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The Qualities of Wood
A haunting and provocative debut.’ – Christina Baker Kline, #1 New York Times bestselling author of ORPHAN TRAIN
The house brought them together, but secrets will tear them apart.
When Betty Gardiner dies, leaving behind an unkempt country home, her grandson and his young wife take a break from city life to prepare the house for sale. Nowell Gardiner leaves first to begin work on his second mystery novel. By the time his wife Vivian joins him, a real mystery has begun: a local girl has been found dead in the woods behind the house. Even after the death is ruled an accident, Vivian can’t forget the girl, can’t ignore the strange behaviour of her neighbours, or her husband. As Vivian attempts to put the house in order, all around her things begin to fall apart.
The Qualities of Wood is a novel about secrets. Family secrets. Community secrets. And secrets between lovers, past and present. And all of these secrets have their price.
The house brought them together, but secrets will tear them apart.
When Betty Gardiner dies, leaving behind an unkempt country home, her grandson and his young wife take a break from city life to prepare the house for sale. Nowell Gardiner leaves first to begin work on his second mystery novel. By the time his wife Vivian joins him, a real mystery has begun: a local girl has been found dead in the woods behind the house. Even after the death is ruled an accident, Vivian can’t forget the girl, can’t ignore the strange behaviour of her neighbours, or her husband. As Vivian attempts to put the house in order, all around her things begin to fall apart.
The Qualities of Wood is a novel about secrets. Family secrets. Community secrets. And secrets between lovers, past and present. And all of these secrets have their price.
321 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 31, 2012
26 people are currently reading
1394 people want to read
About the author
Mary Vensel White
5 books103 followersMary Vensel White is the author of Things to See in Arizona, Starling, Bellflower, and The Qualities of Wood.
She teaches writing and English and is the owner/editor at Type Eighteen Editing and publisher at Type Eighteen Books. She lives in southern California.
She teaches writing and English and is the owner/editor at Type Eighteen Editing and publisher at Type Eighteen Books. She lives in southern California.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 108 reviews
September 26, 2013
I got this via Net Galley - always a thrill. :-)I lived in Iowa for a couple brief years in a massive, rambling house built in the 1700's so I felt very nostalgic while reading the descriptions in this novel of the over-packed old farm house and the quality of a hot Midwestern summer. I felt they were spot-on! But, the plot failed on many other levels. The primary characters all seemed to have the maturity level of the average 13 year old, despite being described as full fledged adults. There were so many mentions and allusions of deeper secrets and possible wrong doings, only to have the story end on an absurdly weak note. What sheriff who isn't a full fledged keystone kop would NOT follow up on an incident that had a young woman/girl dead, even if he IS sure it's an accident, if he had no real proof of how that accident came about? And what wife learns that her husband - the one who crawls out his office window to avoid telling his wife he's going for walk - chased a young girl through the woods, resulting in the girl dying and essentially just shrugs and decides it's time to get a job? It's ridiculous!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 16, 2014
Strange situations, strange characters, lots of secrets, and a small town.
QUALITIES OF WOOD has all of the above and more. It mainly includes a beautiful, flowing writing style and an interesting storyline. The author masterfully keeps you wondering about the makeup of each character and the secrets that you know they are keeping.
You will follow the main characters, Vivian and Nowell, through their present lives as well as their pasts. As Vivian and Nowell settle into a family home they are going to renovate and as they meet their neighbors, Vivian questions Nowell's past as well as the neighbors' pasts.
You will also get a glimpse into Vivian's teenage years as the author takes you back and forth in time. This was well done by having the flashback trigger something in Vivian's mind at the current moment and connect it to her past.
Does this small town have secrets they keep from each other? Do the neighbors really know each other? What was it that happened years ago that has everyone suspicious of each other?
Throughout the book there is a tension that the author perfectly conveys through her amazing writing style. The characters all seem to get along, but you feel something isn't right. The way Ms.White can make you feel the fright, the tension, the distrust, the betrayal, and the sneaking, ulterior motives going on is excellent.
THE QUALITIES OF WOOD is a subtle thriller and a book you won't want to read if you are alone or at night. I became completely engrossed in the characters and the storyline. I imagine you will do the same and try to figure out what’s behind each character.
The ending sort of wrapped up the plot, but there was something that didn’t satisfy me. Regardless, it was a great read and a great debut novel. 4/5
I received a copy of this book from the publisher free of charge and without compensation in return for an honest review.
QUALITIES OF WOOD has all of the above and more. It mainly includes a beautiful, flowing writing style and an interesting storyline. The author masterfully keeps you wondering about the makeup of each character and the secrets that you know they are keeping.
You will follow the main characters, Vivian and Nowell, through their present lives as well as their pasts. As Vivian and Nowell settle into a family home they are going to renovate and as they meet their neighbors, Vivian questions Nowell's past as well as the neighbors' pasts.
You will also get a glimpse into Vivian's teenage years as the author takes you back and forth in time. This was well done by having the flashback trigger something in Vivian's mind at the current moment and connect it to her past.
Does this small town have secrets they keep from each other? Do the neighbors really know each other? What was it that happened years ago that has everyone suspicious of each other?
Throughout the book there is a tension that the author perfectly conveys through her amazing writing style. The characters all seem to get along, but you feel something isn't right. The way Ms.White can make you feel the fright, the tension, the distrust, the betrayal, and the sneaking, ulterior motives going on is excellent.
THE QUALITIES OF WOOD is a subtle thriller and a book you won't want to read if you are alone or at night. I became completely engrossed in the characters and the storyline. I imagine you will do the same and try to figure out what’s behind each character.
The ending sort of wrapped up the plot, but there was something that didn’t satisfy me. Regardless, it was a great read and a great debut novel. 4/5
I received a copy of this book from the publisher free of charge and without compensation in return for an honest review.
June 5, 2016
I wish I could give this zero stars.
November 13, 2017
This was a good read, very interesting and different. I won this book a few years ago and just got around to reading it. Very interesting characters and story. Some of the characters are not that likeable but by the end you understand why they act the way they do. One character was introduced without much of an explanation near the end of the book. She had been in the story briefly before but could not understand her relationship. But it was an interesting story and I really wanted to know "what happened".
September 20, 2013
Previously reviewed at The Good the Bad and the Unread:
Having raved about the joys of finding exciting new authors through being offered books to review, I suppose I do have to talk about the downside – the problem of books that turn out to be less fun than I would have hoped from the blurb. The Qualities of Wood isn’t exactly a bad book, and I’m sure it would appear to some readers who aren’t me, but for much of the time reading, it felt like wading through treacle. Actually, make that Golden Syrup; treacle brings up too many connotations of traditional remedies rather than something that can be reasonable in small quantities. Sadly, there is too much of it here.
The novel falls somewhere between literary fiction and the more atmospheric end of the mystery genre, although the mystery element is rather disappointing in the end. I’d hesitate to classify it as a romance; the central couple are together at the start, and while there are some very good reasons, in my opinion, for the heroine to tell her husband where to go, she never does, meaning there is no real change in their relationship. I’m not entirely sure it even counts as women’s fiction, as I’d like to see at least a degree of empowerment of the heroine taking place in the context of the story. So, I suppose I’d better summarise the story and let other potential readers decide for themselves on this one.
The story opens with Vivian meeting up with her husband Nowell for the first time in four weeks. Nowell is an author, who has thus far had one book published, although I don’t think we ever find out what he did for a living before receiving his advance for that. He’s working on a second book, and Vivian has given up her job in the city to help him fix up the house that belonged to Nowell’s deceased grandmother. Nowell has supposedly been working on the house with his brother in Vivian’s absence, but now he’s going to work on his second book while she works on the house. In actual fact, neither of them seems to do much for a large proportion of the book other than befriend, or become suspicious of, the various inhabitants of the nearby small town and, in Vivian’s case, ponder whether the death of a local girl on the edge of their land was really an accident.
For much of the book, I really wanted to slap Vivian for the way she just goes along with her husband’s wishes and makes horribly insensitive comments to and about her neighbours, as well as about people with disabilities (okay, there’s just one example of that, but it nearly made me stop reading). Nowell’s brother comes to stay, bringing his new wife, and they turn out to be equally slapable. None of the women have jobs, and they seem to spend a fair bit of their time drinking cocktails, leading me to wonder whether this part of the US Midwest was either stuck in a 1950s Ad Executive’s daydream or actually a 21st Century Stepford.
