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Between the Tides
New York Times bestselling author Patti Callahan Henry portrays a woman burdened by the past—and the choices she must face to break free of it—in this emotional, engaging novel.
Nine months after her father's death, Catherine Leary still hasn't fulfilled his last that she scatter his ashes in the Seaboro River in South Carolina. The scene of a childhood tragedy that forced her family to move, Seaboro is the last place Catherine wants to see again. But on the evening of her thirtieth birthday, her father’s young colleague—whom she once dated—pays a visit...
Hoping to stop Forrest Anderson from exposing her family's secrets, she travels to her once-beloved Lowcountry town and embarks on a poignant trip into the past...a journey that might lead her into a new life of love, forgiveness, and self-discovery.
Nine months after her father's death, Catherine Leary still hasn't fulfilled his last that she scatter his ashes in the Seaboro River in South Carolina. The scene of a childhood tragedy that forced her family to move, Seaboro is the last place Catherine wants to see again. But on the evening of her thirtieth birthday, her father’s young colleague—whom she once dated—pays a visit...
Hoping to stop Forrest Anderson from exposing her family's secrets, she travels to her once-beloved Lowcountry town and embarks on a poignant trip into the past...a journey that might lead her into a new life of love, forgiveness, and self-discovery.
324 pages, Paperback
First published June 5, 2007
276 people are currently reading
6025 people want to read
About the author
Patti Callahan Henry
37 books6,511 followersPatti Callahan Henry is a New York Times, Globe and Mail, and USA Today bestselling author of sixteen novels, including her newest, The Secret Book of Flora Lea. She’s also a podcast host of original content for her novels, Surviving Savannah and Becoming Mrs. Lewis.
She is the recipient of The Christy Award “Book of the Year”; The Harper Lee Distinguished Writer of the Year and the Alabama Library Association Book of the Year for Becoming Mrs. Lewis. She is the co-host and co-creator of the popular weekly online Friends and Fiction live web show and podcast. Patti also was a contributor to the monthly life lesson essay column for Parade Magazine. She’s published in numerous anthologies, articles, and short story collections, including an Audible Original about Florence Nightingale, titled Wild Swan narrated by the Tony Award winner, Cynthia Erivo.
A full-time author, mother of three, and grandmother of two, she lives in Mountain Brook, Alabama with her husband, Pat Henry.
She is the recipient of The Christy Award “Book of the Year”; The Harper Lee Distinguished Writer of the Year and the Alabama Library Association Book of the Year for Becoming Mrs. Lewis. She is the co-host and co-creator of the popular weekly online Friends and Fiction live web show and podcast. Patti also was a contributor to the monthly life lesson essay column for Parade Magazine. She’s published in numerous anthologies, articles, and short story collections, including an Audible Original about Florence Nightingale, titled Wild Swan narrated by the Tony Award winner, Cynthia Erivo.
A full-time author, mother of three, and grandmother of two, she lives in Mountain Brook, Alabama with her husband, Pat Henry.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 341 reviews
February 23, 2009
I read this book in one sitting, something I very rarely do if ever. I was thoroughly captivated by Cappy, the main character and her struggle to deal with a tragedy in her young life 18 years later. It is one of those books where you get so entwined with the characters that you hate for it to end and the whole story continues to roll around in your brain. I think it will take some time to really discover what this book has meant to me. One of the best fiction I've read in a long time.
February 23, 2016
Read this in my romance-reading attempts but this is more of a story about grief and guilt, with two former love interests and a dead father's last wishes around to mansplain to the main character how she should be feeling. Because otherwise, you know, she'll never figure anything out.
Loved the setting (SC up-country college town, very possibly a fictionalized version of where I work; returning to sleepy SC low-country marsh town) but if romance is about women who need a man to heal their wounds, I'm out!
Loved the setting (SC up-country college town, very possibly a fictionalized version of where I work; returning to sleepy SC low-country marsh town) but if romance is about women who need a man to heal their wounds, I'm out!
