What do you think?
Rate this book
The Color of Water in July
It’s been a long seventeen years since Jess last saw her grandmother or visited the family cottage set on an idyllic lake in Northern Michigan. For all that time, she’s been haunted by loss—of her innocence and her ability to trust and, most of all, of a profound summer romance that might have been something more. So when her grandmother leaves the house to her, Jess summons her courage and returns to a place full of memories—and secrets.
There, she stumbles upon old letters and photographs of a time not so much forgotten as buried. As she begins to unravel the hidden histories of her mother and her grandmother, she makes a startling discovery about a tragic death that prompted her family’s slow undoing. With every uneven and painful step into the past, Jess comes closer to a truth that could alter her own path—and open a door to a different future.
Revised edition: This edition of The Color of Water in July includes editorial revisions.
251 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 5, 2011
963 people are currently reading
3176 people want to read
About the author
Nora Carroll
2 books50 followersNora Carroll is a pseudonym for #1 New York Times bestselling author Elizabeth Letts.
As Nora Carroll, she writes multilayered novels filled with the things she loves most-- rambling houses, old letters and manuscripts, and most importantly, the mysteries of love, women, and family.
As Nora Carroll, she writes multilayered novels filled with the things she loves most-- rambling houses, old letters and manuscripts, and most importantly, the mysteries of love, women, and family.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 443 reviews
November 13, 2018
I was drawn to this book because it is set in Michigan. I seem to be reading books lately that take place in Michigan or near the Great Lakes.
I liked the book. There are two main characters, Jess Carpenter and her grandmother, Mamie Cleves. Mamie dies and leaves Journey's End, a cottage on Pine Lake in NW Michigan, to her granddaughter. Jess is reluctant to keep the house because it will bring back unpleasant memories of her 17th summer. But go there she does, to sell the cottage.
The story alternates between these two characters as they each reconstruct the events of that summer, contrasting that to what is going on in the present, 16 years later.
I had not read the description of the book. (I find more and more lately that there are spoilers in the description). I was not prepared for the events as described and therefore, the book was very entertaining; surprising, too.
I felt the events as described were plausible as well and that the author brought events together in a realistic way. I especially liked the two narrator mode. Grandma was letting the reader know in an indirect way what was behind the story, while Jess continued to be clueless.
The book has languished on my TBR since 2015. About time I got to it.
4 stars
I liked the book. There are two main characters, Jess Carpenter and her grandmother, Mamie Cleves. Mamie dies and leaves Journey's End, a cottage on Pine Lake in NW Michigan, to her granddaughter. Jess is reluctant to keep the house because it will bring back unpleasant memories of her 17th summer. But go there she does, to sell the cottage.
The story alternates between these two characters as they each reconstruct the events of that summer, contrasting that to what is going on in the present, 16 years later.
I had not read the description of the book. (I find more and more lately that there are spoilers in the description). I was not prepared for the events as described and therefore, the book was very entertaining; surprising, too.
I felt the events as described were plausible as well and that the author brought events together in a realistic way. I especially liked the two narrator mode. Grandma was letting the reader know in an indirect way what was behind the story, while Jess continued to be clueless.
The book has languished on my TBR since 2015. About time I got to it.
4 stars
August 24, 2014
Kindle
2.5 stars, maybe 3. I might change it after some thought.
First, I have to admit something. I chose to read this book based on the cover alone. My favorite colors and my favorite shoes. That cover is my dream of summer. A reminder of Cape Cod, a calming and relaxed feeling. It helped that I could read it for free via Kindle Unlimited. The cover doesn't belong with the book at all. The house in the book would not have those shingles and nobody talks at all about flip flops.
Another confession: When the description of a book says anything about a woman that returns to her summer vacation spot after years of avoiding it because something tragic happened the last time she was there (usually as a teen that involved love, violence, rape, death, love triangles, blah blah), but now has to wrap up an estate or take care of a family member and finds (letters, papers, an old trunk, the confessions of a dying woman.....) stuff that helps her find out the 'secrets' of her past I RUN IN THE OTHER DIRECTION!!!!
What can I say, I should have run. The cover sucked me in.
This story was pretty good. I did't love Jess, the protagonist, much. For most of the book she is the poster child for a passive, stepped on woman. Every thought she had was about letting her 'boyfriend' make the decisions, never really stopping to think for herself about what she really wants.
The writing was fair. Some sentences were horrible and the editing was not much better.
All in all, I kept thinking that this story would have done so much better under the pen or keyboard of Kate Morton. She would have fleshed out the characters so much better and painted a more cohesive and detailed story.