The real squick for me, though, comes right towards the end when Nowell admits to Vivian that he had met and been attracted to the girl who died, and she just shrugs it off. Checking back, the girl is reported as being 17, but from the way she is referred to – especially with the parallels to Vivian’s childhood – she comes across to me as being younger.
Admittedly, the book does pick up its pace in the penultimate chapters, only to slow down again right at the end, but I really feel that nothing in it serves to move the characters forward or cause major developments in their characters or relationships, and so I feel I can’t recommend it to anyone I actually know.
Having raved about the joys of finding exciting new authors through being offered books to review, I suppose I do have to talk about the downside – the problem of books that turn out to be less fun than I would have hoped from the blurb. The Qualities of Wood isn’t exactly a bad book, and I’m sure it would appear to some readers who aren’t me, but for much of the time reading, it felt like wading through treacle. Actually, make that Golden Syrup; treacle brings up too many connotations of traditional remedies rather than something that can be reasonable in small quantities. Sadly, there is too much of it here.
The novel falls somewhere between literary fiction and the more atmospheric end of the mystery genre, although the mystery element is rather disappointing in the end. I’d hesitate to classify it as a romance; the central couple are together at the start, and while there are some very good reasons, in my opinion, for the heroine to tell her husband where to go, she never does, meaning there is no real change in their relationship. I’m not entirely sure it even counts as women’s fiction, as I’d like to see at least a degree of empowerment of the heroine taking place in the context of the story. So, I suppose I’d better summarise the story and let other potential readers decide for themselves on this one.
The story opens with Vivian meeting up with her husband Nowell for the first time in four weeks. Nowell is an author, who has thus far had one book published, although I don’t think we ever find out what he did for a living before receiving his advance for that. He’s working on a second book, and Vivian has given up her job in the city to help him fix up the house that belonged to Nowell’s deceased grandmother. Nowell has supposedly been working on the house with his brother in Vivian’s absence, but now he’s going to work on his second book while she works on the house. In actual fact, neither of them seems to do much for a large proportion of the book other than befriend, or become suspicious of, the various inhabitants of the nearby small town and, in Vivian’s case, ponder whether the death of a local girl on the edge of their land was really an accident.
For much of the book, I really wanted to slap Vivian for the way she just goes along with her husband’s wishes and makes horribly insensitive comments to and about her neighbours, as well as about people with disabilities (okay, there’s just one example of that, but it nearly made me stop reading). Nowell’s brother comes to stay, bringing his new wife, and they turn out to be equally slapable. None of the women have jobs, and they seem to spend a fair bit of their time drinking cocktails, leading me to wonder whether this part of the US Midwest was either stuck in a 1950s Ad Executive’s daydream or actually a 21st Century Stepford.
The real squick for me, though, comes right towards the end when Nowell admits to Vivian that he had met and been attracted to the girl who died, and she just shrugs it off. Checking back, the girl is reported as being 17, but from the way she is referred to – especially with the parallels to Vivian’s childhood – she comes across to me as being younger.
Admittedly, the book does pick up its pace in the penultimate chapters, only to slow down again right at the end, but I really feel that nothing in it serves to move the characters forward or cause major developments in their characters or relationships, and so I feel I can’t recommend it to anyone I actually know.
May 26, 2014
Anton Chekov is a favorite of mine whose gun is a valuable dramatic principle that resonates in good theatre, but in all other things as well. Chekov wrote:
Remove everything that has no relevance to the story. If you say in the first chapter that there is a rifle hanging on the wall, in the second or third chapter it absolutely must go off. If it's not going to be fired, it shouldn't be hanging there.
I think of it often in terms of set design. A good designer knows better than to put anything on the stage that isn't communicative in relationship to the play, its action, and its characters. If s/he puts a lot of tchotchkes on stage they should be there for a reason and if there's something provocative on stage, say a gun or a chainsaw or a grenade launcher, then it should be used because these are items that draw quite a lot of focus. I bring this up because for me the flaw in The Qualities of Wood is that the author violates this principle in varied ways and it hurts her story.
Whether or not good writing makes up for poor storytelling is an interesting question. I love good writing, strong voices, interesting ways of putting words together and, sometimes, that's enough, but not always and in Ms. White's case this is a problem. She writes well and elegantly, but stuffs her novel brimful of detail that doesn't feel connected to the story or its characters - it's all ornamental flourishes for the sake of ornamental flourishes and it bogs the story down. I had a very hard time connecting with the characters and caring about what happened in this story so it wasn't a great read for me. Ms. White has talent, but in her next novel I hope she learns to pare things down a little or just to connect them all to her story.
Remove everything that has no relevance to the story. If you say in the first chapter that there is a rifle hanging on the wall, in the second or third chapter it absolutely must go off. If it's not going to be fired, it shouldn't be hanging there.
I think of it often in terms of set design. A good designer knows better than to put anything on the stage that isn't communicative in relationship to the play, its action, and its characters. If s/he puts a lot of tchotchkes on stage they should be there for a reason and if there's something provocative on stage, say a gun or a chainsaw or a grenade launcher, then it should be used because these are items that draw quite a lot of focus. I bring this up because for me the flaw in The Qualities of Wood is that the author violates this principle in varied ways and it hurts her story.
Whether or not good writing makes up for poor storytelling is an interesting question. I love good writing, strong voices, interesting ways of putting words together and, sometimes, that's enough, but not always and in Ms. White's case this is a problem. She writes well and elegantly, but stuffs her novel brimful of detail that doesn't feel connected to the story or its characters - it's all ornamental flourishes for the sake of ornamental flourishes and it bogs the story down. I had a very hard time connecting with the characters and caring about what happened in this story so it wasn't a great read for me. Ms. White has talent, but in her next novel I hope she learns to pare things down a little or just to connect them all to her story.
May 25, 2014
The Qualities of Wood is Vivian Gardiner’s story. She has given up her life in the city to join her husband, Nowell, in a small town where they will live in the house he inherited from his grandmother. The plan is that they’ll do some cosmetic work to the property and in a year or so, sell it. Nowell will also use the time to work on his second mystery novel. On the day Vivian arrives at the Gardiner homestead the body of a teenage girl is found in the woods at the back of their property. Although her death is almost immediately ruled accidental, it still seems to be the sun around which all the players in this novel orbit. All that sounds promising, right?
I liked this novel when I started reading it. Mary Vensel White is a lovely writer and there were several moments in the novel where I lingered over her words. For example:
They turned at the back corner of the house and the open space hit her like a deep breath.
So my issues with the book don’t have anything to do with the quality of the writing - unlike the quality of the wood. My issues have to do with pacing and characterization. And I am a reader who can generally read books that don’t have much of a forward thrust.
Okay – so Vivian arrives at this run-down house. She and Nowell, who have only been married for about four years, have been separated for four weeks. It’s going to take some adjusting. Soon enough they seem to fall into this pattern. Nowell gets up early and gets to work in a little space he has partitioned off from the rest of the kitchen with a sheet. Vivian alternately lazes about or works at sorting through the lifetime of junk Grandma Gardiner left behind. The reader is treated to a laundry list of this detritus: “used paperback romances, sewing things and scraps of fabric, and entire box of plastic silverware, plates and cups.” There’s dressers full of clothes and other personal items. There’s even a gun, which seems promising – but sadly isn’t used to kill anyone.
And I think that’s my main complaint about The Qualities of Wood. There’s no mystery here. Vivian is stuck in a small, unfamiliar town with a husband who becomes increasingly strange to her. But she’s strange, too. I never really warmed up to either of them – or any of the characters for that matter. When Nowell’s brother, Lonnie, and his new bride, Dot, show up it just ups the ante of strange behaviour. The narrative alternates between Vivian doing mundane things like subscribing to the local newspaper, visiting with her new friend Katherine and running a three-day yard sale (and did we really need to hear about all three days?) and breaking into her neighbour’s house in the middle of the night. Okay, sure Mr. Stokes is odd, but Vivian this is not the behaviour of a rational person; you know that, right?
There’s also some back story – like the time Vivian got lost in the woods (I thought that was going somewhere) and the time she snuck out of her house to go to a party (so is this, then, meant to be a novel about someone who barely had a chance to rebel and now she’s married and her husband is pressuring her to have kids and she just wants to be free?) In some ways I think part of my dissatisfaction with this novel is that there’s too much going on. Some of it feels like filler (like describing Katherine’s driving skills) and some of it feels like unrealized potential (glimpses into Nowell’s latest novel). Either way, I was ready to pack it in at page 100.
