end this book gave me goosebumps. Absolutely loved the narrative, one sibling's literal stepping into the shoes of the other sibling to figure out the whys.
Poignant love of siblings, the friendships, the attractions, human need for closure and absolution of guilt..all woven together into a captivating story.
Poignant love of siblings, the friendships, the attractions, human need for closure and absolution of guilt..all woven together into a captivating story.
August 7, 2019
Mooi verhaal, maar voor mij persoonlijk net niet spannend genoeg.
August 1, 2019
Women's Fiction / Travel / Sisters
The Sea Sisters is a fictional story about two sisters, Katie and Mia. They were raised by their mother after their father left the family when the girls were still very young. Mia has always been wild, independant, drifting through life. Her older sister, Katie, sensible, popular, successful and down to earth.
After their mother dies of cancer, Mia feels even more restless. She want to find her father and finally understand who she really is. So one day she just takes off with her best friend Finn to a long trip, little knowing that she won't return from this trip alive. Katie find it hard to accept her sister's death nor why she would end her life. When Katie finds her sister's travel diary, she decides to follow in her sister's footsteps. She hope to learn more about her sister's last months and perhaps find out what or who pushed Mia over the edge...
The beginning of the novel was okay but when it switched to Mia's "before" story, I hated the way it was written. I think it would have been better if Mia's POV had been given in the form of her diary entries. Mia was hard to like, so I started to skim her POVs.
This story was kinda slowly moving, repetitive and often boring. Just when one storyline got interesting, the POV and timeline changed and all the tension was lost. There are too many unnecessarily mudane details and descriptions, the characters too selfish and immature for my taste. In the end we learn what had happened the night Mia died... it was sad and tragic.
The Sea Sisters is a fictional story about two sisters, Katie and Mia. They were raised by their mother after their father left the family when the girls were still very young. Mia has always been wild, independant, drifting through life. Her older sister, Katie, sensible, popular, successful and down to earth.
After their mother dies of cancer, Mia feels even more restless. She want to find her father and finally understand who she really is. So one day she just takes off with her best friend Finn to a long trip, little knowing that she won't return from this trip alive. Katie find it hard to accept her sister's death nor why she would end her life. When Katie finds her sister's travel diary, she decides to follow in her sister's footsteps. She hope to learn more about her sister's last months and perhaps find out what or who pushed Mia over the edge...
The beginning of the novel was okay but when it switched to Mia's "before" story, I hated the way it was written. I think it would have been better if Mia's POV had been given in the form of her diary entries. Mia was hard to like, so I started to skim her POVs.
This story was kinda slowly moving, repetitive and often boring. Just when one storyline got interesting, the POV and timeline changed and all the tension was lost. There are too many unnecessarily mudane details and descriptions, the characters too selfish and immature for my taste. In the end we learn what had happened the night Mia died... it was sad and tragic.
November 13, 2013
I loved this book! It had me gripped from the first to the very last page and I was genuinely sad to reach the end. Clarke expertly captures two themes very close to my heart - travel and the bond between sisters - but with a story rich in mystery and suspense. It might sound trite to say, but it felt as if the book was written for me I was so thoroughly lost within its pages. A fantastic read!
June 4, 2017
La gente viaggia per due motivi: perché cerca qualcosa o perché scappa da qualcosa. Nel mio caso sono veri entrambi.
Con queste parole inizia il diario di viaggio di Mia, la cui morte a Bali, durante questo viaggio, viene annunciata dalla polizia inglese alla sorella maggiore Katie.
Tutto il racconto gira attorno a questo diario ed alle vite delle due sorelle narrate su due piani temporali differenti, così diverse, ma in qualche modo collegate proprio dal diario.
Un libro che è un crescendo di emozioni fino alla fine, con la ricerca della verità da parte di Katie decisa coraggiosamente a ripercorrere il viaggio della sorella, guidata proprio da questo diario che le svelerà più di quanto possano fare le semplici parole.