2.5 stars, maybe 3. I might change it after some thought.
First, I have to admit something. I chose to read this book based on the cover alone. My favorite colors and my favorite shoes. That cover is my dream of summer. A reminder of Cape Cod, a calming and relaxed feeling. It helped that I could read it for free via Kindle Unlimited. The cover doesn't belong with the book at all. The house in the book would not have those shingles and nobody talks at all about flip flops.
Another confession: When the description of a book says anything about a woman that returns to her summer vacation spot after years of avoiding it because something tragic happened the last time she was there (usually as a teen that involved love, violence, rape, death, love triangles, blah blah), but now has to wrap up an estate or take care of a family member and finds (letters, papers, an old trunk, the confessions of a dying woman.....) stuff that helps her find out the 'secrets' of her past I RUN IN THE OTHER DIRECTION!!!!
What can I say, I should have run. The cover sucked me in.
This story was pretty good. I did't love Jess, the protagonist, much. For most of the book she is the poster child for a passive, stepped on woman. Every thought she had was about letting her 'boyfriend' make the decisions, never really stopping to think for herself about what she really wants.
The writing was fair. Some sentences were horrible and the editing was not much better.
All in all, I kept thinking that this story would have done so much better under the pen or keyboard of Kate Morton. She would have fleshed out the characters so much better and painted a more cohesive and detailed story.
October 7, 2015
*3.5 stars
First, I really like the cover of this book. Love the storyline: a woman goes back to her childhood vacation home and along the way discovers family secrets. Its one of my favorite storylines that I tend to gravitate towards a lot! This book definitely had secrets, young love, and loss. What I didn't like was the character of Jess. She felt very boring to me. Plus, I couldn't imagine not caring about my family home and its possessions, even if its just a passing thought. Anyway, I did, however, like Mamie. I understood why she kept her secrets; just sad though that they continued to dictate other's lives in the present. Overall, a decent story that I'm glad I read.
**Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an e-copy in exchange for an honest review.
First, I really like the cover of this book. Love the storyline: a woman goes back to her childhood vacation home and along the way discovers family secrets. Its one of my favorite storylines that I tend to gravitate towards a lot! This book definitely had secrets, young love, and loss. What I didn't like was the character of Jess. She felt very boring to me. Plus, I couldn't imagine not caring about my family home and its possessions, even if its just a passing thought. Anyway, I did, however, like Mamie. I understood why she kept her secrets; just sad though that they continued to dictate other's lives in the present. Overall, a decent story that I'm glad I read.
**Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an e-copy in exchange for an honest review.
June 2, 2011
Nora Carroll's stunning debut novel tells the story of Jess Carpenter, a young woman who returns to northern Michigan, where she spent the summers of her youth, to sell an inherited lakeshore cottage that has been in her family for generations. Although she intends for the visit to be brief and business-like, Jess quickly finds herself caught up in the haunting memories of her childhood and the unraveling of a family secret that changes everything she knows about herself and the person she has become.
Narrated in turns by Jess as a thirty-something and as a teenaged girl, and by her grandmother, Miss Mamie, Carroll's beautiful prose carries the reader through the discovery of a hidden truth first buried in the early 1920s. The author's descriptions of everything from the elite society of Hemingway Point, to the cottage, called "Journey's End," and the lake itself, are palpable and original. The reader is immediately drawn into the story, into a familiar and comfortable place tinged with a delicious mystery of what is to come. Finally, the characters, both past and present, are incredibly real - and the kind that linger in a reader's mind long after a book has been finished.
This is a wonderful story from beginning to satisfying end and a definite must-read!
Narrated in turns by Jess as a thirty-something and as a teenaged girl, and by her grandmother, Miss Mamie, Carroll's beautiful prose carries the reader through the discovery of a hidden truth first buried in the early 1920s. The author's descriptions of everything from the elite society of Hemingway Point, to the cottage, called "Journey's End," and the lake itself, are palpable and original. The reader is immediately drawn into the story, into a familiar and comfortable place tinged with a delicious mystery of what is to come. Finally, the characters, both past and present, are incredibly real - and the kind that linger in a reader's mind long after a book has been finished.
This is a wonderful story from beginning to satisfying end and a definite must-read!
August 6, 2015
I was a little pensive when I downloaded this "read now" e-galley from Net Galley. I always assumed that the "read now' books were ones that weren't that great and needed as many reviews as possible.
Well, this book has changed my view. I really liked this book. It was a well told story of family secrets that were kept for a very long time. Almost too long.
The beach house and the whole scenery sounded wonderful and I know I would have a hard time giving it up especially with all the mostly good, some bad memories.