If The Qualities of Wood is meant to be about secrets, as the blurb on the back of the novel claims it is, they better be worth spilling. When all is revealed in the novel’s final pages, none of what is exposed makes up for the minutiae the reader has plodded through to get there.
I liked this novel when I started reading it. Mary Vensel White is a lovely writer and there were several moments in the novel where I lingered over her words. For example:
They turned at the back corner of the house and the open space hit her like a deep breath.
So my issues with the book don’t have anything to do with the quality of the writing - unlike the quality of the wood. My issues have to do with pacing and characterization. And I am a reader who can generally read books that don’t have much of a forward thrust.
Okay – so Vivian arrives at this run-down house. She and Nowell, who have only been married for about four years, have been separated for four weeks. It’s going to take some adjusting. Soon enough they seem to fall into this pattern. Nowell gets up early and gets to work in a little space he has partitioned off from the rest of the kitchen with a sheet. Vivian alternately lazes about or works at sorting through the lifetime of junk Grandma Gardiner left behind. The reader is treated to a laundry list of this detritus: “used paperback romances, sewing things and scraps of fabric, and entire box of plastic silverware, plates and cups.” There’s dressers full of clothes and other personal items. There’s even a gun, which seems promising – but sadly isn’t used to kill anyone.
And I think that’s my main complaint about The Qualities of Wood. There’s no mystery here. Vivian is stuck in a small, unfamiliar town with a husband who becomes increasingly strange to her. But she’s strange, too. I never really warmed up to either of them – or any of the characters for that matter. When Nowell’s brother, Lonnie, and his new bride, Dot, show up it just ups the ante of strange behaviour. The narrative alternates between Vivian doing mundane things like subscribing to the local newspaper, visiting with her new friend Katherine and running a three-day yard sale (and did we really need to hear about all three days?) and breaking into her neighbour’s house in the middle of the night. Okay, sure Mr. Stokes is odd, but Vivian this is not the behaviour of a rational person; you know that, right?
There’s also some back story – like the time Vivian got lost in the woods (I thought that was going somewhere) and the time she snuck out of her house to go to a party (so is this, then, meant to be a novel about someone who barely had a chance to rebel and now she’s married and her husband is pressuring her to have kids and she just wants to be free?) In some ways I think part of my dissatisfaction with this novel is that there’s too much going on. Some of it feels like filler (like describing Katherine’s driving skills) and some of it feels like unrealized potential (glimpses into Nowell’s latest novel). Either way, I was ready to pack it in at page 100.
If The Qualities of Wood is meant to be about secrets, as the blurb on the back of the novel claims it is, they better be worth spilling. When all is revealed in the novel’s final pages, none of what is exposed makes up for the minutiae the reader has plodded through to get there.
June 6, 2014
Vivian has been married for 4 years to Nowell and she leaves her job in the city to join her husband at his Grandmother’s house in the countryside. Nowell has taken a break from his work and now writing his second mystery novel. Both are preparing the house for sale. Soon after Vivian arrives, the Sheriff finds a body of a young girl, living in the neighbour. Vivian meets Katharine, who becomes a close friend. Nowell’s brother Lonnie and his new bride Dorothy too arrive.
With time in her hand, Vivian is suddenly questioning everything around her. Nowell, engrossed in his writing, seems to be drifting away from her. Lonnie is broody and secretive. Dorothy is the only one who seem genuinely happy to help Viv.
Vivian tries to unravel the secret about the girl who was found dead. She also meets another neighbour who used to reclusive but now seen everywhere.
The language, descriptions and Vivian's thought process are all very beautiful but somewhere down the line, the mystery element gets lost. More emphasis should have been on that but it is not so. The secret is resolved in a slow pace. If one is looking for a fast paced thriller, then it is not so. There is lot of symbolism and metaphors. A few of those worked and few were wasted. I liked it in a literary way but not for the mystery and suspense element.
With time in her hand, Vivian is suddenly questioning everything around her. Nowell, engrossed in his writing, seems to be drifting away from her. Lonnie is broody and secretive. Dorothy is the only one who seem genuinely happy to help Viv.
Vivian tries to unravel the secret about the girl who was found dead. She also meets another neighbour who used to reclusive but now seen everywhere.
The language, descriptions and Vivian's thought process are all very beautiful but somewhere down the line, the mystery element gets lost. More emphasis should have been on that but it is not so. The secret is resolved in a slow pace. If one is looking for a fast paced thriller, then it is not so. There is lot of symbolism and metaphors. A few of those worked and few were wasted. I liked it in a literary way but not for the mystery and suspense element.
June 12, 2014
The Characters were strong in their own right and no one was who they seemed to the main character Vivian. I felt that she had big city paranoia. She felt that Abe Stokes flirted with her. She was annoyed when a road construction worker, looked at her legs and figure. There was a page or two alluding to an incident with her brother in law, Lonnie. Although these things were mentioned in the book, they played no part in the story. The story started out rather slow but after the first hundred pages, the story began to flow faster. The story was indeed interesting and there was a mystery of sorts, although the death of a neighboring teenager was ruled accidental.
Vensel White kept suspense going as the story came to fruition. It seemed everyone had a suspicion of something more being behind the girl's death and in the end, I couldn't have accepted a villain if there had really been one.
There really wasn't much that I can say I didn't like; the way the story was revealed to the reader kept me wondering what the secrets were and how they played a part in the "accidental" death. I was able to accept the ending revelations with very little problem.
Vensel White kept suspense going as the story came to fruition. It seemed everyone had a suspicion of something more being behind the girl's death and in the end, I couldn't have accepted a villain if there had really been one.
There really wasn't much that I can say I didn't like; the way the story was revealed to the reader kept me wondering what the secrets were and how they played a part in the "accidental" death. I was able to accept the ending revelations with very little problem.
March 26, 2012
Vivian Gardiner is a city girl at heart. When Vivian and her husband Nowell headed out to the sticks to clean up his grandparent’s home, she knew the country would take some getting used to. But when a young girl is found dead in the woods (practically in their own backyard), Vivian's instincts immediately perk up and she begins to notice everything and everyone around her.
The Qualities of Wood took me completely by surprise. While the cornerstone of the story is the death of a young girl, I felt like the real story was about relationships. It's about what happens when words are left unsaid and secrets remain hidden. Everything in the dark comes to the light, but what if the people who made the cause are not there to make amends?
Mary Vensel White's writing is very fluid. She understands that depth of human emotion and the complexities that can only be found when love is present.
I really enjoyed this novel and you will too
The Qualities of Wood took me completely by surprise. While the cornerstone of the story is the death of a young girl, I felt like the real story was about relationships. It's about what happens when words are left unsaid and secrets remain hidden. Everything in the dark comes to the light, but what if the people who made the cause are not there to make amends?
Mary Vensel White's writing is very fluid. She understands that depth of human emotion and the complexities that can only be found when love is present.
I really enjoyed this novel and you will too
August 30, 2018
Pointless
This has to be one of the most pointless books I have ever read.
After reading the whole thing, I wish I could get back the time I spent reading this.
From the beginning this book gives you an impression of this darker undertone that is actually nonexistent.
I didn't care for any of the characters, the ending was horrible and just stupid
Save yourself your money and your time and don't bother reading
This has to be one of the most pointless books I have ever read.
After reading the whole thing, I wish I could get back the time I spent reading this.
From the beginning this book gives you an impression of this darker undertone that is actually nonexistent.
I didn't care for any of the characters, the ending was horrible and just stupid
Save yourself your money and your time and don't bother reading
June 9, 2014
Posted 5/26/14 on my blog dedicated to literary fiction by women, www.readherlikeanopenbook.com.
The Qualities of Wood
By Mary Vensel White
Authonomy/HarperCollins; June 17, 2014
312 pages, $14.99 (trade paperback original)
When Nowell Gardiner’s grandmother dies, he and his 28-year-old wife Vivian decide to take a year off from their hectic life in the city and move to her now-empty house outside of a small Midwestern town. Nowell believes the isolation will be conducive to writing his second mystery novel, and Vivian, who wants to support Nowell’s artistic ambitions, will use the time to relax and clear out Mrs. Gardiner’s belongings. Maybe they’ll stay longer than it takes to clean up the house and sell it. Sounds downright idyllic, doesn’t it?
But the setting proves equally effective at generating tension and isolation between the couple, who have been married only four years. Their nearest neighbor, the reserved 40-something bachelor, Mr. Stokes, lives a long walk away, across the Gardiners’ large rural property and through a small patch of woods. The locals are either overly friendly or taciturn and suspicious.
