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Grange House
By the author of the New York Times bestseller The Postmistress
Maisie Thomas spends every summer at Grange House, a hotel on the coast of Maine ruled by the elegant Miss Grange. In 1896, when Maisie turns 17, her visit marks a turning point. On the morning after her arrival, local fishermen make a gruesome discovery: drowned lovers, found clasped in each other's arms. It's only the first in a series of events that casts a shadow over Maisie's summer. As she considers the attentions of two very different young men, Maisie also falls under the gaze of Miss Grange, who begins to tell her disturbing stories of her past. Rich with the details, customs, and language of the era, Grange House is a wonderfully atmospheric, page-turning novel of literary suspense and romance.
Maisie Thomas spends every summer at Grange House, a hotel on the coast of Maine ruled by the elegant Miss Grange. In 1896, when Maisie turns 17, her visit marks a turning point. On the morning after her arrival, local fishermen make a gruesome discovery: drowned lovers, found clasped in each other's arms. It's only the first in a series of events that casts a shadow over Maisie's summer. As she considers the attentions of two very different young men, Maisie also falls under the gaze of Miss Grange, who begins to tell her disturbing stories of her past. Rich with the details, customs, and language of the era, Grange House is a wonderfully atmospheric, page-turning novel of literary suspense and romance.
376 pages, Paperback
First published July 7, 2000
183 people are currently reading
3267 people want to read
About the author
Sarah Blake
60 books1,029 followersSarah is the author of the novels, Grange House, the bestselling The Postmistress, and The Guest Book forthcoming; a chapbook of poems, Full Turn, and the artist book Runaway Girls in collaboration with the artist Robin Kahn. She lives in Washington DC with her husband, the poet Joshua Weiner, their two sons, and a little white dog.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 216 reviews
December 27, 2015
2015 Edit: This was the first review I posted on GR, & I cringe every time I see it. So I'm revising. :) Rest assured the polishing will not alter any essential content; my reaction to the blowhard characters & belabored plotting remains the same. It will, however, make things less sprawling & TL;DR.
......
Spoilers. You've been warned.
Woe for 2 stars. :( Grange House includes several motifs I love -- the late-Victorian period, the pieced format (letters, diaries, stories loosely linked to reality, multiple narrators), & a Turn of the Screw gothic flavor.
...Alas, it's not very good.
Please understand that I appreciate the difficulty of writing an authentic period mock-up. But books like this give pastiche Victoriana a bad name. The primary narrator (Maisie) was a spoiled, emo brat who did nothing but wander around & bemoan that she was longing for that which she couldn't name, that which made her press against windows & yearn for something unreachable, as if she was an arrow shot from a bow without knowing her target....yeah, you get the idea. She spouts the usual bluestocking resistance to marriage, then gets herself engaged to one character while flirting with another, & still takes the time to throw multiple hissy fits because her mother doesn't have the "depth of knowledge" to mourn the loss of a woman who had an affair with her father. CLASSY! Our intrepid gal then worries more about how she has "no name" than going to the bedside of the dying woman she knew as mother...after sitting up all night with the sick woman she didn't realize was a blood relation.
What Maisie Says: "Blah, blah, blah, poor me & poor Nell, we're so lonely in our generation-gap misunderstood bitchitude!"
What Sarah Hears: "Moooooooo. Oink, oink! Derp, derp, duuuur."
This book has an extreme identity crisis. Is it YA or adult? Demure manners or scandalous sensation? Period gothic or contemporary bookclub fodder? Grange House tries for all these, yet fails at each. It was much too long & overwritten (seriously, it took forever -- like plodding across a muddy field in too-large boots) & the body count was unbelievable. Practically everyone important ends up kicking the bucket so our pair of dunderhead heroines can "find themselves" within Grange House; elder/younger Nell's whingy diary & letters were no better than Maisie's ongoing brattiness (further proof the apple really doesn't fall far from the tree). How charming.
Random gripe: The tossed-off explanation of Maisie's supposed-mother's pregnancy was absolutely ridiculous. 380 pages of whinging from Maisie & Nell, yet Libby (the adoptive mother) is reduced to a two-sentence secondhand explanation that she was hysterical & never had a baby in the first place? WTF IS THIS. Seems like the author ran out of legit plot devices & decided to kick Libby in the face for not being so AWESOME!! as Nell Grange.
2015 Edit: Look, it's four years later & this book still pisses me off. Ain't that sweet? :D
......
Spoilers. You've been warned.
Woe for 2 stars. :( Grange House includes several motifs I love -- the late-Victorian period, the pieced format (letters, diaries, stories loosely linked to reality, multiple narrators), & a Turn of the Screw gothic flavor.
...Alas, it's not very good.
Please understand that I appreciate the difficulty of writing an authentic period mock-up. But books like this give pastiche Victoriana a bad name. The primary narrator (Maisie) was a spoiled, emo brat who did nothing but wander around & bemoan that she was longing for that which she couldn't name, that which made her press against windows & yearn for something unreachable, as if she was an arrow shot from a bow without knowing her target....yeah, you get the idea. She spouts the usual bluestocking resistance to marriage, then gets herself engaged to one character while flirting with another, & still takes the time to throw multiple hissy fits because her mother doesn't have the "depth of knowledge" to mourn the loss of a woman who had an affair with her father. CLASSY! Our intrepid gal then worries more about how she has "no name" than going to the bedside of the dying woman she knew as mother...after sitting up all night with the sick woman she didn't realize was a blood relation.