E così i sentimenti, le amicizie, i rancori, i legami familiari vengono a nudo rivelandole la verità e … Non c’è niente di più prezioso.
Solo qualche piccola forzatura narrativa mi ha impedito di dargli 5 stelle.
P.S.: Traspare con evidenza che anche l’autrice ami l’oceano e l’aver scoperto che il marito sia un professionista del surf… non mi ha sorpreso affatto!
Con queste parole inizia il diario di viaggio di Mia, la cui morte a Bali, durante questo viaggio, viene annunciata dalla polizia inglese alla sorella maggiore Katie.
Tutto il racconto gira attorno a questo diario ed alle vite delle due sorelle narrate su due piani temporali differenti, così diverse, ma in qualche modo collegate proprio dal diario.
Un libro che è un crescendo di emozioni fino alla fine, con la ricerca della verità da parte di Katie decisa coraggiosamente a ripercorrere il viaggio della sorella, guidata proprio da questo diario che le svelerà più di quanto possano fare le semplici parole.
E così i sentimenti, le amicizie, i rancori, i legami familiari vengono a nudo rivelandole la verità e … Non c’è niente di più prezioso.
Solo qualche piccola forzatura narrativa mi ha impedito di dargli 5 stelle.
P.S.: Traspare con evidenza che anche l’autrice ami l’oceano e l’aver scoperto che il marito sia un professionista del surf… non mi ha sorpreso affatto!
December 7, 2022
When Katie learns that her sister, Mia, has been found dead in Bali, she can't reconcile the suicide verdict with what she knows of her sister. The girls are three years apart in age and polar opposites, but are necessarily close after their father left them as children and their mother recently died. On top of grieving for this new loss, Katie can't help replaying her last conversation with Mia and wondering if that contributed to her suicide, if that's what really happened.
So when Katie discovers that Mia left behind a travel journal, she hopes it will provide her with answers. In an effort to understand the sister she had started drifting away from, she resists reading it in one go and instead books a ticket to America, intending to retrace Mia's round-the-world trip as she reads. Doing this requires Katie to go against all her natural instincts - she's not an adventurer, doesn't like flying, isn't the kind of person to land in a foreign country and find a cheap hostel to stay in that night. And it puts pressure on her relationship with Ed, her fiance, who wants her to come home and start moving on with her life.
As Katie works her way through the journal, she begins to understand her headstrong, seemingly selfish sister a little more and at the same time is forced to take a look at herself through Mia's eyes. We come to realise that everyone - Katie, Mia, Ed and Finn - has a secret, which they've been keeping to avoid hurting those around them. Katie finds herself trying to piece things together, unravel the secrets and make sense of her life now that Mia isn't in it.
So when Katie discovers that Mia left behind a travel journal, she hopes it will provide her with answers. In an effort to understand the sister she had started drifting away from, she resists reading it in one go and instead books a ticket to America, intending to retrace Mia's round-the-world trip as she reads. Doing this requires Katie to go against all her natural instincts - she's not an adventurer, doesn't like flying, isn't the kind of person to land in a foreign country and find a cheap hostel to stay in that night. And it puts pressure on her relationship with Ed, her fiance, who wants her to come home and start moving on with her life.
As Katie works her way through the journal, she begins to understand her headstrong, seemingly selfish sister a little more and at the same time is forced to take a look at herself through Mia's eyes. We come to realise that everyone - Katie, Mia, Ed and Finn - has a secret, which they've been keeping to avoid hurting those around them. Katie finds herself trying to piece things together, unravel the secrets and make sense of her life now that Mia isn't in it.
April 4, 2013
From the noisy pubs of London and the sun-soaked beaches of Hawaii to the jagged cliffs of Bali, Swimming at Night is a captivating, page-turning debut novel of love, family secrets, and an around-the-world trip that forever changes the lives of two sisters.