The discovery of a dead teenage girl in the woods between the Gardiner and Stokes properties turns up the heat on Vivian’s percolating paranoia. Although the girl’s death is ruled an accident, Vivian remains unsettled by the incident’s proximity to her new home. Nowell responds in his usual matter-of-fact manner and shuts himself up in the office to tap away on his laptop all day, leaving Vivian to her simmering suspicions.
Soon, Nowell’s ne’er-do-well younger brother, Lonnie, arrives with his sweet new girlfriend, Dot. The brothers can spend some time together before Lonnie begins a new job, and Dot offers to help Vivian clear out the attic and get the house ready for eventual sale. But Lonnie has a tendency to drink too much and he has a hot temper when provoked. And it soon becomes clear that there is unresolved conflict between the brothers. Is it simply sibling rivalry or is it something more complex and traumatic?
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We see events mostly from Vivian’s perspective, but the question persists as to whether she is reliable. Was Chanelle Brodie’s death really an accident? If not, what happened out there in the woods that night? Is the killer among them? Is Mr. Stokes hostile and potentially dangerous or just an old-fashioned, laconic outdoorsman? Is Vivian’s new friend Katherine really as nice as she seems or is she covering something up with all that kindness? She is almost too good to be true for a lonely newcomer like Vivian — and she does seem to know everything about everybody in town. Why is Nowell so aloof and secretive, or is he simply preoccupied with the writing of his novel? Is Lonnie a loose cannon or just a rambunctious bear of a guy with a big heart and a taste for beer? Vensel White keeps everything just opaque enough to maintain energy and interest as the plot develops and the pages pass.
The Qualities of Wood is a crisply-told suspense story combined with elements of a more literary character study. Vensel White effectively controls the shifting moods, from mildly ominous to oppressive, and the pacing, which varies from leisurely to pulse-pounding. Her debut novel skillfully examines the power and effect of secrets between lovers, in families, and in communities. Suffice to say, the web of connections between the many characters is more complex than even Vivian could imagine. The resolution of the plot’s many questions (and most of its conflicts) is plausible without being overly obvious, leaving the reader with the satisfying feeling that comes from a well-crafted and intriguing story featuring credible characters one truly cares about.
The Qualities of Wood
By Mary Vensel White
Authonomy/HarperCollins; June 17, 2014
312 pages, $14.99 (trade paperback original)
When Nowell Gardiner’s grandmother dies, he and his 28-year-old wife Vivian decide to take a year off from their hectic life in the city and move to her now-empty house outside of a small Midwestern town. Nowell believes the isolation will be conducive to writing his second mystery novel, and Vivian, who wants to support Nowell’s artistic ambitions, will use the time to relax and clear out Mrs. Gardiner’s belongings. Maybe they’ll stay longer than it takes to clean up the house and sell it. Sounds downright idyllic, doesn’t it?
But the setting proves equally effective at generating tension and isolation between the couple, who have been married only four years. Their nearest neighbor, the reserved 40-something bachelor, Mr. Stokes, lives a long walk away, across the Gardiners’ large rural property and through a small patch of woods. The locals are either overly friendly or taciturn and suspicious.
The discovery of a dead teenage girl in the woods between the Gardiner and Stokes properties turns up the heat on Vivian’s percolating paranoia. Although the girl’s death is ruled an accident, Vivian remains unsettled by the incident’s proximity to her new home. Nowell responds in his usual matter-of-fact manner and shuts himself up in the office to tap away on his laptop all day, leaving Vivian to her simmering suspicions.
Soon, Nowell’s ne’er-do-well younger brother, Lonnie, arrives with his sweet new girlfriend, Dot. The brothers can spend some time together before Lonnie begins a new job, and Dot offers to help Vivian clear out the attic and get the house ready for eventual sale. But Lonnie has a tendency to drink too much and he has a hot temper when provoked. And it soon becomes clear that there is unresolved conflict between the brothers. Is it simply sibling rivalry or is it something more complex and traumatic?
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We see events mostly from Vivian’s perspective, but the question persists as to whether she is reliable. Was Chanelle Brodie’s death really an accident? If not, what happened out there in the woods that night? Is the killer among them? Is Mr. Stokes hostile and potentially dangerous or just an old-fashioned, laconic outdoorsman? Is Vivian’s new friend Katherine really as nice as she seems or is she covering something up with all that kindness? She is almost too good to be true for a lonely newcomer like Vivian — and she does seem to know everything about everybody in town. Why is Nowell so aloof and secretive, or is he simply preoccupied with the writing of his novel? Is Lonnie a loose cannon or just a rambunctious bear of a guy with a big heart and a taste for beer? Vensel White keeps everything just opaque enough to maintain energy and interest as the plot develops and the pages pass.
The Qualities of Wood is a crisply-told suspense story combined with elements of a more literary character study. Vensel White effectively controls the shifting moods, from mildly ominous to oppressive, and the pacing, which varies from leisurely to pulse-pounding. Her debut novel skillfully examines the power and effect of secrets between lovers, in families, and in communities. Suffice to say, the web of connections between the many characters is more complex than even Vivian could imagine. The resolution of the plot’s many questions (and most of its conflicts) is plausible without being overly obvious, leaving the reader with the satisfying feeling that comes from a well-crafted and intriguing story featuring credible characters one truly cares about.
September 15, 2014
I received a copy of this book through Goodreads First Reads giveaways and I'm really thankful and overjoyed to have won a copy too!
This was a really great book and I loved reading it from start to finish. It wasn't at all what I was anticipating, Vivian and Nowell have moved into Nowell's grandmother's house. After his grandmother's passing, they intend to renovate the house in preparation for reselling the house and it's contents. What Vivian doesn't anticipate happening is the death of a seventeen year old girl practically in their back garden within days of moving in. If this is what country life is like, it's not too different from the city after all. But was the girl's death an accident or was there something more going on? This isn't so easy to find out when everyone seems to be keeping secrets.
White takes you on the mystery of a lifetime, there are so many trails that Vivian begins investigating as a reader you begin to suspect everyone. I had my suspicions from the start of reading the book though and in the end they proved to be correct but I found myself doubting them at several times whilst reading, one of the best things a writer can do in a mystery such as this. In fact it was positively dubious if what I thought would unfold was a correct notion at all as the book drew to a conclusion.
At times, however, the pace does slow down somewhat and becomes slightly distracted from the main focus of the book - the mystery - which is why I only gave the book four stars rather than five. It really is an enjoyable read though with suspicions raised at the character's true personalities. What secrets are lurking under the surface? White does an excellent job of uncovering each character's personality, making them all well-rounded and individual with interesting traits which change your perception of them as you read more of the story.
As the book drew to an end, I was thoroughly gripped and struggled to put the book down. White has a lovely, fluid writing style that is easily accessible and engaging from beginning to end. A story that truly shows the power of love, friendship and secrets. I'd really recommend this book to anyone who's a fan of chick-lit romance and mystery. A heartwarming book, that's well worth a read.
This was a really great book and I loved reading it from start to finish. It wasn't at all what I was anticipating, Vivian and Nowell have moved into Nowell's grandmother's house. After his grandmother's passing, they intend to renovate the house in preparation for reselling the house and it's contents. What Vivian doesn't anticipate happening is the death of a seventeen year old girl practically in their back garden within days of moving in. If this is what country life is like, it's not too different from the city after all. But was the girl's death an accident or was there something more going on? This isn't so easy to find out when everyone seems to be keeping secrets.
White takes you on the mystery of a lifetime, there are so many trails that Vivian begins investigating as a reader you begin to suspect everyone. I had my suspicions from the start of reading the book though and in the end they proved to be correct but I found myself doubting them at several times whilst reading, one of the best things a writer can do in a mystery such as this. In fact it was positively dubious if what I thought would unfold was a correct notion at all as the book drew to a conclusion.
At times, however, the pace does slow down somewhat and becomes slightly distracted from the main focus of the book - the mystery - which is why I only gave the book four stars rather than five. It really is an enjoyable read though with suspicions raised at the character's true personalities. What secrets are lurking under the surface? White does an excellent job of uncovering each character's personality, making them all well-rounded and individual with interesting traits which change your perception of them as you read more of the story.
As the book drew to an end, I was thoroughly gripped and struggled to put the book down. White has a lovely, fluid writing style that is easily accessible and engaging from beginning to end. A story that truly shows the power of love, friendship and secrets. I'd really recommend this book to anyone who's a fan of chick-lit romance and mystery. A heartwarming book, that's well worth a read.