What Maisie Says: "Blah, blah, blah, poor me & poor Nell, we're so lonely in our generation-gap misunderstood bitchitude!"
What Sarah Hears: "Moooooooo. Oink, oink! Derp, derp, duuuur."
This book has an extreme identity crisis. Is it YA or adult? Demure manners or scandalous sensation? Period gothic or contemporary bookclub fodder? Grange House tries for all these, yet fails at each. It was much too long & overwritten (seriously, it took forever -- like plodding across a muddy field in too-large boots) & the body count was unbelievable. Practically everyone important ends up kicking the bucket so our pair of dunderhead heroines can "find themselves" within Grange House; elder/younger Nell's whingy diary & letters were no better than Maisie's ongoing brattiness (further proof the apple really doesn't fall far from the tree). How charming.
Random gripe: The tossed-off explanation of Maisie's supposed-mother's pregnancy was absolutely ridiculous. 380 pages of whinging from Maisie & Nell, yet Libby (the adoptive mother) is reduced to a two-sentence secondhand explanation that she was hysterical & never had a baby in the first place? WTF IS THIS. Seems like the author ran out of legit plot devices & decided to kick Libby in the face for not being so AWESOME!! as Nell Grange.
2015 Edit: Look, it's four years later & this book still pisses me off. Ain't that sweet? :D
November 14, 2007
I loved this book. The prose was gorgeous, really surrounding you with this misty, back in time feeling that the cover illustrates perfectly. It's a mystery, it's a Victorian love story, it's a ghost story, and it's haunting and beautiful.
June 7, 2017
OK, I finished this one, although I admit that I skip/skimmed the section between 65% and 90% because I couldn't take it anymore.
Giving the author the benefit of the doubt, I can see that perhaps she was going for a Victorian Wilkie Collins'esque "sensation novel" aesthetic here - she even mentions that the main character is reading a book by Collins at one point in the book. The elements are all here: spooky house, possible ghost/ supernatural interference, a pair of drowned lovers, a diary, some letters, and a young woman who is trying to piece it all together.
Unfortunately, the elements do not work to create a pleasing result. Maisie, the main character is a tiresome teenager, angst-ing about like your average goth teen in overdone black eyeliner, the male characters lack dimension, and the plot is, truly, terrible.
Here I shall spoil:
I am a huge fan of both Victorian literature and gothic literature, and I simply cannot recommend this book. If you're looking for something modern that contains those aesthetics, I recommend Fingersmith by Sarah Waters, John Boyne's This House is Haunted or, even, The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield.
However, a better choice would be to return to the source and read The Moonstone or The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins, Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte, or, best of all Uncle Silas by Sheridan Le Fanu, which is a rollicking tale of Victorian what-the-fuckery that must be read to be believed.
This is generally a pale imitation.
Giving the author the benefit of the doubt, I can see that perhaps she was going for a Victorian Wilkie Collins'esque "sensation novel" aesthetic here - she even mentions that the main character is reading a book by Collins at one point in the book. The elements are all here: spooky house, possible ghost/ supernatural interference, a pair of drowned lovers, a diary, some letters, and a young woman who is trying to piece it all together.
Unfortunately, the elements do not work to create a pleasing result. Maisie, the main character is a tiresome teenager, angst-ing about like your average goth teen in overdone black eyeliner, the male characters lack dimension, and the plot is, truly, terrible.
Here I shall spoil:
I am a huge fan of both Victorian literature and gothic literature, and I simply cannot recommend this book. If you're looking for something modern that contains those aesthetics, I recommend Fingersmith by Sarah Waters, John Boyne's This House is Haunted or, even, The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield.
However, a better choice would be to return to the source and read The Moonstone or The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins, Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte, or, best of all Uncle Silas by Sheridan Le Fanu, which is a rollicking tale of Victorian what-the-fuckery that must be read to be believed.
This is generally a pale imitation.
March 19, 2015
This could have been so much better... But then again, I randomly selected it at the library, so it could've been a lot worse!
I really loved the novel's setting. I thought the author evoked the Victorian era wonderfully! The sea-drenched gothic feel was delicious. But... eh, my enthusiasm petered out somewhere around the middle. I found the story had gotten rather dull, especially during Nell's journal entries. The biggest family secret was interesting! I didn't guess what it was. (Hint: Perdita) But... Maisie, dear. What did you want? I feel like you wanted so much out of life, but did you really try and get it?
But I'm really glad I read this... because it inspired me to write. Right after I finished the last page I started writing a story set in the Victorian era. Do you know the last time I got inspired to write a new story and actually did? Let's just say it was way too long ago for a person who calls herself a "writer".
I really loved the novel's setting. I thought the author evoked the Victorian era wonderfully! The sea-drenched gothic feel was delicious. But... eh, my enthusiasm petered out somewhere around the middle. I found the story had gotten rather dull, especially during Nell's journal entries. The biggest family secret was interesting! I didn't guess what it was. (Hint: Perdita) But... Maisie, dear. What did you want? I feel like you wanted so much out of life, but did you really try and get it?