Sisters Mia and Kate couldn’t be more different—and when Mia spontaneously decides to backpack around the world after their mother’s death, Kate can do little to stop her headstrong younger sister from leaving London. Kate hasn’t heard from Mia in six months when the police arrive at her door with improbable news: Mia has been found dead at the bottom of a cliff in Bali, and the authorities have concluded that she jumped. Unable to accept this version of events and armed with only Mia’s tattered travel journal, Kate abandons her steady life in London to retrace her younger sister’s footsteps and figure out what truly happened on the night that Mia died. Kate hopes that the journey will bring her the answers that she seeks about her sister, but she can’t anticipate that her travels will also change everything that she thought she knew about Mia, their family, and even herself.
I loved absolutely everything about this book and tore through it in less than 48 hours. The around-the-world trip premise is fabulous, the mystery at the core of the story is incredibly compelling, and Lucy’s writing is fresh and accomplished. One of my favorite elements of the novel, and I think what makes the read so unique and gripping, is its structure: as Kate makes her way around the world, she reads Mia’s journal entries, and chapters are written in the sisters’ alternative perspectives. As Kate gets closer to Bali and the end of Mia’s journal, seeking out the places and people that Mia wrote about along the way, she learns troubling revelations and secrets about their family history and her sister’s relationships, making her question her initial certainty that Mia couldn’t have killed herself. Until the very last pages of the book, I was in suspense what really happened on that night in Bali, what was going through Mia’s head as she stood at the top of the cliff, and how Kate would be affected by her journey and what she discovers about Mia along the way.
Sisters Mia and Kate couldn’t be more different—and when Mia spontaneously decides to backpack around the world after their mother’s death, Kate can do little to stop her headstrong younger sister from leaving London. Kate hasn’t heard from Mia in six months when the police arrive at her door with improbable news: Mia has been found dead at the bottom of a cliff in Bali, and the authorities have concluded that she jumped. Unable to accept this version of events and armed with only Mia’s tattered travel journal, Kate abandons her steady life in London to retrace her younger sister’s footsteps and figure out what truly happened on the night that Mia died. Kate hopes that the journey will bring her the answers that she seeks about her sister, but she can’t anticipate that her travels will also change everything that she thought she knew about Mia, their family, and even herself.
I loved absolutely everything about this book and tore through it in less than 48 hours. The around-the-world trip premise is fabulous, the mystery at the core of the story is incredibly compelling, and Lucy’s writing is fresh and accomplished. One of my favorite elements of the novel, and I think what makes the read so unique and gripping, is its structure: as Kate makes her way around the world, she reads Mia’s journal entries, and chapters are written in the sisters’ alternative perspectives. As Kate gets closer to Bali and the end of Mia’s journal, seeking out the places and people that Mia wrote about along the way, she learns troubling revelations and secrets about their family history and her sister’s relationships, making her question her initial certainty that Mia couldn’t have killed herself. Until the very last pages of the book, I was in suspense what really happened on that night in Bali, what was going through Mia’s head as she stood at the top of the cliff, and how Kate would be affected by her journey and what she discovers about Mia along the way.
March 15, 2016
Люси Кларк «Виновато море».
Всегда трагедия, когда умирает кто-то молодой, у которого вся жизнь впереди.
«Виновато море» рассказывает нам историю двух сестер, одна из которых огибает при загадочных обстоятельствах во время путешествия, а вторая сестра, вооружившись дневником погибшей, решается проделать тот же путь что и погибшая сестра, чтобы понять, что же все-таки произошло.