I'm glad this book did not go on any longer. I was really getting irritated and bored with Jess and Russ. She was boring to read about during that time. Thank goodness, the author had put in chapters that went back to the history of Jess and Mamie in between this time or I would have had a hard time finishing the book.
I really, really liked the ending and I knew it wasn't a jellyfish.
I want to thank Lake Union Publishing and Net Galley for allowing me to read and review this very entertaining and enjoyable read. I definitely recommend it!
Well, this book has changed my view. I really liked this book. It was a well told story of family secrets that were kept for a very long time. Almost too long.
The beach house and the whole scenery sounded wonderful and I know I would have a hard time giving it up especially with all the mostly good, some bad memories.
I'm glad this book did not go on any longer. I was really getting irritated and bored with Jess and Russ. She was boring to read about during that time. Thank goodness, the author had put in chapters that went back to the history of Jess and Mamie in between this time or I would have had a hard time finishing the book.
I really, really liked the ending and I knew it wasn't a jellyfish.
I want to thank Lake Union Publishing and Net Galley for allowing me to read and review this very entertaining and enjoyable read. I definitely recommend it!
August 4, 2016
I love the cover and title of this book. I didn't read the synopsis or any reviews. I hope it's good!
The story of three generations of women, Mamie, Margaret and Jess, family secrets. Set on a lake in Northern Michagan I loved the descriptions of the cottages. This is chick-lit, beach, easy read.
The story of three generations of women, Mamie, Margaret and Jess, family secrets. Set on a lake in Northern Michagan I loved the descriptions of the cottages. This is chick-lit, beach, easy read.
February 23, 2014
Wow, that is all I can say! Wow! This is not at all my normal genre (though I do have a guilty pleasure in Chick Lit from time to time) This is not Chick Lit either, this story was a complete surprise to me. I liked the synopsis, it was free and I thought it would make a great summer read.
This story is hauntingly beautiful, rich in descriptions and vivid in its poignancy. It starts with Jess Carpenter, 33, living in a small apartment in a dull job with her boyfriend Russ. Jess has just inherited her family home situated on a lake in Michigan. She hasn't been back to the house since she was 17 years old. She is going back now, she is going to sell the house and finally put her past behind her.
The story is told from three POV, Jess as she is now, her 17 year old self and Maime, her grand mother. Jess would summer with her throughout her childhood because her mother Margaret was away being an international journalist. The story centers mainly on her last summer there. One of love, tragedy and sorrow. It also tells the story of Maime's tragic sister Lila, who drowned in the lake.
The story is slow, but being detailed in its telling that's just beautiful. It weaves in and out of Jess and Maime's lives connecting the dots to a secret too big to tell, too shameful to whisper and it will be the one secret that will rip out Jess's heart and send her on the path to no where.
Not until she goes back with Russ does she begin a journey of self discovery, one of Maime's and Lila's past, one where she can finally put the pieces together and finally find the happiness she thought she had lost forever. Daniel, the boy she loved and couldn't be with was so dreamy, it was heart breaking to read just what stood in their way to true happiness.
I loved the gentle pace this story took, I could picture in my mind the scenes from the 1920's -1930's and I could feel Jess's heart shatter when the one, tiny detail would rip her world apart.
If I had any complaints about this book it would be with the end. From the final chapter, which I have to say the last line....OMG, one of the best last lines ever "There is something I need to tell you" she said. To where it picked up in the epilogue, it left me a little confused, how did she get to the point she was at, was she with Daniel and Maggie? I would've liked it to have been a little better told.
However, overall this story was beautiful, entrancing and poetic. Again not my normal genre, but if you like stories of self discovery, love and what secrets a family can keep and how they can tear us down yet build us up then this is the book for you. Lovely story.
Read more of my reviews at Never Judge a Book byt its Movie http://www.juliedarley.com
This story is hauntingly beautiful, rich in descriptions and vivid in its poignancy. It starts with Jess Carpenter, 33, living in a small apartment in a dull job with her boyfriend Russ. Jess has just inherited her family home situated on a lake in Michigan. She hasn't been back to the house since she was 17 years old. She is going back now, she is going to sell the house and finally put her past behind her.
The story is told from three POV, Jess as she is now, her 17 year old self and Maime, her grand mother. Jess would summer with her throughout her childhood because her mother Margaret was away being an international journalist. The story centers mainly on her last summer there. One of love, tragedy and sorrow. It also tells the story of Maime's tragic sister Lila, who drowned in the lake.