But I'm really glad I read this... because it inspired me to write. Right after I finished the last page I started writing a story set in the Victorian era. Do you know the last time I got inspired to write a new story and actually did? Let's just say it was way too long ago for a person who calls herself a "writer".
February 12, 2008
very very good book. Recommended for those with lots and lots of patience who don't want just to cut to the chase.
The author of Grange House, Sarah Blake, has a degree in Victorian literature. This book is her attempt at a Victorian-period piece of writing, set in America -- both ghost story and gothic. It takes a while to get into the book, but once you're there, it is highly reminiscent of something that one of the Brontes might have written.
Grange House, a hotel, formerly the homes of the Grange family, is the setting for this story. Maisie Thomas, the heroine of the story, sees a ghostly figure, then not much later, is there when the bodies of her childhood companion/servant Halcy, the cook's daughter & her fiance. Maisie believes (as does the reader) that this ghostly figure was Halcy herself. Thus we are introduced to Maisie's ability to see the dead or to have prescient knowledge of death.
In order to understand the story of Halcy's death, Maisie has to first understand the story of Grange House and indeed of the Grange family....from the mother of Miss Grange (the current owner) to the mysterious "cousin" who appears out of nowhere and with whom one of the sisters, Susannah, falls in love. Miss Grange lives in the attic of the hotel, where she brings Maisie to talk to her. Miss Grange also brings Maisie to a small clearing in the woods behind Grange House, where Maisie has another vision. Miss Grange prevails upon her to find the story of Grange House and the Granges, and provides her with diaries & Miss Grange's own writings to help her in her effort. To get her started, Miss Grange provides her with a story about how Grange House was haunted -- by the ghost of a child that Miss Grange's mother left behind for dead when she left Ireland to come to America.
But what is the REAL story? And Grange House does have a somewhat postmodern fascination with truth and believability (if there is such a word, if not, I apologize). To write the story in one's own words, based on a story from another, one cannot really know the truth since truth has to be mediated and not immediate. Maisie finds lots of answers, but has to give up a lot in order to find them.
Readers looking for your cut and dried ghost story or gothic tale will not like this book because it is rather tedious at times. You have to really read this one very carefully because if you miss something (as I did) you have to go back and search it out. You really have to be able to put up with the heaviness of Victorian writing, and the author does such a fine job with her story telling it was hard for me to remember this book was just recently published.
The author of Grange House, Sarah Blake, has a degree in Victorian literature. This book is her attempt at a Victorian-period piece of writing, set in America -- both ghost story and gothic. It takes a while to get into the book, but once you're there, it is highly reminiscent of something that one of the Brontes might have written.
Grange House, a hotel, formerly the homes of the Grange family, is the setting for this story. Maisie Thomas, the heroine of the story, sees a ghostly figure, then not much later, is there when the bodies of her childhood companion/servant Halcy, the cook's daughter & her fiance. Maisie believes (as does the reader) that this ghostly figure was Halcy herself. Thus we are introduced to Maisie's ability to see the dead or to have prescient knowledge of death.
In order to understand the story of Halcy's death, Maisie has to first understand the story of Grange House and indeed of the Grange family....from the mother of Miss Grange (the current owner) to the mysterious "cousin" who appears out of nowhere and with whom one of the sisters, Susannah, falls in love. Miss Grange lives in the attic of the hotel, where she brings Maisie to talk to her. Miss Grange also brings Maisie to a small clearing in the woods behind Grange House, where Maisie has another vision. Miss Grange prevails upon her to find the story of Grange House and the Granges, and provides her with diaries & Miss Grange's own writings to help her in her effort. To get her started, Miss Grange provides her with a story about how Grange House was haunted -- by the ghost of a child that Miss Grange's mother left behind for dead when she left Ireland to come to America.
But what is the REAL story? And Grange House does have a somewhat postmodern fascination with truth and believability (if there is such a word, if not, I apologize). To write the story in one's own words, based on a story from another, one cannot really know the truth since truth has to be mediated and not immediate. Maisie finds lots of answers, but has to give up a lot in order to find them.
Readers looking for your cut and dried ghost story or gothic tale will not like this book because it is rather tedious at times. You have to really read this one very carefully because if you miss something (as I did) you have to go back and search it out. You really have to be able to put up with the heaviness of Victorian writing, and the author does such a fine job with her story telling it was hard for me to remember this book was just recently published.
August 25, 2014
Three cases of mistaken or deliberately hidden identity, three people who die falling, three people who die drowning, three love affairs that collapse into disaster, two cases of madness, and one case of mysterious childish hand prints appearing on the walls of Grange House. Women wandering the halls at night, women speaking in riddles, a woman who lives in the attic, and a female ghost with a baby in her arms.
What is going on here you might ask? Nothing really, just a bit of wandering Victorian, ghost, big house with a mysterious past, on the coast of Maine story.
It is over-long, over-dramatic and not evenly plotted. It was still somewhat entertaining, an innocent Victorian romance, I think someone even faints in this book, a woman of course. The men smoke, speak pompously, drape themselves over chairs, couches and mantels in manly positions, and go out rowing. Some of them work in (or in business related to) the quarry that was the source of Grange family wealth, but only as a background buzz, unless we count falling off of something. Despite all this manly nonsense, I did like Bart Hunnowell, as the reader is meant to.