Эту книгу смело можно отнести к разряду книг, которые определенно стоит прочитать. Это эмоциональная история про поиски себя. История раскачивается медленно, первые 100 страниц ты читаешь и неторопливо переворачиваешь странички, закрываешь книгу, идешь попить чайку, а вот после 150 страницы события тебя затягиваю, и не отпускают до самой последней странички. Однозначно, скажу, что история не супер оригинальная, при прочтение я ловила себя на том, что уже где-то видела такой же сюжет, таких же героев, но впечатления это мне не испортило. Если убрать имена героинь, то реально можно в них запутаться – обе одинокие, обе отчаянные. Тут, к сожалению, автор не особо проработал�� типажи, но с другой стороны кому как не родным сестрам быть похожими? Мия (погибшая сестренка) понравилась мне больше второй сестры, она так, по-своему, отчаянно стремится к счастью, так неуклюже, совершает такие странные поступки и, конечно же, ее жаль, ведь, мы уже в начале книги знаем, как закончится ее жизненный путь. Очень мне понравился Ной (один из мужских персонажей), который, на мой взгляд, удался автору намного лучше сестричек, я переворачивала странники в поисках его, мысли постоянно возвращались к его молчаливым тайнам. Фин оставил приятное впечатления. Вообщем, автор молодец. Я осталась довольна. Антурж морей, океанов и пляжей дополнительный , приятный бонус.
Всегда трагедия, когда умирает кто-то молодой, у которого вся жизнь впереди.
«Виновато море» рассказывает нам историю двух сестер, одна из которых огибает при загадочных обстоятельствах во время путешествия, а вторая сестра, вооружившись дневником погибшей, решается проделать тот же путь что и погибшая сестра, чтобы понять, что же все-таки произошло.
Эту книгу смело можно отнести к разряду книг, которые определенно стоит прочитать. Это эмоциональная история про поиски себя. История раскачивается медленно, первые 100 страниц ты читаешь и неторопливо переворачиваешь странички, закрываешь книгу, идешь попить чайку, а вот после 150 страницы события тебя затягиваю, и не отпускают до самой последней странички. Однозначно, скажу, что история не супер оригинальная, при прочтение я ловила себя на том, что уже где-то видела такой же сюжет, таких же героев, но впечатления это мне не испортило. Если убрать имена героинь, то реально можно в них запутаться – обе одинокие, обе отчаянные. Тут, к сожалению, автор не особо проработал�� типажи, но с другой стороны кому как не родным сестрам быть похожими? Мия (погибшая сестренка) понравилась мне больше второй сестры, она так, по-своему, отчаянно стремится к счастью, так неуклюже, совершает такие странные поступки и, конечно же, ее жаль, ведь, мы уже в начале книги знаем, как закончится ее жизненный путь. Очень мне понравился Ной (один из мужских персонажей), который, на мой взгляд, удался автору намного лучше сестричек, я переворачивала странники в поисках его, мысли постоянно возвращались к его молчаливым тайнам. Фин оставил приятное впечатления. Вообщем, автор молодец. Я осталась довольна. Антурж морей, океанов и пляжей дополнительный , приятный бонус.
September 29, 2014
This book was breathtaking. It goes with All The Light We Cannot See at the top of the list of the most lovely and moving books I have read this year.
As an only child, sibling relationships fascinate me. This novel explores them in a heartbreakingly poetic way. It is a story filled with twists, but they are smoothly done, like the turns of a kaleidoscope as opposed to the jarring jolts of a roller coaster ride.
I was moved to tears several times, but never felt like my emotions were being manipulated. Images from this story will be haunting me for months to come, the descriptive writing is just stellar. The pace is stately, but never slow, events unfold gracefully, like a flower blossoming, it never feels rushed nor does it drag. I really just enjoyed every moment of this beautiful book.
As an only child, sibling relationships fascinate me. This novel explores them in a heartbreakingly poetic way. It is a story filled with twists, but they are smoothly done, like the turns of a kaleidoscope as opposed to the jarring jolts of a roller coaster ride.
I was moved to tears several times, but never felt like my emotions were being manipulated. Images from this story will be haunting me for months to come, the descriptive writing is just stellar. The pace is stately, but never slow, events unfold gracefully, like a flower blossoming, it never feels rushed nor does it drag. I really just enjoyed every moment of this beautiful book.