April 9, 2008
great book, fast read. Catherine's father passes away with but one request to his daughter. That she return with his ashes to South Carolina where they once lived and scatter his ashes there. caroline has not been back to South Carolina since a tragedy 12 years before changed the corse of her life and her familys life.
May 17, 2017
This was a quick read but very moving – at least it was for me. Catherine, referred to as Cappy by those closest to her, experienced a horrific accident at the age of 12. While at a family/friends gathering, she was asked to keep an eye on a small child while the mother carried in food but she took her eyes off for only a split second (or so it seemed). The young boy fell in the river and drowned and Cappy’s world and her hope for future happiness seemed to have floated down the river along with Sam’s lifeless body.
Cappy’s family moved just days after the accident but the ordeal had a daunting effect on all. Fifteen years later finds Cappy’s mother deceased. Another three years later her father dies suddenly and Cappy is made aware of his final wish –for her to spread his ashes in the river that holds her turmoil and fear.
There is a section in the story that tells of when a few days after the accident Cappy finds herself back at the water’s edge. There are hundreds of sand dollars and starfish blending into the sand, just under the surface. They looked like stranded sea life – carried to shore by a high tide and left to bleach and die on the drying sands. She frantically tries to save them by digging them out of the sand and carrying them to the deeper water in hopes of survival. She then learns that they aren’t dying but are merely caught between two tides. They would be fine once the tide comes in and carries them back out to sea and they are, once more, set free to be on their journey.
Life is much like the image of those sand dollars and starfish. We are hit sometimes with high tides that makes us think we are adrift in a sea of tranquility but when the waters recede we find ourselves buried in the muck and mud, blanketed in the heat of despair and loss. The key to life is accepting the act of getting buried in the sand - just don’t hold on too tightly to a location that offers no refuge or hope of life. Accept the low tide for what it is, a chance to catch your breath, grow and regroup. Enjoy the moment between the tides – even if it is painful – and be prepared to be washed out to deeper waters that bring with it new horizons and renewed hope.
Cappy’s family moved just days after the accident but the ordeal had a daunting effect on all. Fifteen years later finds Cappy’s mother deceased. Another three years later her father dies suddenly and Cappy is made aware of his final wish –for her to spread his ashes in the river that holds her turmoil and fear.
There is a section in the story that tells of when a few days after the accident Cappy finds herself back at the water’s edge. There are hundreds of sand dollars and starfish blending into the sand, just under the surface. They looked like stranded sea life – carried to shore by a high tide and left to bleach and die on the drying sands. She frantically tries to save them by digging them out of the sand and carrying them to the deeper water in hopes of survival. She then learns that they aren’t dying but are merely caught between two tides. They would be fine once the tide comes in and carries them back out to sea and they are, once more, set free to be on their journey.
Life is much like the image of those sand dollars and starfish. We are hit sometimes with high tides that makes us think we are adrift in a sea of tranquility but when the waters recede we find ourselves buried in the muck and mud, blanketed in the heat of despair and loss. The key to life is accepting the act of getting buried in the sand - just don’t hold on too tightly to a location that offers no refuge or hope of life. Accept the low tide for what it is, a chance to catch your breath, grow and regroup. Enjoy the moment between the tides – even if it is painful – and be prepared to be washed out to deeper waters that bring with it new horizons and renewed hope.
August 27, 2010
Between the Tides was a book I purchased while I was waiting for the arrival of a few I ordered on Amazon. I though the plot outline looked interesting and original, unlike many books where the plot almost too closely resembles something else you’ve read. I was pleased with my pick and enjoyed the mystery that Henry establishes in the very beginning of the text. The text uses quotes at the beginning of each chapter to allude to where the story is going. Not only was this an interesting touch but I found a few quotes that intrigued me as well. This novel is a fast read because the chapters are not too long and drawn out. Henry has an aptitude for setting descriptions and really creates a visual for her reader. I enjoyed this book because the resolution was not a dead give away, but you could make predictions as to what would happen in the end. Between the Tides is a story about really figuring out who you are because of your past, and how too often we ignore what is truly important in our lives and give into the mundane things that are comfortable and familiar. For me the book reiterates the idea of time, and the fact that once a piece of time is gone you can no longer get it back. It reiterates this idea of valuing the time we have, and making sure we spend that time doing the things we love, with the people that mean the most to us. Cheers Patti Callahan Henry!