What is going on here you might ask? Nothing really, just a bit of wandering Victorian, ghost, big house with a mysterious past, on the coast of Maine story.
It is over-long, over-dramatic and not evenly plotted. It was still somewhat entertaining, an innocent Victorian romance, I think someone even faints in this book, a woman of course. The men smoke, speak pompously, drape themselves over chairs, couches and mantels in manly positions, and go out rowing. Some of them work in (or in business related to) the quarry that was the source of Grange family wealth, but only as a background buzz, unless we count falling off of something. Despite all this manly nonsense, I did like Bart Hunnowell, as the reader is meant to.
July 24, 2011
This novel is set in the late 1800's. The main character, Maisie, is a 17 year old girl from a society family. The family visits Maine each summer and stays at a manor that formely belonged to the local quarry owner. The sole remainder of the family, Nell, lives in the attic of the home and the home is managed by a housekeeper and a cook. Maisie has a special connection with Miss Grange, who was an "authoress". Nell likes to tell Maisie stories, some of which seem to be incredible tales of her own life. There are also some mysteries which surround Maisie's own family. Maisie also is dealing with the attentions of 2 very different gentlemen, one who is an associate of her father and one who is a travel writer. There are many gothic, ghostly touches to the novel, including mysterious handprints on the walls and a grave in the woods. While I wanted to like this story, it never fully came together for me and I found the plot twist to be a bit predictable. I am interested in the author's next book , The Postmistress and I hope that it will show more of the author's potential.
March 25, 2015
The Victorian-style novel is here! It is juicy, gasp-inducing, but very much PG-rated. Fewer than a half-dozen kisses occur. Childbirth is appropriately veiled in delirium and handed over to wet nurses. Death visits women who stand up in boats. And yet our heroine is strangely modern. Being 17 at the novel's opening, she is brimming with self-centered, naive excitement. She embraces the idea that she can become an independent "Female Author," and she flirts with men while not having the slightest idea about larger implications.
According to male doctors of the time, our heroine Maisie is at risk of "Hysteria"! Unmarried women with empty wombs are going to lose their minds! They need husbands!
This book gives and takes away with every chapter, so there is not a steady progression toward an expected end. Some aspects are obvious, some events are surprising. The overall effect is: "Here is the sturdy setting of what-everyone-knows about Victorian Gothic writing," and "Now let's do things that Victorian writers weren't allowed to do!"
According to male doctors of the time, our heroine Maisie is at risk of "Hysteria"! Unmarried women with empty wombs are going to lose their minds! They need husbands!
This book gives and takes away with every chapter, so there is not a steady progression toward an expected end. Some aspects are obvious, some events are surprising. The overall effect is: "Here is the sturdy setting of what-everyone-knows about Victorian Gothic writing," and "Now let's do things that Victorian writers weren't allowed to do!"
Read
January 17, 2018I have had this book on my shelf for years and finally dusted it off. After reading the back cover, my anticipation was renewed and I was super excited to start. After 30 pages, I was bored to death. It has such a fabulous premise, but the writing was so drawn out and flat I had no ambition to keep reading.
April 3, 2012
2.5 Very well written, really, really liked it up until the end. What I thought was kind of a gothic feminist novel, turned out to have a bunch of fragile minded, hysterical women and the reasonable ones were all men. Ultimately very disappointing!
January 25, 2012
To be able to get through this book, I would advise the reader to imagine that they are living in 1880s New England with Maisie Thomas. Blake seems to be trying to write a book that is not historical fiction; she is trying to actually become an author in that period. The language can be so stilted and formal, and as a reader, you can fight against it, or just give in and pretend that you are sitting in a Victorian parlor reading by the fading light through the lace curtains while the maid lights the fire in the fireplace. If you can imagine yourself in that scene, then you might enjoy this story.
Maisie Thomas is a teenage girl who realizes on her family's annual summer trip to Grange House, a coastal inn in Maine, that her family is somehow connected to the tragic story of the Grange family. This dawning realization coincides with her blossoming womanhood (see, I am doing it now too!) and the question partially becomes whether Maisie's experiences are based in actual events or just due to hormonal changes. The book leads the reader down a long, long (maybe too long) road as the plot unwinds and unwinds and unwinds. There are so many plot twists and plot reveals that you may become dizzy. By the end, you will still be wondering who among the characters in the story actually knew what had happened at Grange House. You will flip back and forth to try to see.
This may be the problem with the book. It is just too complex. Blake could have streamlined it a little without losing the roccoco charm but she just loaded it all on, plus a few extra gee-gaws and curlicues.
Maisie Thomas is a teenage girl who realizes on her family's annual summer trip to Grange House, a coastal inn in Maine, that her family is somehow connected to the tragic story of the Grange family. This dawning realization coincides with her blossoming womanhood (see, I am doing it now too!) and the question partially becomes whether Maisie's experiences are based in actual events or just due to hormonal changes. The book leads the reader down a long, long (maybe too long) road as the plot unwinds and unwinds and unwinds. There are so many plot twists and plot reveals that you may become dizzy. By the end, you will still be wondering who among the characters in the story actually knew what had happened at Grange House. You will flip back and forth to try to see.
This may be the problem with the book. It is just too complex. Blake could have streamlined it a little without losing the roccoco charm but she just loaded it all on, plus a few extra gee-gaws and curlicues.