May 14, 2016
Holy shit in a basket. Lucy Clarke, wat doe je me aan? Nachtzwemmen is een van de meest aangrijpende verhalen dat ik dit jaar heb gelezen. Katie en Mia spreken me zo aan.. Het is net alsof ik naar de relatie tussen mijn zusje en mijzelf kijk. Heel apart. Behalve dan het feit dat wij wel allebei nog leven en dat nog heel lang van plan zijn om te doen, haha.
Met een ontzettende fijne schrijfstijl, de twee chronologische verhalen als een prachtige, dikke, vlecht door het verhaal heen naar de uitloop van wat een suïcidale sprong lijkt te zijn geweest flikt mevrouw Clarke het gewoon weer om me tot de allerlaatste snik te boeien.
En ja, ik moest even huilen.
Anyways, 2:30AM.. Laat zat!
Read this boooook!
Met een ontzettende fijne schrijfstijl, de twee chronologische verhalen als een prachtige, dikke, vlecht door het verhaal heen naar de uitloop van wat een suïcidale sprong lijkt te zijn geweest flikt mevrouw Clarke het gewoon weer om me tot de allerlaatste snik te boeien.
En ja, ik moest even huilen.
Anyways, 2:30AM.. Laat zat!
Read this boooook!
December 3, 2023
This is fluff, reading that requires no thought and sometimes that is not a bad thing. However this was a little like eating a McDonalds, quick, not particularly satisfying and leaves you wishing you had made a better choice.
The writing is not great, she uses the same phrases again and again, I lost count of the number of times someone woke up with their dress twisted around their waist. The sex scenes are bland and seem to always involve licking! There is no depth to the characters and the ending is week.
There are odd touching moments and it was not an unpleasant read hence the two stars rather than the one. Not a book I would recommend though.
The writing is not great, she uses the same phrases again and again, I lost count of the number of times someone woke up with their dress twisted around their waist. The sex scenes are bland and seem to always involve licking! There is no depth to the characters and the ending is week.
There are odd touching moments and it was not an unpleasant read hence the two stars rather than the one. Not a book I would recommend though.
October 9, 2014
Very well written novel about siblings...always an intriguing theme for me.
March 9, 2019
Beginning: 2 stars
Middle: 3 stars
End: 4 stars
Average: 3 stars
This book started off with a whimper, not a bang. Coming off of reading Dave Eggers' wonderfully quirky and affecting Heroes of the Frontier, landing in Lucy Clarke's world of Londoners was jarring to say the least. However, once I got past the first 60 or so pages, and Katie - journal in hand - was on her way to California, the book started to improve chapter by chapter. Soon I was caught up in the broken timeline as Katie chased her deceased sister Mia around the world, 5 months after Mia's supposed suicide, from San Francisco to Maui to Western Australia and finally to Bali, where Mia's life ended. As she trails after her sister's ghost, she sees with her own eyes the last things her sister saw and experienced before her death, desperately scrambling for some insight into why her sister committed suicide, all the while doubting that she could have been capable of such an act, and hoping beyond hope that it wasn't their last and very hurtful phone call that literally pushed Mia over the edge into the rocks at the base of a cliff in Bali.
Having spent time backpacking myself, the scenes at hostels were familiar (if not entirely original). No scene that Clarke paints is particularly vivid, unusual or arresting. Yet as the story draws forward, and certain elements of the mystery are resolved (many of them are obvious from the first chapters and unnecessarily foreshadowed with a heavy hand), the pace picks up as Katie (and Finn) hurtle toward the last page in Mia's diary and her last stop before her death.
I loved the idea of the story, and the execution was competent and simple, if not impressive and original. 3 stars.