The story is slow, but being detailed in its telling that's just beautiful. It weaves in and out of Jess and Maime's lives connecting the dots to a secret too big to tell, too shameful to whisper and it will be the one secret that will rip out Jess's heart and send her on the path to no where.
Not until she goes back with Russ does she begin a journey of self discovery, one of Maime's and Lila's past, one where she can finally put the pieces together and finally find the happiness she thought she had lost forever. Daniel, the boy she loved and couldn't be with was so dreamy, it was heart breaking to read just what stood in their way to true happiness.
I loved the gentle pace this story took, I could picture in my mind the scenes from the 1920's -1930's and I could feel Jess's heart shatter when the one, tiny detail would rip her world apart.
If I had any complaints about this book it would be with the end. From the final chapter, which I have to say the last line....OMG, one of the best last lines ever "There is something I need to tell you" she said. To where it picked up in the epilogue, it left me a little confused, how did she get to the point she was at, was she with Daniel and Maggie? I would've liked it to have been a little better told.
However, overall this story was beautiful, entrancing and poetic. Again not my normal genre, but if you like stories of self discovery, love and what secrets a family can keep and how they can tear us down yet build us up then this is the book for you. Lovely story.
Read more of my reviews at Never Judge a Book byt its Movie http://www.juliedarley.com
July 27, 2016
Well, well, well. This is one of those books where you just don't know what you're getting yourself into (well, at least I didn't). I am not ashamed to admit that I chose this book because of its cover and let's just say, I'm so glad I did because this is such a beautifully written book that at times it was like I really was at the lake.
I absolutely adore this book and can't believe how spontaneously I came across it. A great page turner with both strong and well-rounded characters, beautiful writing and a superb setting. I would highly recommend this book and this author for her ability to transport you to the lake and its surroundings.
A beautiful book, with a great story at its heart.
'There must be a precise moment when wet cement turns dry, when it no longer accepts footprints or scratched-in declarations of love; an ordinary moment, unnoticed, just like any. But in that moment, the facts of life can change'.
'If you stood at just the right angle, you could see a sliver of the Hudson - today it was blue. Not a brilliant blue, but still a summer blue, the colour of water in July'.
'The summer is brief, crowded between two ends of a desolate northern winter. And yet somehow when you are young, it seems to last forever. A whole lifetime can be hastened to fit between the giddy green leaves of May and the chastened red and yellow of September'.
'Figure out what matters, then hold onto it. That's how you keep things together. By not letting go'.
'"I can wait for birds to alight in trees and for a cloud to pass behind that tree when the sun is at a certain spot. I can wait until the sky is a certain colour and the wing is at a certain angle and the light is coming from a particular direction. I'm a guy who knows how to wait, Jess. Maybe you think I can't, or I won't, but I intend to. And I know that I can".'
'She who bore only the faintest passing resemblance to her own mother, but this face - it was not love, apparently, after all - it was the affinity of blood for blood'.
'This cottage was the closest to an only child, daughter, and granddaughter - all in a lonely single file line - could come to feeling a part of a family'.
'I call that summer blue, the colour of water in July - all of promise wrapped up in it, and every disappointment too'.
'Hold on to what matters. She hadn't understood, then what her grandmother had been talking about. Now after all these years, it was possible that she did'.
'The big old cottage ticked and creaked around Jess, never perfectly silent, always with its own faint music. Jess recognised the melody now. It was made up of the songs of a family whose lives, like familiar refrains, still mattered'.
4 stars!
I absolutely adore this book and can't believe how spontaneously I came across it. A great page turner with both strong and well-rounded characters, beautiful writing and a superb setting. I would highly recommend this book and this author for her ability to transport you to the lake and its surroundings.
A beautiful book, with a great story at its heart.
'There must be a precise moment when wet cement turns dry, when it no longer accepts footprints or scratched-in declarations of love; an ordinary moment, unnoticed, just like any. But in that moment, the facts of life can change'.
'If you stood at just the right angle, you could see a sliver of the Hudson - today it was blue. Not a brilliant blue, but still a summer blue, the colour of water in July'.
'The summer is brief, crowded between two ends of a desolate northern winter. And yet somehow when you are young, it seems to last forever. A whole lifetime can be hastened to fit between the giddy green leaves of May and the chastened red and yellow of September'.
'Figure out what matters, then hold onto it. That's how you keep things together. By not letting go'.
'"I can wait for birds to alight in trees and for a cloud to pass behind that tree when the sun is at a certain spot. I can wait until the sky is a certain colour and the wing is at a certain angle and the light is coming from a particular direction. I'm a guy who knows how to wait, Jess. Maybe you think I can't, or I won't, but I intend to. And I know that I can".'