August 7, 2018
Every once in a while I have this experience where it seems I am destined to read a particular book at a certain point in my life and I am changed by that book. Between the Tides was one of those books.
The amazing thing about this book is not only how so many of the circumstances in the book track with what's been going on in m life over the past year, but it's also about how we can be changed by the books we read; to resonate with the themes and metaphors of the books. And facing the inevitablilit of death and asking questions we ask ourselves about life, about life-changing circumstances and about dying. Each chapter begins with quote from various authors and are some of them brought me to tears. Like I said, the timing of my reading this book at this time in my life was perect.
I just put this book at the bottom of my book basket so I'll be reading it again soon. [[Thank you Patricia Callahan Henry from the bottom of my heart!
08/06/18 Update: I Just finished re-reading this book. It is surely an All_Time Favorite for me. With ever reading I've learn something new about life, relationships, and my love of reading. GREAT book that I highly recommend!
The amazing thing about this book is not only how so many of the circumstances in the book track with what's been going on in m life over the past year, but it's also about how we can be changed by the books we read; to resonate with the themes and metaphors of the books. And facing the inevitablilit of death and asking questions we ask ourselves about life, about life-changing circumstances and about dying. Each chapter begins with quote from various authors and are some of them brought me to tears. Like I said, the timing of my reading this book at this time in my life was perect.
I just put this book at the bottom of my book basket so I'll be reading it again soon. [[Thank you Patricia Callahan Henry from the bottom of my heart!
08/06/18 Update: I Just finished re-reading this book. It is surely an All_Time Favorite for me. With ever reading I've learn something new about life, relationships, and my love of reading. GREAT book that I highly recommend!
June 18, 2009
Patti Callahan Henry’s Between the Tides is an amazing story of self realization and of love.
Nature and books belong to the eyes that see them.
How True, right?
I loved this book, and it is one book that I don’t want to let go and give off to someone else.
The best thing I loved about this book is that each chapter starts with a famous saying such as the above and they are all so true and beautiful.
Though it was a little predictable for me, but I loved the way the story was told, revealing bit by bit just like unraveling a secret kept for years, just like arousing the feelings suppressed for years; just like finding those tears, that had dried years before.
Patti Callahan Henry has beautifully sketched the place where she wanted her main protagonist to live, and you can see its beauty through the words that bring it to life.
This is the story of a women who believed that she had done a big sin when she was a young little girl and lived with the guilt of it till her father, her mentor dies and asks her 3 simple questions through a letter he gives to his trusted friend and student. She on the journey of answering these questions goes back to the place where she belonged and finds out about things that she had never known.
Nature and books belong to the eyes that see them.
How True, right?
I loved this book, and it is one book that I don’t want to let go and give off to someone else.
The best thing I loved about this book is that each chapter starts with a famous saying such as the above and they are all so true and beautiful.
Though it was a little predictable for me, but I loved the way the story was told, revealing bit by bit just like unraveling a secret kept for years, just like arousing the feelings suppressed for years; just like finding those tears, that had dried years before.
Patti Callahan Henry has beautifully sketched the place where she wanted her main protagonist to live, and you can see its beauty through the words that bring it to life.
This is the story of a women who believed that she had done a big sin when she was a young little girl and lived with the guilt of it till her father, her mentor dies and asks her 3 simple questions through a letter he gives to his trusted friend and student. She on the journey of answering these questions goes back to the place where she belonged and finds out about things that she had never known.
November 6, 2024
great story about grief and the gray area of our collective humanness, slightly predictable and yet still heart wrenching reveal that made me keep turning pages. weird moments in the midst of fulfilling dying wishes...
June 29, 2023
After a childhood tragedy forced 12 yo Catherine "Cappy's" family to move, she returns 18 years later only to uncover there was even more to the story than she could have imagined.