January 20, 2012
The Qualities of Wood
I’ll struggle to convey the mesmerising effect of this stunning debut novel, but I’m going to try. Something about the author’s mastery of language, the gentle rhythm of her sentences, the rich descriptive prose, all combine to create a sense of mystery and intrigue from the first page to the last.
I was transported to the woods behind a white clapperboard house in the American Midwest, and I was lost to them. The story is about Vivian, an artist (and how evident that is in her imaginings - the author herself must be an artist to paint her characters in such subtle yet vivid hues) and her husband, who is a writer.
I won’t give away the plot, but the story explores Vivian and Nowell’s relationship during a time of upheaval while they take a year out of their city lives to renovate Nowell’s grandmother’s house. A girl is found dead in the woods behind the house; locals are suspicious, and so is Vivian. Whispers and rumours abound, adding to the sense of intrigue as Vivian tries to settle into small-town life and make friends with her neighbours. Who can she trust?
It’s a compelling story but there’s another, remarkable, aspect to this novel. In The Qualities of Wood, the wood where the girl is found seems to take on a life of its own - a strange and haunting quality that I found enthralling. The prose seemed to me to represent the trees themselves, with each sentence standing alone, spare, strong, beautiful. As tension builds, so does the hypnotic effect of the writing, as if a gust of wind is whipping up behind us urging us on, and light begins to filter through the dense canopy above. And as light is shed on the mystery of the dead girl, so it begins to illuminate Vivian and Nowell’s relationship.
Mary Vensel White paints a sky as brilliant and as beautiful as I’ve ever seen, and an atmosphere as enthralling as I could wish for. I urge you to read this lovely book - it’s wonderful.
I’ll struggle to convey the mesmerising effect of this stunning debut novel, but I’m going to try. Something about the author’s mastery of language, the gentle rhythm of her sentences, the rich descriptive prose, all combine to create a sense of mystery and intrigue from the first page to the last.
I was transported to the woods behind a white clapperboard house in the American Midwest, and I was lost to them. The story is about Vivian, an artist (and how evident that is in her imaginings - the author herself must be an artist to paint her characters in such subtle yet vivid hues) and her husband, who is a writer.
I won’t give away the plot, but the story explores Vivian and Nowell’s relationship during a time of upheaval while they take a year out of their city lives to renovate Nowell’s grandmother’s house. A girl is found dead in the woods behind the house; locals are suspicious, and so is Vivian. Whispers and rumours abound, adding to the sense of intrigue as Vivian tries to settle into small-town life and make friends with her neighbours. Who can she trust?
It’s a compelling story but there’s another, remarkable, aspect to this novel. In The Qualities of Wood, the wood where the girl is found seems to take on a life of its own - a strange and haunting quality that I found enthralling. The prose seemed to me to represent the trees themselves, with each sentence standing alone, spare, strong, beautiful. As tension builds, so does the hypnotic effect of the writing, as if a gust of wind is whipping up behind us urging us on, and light begins to filter through the dense canopy above. And as light is shed on the mystery of the dead girl, so it begins to illuminate Vivian and Nowell’s relationship.
Mary Vensel White paints a sky as brilliant and as beautiful as I’ve ever seen, and an atmosphere as enthralling as I could wish for. I urge you to read this lovely book - it’s wonderful.
July 7, 2014
Vivian and Nowell are four years in to their marriage, and while it's not on the rocks it is clear the honeymoon period is over. So when Nowell inherits a run down home in a small town, it could be the perfect place for them to get their relationship back on track. But while Vivian grapples with small town politics and a loft full of nick-nacks left behind by an old lady, Nowell locks himself away and works on his next murder mystery novel. Throw in Nowell's unpredictable younger brother and his runaway bride there's all sorts of unresolved tensions bubbling under the surface. And what of the young girl who died in mysterious circumstances in the woods behind their home?
There's a lot of really good work in this novel creating an underlying feeling of unease. It's only slight, but it builds through the book. I think anyone who has ever lived in a small town - the type of place where everyone knows everyone's business and nothing you do goes unnoticed. A lot of interesting relationships are built between Vivian and the new people she meets throughout the story, and yet the relationship we learn least about is hers with Nowell. This of course speaks of his temperament, and voluntary seclusion while writing but I was left wondering what else was going on there...
The ending of the book I found most interesting - it feels like the waking up after a dream. Everything isn't necessarily resolved, but everyone now has their eyes open to what is in front of them. I kind of felt like I was waking up too - waking up from a trance the book had worked me in to.
I'll leave you with one quote from the book that stood out for me - "The minute something happens, that moment is lost forever"
There's a lot of really good work in this novel creating an underlying feeling of unease. It's only slight, but it builds through the book. I think anyone who has ever lived in a small town - the type of place where everyone knows everyone's business and nothing you do goes unnoticed. A lot of interesting relationships are built between Vivian and the new people she meets throughout the story, and yet the relationship we learn least about is hers with Nowell. This of course speaks of his temperament, and voluntary seclusion while writing but I was left wondering what else was going on there...
The ending of the book I found most interesting - it feels like the waking up after a dream. Everything isn't necessarily resolved, but everyone now has their eyes open to what is in front of them. I kind of felt like I was waking up too - waking up from a trance the book had worked me in to.
I'll leave you with one quote from the book that stood out for me - "The minute something happens, that moment is lost forever"
June 16, 2014
Review also found at http://kristineandterri.blogspot.ca/
I received an advanced copy of this book from the publisher Harper Collins Authonomy via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review. Thanks! The expected publication date is June 17, 2014.
I have started and stopped writing my thoughts several times. I am really struggling with my opinion on this read. It is easy to pen my thoughts when a book is outstanding or when it is terrible. This one was neither and hence I do not know what to say.
The writing style was easy to read and flowed well. My main issue was that nothing really happened in this story. I am still left wondering what it was about. Was it a mystery? Was it a story about self discovery? I don't know. I feel like the story and its meaning was underdeveloped which made its 370 pages feel very long. I sense that the message that was meant to occur failed to materialize for me.
While the book was filled with interesting characters you only got a sample of each. The reader never really learns anything about them with the exception of Vivian. I have the feeling this was intentional however it really didn't work for me. I wanted to know about Stokes, Lonnie and Dot. Perhaps learn more about Nowell's story. This was an unexplored avenue that really could have been interesting.
All in all this was not a bad read. Just a little on the disappointing for me as I feel it had so much more potential then it delivered. This will not discourage me from reading more work by Vensel White as I do feel that she shows potential. This book was just average for me.
I received an advanced copy of this book from the publisher Harper Collins Authonomy via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review. Thanks! The expected publication date is June 17, 2014.
I have started and stopped writing my thoughts several times. I am really struggling with my opinion on this read. It is easy to pen my thoughts when a book is outstanding or when it is terrible. This one was neither and hence I do not know what to say.
The writing style was easy to read and flowed well. My main issue was that nothing really happened in this story. I am still left wondering what it was about. Was it a mystery? Was it a story about self discovery? I don't know. I feel like the story and its meaning was underdeveloped which made its 370 pages feel very long. I sense that the message that was meant to occur failed to materialize for me.
While the book was filled with interesting characters you only got a sample of each. The reader never really learns anything about them with the exception of Vivian. I have the feeling this was intentional however it really didn't work for me. I wanted to know about Stokes, Lonnie and Dot. Perhaps learn more about Nowell's story. This was an unexplored avenue that really could have been interesting.
All in all this was not a bad read. Just a little on the disappointing for me as I feel it had so much more potential then it delivered. This will not discourage me from reading more work by Vensel White as I do feel that she shows potential. This book was just average for me.
April 17, 2012
In Mary Vensel White's debut novel, a young married couple moves to the country to help get a house ready for sale after a death in the family. Vivian joins her husband Nowell after he spends the first month alone and the day after she arrives, they learn that a dead girl has been found in the woods on their property.
The girl's death is ruled an accident, but this never fully satisfies Vivian. I read nearly the entire book without being sure if it was a murder mystery or simply an examination of the characters' psyches. I enjoyed not knowing and I'm not going to spoil it for other readers. It kept me guessing to the very last page.
The small town they've moved to has its share of secrets and gossip and there's a lot of distrust to go around. Nowell is being distant, preoccupied with writing his second novel: a murder mystery. Nowell's brother Lonnie has an unpredictable temper and when he drinks, he hints that there are things Vivian doesn't know about her husband. Then there's the strange neighbor who spends a lot of time in those woods.