'She who bore only the faintest passing resemblance to her own mother, but this face - it was not love, apparently, after all - it was the affinity of blood for blood'.
'This cottage was the closest to an only child, daughter, and granddaughter - all in a lonely single file line - could come to feeling a part of a family'.
'I call that summer blue, the colour of water in July - all of promise wrapped up in it, and every disappointment too'.
'Hold on to what matters. She hadn't understood, then what her grandmother had been talking about. Now after all these years, it was possible that she did'.
'The big old cottage ticked and creaked around Jess, never perfectly silent, always with its own faint music. Jess recognised the melody now. It was made up of the songs of a family whose lives, like familiar refrains, still mattered'.
4 stars!
July 13, 2015
I thought when I started, that this was going to be a chick lit summer read. It is all that and more. Nora Carroll tells a story of Jess from the when she spent summers at the lake with her grandma Mamie at 17 and then again as she comes back to the elite cottage community with her boyfriend, after her grandmother's death. She tells of story of family, community, and hidden secrets.
Without giving any of the story away, there were twists and turns that I did not see coming. I thought I knew how the story was going to end, but I had no idea how Jess was going to get there. I really like the format of the story, with the POV going back and forth with Jess at 17 and again at 34. Then the details were filled in with Mamie telling the parts that Jess did not, could not know.
I have not read Nora Carroll in the past, but I will in the future.
Without giving any of the story away, there were twists and turns that I did not see coming. I thought I knew how the story was going to end, but I had no idea how Jess was going to get there. I really like the format of the story, with the POV going back and forth with Jess at 17 and again at 34. Then the details were filled in with Mamie telling the parts that Jess did not, could not know.
I have not read Nora Carroll in the past, but I will in the future.
July 25, 2018
Well this started out as a great read. It goes back and forth between multiple timelines about the 2 main characters. I was really enjoying everything, until I got to about 83% through. I thought the ending was cut too short and written in much haste. I gave this an overall rating of 3, but based on the ending, I think the ending deserves a 2.5 at most.
August 30, 2015
This is my first book by this author and she didn't disappoint. I could clearly see the old cabin and wondered about the tales it could tell. The careworn items and souvenirs waiting to be packed up to be sold captured the imagination of what might have been. The stories of Jess, and her grandmother are deeply entwined with missing links of days gone by spent at the family cabin on Lake Charlevoix in Michigan. Richly steeped in history, Jess's inherits the cabin on the death of her grandmother and returns after seventeen years to dispose of the contents and sell the place. I could feel the leather of beaded moccasins, and see cobwebs left abandoned in a lonely unused 113 year old cabin.
Nora Carroll is an accomplished author who develops rich characters who stand alone or with each other as they each toggle the pages between past and present. The beauty of the lake bears a great sadness for her family. Her grandmother still dressed for dinner every night as though they still had their meals at the club. Jess is left to her devices during the day as long as she is ready for dinner. Forbidden love, loss and the constant beauty of the lake and the woods made this a wonderful book for my vacation reading list.
I was caught off guard a few times and this kept me coming back for more. Life at the lake in the 1920's was so different than walking the beach in flip flops and shorts. Bathing dresses, etiquette and carrying on with the right sort of people was the norm. As Jess sorts through the cabin, reading journals and looking at photographs, she discovers the truth of who she is. These glimpses into her grandmother's life as a girl and later a young woman put her on a collision with the life she knew.
I recommend this book if you like a mystery that keeps you thinking and begs the questions that often are swept under the rug. I could share so much more but you have to read the whole book to enjoy all of Jess' story.
Nora Carroll is an accomplished author who develops rich characters who stand alone or with each other as they each toggle the pages between past and present. The beauty of the lake bears a great sadness for her family. Her grandmother still dressed for dinner every night as though they still had their meals at the club. Jess is left to her devices during the day as long as she is ready for dinner. Forbidden love, loss and the constant beauty of the lake and the woods made this a wonderful book for my vacation reading list.
I was caught off guard a few times and this kept me coming back for more. Life at the lake in the 1920's was so different than walking the beach in flip flops and shorts. Bathing dresses, etiquette and carrying on with the right sort of people was the norm. As Jess sorts through the cabin, reading journals and looking at photographs, she discovers the truth of who she is. These glimpses into her grandmother's life as a girl and later a young woman put her on a collision with the life she knew.
I recommend this book if you like a mystery that keeps you thinking and begs the questions that often are swept under the rug. I could share so much more but you have to read the whole book to enjoy all of Jess' story.