This book had so much promise, and I really enjoyed the story. At times, however, it felt like with all of the author’s rewrites, necessary parts were cut, resulting in 3 stars instead of 4.
Location: Seaboro, South Carolina
This book had so much promise, and I really enjoyed the story. At times, however, it felt like with all of the author’s rewrites, necessary parts were cut, resulting in 3 stars instead of 4.
Location: Seaboro, South Carolina
August 26, 2023
This is an early work by Patti Callahan Henry. While reading I could see her laying the groundwork for future projects. Especially works by C.S. Lewis. I liked this story about two families who suffered a great tragedy. There were secrets involved and those secrets affected everyone for many years. I liked watching the main character Catherine change and finally grow into her own person
May 9, 2015
I appreciated what the author was trying to do, but the plot was predictable and something about the writing seemed a bit juvenile. I kept hoping I would be immersed in the story, but found myself paying more attention to the writing then the characters and setting. The detail was sometimes a bit too narrow- there was the mention that the protagonist chose to put on Lilly Pulitzer pajamas when she was home recuperating from a stressful experience. This felt like a name-drop, since brand names are usually used in novels to describe the social status of supporting characters or a change in the social status of a main character. The author assumed that her audience would have experience with Lilly Pulitzer pajamas, and associate them with something familiar that evokes a sense of peace and well-being.
I usually really get into books containing female protagonists who are trying to seek resolution from emotional/relational struggles. The only two such books I haven't relished were both set in the "low country" of SC. Maybe its time for me to return to a Louisiana parish or a big ol' house in Atlanta...
I usually really get into books containing female protagonists who are trying to seek resolution from emotional/relational struggles. The only two such books I haven't relished were both set in the "low country" of SC. Maybe its time for me to return to a Louisiana parish or a big ol' house in Atlanta...
March 26, 2011
There were parts that were very predictable, but overall, I easily became immersed in Cappy Leary's world where reluctance meets regret. As she tries to fulfill her passed-away father's wishes, she struggles with all the losses she's suffered in her life--of her childhood, of loved ones, of herself and of truth.... I actually teared up at the end, but not for sad reasons. I was a bit unsatisfied with loose ends that didn't completely tie up, however, life isn't neat and tidy all the time, so I think Henry's choice to leave a few stones unturned was a wise, realistic one. This is the second book I've read by Henry and they both share themes of family secrets, loveless lives, and yearning for more. I do hate the cover of the book though because I keep thinking the model only has one leg. hahahah
January 12, 2018
I have just reread this book, and loved it just as much as the first time. Cappy is a happy 12 year old in a world filled with love and friendship. When the 2 year old brother of her best friend dies in a tragic accident, her family quickly move away. Cappy believes it is her fault that Sam died and the move is her punishment. Eighteen years later she returns to Seaboro for the first time since her departure to scatter her father's ashes on the same river where Sam died. It is a book about love, deceit, standards, family, friendship, loss, lies and truth. As Catherine learns the truth behind the reality she has lived with we see relationships unfold and change. I loved it, and also the thread of using quotations from literature as chapter headings gave it a memorable quality. It is a story about stories.
September 17, 2012
"Awesome writing! Well done - you will not be able to put it down! A story of regret, guilt, loss, past, family, and finding your way back to your true self - if you are an avid reader - this one is a must! Patti Callahan Henry at her best! Have read all her books (new and old) so looking forward to her next one! This is movie worthy!"
May 5, 2008
This book was so engrossing it kept me home, on the last Friday night of my vacation, instead of going to a birthday party at Doug Fir... one of my favorite watering holes, SE Portland style.
January 11, 2019
It starts off with Catherine, otherwise known as Cappy, Leary saying good-bye to her four year boyfriend as he leaves to go to Alabama on her birthday. Her father has been deceased for nine months and she still has not completed his request of having his ashes spread in the Seaboro River. An old boyfriend, and a good friend and colleague of her father's, winds up talking her into taking him to Seaboro to help her fulfill that request and because he's writing an article on her father and wants to include his past in Seaboro.