The tension between the characters is extremely well portrayed and I especially loved the author's observations about memory and perspective and how it can alter one's concept of the truth. Here's one of my favorite lines:
"She wondered how her impressions could ever be reproduced, because the distance between perception and idea was like the space between two skyscrapers."
I very much enjoyed this read and look forward to seeing more from this author.
The girl's death is ruled an accident, but this never fully satisfies Vivian. I read nearly the entire book without being sure if it was a murder mystery or simply an examination of the characters' psyches. I enjoyed not knowing and I'm not going to spoil it for other readers. It kept me guessing to the very last page.
The small town they've moved to has its share of secrets and gossip and there's a lot of distrust to go around. Nowell is being distant, preoccupied with writing his second novel: a murder mystery. Nowell's brother Lonnie has an unpredictable temper and when he drinks, he hints that there are things Vivian doesn't know about her husband. Then there's the strange neighbor who spends a lot of time in those woods.
The tension between the characters is extremely well portrayed and I especially loved the author's observations about memory and perspective and how it can alter one's concept of the truth. Here's one of my favorite lines:
"She wondered how her impressions could ever be reproduced, because the distance between perception and idea was like the space between two skyscrapers."
I very much enjoyed this read and look forward to seeing more from this author.
September 29, 2013
The Qualities of Wood is a magnificently written debut novel by Mary Vensel White.
Nowell Gardiner's grandmother has recently died, and he has inherited her old, neglected house in the country. He and his wife Vivian decide to leave the city for awhile to get the house ready to be sold. Nowell, who is a writer, arrives first so he can work on his new novel without interruption. Vivian arrives a month later, and the day after she gets there, the dead body of a girl is found in the woods on the property.
The death is ruled as an accident, but Vivian feels like something isn't right about it. As she tries to acclimate herself to her new surroundings, she can't help but notice the weird behavior of the neighbors, and that of her husband as well. The town seems to be full of secrets and has a vast array of strange inhabitants. And to top it off, Vivian discovers there are things about her husband's family that she was never made aware of.
This atmosphere of the book was pretty creepy, and the characters were well-developed and thought out. The author's descriptive writing created a foreboding atmosphere that keep the suspense going until the end.
I really enjoyed this book. The story held my interest the entire time, and the story flowed effortlessly until the end. What a great debut! I was totally impressed and would definitely recommend it. For anyone who enjoys good suspense, make sure to pick this one up!
I received this ebook from NetGalley in return for my honest review.
Nowell Gardiner's grandmother has recently died, and he has inherited her old, neglected house in the country. He and his wife Vivian decide to leave the city for awhile to get the house ready to be sold. Nowell, who is a writer, arrives first so he can work on his new novel without interruption. Vivian arrives a month later, and the day after she gets there, the dead body of a girl is found in the woods on the property.
The death is ruled as an accident, but Vivian feels like something isn't right about it. As she tries to acclimate herself to her new surroundings, she can't help but notice the weird behavior of the neighbors, and that of her husband as well. The town seems to be full of secrets and has a vast array of strange inhabitants. And to top it off, Vivian discovers there are things about her husband's family that she was never made aware of.
This atmosphere of the book was pretty creepy, and the characters were well-developed and thought out. The author's descriptive writing created a foreboding atmosphere that keep the suspense going until the end.
I really enjoyed this book. The story held my interest the entire time, and the story flowed effortlessly until the end. What a great debut! I was totally impressed and would definitely recommend it. For anyone who enjoys good suspense, make sure to pick this one up!
I received this ebook from NetGalley in return for my honest review.
June 6, 2014
Did I enjoy this book: Yes, very much.
Mary Vensel White is to literature what Norah Jones is to music – subtle, haunting, and engaging.
The Qualities of Wood is a murder mystery without car crashes, gunshots, or ballistics experts. It’s more psychological and creepy.
About half way through the book, there’s an exchange between our main character, Vivian, and the dead girl’s mother, Kitty. “The thing is, you looked like her, like my Chanelle.” It sent chills down my arms because that was the moment when I realized this mystery just got way more complicated.
I won’t say anymore about the ending. I enjoyed it. It’s not a quick, easy read so be aware. You’ll need a quiet place to concentrate if you’re going to really get into this storyline.
Would I recommend it: Absolutely. This would be a good book group novel for sure.
As reviewed by Belinda at Every Free Chance Book Reviews.
I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
http://everyfreechance.com/2014/05/bl...
Mary Vensel White is to literature what Norah Jones is to music – subtle, haunting, and engaging.
The Qualities of Wood is a murder mystery without car crashes, gunshots, or ballistics experts. It’s more psychological and creepy.
About half way through the book, there’s an exchange between our main character, Vivian, and the dead girl’s mother, Kitty. “The thing is, you looked like her, like my Chanelle.” It sent chills down my arms because that was the moment when I realized this mystery just got way more complicated.
I won’t say anymore about the ending. I enjoyed it. It’s not a quick, easy read so be aware. You’ll need a quiet place to concentrate if you’re going to really get into this storyline.
Would I recommend it: Absolutely. This would be a good book group novel for sure.
As reviewed by Belinda at Every Free Chance Book Reviews.
I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
http://everyfreechance.com/2014/05/bl...
September 7, 2014
2.5 stars. 2 feels harsh and 3 feels unearned. The prose is lovely in sections, but the plot was...let's say underdeveloped. Lots of threads were introduced and never followed up on, and the final scene felt forced and didn't resolve much of anything. I was pretty disappointed with that, honestly, because the book did feel as though it was building to some kind of point, but it was not. As I try to pinpoint my frustration, I think it has to do with the lack of character growth. The characters seem to be very much the same people at the end as they are at the beginning, which makes the book feel aimless. Sure, the central character learned that nature is pretty cool, but that's about the extent of it. Also, her relationship is totally doomed.
I liked the peripheral characters much better than the central ones, who were generally childish narcissists with way too much time on their hands. I do not recommend that you read this, unless aimless fiction about not-particularly-likable people is your thing.
I liked the peripheral characters much better than the central ones, who were generally childish narcissists with way too much time on their hands. I do not recommend that you read this, unless aimless fiction about not-particularly-likable people is your thing.
March 20, 2015
This book should NOT be filed under Mystery - at least not in the true sense of the word. This is a book with a lot of woods and a lot of characters that aren't truly developed. Threads of this story seem to be dropped and randomly picked up throughout. Vivian has a friend we spend a lot of the beginning of the book with her. Then she just disappears when Vivian's brother-in-law and his wife appear. We have NO real sense of time in most of this novel. Another instance of people disappearing? The neighbor who backs to Vivian and her husband is around a lot and then gone. No mention of him for pages and pages and then he kind of pops back up later.
I think this is more of a character study of personality types. The book never really goes anywhere. It just sits, like a lump, in the same spot with lots of extraneous detail that doesn't shed any light on what the actual book is about. Even at the end, the book kind of goes out with a whimper - no big revelations, no huge change in any of the major relationships, sigh... it was just a huge disappointment.
I think this is more of a character study of personality types. The book never really goes anywhere. It just sits, like a lump, in the same spot with lots of extraneous detail that doesn't shed any light on what the actual book is about. Even at the end, the book kind of goes out with a whimper - no big revelations, no huge change in any of the major relationships, sigh... it was just a huge disappointment.
May 21, 2014
I really enjoyed this book, the story was interesting and the characters had a mystery about them that kept me even more motivated to keep reading just to find out what they were hiding. Mary Vensel White did an amazing job describing the setting and building a certain strange yet comfortable vibe to the story. The way she wrote this is very misleading (but in a good way), making me draw conclusions that weren't there but made sense in the end. I had only two problems with the book, sometimes I felt that some of the conversations were pointless and could have been cut out the book, even when I was done looking back they didn't hold any relevance. The other problem was the transitioning, it was hard to tell sometimes if we were still in a dream sequence or not, or if we were in a certain flashback or not. Overall I loved this book, definitely going to read again one day.
April 10, 2012
A well-written debut novel about a young woman, Vivian Gardiner, who struggles with decisions about her marriage, career, and the possibility of children while staying with her husband, a mystery novelist, in a house owned by his grandmother in a small Midwestern town rife with legends and history. A murder is committed in the woods next to the house, and when Vivian's volatile brother-in-law and wife come for an extended stay, the tension grows. There are a number of mysterious characters in the town, adding to the heightened suspense in the story. White does a good job of creating a sense of impending crisis that leads to a satisfactory, and climactic, finish. Readers who enjoy literary fiction and suspense will like this novel.