August 8, 2012
Great story concept...HORRIBLE typos and quite a few literary errors! Whoever proofread this book should be fired!
March 31, 2019
The Color of Water in July by Nora Carroll is a beautiful story told from three POVs: Jess Carpenter as a 17-year-old and as a 33-year-old and her grandmother Maime and has three different time periods, my favorite being from the early 1920's. Although Jess and Maime are not close, Jess does spend her summers with her Maime in northern Michigan on Lake Pine. The bulk of this story flows between Jess's last summer at the cottage and her week that she returns to decide whether or not to sell the cottage. At first I thought the story was slow, but then I realized that the flow was like the lake: sometimes soothing and calm; other times turbulent and dangerous. I enjoyed traveling along with Jess during her journey of connecting the many missing dots and discovering long-kept secrets of this family.
Go Cards! L1C4!!
Go Cards! L1C4!!
August 20, 2019
This was just ok for me. The setting in Northern Michigan within a lakeside community is what intrigued me. The relationship between Grandmother and granddaughter should have been special, but was barely there, even though they spent years of summers together in "the cottage". Honestly,
I didn't care for any of the characters.
The main character, Jess, was selfish and uncaring. Zero depth. She didn't deserve her grandmother's gift and it made me want to stop reading. The last third was a bit more interesting- at least you got to the secret - but that just made me more mad at Grandma. Skip it.
I didn't care for any of the characters.
The main character, Jess, was selfish and uncaring. Zero depth. She didn't deserve her grandmother's gift and it made me want to stop reading. The last third was a bit more interesting- at least you got to the secret - but that just made me more mad at Grandma. Skip it.
April 18, 2020
This is the story of Jess and her grandmother Mamie. The story alternates between the two. Jess inherits a cottage on Lake Michigan, where she spent her childhood summers with Mamie. This book tells a story of love, loss and secrets. It's a fast read, I finished it in one day. The book is well written and the characters fully fleshed out. A wonderful way to spend a rainy day.
May 22, 2017
Fantastic!
This story is captivating. I loved that it was a "summer"story with so much depth. The characters were mesmerizing. I highly recommend this book!!!.
This story is captivating. I loved that it was a "summer"story with so much depth. The characters were mesmerizing. I highly recommend this book!!!.
February 10, 2022
Not really for me - I did finish it though!
October 11, 2022
This was a pretty straightforward and simple story with some slight predictability to it. It was an easy read and moved along. Nothing amazing that will stand out but also perfectly acceptable for a simple read.
January 12, 2016
The Color of the Water in July is a novel by Nora Carroll. Although it is a romance, it is not your conventional one. It is also the story of a young girl’s journey to adulthood, although she is thirty-three when she actually takes that journey and explores her young adulthood in context with her grandmother’s past. It is told in alternate chapters by Jess and Mamie, her grandmother.
Jess is a thirty-three obscure research assistant. Currently unmarried, she lives alone but has a current boyfriend, Russ and whose relationship with him seems to be turning serious. She receives notice that her Grandmother has left her summer home, Journey’s End, to Jess instead of to her mother Margaret. After talking to her Mother, Jess decides to take a weekend trip to Journey’s End, make sure it is ready to sell, and to sell it. Russ, an architectural photographer, comes along to see this old cottage on the Michigan shore. He is immediately obsessed with the cottage and wanting to redo it, feature it in a story, and sell it. Very little in the cottage has been changed since it was built. Jess, who is tied up in her memories, lets him have his way.
Jess is reluctant to return to Journey’s End and face the events that occurred when she was just seventeen. As she takes her journey through her memories with Daniel Painter, the alternate chapters take Mamie through her memories of Journey’s End and the death of her sister, Lila. Lila becomes a character in the book, although in the background as does Mamie’s husband, Thomas Cleves. He had left Mamie when her daughter, Margaret was just a baby. Jess is aware of the fact that the women of her family didn’t have a husband to lean on and wonders if she is the same. Although she thinks she loves Russ, she wasn’t thrilled to have him with her on this trip. As she is taking her journey back to her past, she also begins going through the house in preparation for leaving. As she does so, she runs across bits and pieces of her past in pictures, letters, and other things.
The book is a journey into Jess’s past and her coming to grips with the things left unsaid or undone. Her past combines with Mamie’s past in unexpected ways. The book is very good and is definitely one to grab your interest have you hand on for the ride. I highly recommend this book for Book Clubs as there are questions in the back for contemplation.