Cappy has not been back to Seaboro in eighteen years, not since the accidental drowning of Sam, one of the sons of her family's best friends Ellie and Jim. Cappy's family and Sam's family at points seem like one big family, with Cappy even relating Ellie and her mother as having both helped to raise her. After Sam died, Cappy felt it was her fault, that she was supposed to be watching Sam when he wandered into the river. Her family packed up and moved back to Cedar Valley, supposedly so her father could teach.
Once she gets back into town, she tries to just pour her father's ashes into the river but that doesn't happen. Instead she runs into her old best friend and finds herself in town for three days more than she expected. During that stay, she finds out things still happened in this town that she thought would stay the same. Ellie has Alzheimer's, Jim has died, Boyd, their other son, hates her and her family, and more than anything else, the complete and total truth of her dad and Sam.
I was pulled into this story in the first chapter and could feel the pain that Cappy felt. I cried real tears while reading certain sections of the book and couldn't put the book down for the entire second half of the book. The author's writing was well done. The sentences flowed easily and she integrates prose and quotes effortlessly into the text. There are some plot elements that will not surprise the reader and will actually validate the feelings about the characters. I think readers will find the storyline well constructed and appropriates designed. the book is left open to consider a sequel with some of the side characters should the author wish to explore their stories as much as Cappy's.
Cappy has not been back to Seaboro in eighteen years, not since the accidental drowning of Sam, one of the sons of her family's best friends Ellie and Jim. Cappy's family and Sam's family at points seem like one big family, with Cappy even relating Ellie and her mother as having both helped to raise her. After Sam died, Cappy felt it was her fault, that she was supposed to be watching Sam when he wandered into the river. Her family packed up and moved back to Cedar Valley, supposedly so her father could teach.
Once she gets back into town, she tries to just pour her father's ashes into the river but that doesn't happen. Instead she runs into her old best friend and finds herself in town for three days more than she expected. During that stay, she finds out things still happened in this town that she thought would stay the same. Ellie has Alzheimer's, Jim has died, Boyd, their other son, hates her and her family, and more than anything else, the complete and total truth of her dad and Sam.
I was pulled into this story in the first chapter and could feel the pain that Cappy felt. I cried real tears while reading certain sections of the book and couldn't put the book down for the entire second half of the book. The author's writing was well done. The sentences flowed easily and she integrates prose and quotes effortlessly into the text. There are some plot elements that will not surprise the reader and will actually validate the feelings about the characters. I think readers will find the storyline well constructed and appropriates designed. the book is left open to consider a sequel with some of the side characters should the author wish to explore their stories as much as Cappy's.
February 2, 2019
I was determined not to enjoy this book because it started off as silly, light, and completely unrealistic. However, I kept going because Henry will be at the Southern Voices conference, and I found the latter half of the book to be much more enjoyable (although not at all surprising).
March 19, 2018
I really like this author. I’m giving it 3.5 stars.
June 7, 2024
2.5☆
This could have been a good read but the slow paced, lack of explanation and chemistry made me confused how to rate this book 😩 the ending made it worse 🤡 I hate that kind of ending.
This could have been a good read but the slow paced, lack of explanation and chemistry made me confused how to rate this book 😩 the ending made it worse 🤡 I hate that kind of ending.
June 1, 2024
Great beach read!
April 17, 2023
I loved Becoming Mrs Lewis, but this one by the same author was just okay to me. It was a quick weekend read but a little predictable.
December 7, 2022
I couldn't get over the main character's self absorption. Essentially, at age 12, Catherine is asked to watch a two (? I don't really remember) year old at a family gathering. She forgets for a few minutes and the kid winds up drowning. She is very traumatized and blames herself, which is totally understandable. What isn't totally understandable is how much she's focused on her own pain over the pain of the child's mother. It's constant throughout the book. It makes sense that a 12 year old isn't thinking of the mother's grief, but not so much as a thirty year old. At one point Catherine discovers a painting that the mother did titled The Last Day and literally believes it's inspired by Catherine's family moving away. Because that was the big event that summer. Not the death of her child, but the neighbors moving away. I expect her grief and trauma to be centered in a book where she's the main character, but it's possible to do that without having the main character completely disregard the feelings of others.