July 3, 2017
There are so many beautiful facets to this fascinating story. I loved the prose, the atmosphere, the very complicated but gripping story. About half way through, I wanted to message the author and tell her how absolutely touching this story is. Very thoughtful, very philosophical.
This author reminds me of Kate Morton---but better. A fourth Bronte sister, maybe. The only not-so-great reaction I had to the book was that the dialogue was a little hokey and melodramatic, at times, and I'm still not so sure how I feel about the ending. Though I had the "main thing" figured out by page 78, and reaffirmed my suspicions by page 101, I still very much enjoyed reading how everything played out and will admit there were one or two things that surprised me later---but still before they were actually revealed.
I loved how the author used imagery and dichotomies in so many ways. Maisie's story is a definite "coming of age", though the aforementioned hokey dialogue proves things are happening way too fast for her to process.
The younger Nell expressed many of my thoughts and desires as a writer. There is so much I want to express with my writing...so much of it is inexpressible until I see it there on the page before me.
Grange House is definitely one of my new all-time favorite novels. I want to go back and reread it all now!
This author reminds me of Kate Morton---but better. A fourth Bronte sister, maybe. The only not-so-great reaction I had to the book was that the dialogue was a little hokey and melodramatic, at times, and I'm still not so sure how I feel about the ending. Though I had the "main thing" figured out by page 78, and reaffirmed my suspicions by page 101, I still very much enjoyed reading how everything played out and will admit there were one or two things that surprised me later---but still before they were actually revealed.
I loved how the author used imagery and dichotomies in so many ways. Maisie's story is a definite "coming of age", though the aforementioned hokey dialogue proves things are happening way too fast for her to process.
The younger Nell expressed many of my thoughts and desires as a writer. There is so much I want to express with my writing...so much of it is inexpressible until I see it there on the page before me.
Grange House is definitely one of my new all-time favorite novels. I want to go back and reread it all now!
May 10, 2011
graceful prose, but stilted and overblown much of the time. the conversations between nell and maise were too murky and muddled.(i understand it's "victorian" but felt it was overdone.)
enough with the weeping, fainting "heroines." she's supposed to be a strong forward thinking young woman who keeps questioning marriage and tradition, but then seeks out exactly that
and i felt like i was reading a victorian novel version of a "slasher movie"...did just about every character need to drown or fall to their deaths one after the other??? sheesh ! the deaths of the young couple at the beginning, what did that have to do with anything? contrived plot twists: family history accounts that turned out to be just stories, mama "gives birth," but doesn't really, and suddenly has a baby in her arms? Susannah ends up as the "Cook" (!) the older sister, mistress of the house becomes a "servant" (?) were the "ghosts" really ghosts? who was the "cousin" ??
ugh...long book, wasted time.
the postmistress is on a book club list, and it's well regarded so i might read it. hope it's better than this.
enough with the weeping, fainting "heroines." she's supposed to be a strong forward thinking young woman who keeps questioning marriage and tradition, but then seeks out exactly that
and i felt like i was reading a victorian novel version of a "slasher movie"...did just about every character need to drown or fall to their deaths one after the other??? sheesh ! the deaths of the young couple at the beginning, what did that have to do with anything? contrived plot twists: family history accounts that turned out to be just stories, mama "gives birth," but doesn't really, and suddenly has a baby in her arms? Susannah ends up as the "Cook" (!) the older sister, mistress of the house becomes a "servant" (?) were the "ghosts" really ghosts? who was the "cousin" ??
ugh...long book, wasted time.
the postmistress is on a book club list, and it's well regarded so i might read it. hope it's better than this.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 6, 2013
I actually picked up this book at one of the dollar stores on a random stop in while I was in high school. I was looking for a cheap read to take with me on a senior trip to check out a college.
I read the book, and started discussing it with my grandmother so she went to get a copy too and started on it. By the time I got back from my trip she had read it twice and so had I. We had great discussions about the book. There were lots of "Did you think that was coming" and "I had to read it again to be sure that I really got it". I am thinking about re-reading as now it has been 10 years since I have read the book but remember that it was wonderful. The characters are believable and Sarah Blake does an amazing job building up the world inside of the book. I would recommend to anyone!
I read the book, and started discussing it with my grandmother so she went to get a copy too and started on it. By the time I got back from my trip she had read it twice and so had I. We had great discussions about the book. There were lots of "Did you think that was coming" and "I had to read it again to be sure that I really got it". I am thinking about re-reading as now it has been 10 years since I have read the book but remember that it was wonderful. The characters are believable and Sarah Blake does an amazing job building up the world inside of the book. I would recommend to anyone!
March 9, 2016
This was an incredibly atmospheric book. The writing was drop dead gorgeous, particularly the descriptions of the sea and woods. I quite liked Maisie and Bart; I felt ambiguous about the rest of the characters.
I found the use of Miss Grange's diary entries to be a little clunky (I was counting the pages until they ended and that's never a good sign) and in the end it was a bit too gothic for my taste. (I think I'll like the second half more the next time I read it.)
But overall this was a fantastic and beautiful book that I enjoyed very much.
I found the use of Miss Grange's diary entries to be a little clunky (I was counting the pages until they ended and that's never a good sign) and in the end it was a bit too gothic for my taste. (I think I'll like the second half more the next time I read it.)