Jess is a thirty-three obscure research assistant. Currently unmarried, she lives alone but has a current boyfriend, Russ and whose relationship with him seems to be turning serious. She receives notice that her Grandmother has left her summer home, Journey’s End, to Jess instead of to her mother Margaret. After talking to her Mother, Jess decides to take a weekend trip to Journey’s End, make sure it is ready to sell, and to sell it. Russ, an architectural photographer, comes along to see this old cottage on the Michigan shore. He is immediately obsessed with the cottage and wanting to redo it, feature it in a story, and sell it. Very little in the cottage has been changed since it was built. Jess, who is tied up in her memories, lets him have his way.
Jess is reluctant to return to Journey’s End and face the events that occurred when she was just seventeen. As she takes her journey through her memories with Daniel Painter, the alternate chapters take Mamie through her memories of Journey’s End and the death of her sister, Lila. Lila becomes a character in the book, although in the background as does Mamie’s husband, Thomas Cleves. He had left Mamie when her daughter, Margaret was just a baby. Jess is aware of the fact that the women of her family didn’t have a husband to lean on and wonders if she is the same. Although she thinks she loves Russ, she wasn’t thrilled to have him with her on this trip. As she is taking her journey back to her past, she also begins going through the house in preparation for leaving. As she does so, she runs across bits and pieces of her past in pictures, letters, and other things.
The book is a journey into Jess’s past and her coming to grips with the things left unsaid or undone. Her past combines with Mamie’s past in unexpected ways. The book is very good and is definitely one to grab your interest have you hand on for the ride. I highly recommend this book for Book Clubs as there are questions in the back for contemplation.
December 17, 2015
The Color of Water in July
Nora Carroll
Contemporary
Family Life/Drama
Fiction
4 of 5 Stars
The Color of Water in July was my mental vacation read, destination a nine bedroom cottage called Journeys End. The Wequetona Club was built around Pine Lake
at the end of the logging boom. I loved the characters, setting, the backstory, I loved every word. I enjoyed how the story of Mamie and her sister was told in first person flashbacks. Excellent story!
Thank you NetGalley and Lake Union Books for the opportunity to read for a fair review.
Four Questions
Would I recommend to my friends? Yes
Would I read a sequel or continue a series? Yes
Book to Movie? I believe it would be a great movie!
Did I think about the characters after I finished the book?
Absolutely
ARC - Yes
NetGalley - Yes
Read 8/2015
Nora Carroll
Contemporary
Family Life/Drama
Fiction
4 of 5 Stars
The Color of Water in July was my mental vacation read, destination a nine bedroom cottage called Journeys End. The Wequetona Club was built around Pine Lake
at the end of the logging boom. I loved the characters, setting, the backstory, I loved every word. I enjoyed how the story of Mamie and her sister was told in first person flashbacks. Excellent story!
Thank you NetGalley and Lake Union Books for the opportunity to read for a fair review.
Four Questions
Would I recommend to my friends? Yes
Would I read a sequel or continue a series? Yes
Book to Movie? I believe it would be a great movie!
Did I think about the characters after I finished the book?
Absolutely
ARC - Yes
NetGalley - Yes
Read 8/2015
October 17, 2015
Jess Carpenter is the main character in The Color of Water in July by Nora Carroll. Jess last saw her grandmother 17 years ago yet when her grandmother passed Jess inherited her summer cottage. This inheritance has sent her on a path that brings to the front her family's past. Throughout the book there are two generations telling the story. First is the grandmother, Miss Mamie and the other is Jess as she goes back to this childhood summer cottage.
This touching story is a great book to escape with, while drinking a cup of tea. Generally I do not like books that have adult topics in them, especially when they could tell the story without these items. All in all it was a good read.
I was given this book by NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing in exchange for my honest review.
Posted by Kimbe
This touching story is a great book to escape with, while drinking a cup of tea. Generally I do not like books that have adult topics in them, especially when they could tell the story without these items. All in all it was a good read.
I was given this book by NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing in exchange for my honest review.
Posted by Kimbe
July 12, 2017
A thoroughly enjoyable read with many layers of plot. I liked the way they unfurled (rather than unfolded), emerging organically one from another, so that the story-lines seeped into each other, like water blotting into paper.
The juxtaposition of the very correct Club set, the 'right' families, their formal dinners and impeccable manners, against the tangle of lies and secrets lurking only just beneath the surface was very well done. Perhaps I'd have liked Maimie, with a foot in both camps, to have been a little more nuanced and conflicted. The outworking of the Lila thread was skimmed over, rather. I wanted to know more about her.
The writer evoked the Michigan lakeside landscape really well. In this she reminded me of Anita Shreve at her best.
I will be looking out for more from this writer.