February 11, 2016
I stayed up late last night to finish this book, because it was hanging around just too long. For some reason, once I started it, I was not particularly eager to continue reading. And for good reason. The story goes nowhere. It's supposed to be suspense, and I labelled it that way, but really the suspense is rather underwhelming. I like books about people inheriting houses and then working on them, which is what initially drew me to the book. Turns out, that was not what this book was about. It was simply a book about two boring couples (the men are siblings) who share a house for a while. The "mystery" of the book, about a girl found dead in the woods nearby, was really nothing. Very disappointing.
May 16, 2012
The Qualities of Wood is a striking novel that moves leisurely through its story. Mary Vensel White cultivates a unique impression through beautiful prose, matching the expansive and unmarred countryside setting with her tranquil storytelling and thoughtful, intriguing characters. There’s an element to the book that separates it from anything else the reader has ever known, offering an exciting reading experience that touches the heart and engages the spirit as it stimulates the mind.
Read the full review on Literary Inklings
Read the full review on Literary Inklings
October 24, 2012
Mary Vensel White has a warm, inviting narrative voice. Within moments of beginning The Qualities of Wood, one feels one is in the hands of a master storyteller. The dialogue is well-conceived and intriguing. The story is compelling, the descriptive passages land you squarely inside this thought-provoking tale. I don't wish to give anything away with this review, it's best to discover everything on ones own! Suffice to say that in spite of an unexplained death, this is less a crime novel, and more a literary masterpiece. Warning - don't begin this story with your morning coffee unless you have nowhere to be for the rest of your day!
February 22, 2012
I thoroughly enjoyed being taken away by Mary Vensel White's debut novel. Her vivid descriptions of scenery and detail drew me in and captivated me from beginning to end. I will be keeping my eye out for more books by this promising new author!
February 9, 2013
There is an exquisite, haunting tone to this book I found mesmerizing. The plot kept me guessing, and Ms. Vensel White's characters were deeply layered, multidimensional and real. I would highly recommend this stunning piece of literary fiction.
June 6, 2013
Interview with Mary Vensel White,
Author of The Qualities of Wood
Jaime Boler: Thank you so much, Mary, for letting me interview you. I loved your haunting and atmospheric debut. Did you always want to be a writer?
Mary Vensel White: Thank you, both for reading and enjoying the novel, and for inviting me to your lovely blog! The writing sort of evolved around my decision to study literature.
I was attending a tiny junior college in Stockton, California, taking classes towards becoming a paralegal. I chose the field because I loved legal thrillers (my Grisham phase), the wordiness and drama of a good courtroom scene. In an entry level English class, we read D.H. Lawrence and Kerouac, neither of whom I really love but it was enough to ignite something. Also, the teacher encouraged me and pointed me in the right direction, something I’ll never forget. So I enrolled as an English major and assumed I’d teach. But I started writing on the side, too—short stories, bad prose poems.
By the time I’d finished school, I realized teaching would take too much mental energy away from writing, which is what I’d rather be doing. (Side note—my husband’s an attorney so I’m in a unique position now to realize what a preposterous idea it was for me to go into law!)
JB: How would you describe The Qualities of Wood in ten words or less?
MVW: Atmospheric and gripping, a mystery within a mystery.
JB: You were born and raised in California, yet The Qualities of Wood and your next novel are set in the Midwest. What captivates you about that part of the country?
MVW: There was a certain sleepy feel to the countryside; small towns with miles to go before the next. I thought about the ways a small town can be isolated and self-directing, almost like a character itself with its own history and habits. I really don’t like when people stereotype the people of another place and yet, another thing about the Midwest—everyone really IS friendly!
Also, I was interested in the differences between urban and rural spaces, and how someone might feel coming from the city, with its rushed and crowded feel, and being dropped into one of these slow-paced, sensory-rich small towns.
JB: Do you think you’ll ever set a story in California?
MVW: Yes! I’m currently working on a short story collection set in southern California. Projects often start with setting for me and California offers its own unique feel—the labyrinth of freeways, the endless sunshine, cities bleeding into each other. You feel a wealth of possibilities living here, and maybe the overarching presence of chance. You seldom meet someone with a shared history. And yet, people everywhere have the same hopes, fears and needs.
JB: How did you come up with The Qualities of Wood?
MVW: I wanted to play around with the mystery genre a bit, write something that may, on the surface, appear to be a traditional mystery but really was about character. And there was the urban/rural theme I wanted to explore—how someone may feel differently in each of these settings. I like the thought of perception and every man or woman creating his own reality.
How much can we truly know someone, how can we be certain “history” is true, how do we bring our own luggage into any encounter or relationship we have? These were the motivators for the story and of course, it’s always good to have a dead body to rile everyone up.
JB: In the novel, Mr. Stokes tells Vivian: “The minute something happens…that moment is lost forever. There’s no truth. Just stories. Just rumors.” What do you mean here?
MVW: In college, I had a minor in history, so this is another love of mine. When I’m asked about influences, I’ll usually mention a history book, Imagined Communities by Benedict Anderson. The book introduced to me the notion that until people could imagine nations, nations did not exist.
And I thought this was so powerful, that identity (and history itself) could be determined by the collective conscious. Basically, that people could decide what was true. I started thinking about a small town, that insular setting, and how its inhabitants could cling to some version of history and in some ways, make that the true history.
Napoleon is quoted as saying: “History is a set of lies agreed upon.” On a more immediate level, anyone who grew up with siblings can relate to the idea that no one sees an event in the same way. Even moments after something happens, we all start processing and changing. If you live long enough, you can watch this process over time, people telling stories while you think: “That’s not what happened!”
JB: Who are some of your favorite authors and what are some of your favorite books?
MVW: Favorite authors: Per Petterson, Kent Haruf, Marilynne Robinson. I’ve read everything they’ve written and will rush to buy anything new.
Some authors whose work I’ve just begun to read but could possibly become favorites: Michael Chabon, Jess Walter. Leif Enger has only written two novels but both are wonderful. Love Elizabeth Strout. Have an undying and devout love for the Southerners: Flannery O’Connor, Carson McCullers.
Favorite books: Lolita, Anna Karenina and recently inducted as #3 after a re-read: The Heart is a Lonely Hunter.
JB: What was your publication process like?
MVW: Fits and starts, highs and lows, and lots and lots of waiting. And it’s ongoing!
My particular process has been a little different than most. The book was released as an ebook in January of last year, so I spent a good part of the year promoting it. And now I’m gearing up for the print version, which will come out later this summer.
All in all, it’s been very gratifying and I especially enjoy talking to book clubs (plug: available to phone or Skype!), and meeting other writers at conferences.
JB: How were earlier versions of The Qualities of Wood different from the final published version?
MVW: This novel has been edited a zillion times over the past almost-twenty years! But I’m happy to say that the main essence of it, both in story, style and character, has remained the same. Probably the biggest change through the editorial process was the ending. I always felt the ending was flawed but couldn’t figure out what to do. And I can’t say anything more without ruining it for those who haven’t read it. But I will tell you secretly if you’re interested!
JB: What was the most difficult thing about writing The Qualities of Wood?
MVW: I wrote this novel before I had children, while I had a cushy receptionist gig in a Chicago high rise. The first draft probably took six months, start to finish.
These days, time is an ongoing struggle. People talk about writer’s block but I always have many more ideas than I have time to work out on paper (or computer). So I can’t really think of anything that was difficult in the writing process back then. I had lots of quiet, uninterrupted time and it went very smoothly!
JB: What do you like to do when you aren’t writing?
MVW: Well, I have those children I mentioned, four of them. They keep my husband and I pretty busy—sports, lessons, school.
I read, all the time. I’m in a book club that’s been together for ten years.
Our family watches a lot of movies, and we’re pretty active. I exercise (yoga, aerobics, stuff like that) and do a bit of running. Sometimes we’ll compete in races, preferably ones with beer at the finish line!
Also, I’m sort of a general arts enthusiast, especially dance. Broadway, plays, concerts—I’m happiest when several tickets to upcoming events are hanging on my bulletin board.
I like to travel too. I just returned from a Memorial Day weekend trip to Illinois and Wisconsin with my daughter. I’d been back to Chicago but hadn’t been out to the country for a long time. Everything rushed back—all the sensory influences for The Qualities of Wood.
JB: What do you hope readers take with them after reading The Qualities of Wood?