I didn't enjoy the melodrama in the writing style. There was too much of everything. I don't buy into people running after an ex who's driving away, or collapsing on a dock in hysterical sobs, or having a screaming match just to forgive someone sixty seconds later. And I definitely don't buy this happening every six pages.
I don't like the bad boyfriend trope. Especially in this book, the bad boyfriend had basically nothing to do with the story. If we want Catherine to be available to rekindle a relationship with an old flame, why not just make her single? Having a bad boyfriend to justify the emotional cheating when it's such a small and underdeveloped part of the story felt so unnecessary.
At one point her dog has a stroke and instead of going home to be with the dog, she stays away for another night. And then most of the next day. Not doing much, just kind of chilling around town. This is allegedly her beloved childhood dog. I couldn't decide if it was out of character or just another mark towards her self absorption.
It wasn't terrible, but despite having a somewhat interesting premise, none of the elements were well done.
I didn't enjoy the melodrama in the writing style. There was too much of everything. I don't buy into people running after an ex who's driving away, or collapsing on a dock in hysterical sobs, or having a screaming match just to forgive someone sixty seconds later. And I definitely don't buy this happening every six pages.
I don't like the bad boyfriend trope. Especially in this book, the bad boyfriend had basically nothing to do with the story. If we want Catherine to be available to rekindle a relationship with an old flame, why not just make her single? Having a bad boyfriend to justify the emotional cheating when it's such a small and underdeveloped part of the story felt so unnecessary.
At one point her dog has a stroke and instead of going home to be with the dog, she stays away for another night. And then most of the next day. Not doing much, just kind of chilling around town. This is allegedly her beloved childhood dog. I couldn't decide if it was out of character or just another mark towards her self absorption.
It wasn't terrible, but despite having a somewhat interesting premise, none of the elements were well done.
December 8, 2016
Between the Tides, by Patti Callahan Henry was absolutely WONDERFUL, beautifully written and very moving. One of my favorite aspects of the story was that the main character was the daughter of a college literature professor, so there were many references to great books, all of which I have read in my lifetime, and some related to the plot of the novel. Catherine, "Cappy," was an only child raised in a small town in the deep south, a place where everyone knew their neighbors and watched out for one another. Ah, but as we all know, things are not always as they seem, or how they are remembered by a 12 year old. A tragedy occurs, and Catherine carries the blame for it throughout her life. When she turned 30 she was still single, involved with a guy (Thurman) who forgets to say "Happy Birthday" and she has just lost her father. His last request was for her to take the urn with his ashes back to the little town where they lived until Catherine was 12, before they moved to start a new life. Catherine always thought they moved because of her, because of a tragedy for which she blamed herself, but there was far more going on than a child could have guessed. She sets out, very reluctantly, to fulfill her father's wishes, along with her father's protege' and dear friend, Forrest, a man whom Catherine once dated, but because on some level she could not accept a true love, they broke apart. A good love wouldn't fit with her sense of low self worth. Can we go home again? (References are made to Thomas Wolfe's "You Can't Go Home Again.") What happens when a forbidden love must end? (Have you read "The End of the Affair?) Eventually, Catherine learns truths that will fill in the missing pieces and free her from her self imposed emotional prison. Everyone deserves a Forrest in their life! I loved everything about this book. It was difficult to put down, and I was so sorry when it came to an end.
January 12, 2010
I thought this book started out pretty slow but definitely got better as it went along. It was a fast and easy read. There was a twist in the story that I didn't see coming, but made it saved this story as far as I am concerned.
I read some reviews of the book before I read it, which was probably a mistake. Somebody mentioned that Cappy comes off as a whiny character and I found myself remembering that comment during most of the book and thinking how true it was when I probably wouldn't have otherwise. Now that I have completely read the book, I would agree and disagree with that statement. Cappy was annoyingly whiny at the beginning of the book but it was necessary so that we could see the character growth in her throughout the story. I really liked watching her grow because she became so much more dynamic. I think the whole point was for her to go from a character who wasn't well liked in the beginning of the story, to a character who is likable and better understood.