The juxtaposition of the very correct Club set, the 'right' families, their formal dinners and impeccable manners, against the tangle of lies and secrets lurking only just beneath the surface was very well done. Perhaps I'd have liked Maimie, with a foot in both camps, to have been a little more nuanced and conflicted. The outworking of the Lila thread was skimmed over, rather. I wanted to know more about her.
The writer evoked the Michigan lakeside landscape really well. In this she reminded me of Anita Shreve at her best.
I will be looking out for more from this writer.
September 17, 2015
The cover of this book is very tranquil but the story is anything but. After her grandmother dies Jess returns to the family cottage in a lakeside community to sort it out ready to sell. It is pretty much in its' original condition which excites Russ (boyfriend) no end. He is forceful, inviting himself along and is such a shallow, unlike able man. The book tells the story from three perspectives - Mamie (grandmother) and Jess aged 17 and 33, so gradually all the secrets are revealed. Great descriptions, easy to read, enjoyable story too. I would like to read more books by this author. Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the ARC.
May 20, 2018
Every single person in this book was despicable, with the exception of Jess and Daniel, and those two seemed to be missing spines. The characters that were only mildly despicable weren’t well-developed, and the author seemed to expect that the reader could come to the conclusions she had in mind without the info needed to do so (example: Captain Flagg is gay. He says something like “you must have guessed by now” to Jess. Uhhhh, how? There isn’t one single detail that would lead anyone to this conclusion until he says it).
And why would Jess name her child after her awful mother? Margaret seemed like a self-absorbed idiot.
Not even recommended as a beach read.
And why would Jess name her child after her awful mother? Margaret seemed like a self-absorbed idiot.
Not even recommended as a beach read.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 9, 2013
Enjoying a book, for me, means that I have to either a) like the main character or b) find the main character interesting/complex. There wasn't much about Jess that drew me into her story. She was likable, enough, but bland. There was nothing to dislike, other than her passivity with her fiancé. Mamie's sections of the novel didn't pull me in either.
Still, there was something in the eloquent prose, and intriguing, although predictable plot, that kept me interested. If Jess had a more distinct personality, I would have enjoyed the novel more.
Still, there was something in the eloquent prose, and intriguing, although predictable plot, that kept me interested. If Jess had a more distinct personality, I would have enjoyed the novel more.
January 6, 2014
I wasn't expecting much from this book (and, to be perfectly honest, I was in agony with a bulging disk so I wasn't expecting much from anything!). But . . . surprise! I really enjoyed the story. I thought I would be getting a love story to take me away from my pain, but I got something much more - a tale of past and present with some catches that I didn't see coming. A teenage passion that wouldn't die?? A history that made sense at the time, but didn't pan out? This is more than a beach read, in my opinion. I'm going to recommend it to my bookclub. We'll see what they think . . . .
July 17, 2015
Jess goes to Michigan to sell the cottage she inherited from her Grandmother. As she is cleaning out closets and drawers she finds a bundle of letters that reveals a lot of family secrets. Jess used to summer at the lakefront cottage but hadn't been back in 17 years. This is a wonderful story of several generations and is told by Jess as a 17 year old girl, her grandmother and Jess at 33. Well written, easy to follow and a joy to read as the story unravels. Also a glimpse of life in the 1940's of resort summers.
November 15, 2015
This was my first book from Nora Carroll, and it was a pleasant surprise. It starts off somewhat predictably, with Jess returning to her summer home after inheriting it from her grandmother. And of course she begins to uncover some family secrets. But here's where most of the formulaic storyline ends. I saw this book described as a mystery/romance, and I'd say that nicely sums it up. There are enough twists and turns to keep you guessing and interested enough to finish. Although the ending did feel a bit rushed in need of wrapping it up, it was an enjoyable story!
August 22, 2016
I'd say more of a 3.5 star read. It kept me interested and guessing. There were a few surprises that I didn't expect, however it was a little depressing. It was also frustrating at times to read about several women with a complete inability to communicate or show any type of emotion. Many of their choices were strange and the fact that the very intelligent Jess, didn't ever question anything was odd, but the story was overall pretty good. I'd lend it to others if I could, but I don't know that I'd necessarily tell friends to buy it.
It wasn't great, but it wasn't bad either.
It wasn't great, but it wasn't bad either.
July 25, 2013
I had hopes for this book because I like how she writes, but I found it very difficult to read the Amazon ebook version for all the typos and grammar issues. On one page, the book says Mamie is speaking when it is clearly May. I found I did a lot of mental editing and skimming for content and neither struck me as very good.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 443 reviews