But overall this was a fantastic and beautiful book that I enjoyed very much.
November 3, 2012
Finally, finally, FINALLY DONE!!! So glad to be finished with this book. No disrespect to the author, but this book was horrible. It was so long and drawn out. It was super dull, it couldn't hold my attention at all. The peculiar thing is, is that it has potential. Like, it could be good, it actually HAS potential. The way it was executed is what I blame for it not being good at all. First of all, the author tried to write the book as if it were actually written during The Victorian Era. It wasn't, so why pretend? Second, there were so many minor characters that I couldn't keep up with them. Did you know George (I think his name was George. I'll call him George) was Nell and Susannah's brother? I did not, up until page 316 I thought he was the Grange Family butler. Then, Nell is all like "my brother" and I'm like "huh???!" Then, every character is referred to as "Mr./Ms./Mrs." so-and-so. So, I never knew if Maisie was talking (or making-out with) Bart (for example) or his dad. They both are referred to as Mr. Honneywell... Honnuwell... whatever. I can't even remember, my brain is all ready washing the details of this book from my brain. Also, after being referred to as "Mr. Lantham" forever, when she said Johnathan I also thought she was talking to some random butler (again) or man-servant. Then, they were talking about marrying and I was confused again. Third, there were so many different stories and possibilities and outcomes for this book and I had no idea what direction the author was going in. It wasn't even mystery just chaos. This book reminded me of a knockoff The Thirteenth Tale, very very poorly done. I'm so just so happy and thankful to finally be able to move on to something else.
March 6, 2010
I could not wait to pick up this book, a story of love and ghosts. Grange House sat forever on my shelf until the right moment... Wow. Not sure why I waited so long.
My expectations were high. I was mildly disappointed.
Grange House was a little slow to get into. The beginning seemed to drag, in both content and writing. I will admit that I am not a huge fan of victorian writing; Grange House was written in the victorian writing style.
The parts of the book that I absolutely loved was the relationship between Maisie and Ms. Nell Grange. The setting, along the coast of Maine, was breath-taking in description. If you have ever been to the coast of ME, you too, will love this book for that alone. The mystery and ghost stories of visions is also enough to hold the interest. The story line picked up about 1/4 of the way into the reading, and it was enough to keep me wanting to find out what was on the next page, yet, still once completed I was not left with a feeling of "wanting to tell someone about this book". So...
3.5 of 5 stars
My expectations were high. I was mildly disappointed.
Grange House was a little slow to get into. The beginning seemed to drag, in both content and writing. I will admit that I am not a huge fan of victorian writing; Grange House was written in the victorian writing style.
The parts of the book that I absolutely loved was the relationship between Maisie and Ms. Nell Grange. The setting, along the coast of Maine, was breath-taking in description. If you have ever been to the coast of ME, you too, will love this book for that alone. The mystery and ghost stories of visions is also enough to hold the interest. The story line picked up about 1/4 of the way into the reading, and it was enough to keep me wanting to find out what was on the next page, yet, still once completed I was not left with a feeling of "wanting to tell someone about this book". So...
3.5 of 5 stars
June 24, 2016
Too many notes.
Why were the lovers tied to the mast? Was Miss Grange and Maisey psychic or were they tripping on mushrooms? I wanted to like Bart but his character wasn't developed as well as Jonathan's. He just seemed to be a Victorian hippie. I enjoyed the prose in the beginning but then it just seemed to take over the whole story. I would compare it to dumping too much salt in sauce. I had to read down the middle of the page just to get through it. And then there is the ending...It seemed like the author was sick of writing this book so she just killed everybody. Really? I just wished the editor had taken a big red pen to many of the random conversations and salutes and editorials on ancient writers. I felt the author was showing off her literary knowledge. In all I felt this could have been so much better with some tweaking.
Why were the lovers tied to the mast? Was Miss Grange and Maisey psychic or were they tripping on mushrooms? I wanted to like Bart but his character wasn't developed as well as Jonathan's. He just seemed to be a Victorian hippie. I enjoyed the prose in the beginning but then it just seemed to take over the whole story. I would compare it to dumping too much salt in sauce. I had to read down the middle of the page just to get through it. And then there is the ending...It seemed like the author was sick of writing this book so she just killed everybody. Really? I just wished the editor had taken a big red pen to many of the random conversations and salutes and editorials on ancient writers. I felt the author was showing off her literary knowledge. In all I felt this could have been so much better with some tweaking.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 2, 2019
Everyone is an unfinished story. It is up to the ones who remain and loved us to finish it for us, put it together and fill in the gaps.
Disguised as a ghost story this is actually a novel about writing and the creative process, the way it helps keeping memory and the dead alive, while working as a therapy to the living as well.
At Grange House holiday resort in Maine Miss Grange tells young Maisie a story of haunted people, unrequited love and sense of guilt, and what she reveals is only a part of it, the one she perceived as relevant, from her own very personal point of view. What’s really happened and what was just her imagination or wish? The unsaid lingers around in the form of spirits, so that the ghosts they think they see don’t really belong to the “afterworld”, but to the realm of imagination, the one we create in our minds, an ideal one.