Middle: 3 stars
End: 4 stars
Average: 3 stars
This book started off with a whimper, not a bang. Coming off of reading Dave Eggers' wonderfully quirky and affecting Heroes of the Frontier, landing in Lucy Clarke's world of Londoners was jarring to say the least. However, once I got past the first 60 or so pages, and Katie - journal in hand - was on her way to California, the book started to improve chapter by chapter. Soon I was caught up in the broken timeline as Katie chased her deceased sister Mia around the world, 5 months after Mia's supposed suicide, from San Francisco to Maui to Western Australia and finally to Bali, where Mia's life ended. As she trails after her sister's ghost, she sees with her own eyes the last things her sister saw and experienced before her death, desperately scrambling for some insight into why her sister committed suicide, all the while doubting that she could have been capable of such an act, and hoping beyond hope that it wasn't their last and very hurtful phone call that literally pushed Mia over the edge into the rocks at the base of a cliff in Bali.
Having spent time backpacking myself, the scenes at hostels were familiar (if not entirely original). No scene that Clarke paints is particularly vivid, unusual or arresting. Yet as the story draws forward, and certain elements of the mystery are resolved (many of them are obvious from the first chapters and unnecessarily foreshadowed with a heavy hand), the pace picks up as Katie (and Finn) hurtle toward the last page in Mia's diary and her last stop before her death.
I loved the idea of the story, and the execution was competent and simple, if not impressive and original. 3 stars.
July 21, 2016
A beautifully written story about the bond between sisters and the secrets they keep to protect one another. Clarke creates two very realistic sisters, Katie and Mia, who are different in almost every single way. Katie, the older sister, is beautiful, ambitious and living a very straight-edged lifestyle. She has a loving fiance, a good job and knows exactly what she wants. Her younger sister Mia is aloof, spontaneous and feels as if she is living in her older sisters shadow. One day, she decides enough is enough and books an around the world trip with her childhood friend Finn. Unfortunately, one terrible night Mia is found dead at a notorious suicide spot in Bali. The local police consider it a cut and dry case... What lead Mia to do such a thing?
Katie's only clues lie buried within Mia's trusty journal, which she used to document her entire life. Katie decides to follow in Mia's footsteps, following the exact same route her sister did, to discover what lead her to jump from the cliff top. Whilst reading the journal, Katie discovers some devastating secrets, and questions - did she really know her sister at all?
I enjoyed this book from start to finish. It was very easy to read, meaning I didn't have to struggle to get to know the characters, which can be a challenge when reading a book of this genre. I empathised with both Katie and Mia, and there were just enough supporting characters to make this a very believable story. I liked the concept of sisterhood and the realism that the author brought to the complex relationship sisters often have. Its a unique connection.
Essentially, I recommend this book to fans of fiction with an edge.
Katie's only clues lie buried within Mia's trusty journal, which she used to document her entire life. Katie decides to follow in Mia's footsteps, following the exact same route her sister did, to discover what lead her to jump from the cliff top. Whilst reading the journal, Katie discovers some devastating secrets, and questions - did she really know her sister at all?
I enjoyed this book from start to finish. It was very easy to read, meaning I didn't have to struggle to get to know the characters, which can be a challenge when reading a book of this genre. I empathised with both Katie and Mia, and there were just enough supporting characters to make this a very believable story. I liked the concept of sisterhood and the realism that the author brought to the complex relationship sisters often have. Its a unique connection.
Essentially, I recommend this book to fans of fiction with an edge.
December 16, 2017
A good & engrossing read but somehow feel it fell short if its potential. The story focuses on the relationship between two sisters, Katie the "good sister & perfect daughter" & Mia an independent free spirit, who at the drop of a hat takes off to the other side of the world to go travelling, where she dies under mysterious circumstances. Katie on finding her sisters journal decides to copy Mia's journey & discover the truth behind her death. An interesting basis for a story if not wholly original....& I think that was what made me dissatisfied, the story was a bit predictable - for example, the reason Mia left so suddenly was blatently obvious from the start!
The format of the story works well & Mia's sense of searching for who she is comes over well but while I liked the idea of Katie using Mia's journal as guide to following her journey, I found it a stretch to think she could be so disciplined in her reading of it - maybe she just has much more will power than me!