MVW: I hope it touches them on a personal level, engages something within. And I hope it leaves them with things to ponder and a strong urge to buy anything else I may write in the future!
JB: I know you are working on a second novel and a collection of interrelated short stories. What can you tell us about these books?
MVW: Sure! The novel is called Fortress for One. It’s about Gina, a middle-aged woman living a routine, unremarkable existence. Until the weekend when everything changes and she’s forced out of her rut. The book is set in the Midwest again, in Chicago and its suburbs but also Korea.
The story collection is the one I mentioned, set in greater Los Angeles and following the interlocking paths of three families. It’s about archetypal human stories and how they can be upended in modern times. The element of chance and how maybe life is just about responding to it.
JB: They both sound fascinating and I can’t wait to read them. Thanks, Mary, for a wonderful interview. Good luck with the book!
Author of The Qualities of Wood
Jaime Boler: Thank you so much, Mary, for letting me interview you. I loved your haunting and atmospheric debut. Did you always want to be a writer?
Mary Vensel White: Thank you, both for reading and enjoying the novel, and for inviting me to your lovely blog! The writing sort of evolved around my decision to study literature.
I was attending a tiny junior college in Stockton, California, taking classes towards becoming a paralegal. I chose the field because I loved legal thrillers (my Grisham phase), the wordiness and drama of a good courtroom scene. In an entry level English class, we read D.H. Lawrence and Kerouac, neither of whom I really love but it was enough to ignite something. Also, the teacher encouraged me and pointed me in the right direction, something I’ll never forget. So I enrolled as an English major and assumed I’d teach. But I started writing on the side, too—short stories, bad prose poems.
By the time I’d finished school, I realized teaching would take too much mental energy away from writing, which is what I’d rather be doing. (Side note—my husband’s an attorney so I’m in a unique position now to realize what a preposterous idea it was for me to go into law!)
JB: How would you describe The Qualities of Wood in ten words or less?
MVW: Atmospheric and gripping, a mystery within a mystery.
JB: You were born and raised in California, yet The Qualities of Wood and your next novel are set in the Midwest. What captivates you about that part of the country?
MVW: There was a certain sleepy feel to the countryside; small towns with miles to go before the next. I thought about the ways a small town can be isolated and self-directing, almost like a character itself with its own history and habits. I really don’t like when people stereotype the people of another place and yet, another thing about the Midwest—everyone really IS friendly!
Also, I was interested in the differences between urban and rural spaces, and how someone might feel coming from the city, with its rushed and crowded feel, and being dropped into one of these slow-paced, sensory-rich small towns.
JB: Do you think you’ll ever set a story in California?
MVW: Yes! I’m currently working on a short story collection set in southern California. Projects often start with setting for me and California offers its own unique feel—the labyrinth of freeways, the endless sunshine, cities bleeding into each other. You feel a wealth of possibilities living here, and maybe the overarching presence of chance. You seldom meet someone with a shared history. And yet, people everywhere have the same hopes, fears and needs.
JB: How did you come up with The Qualities of Wood?
MVW: I wanted to play around with the mystery genre a bit, write something that may, on the surface, appear to be a traditional mystery but really was about character. And there was the urban/rural theme I wanted to explore—how someone may feel differently in each of these settings. I like the thought of perception and every man or woman creating his own reality.
How much can we truly know someone, how can we be certain “history” is true, how do we bring our own luggage into any encounter or relationship we have? These were the motivators for the story and of course, it’s always good to have a dead body to rile everyone up.
JB: In the novel, Mr. Stokes tells Vivian: “The minute something happens…that moment is lost forever. There’s no truth. Just stories. Just rumors.” What do you mean here?
MVW: In college, I had a minor in history, so this is another love of mine. When I’m asked about influences, I’ll usually mention a history book, Imagined Communities by Benedict Anderson. The book introduced to me the notion that until people could imagine nations, nations did not exist.
And I thought this was so powerful, that identity (and history itself) could be determined by the collective conscious. Basically, that people could decide what was true. I started thinking about a small town, that insular setting, and how its inhabitants could cling to some version of history and in some ways, make that the true history.
Napoleon is quoted as saying: “History is a set of lies agreed upon.” On a more immediate level, anyone who grew up with siblings can relate to the idea that no one sees an event in the same way. Even moments after something happens, we all start processing and changing. If you live long enough, you can watch this process over time, people telling stories while you think: “That’s not what happened!”
JB: Who are some of your favorite authors and what are some of your favorite books?
MVW: Favorite authors: Per Petterson, Kent Haruf, Marilynne Robinson. I’ve read everything they’ve written and will rush to buy anything new.
Some authors whose work I’ve just begun to read but could possibly become favorites: Michael Chabon, Jess Walter. Leif Enger has only written two novels but both are wonderful. Love Elizabeth Strout. Have an undying and devout love for the Southerners: Flannery O’Connor, Carson McCullers.
Favorite books: Lolita, Anna Karenina and recently inducted as #3 after a re-read: The Heart is a Lonely Hunter.
JB: What was your publication process like?
MVW: Fits and starts, highs and lows, and lots and lots of waiting. And it’s ongoing!
My particular process has been a little different than most. The book was released as an ebook in January of last year, so I spent a good part of the year promoting it. And now I’m gearing up for the print version, which will come out later this summer.
All in all, it’s been very gratifying and I especially enjoy talking to book clubs (plug: available to phone or Skype!), and meeting other writers at conferences.
JB: How were earlier versions of The Qualities of Wood different from the final published version?
MVW: This novel has been edited a zillion times over the past almost-twenty years! But I’m happy to say that the main essence of it, both in story, style and character, has remained the same. Probably the biggest change through the editorial process was the ending. I always felt the ending was flawed but couldn’t figure out what to do. And I can’t say anything more without ruining it for those who haven’t read it. But I will tell you secretly if you’re interested!
JB: What was the most difficult thing about writing The Qualities of Wood?
MVW: I wrote this novel before I had children, while I had a cushy receptionist gig in a Chicago high rise. The first draft probably took six months, start to finish.
These days, time is an ongoing struggle. People talk about writer’s block but I always have many more ideas than I have time to work out on paper (or computer). So I can’t really think of anything that was difficult in the writing process back then. I had lots of quiet, uninterrupted time and it went very smoothly!
JB: What do you like to do when you aren’t writing?
MVW: Well, I have those children I mentioned, four of them. They keep my husband and I pretty busy—sports, lessons, school.
I read, all the time. I’m in a book club that’s been together for ten years.
Our family watches a lot of movies, and we’re pretty active. I exercise (yoga, aerobics, stuff like that) and do a bit of running. Sometimes we’ll compete in races, preferably ones with beer at the finish line!
Also, I’m sort of a general arts enthusiast, especially dance. Broadway, plays, concerts—I’m happiest when several tickets to upcoming events are hanging on my bulletin board.
I like to travel too. I just returned from a Memorial Day weekend trip to Illinois and Wisconsin with my daughter. I’d been back to Chicago but hadn’t been out to the country for a long time. Everything rushed back—all the sensory influences for The Qualities of Wood.
JB: What do you hope readers take with them after reading The Qualities of Wood?
MVW: I hope it touches them on a personal level, engages something within. And I hope it leaves them with things to ponder and a strong urge to buy anything else I may write in the future!
JB: I know you are working on a second novel and a collection of interrelated short stories. What can you tell us about these books?
MVW: Sure! The novel is called Fortress for One. It’s about Gina, a middle-aged woman living a routine, unremarkable existence. Until the weekend when everything changes and she’s forced out of her rut. The book is set in the Midwest again, in Chicago and its suburbs but also Korea.
The story collection is the one I mentioned, set in greater Los Angeles and following the interlocking paths of three families. It’s about archetypal human stories and how they can be upended in modern times. The element of chance and how maybe life is just about responding to it.
JB: They both sound fascinating and I can’t wait to read them. Thanks, Mary, for a wonderful interview. Good luck with the book!
July 13, 2019
Audible:It was a good story.This was a weird one to rate.I liked the story,though it seemed undone.Vivian seems to have grown a year in a matter of a month or so.She is clearing out her husband grandmothers house,she runs into mysteries,also there is the dead girl in the woods to think about.The ending was abrupt after this long ,winding saga.Amy Paonessa had an oddly paced way of reading.Had she picked it up and cut ah hour off the book,it may have been better.She has a nice voice though.I also had an issue with the sound.It sounded like it was coming from a can,no matter what I played it on and it was hard to get it loud enough. I was given this book by the narrator,author or publisher free for an honest review.
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