And how much can we really know and understand of someone else’s life? Because words alone are often inadequate to define and describe the truth and reality, even when one reports exactly what happened and what one said. By reading Miss Grange diaries Maisie is able to slowly and partly make up the story of Grange House and that of her own family as well, by patching it up, as Miss Grange has told it twice and in different ways and then it’s her sister who finishes it, through yet another perspective. And in the end the truth, the one we can actually understand, is sadly astonishing.
But this is also a book about the female condition in the XIX century: dependent on men and reflected into them, their knowledge of the world limited often to books, themselves limited by the space they lived in and the things surrounding them since they couldn’t really make experiences of their own. That’s why all they could do what trying to process their lives through stories they could then pass on to their daughters and successors.
All this is told in a very slow pace by Sarah Blake, making the reading a bit hard in the beginning, but winning you as it goes on grabs at you with its mystery and using a very refined language which makes it sound as if the novel had been actually written in the 1800, maybe by one of the Bronte sisters the book often mentions and winks at. To her and to her linguistic, historical research goes all my respect for this unusual, sensitive, well written book.
Disguised as a ghost story this is actually a novel about writing and the creative process, the way it helps keeping memory and the dead alive, while working as a therapy to the living as well.
At Grange House holiday resort in Maine Miss Grange tells young Maisie a story of haunted people, unrequited love and sense of guilt, and what she reveals is only a part of it, the one she perceived as relevant, from her own very personal point of view. What’s really happened and what was just her imagination or wish? The unsaid lingers around in the form of spirits, so that the ghosts they think they see don’t really belong to the “afterworld”, but to the realm of imagination, the one we create in our minds, an ideal one.
And how much can we really know and understand of someone else’s life? Because words alone are often inadequate to define and describe the truth and reality, even when one reports exactly what happened and what one said. By reading Miss Grange diaries Maisie is able to slowly and partly make up the story of Grange House and that of her own family as well, by patching it up, as Miss Grange has told it twice and in different ways and then it’s her sister who finishes it, through yet another perspective. And in the end the truth, the one we can actually understand, is sadly astonishing.
But this is also a book about the female condition in the XIX century: dependent on men and reflected into them, their knowledge of the world limited often to books, themselves limited by the space they lived in and the things surrounding them since they couldn’t really make experiences of their own. That’s why all they could do what trying to process their lives through stories they could then pass on to their daughters and successors.
All this is told in a very slow pace by Sarah Blake, making the reading a bit hard in the beginning, but winning you as it goes on grabs at you with its mystery and using a very refined language which makes it sound as if the novel had been actually written in the 1800, maybe by one of the Bronte sisters the book often mentions and winks at. To her and to her linguistic, historical research goes all my respect for this unusual, sensitive, well written book.
February 1, 2024
A 3.2. Sarah Blake has written a gothic Victorian novel, in the style of a Victorian novel, but alas, this reader does not have a Victorian attention span, nor did I read the tale by gaslight next to the fire through two years of monthly installments. I prefer my gothic Victorian novels to mimic the length of the Bronte sisters' work, not that of Wilkie Collins. Do not be deceived--the product description might SAY 376 pages, but this is teeny tiny condensed type. It's on par with a 500+ page novel.
The writing is slow, deliberately old-fashioned, and atmospheric. And it is very, very good--at the sentence level. This is fun for a while. But Blake overestimates her readers' patience, and the story drags at a glacial pace. Sure, I appreciated the many nods to actual Victorian literature: a large house as a character, so-called hysteria and madness, ghosts, Bildungsroman, feminine desire and restlessness, FEAR of said feminine desire and restlessness, The Patriarchy, attics, deconstruction then reconstruction of the Self (Selves), an actual woman in white, and so forth. It's your entire Victorian lit class in one novel. Maybe that was the problem--the novel tried to do too much in one story. Although I had fun connecting with all those elements, I found myself not caring about how the story would end and just wanting it . . . to end.
The writing is slow, deliberately old-fashioned, and atmospheric. And it is very, very good--at the sentence level. This is fun for a while. But Blake overestimates her readers' patience, and the story drags at a glacial pace. Sure, I appreciated the many nods to actual Victorian literature: a large house as a character, so-called hysteria and madness, ghosts, Bildungsroman, feminine desire and restlessness, FEAR of said feminine desire and restlessness, The Patriarchy, attics, deconstruction then reconstruction of the Self (Selves), an actual woman in white, and so forth. It's your entire Victorian lit class in one novel. Maybe that was the problem--the novel tried to do too much in one story. Although I had fun connecting with all those elements, I found myself not caring about how the story would end and just wanting it . . . to end.
September 1, 2024
"Grange House" promised to be a mysterious Gothic novel, but the affectation of the author's prose makes it a challenge to suffer through. Several times I considered abandoning the book but, for some reason, pushed ahead. In the end, it's an age old tale, retold rather poorly (and the drama rather irrelevant to most modern readers). Blake inserted supernatural elements that never quite work, and her writing, while certainly meant to be poetic, is merely ponderous and convoluted. Her references to the Brontës, Tennyson, and other 19th century writers and composers is heavy-handed and somewhat clumsy.
If this book somehow goes into additional printings, I beg the editors to use italics, larger borders, a different font, something...ANYTHING!... to assist the reader in differentiating between the narratives of Nell and Maisie. Their voices are nearly identical, and therefore hard to tell apart.