Overall a good read but would have liked something to come out of the blue & take me by surprise :o)
The format of the story works well & Mia's sense of searching for who she is comes over well but while I liked the idea of Katie using Mia's journal as guide to following her journey, I found it a stretch to think she could be so disciplined in her reading of it - maybe she just has much more will power than me!
Overall a good read but would have liked something to come out of the blue & take me by surprise :o)
July 8, 2013
Katie and Mia are sisters that couldn't be more opposite than one another. Katie, the elder sister, responsible, care taker, and always there when you need her. Mia, the carefree, wilder younger sister heads on a multi country vacation going from coast to coast, hostel to hostel; until she ends up at the bottom of a cliff in Bali.
Katie is determined to find out what happened to her sister, and doesn't really believe that Mia threw herself over the edge of the cliff. Swimming at Night carefully narrates back and forth between Katie and Mia, keeping the reader enthralled up until the end.
For me, the ending fell short, I had multiple scenarios playing in my head, but what really happened ended up being anticlimactic.
Katie is determined to find out what happened to her sister, and doesn't really believe that Mia threw herself over the edge of the cliff. Swimming at Night carefully narrates back and forth between Katie and Mia, keeping the reader enthralled up until the end.
For me, the ending fell short, I had multiple scenarios playing in my head, but what really happened ended up being anticlimactic.
April 7, 2023
So incredibly, intensely moving. Unforgettable. A true journey. A transformation. Loss. Searching. Discovery. Finding the truth. Facing the past. Healing. Letting go. Moving on. Lucy Clarke masters how to evoke pure emotion and paint such a strong, vivid picture that it’ll come to life in your mind… you’ll feel yourself there, sharing the experience. The writing is beautiful and flawless. The story is heartbreaking but also heartwarming. It made me think of my sister. It made me want to be more conscious of the things I say, to tell the people I love that I love them. I was in tears at the end.
October 6, 2022
I read this on holiday and would say that it was the perfect holiday read. I read it in the paperback version which added to the whole reading experience which I really enjoyed after having read a lot of eBooks lately.
I really enjoyed the development of the characters in this book especially the main character Katie and how she unravels her life whilst unravelling the mystery of her sister's death. The idea of travelling with Mia's journal was brilliant and really added to the whole story. I felt like I had been to those places in my armchair.
I've definitely found a new favourite author.
I really enjoyed the development of the characters in this book especially the main character Katie and how she unravels her life whilst unravelling the mystery of her sister's death. The idea of travelling with Mia's journal was brilliant and really added to the whole story. I felt like I had been to those places in my armchair.
I've definitely found a new favourite author.
February 6, 2017
Ik ben door dit boek gevlogen. Het greep me naar de keel. In de bib stond het bij de thrillers, maar daar zou ik het niet onder klasseren. Het is een mooi geschreven verhaal over zussen, over de scheuren in familiebanden en over hoe je altijd maar een deel van andermans verhaal kent.
March 10, 2024
Отношенията и чувствата между сестри понякога могат да излизат далеч извън спектъра на това, което е общоприето за нормално. Не могат да бъдат поставени в рамки и закономерности. Романът представя голата истина за болката, която можем да си причиним един на друг, като в опитите си да запазим мира и баланса, поемаме риска да изгубим себе си. Но пък първоначалната, изконна любов винаги ни връща към значимото, вечното, неизменното. И тогава, дори и с болката, животът става една идея по-лек.
February 28, 2018
Ich kann mit dem Stil der Autorin und die Art wie sie die Geschichte erzählt leider gar nichts anfangen. Beide Protagonistinnen sind mir unsympathisch und dadurch fällt es mir unheimlich schwer Interesse am Verlauf der Geschichte zu finden. Nachdem das Buch jetzt über eine Woche unangetastet auf meinem Nachttisch lag, breche ich es nach 132 Seiten ab.
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