If this book somehow goes into additional printings, I beg the editors to use italics, larger borders, a different font, something...ANYTHING!... to assist the reader in differentiating between the narratives of Nell and Maisie. Their voices are nearly identical, and therefore hard to tell apart.
October 12, 2017
An atmospheric suspense story with aspirations of literary merit, which unfortunately it doesn't achieve. Stories within stories, unreliable narrators, and entirely too convoluted. This book bears the dubious distinction of using a lot of words to convey very little information. I get that the audience should extrapolate some things from the clues and inferences and metaphors, but really, I just felt rather like, "uhhh, wtf" and oddly...smothered.
September 3, 2020
THE GUEST BOOK is a wonderful, three generation saga. It is the story of the Milton Family and begins in the early 1900’s with the purchase of Crockett Island, including a lovely estate home, made for summers and family. The tale follows the loves and losses of family members and the times, including World War II and muddy racial waters. Beautifully written !
THIS REVIEW BELONGS ON ‘THE GUEST BOOK’ ... sigh
THIS REVIEW BELONGS ON ‘THE GUEST BOOK’ ... sigh
October 15, 2019
This book tries really, really hard, but never achieves the thing it wants to be.
March 28, 2019
Captivating story and characters, beautiful literary prose. Deep understanding of what motivates people, and the importance of family and place. Wonderful description of Maine. I couldn't put it down. I'll be following this author!
March 4, 2011
Grange House is the story of Maise Thomas, a young woman at the turn of the century whose coming-of-age story begins on a seemingly normal trip to a summer vacationing house in Maine. There she is faced with anguishing hearbreak, haunting revelations, and her own female awakening. Maise's journey leads her to unearth the sins of the dead, and reclaim startling truths that will change her future.
I was glued to Grange house, both by its beautiful prose and ryhtmic storytelling which lulls the reader into the dream-like, hypnotic stupor of a good story told by the fire. Blake's entrancing descriptions of Maine's foggy, enchanted coasts, and of Grange House itself which- like Water's house in "The Little Stranger" or even Jackson's Crayne House(sp?) assumes a life of its own- are only eclipsed by the richness of the plot. The story at turns becomes a horror, suspense, gothic romance,psychological drama, and feminist prose. Not be able to categorize it into any specific genre of storytelling is a mark of the excellance of Blake who combines all of these ellements together in a good, engrossing plot.
The only reason that Grange House does not receive five stars is b/c I guessed at the answer to the mystery about 1/3 of the way through the novel and was correct, a sign that either I've read too many similar novels lately or that the clues were too obvious. However, there were some minor revelations that were fun ah-ha moments which shocked, unarmed, made me think back and think deeper. This is the type of story which begs to be talked about; a thoroughly enjoyable read!
I was glued to Grange house, both by its beautiful prose and ryhtmic storytelling which lulls the reader into the dream-like, hypnotic stupor of a good story told by the fire. Blake's entrancing descriptions of Maine's foggy, enchanted coasts, and of Grange House itself which- like Water's house in "The Little Stranger" or even Jackson's Crayne House(sp?) assumes a life of its own- are only eclipsed by the richness of the plot. The story at turns becomes a horror, suspense, gothic romance,psychological drama, and feminist prose. Not be able to categorize it into any specific genre of storytelling is a mark of the excellance of Blake who combines all of these ellements together in a good, engrossing plot.
The only reason that Grange House does not receive five stars is b/c I guessed at the answer to the mystery about 1/3 of the way through the novel and was correct, a sign that either I've read too many similar novels lately or that the clues were too obvious. However, there were some minor revelations that were fun ah-ha moments which shocked, unarmed, made me think back and think deeper. This is the type of story which begs to be talked about; a thoroughly enjoyable read!
July 24, 2016
I picked this book up at the used book sale at the library not knowing what to expect. The librarian had not read it and couldn't tell me anything about it either. It definitely is a written in the victorian romance style - also the time period it is set in. Because I don't normally read this genre, it was a little hard to read (victorian language and terminology), confusing (moves in and out of several "stories") and wandering (lots of description & innuendo) at times. However, I definitely was drawn in by the story and finished it in record time (for me). A good summer book for sure - chock full of of spinsters and widows with accompanying mystery and romance! Worth it in all ways!
March 9, 2017
I took this book out from my library and it was in large part due to the ghostly apparition on the front cover. While the book does have some haunting mystery surrounding the house and its people, it also provides a commentary on many of the social expectations on girls and women in the 19th century.
Although it took me a few chapters to really get hooked, once that happened I just couldn't stop reading!
Although it took me a few chapters to really get hooked, once that happened I just couldn't stop reading!
April 8, 2021
This story had some interesting and intriguing elements and I liked how things came together at the end, though I would have liked to see a few more seeds planted early on. The character of Maisie was compelling at times, annoying at others. The pacing is very slow, and there are many overly descriptive passages about the weather, clouds, feeling unsettled, longing for something undefinable, etc. Many random conversations that didn't seem to serve a purpose.
April 17, 2010
I made it 100 pages and had to put it down. It is well written but as soon as the ghost stuff started, I found myself rolling my eyes. I don't give up on books very often but I couldn't bear it. I don't know if is just a matter of taste or if it was poorly done. I lean towards the latter since I found the Miss Grange character laughable in her faux mysteriousness.
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