I don't know that I agree that stories can change your life, which was one of the main themes of the book. However, I was definitely able to relate to Cappy when she talked about getting lost in her books. I was also able to relate to her when she talked about trying to live up to her mother's expectations. I like a lot of the lessons that this story teaches us, and I have pondered a quote that was repeated quite a bit "Your past is your prologue." I think I fully appreciated this story after I read the author's comments at the end. It helped me understand exactly what she was trying to portray through this story.
I read some reviews of the book before I read it, which was probably a mistake. Somebody mentioned that Cappy comes off as a whiny character and I found myself remembering that comment during most of the book and thinking how true it was when I probably wouldn't have otherwise. Now that I have completely read the book, I would agree and disagree with that statement. Cappy was annoyingly whiny at the beginning of the book but it was necessary so that we could see the character growth in her throughout the story. I really liked watching her grow because she became so much more dynamic. I think the whole point was for her to go from a character who wasn't well liked in the beginning of the story, to a character who is likable and better understood.
I don't know that I agree that stories can change your life, which was one of the main themes of the book. However, I was definitely able to relate to Cappy when she talked about getting lost in her books. I was also able to relate to her when she talked about trying to live up to her mother's expectations. I like a lot of the lessons that this story teaches us, and I have pondered a quote that was repeated quite a bit "Your past is your prologue." I think I fully appreciated this story after I read the author's comments at the end. It helped me understand exactly what she was trying to portray through this story.
July 17, 2017
This novel explores the way tragedy and grief shape a persons life and future. Whether you're an adult or a child, the pain of loss affects us all in different ways, as do the secrets adults sometimes keep in order to protect the ones we love. This novel made me feel ALL THE FEELINGS. I hated putting it down and if I'd had the time I probably would've read it all at once. The way the author told this story by weaving the present with memories of the past was just the perfect way to keep me coming back and reading just a little bit more. I laughed, I cringed, I cried, and then just at the end when I thought, "No! It can't end like that!", she surprised me with an open ending that I knew would lead to the main character's future growth and happiness. Patti Callahan Henry has just earned herself another fan and devoted reader.
June 3, 2018
I will be reading more of this author, for certain. I really enjoyed the sense of place: South Carolina Lowcountry. While the main character first annoyed me somewhat, my compassion for her grew as her story revealed more of itself. I loved the mystery built into the storyline - what exactly happened in her childhood? And what was her Dad doing on those return trips to Seaboro? I liked watching Catherine's character truly emerge, and her sense of self-discovery as she grew more willing to learn about her own past. Some of the storyline seemed fairly contrived, but what's character-driven fiction for, if not to test and develop the characters through a series of crises or realizations? I am grateful to the friend who introduced me to this author and loaned me this book!
June 18, 2008
Pretentious, whiny, and self-centered. The prose is at times ridiculously heavy, as if Henry was more concerned with how lush she could make her sentences than really conversing with her reader, while the main character is so remarkably self-centered that I could not imagine having to deal with her poor-me temper tantrums and selfish, thoughtless b.s. in real life. By the time you pile whiny and childish into the mix, it was all I could do not to fling the book across the room. Life is too short to waste time on drivel such as this. I understand voyages of self-discovery, but when they come wrapped up in a self-aggrandizing pity party, it's really time to bail.
April 13, 2010
picked this book up for $3 at a bookstore, not expecting much-it turned out to be a good read. Catherine's family leaves their beloved home near the river after a tragic accident in which she feels responsible. All her adult life she keeps the feelings deep inside and tries to forget until her father passes away and she must go back to scatter his ashes in the river. All that she has been afraid of and that has kept her from being true to herself is brought to light, painfully, but ultimately with love.
November 16, 2017
This was a beautiful, lyrical, poetic book. Full of metaphors and quotes, sadness, redemption and hope. Takes place in South Carolina's low country-great setting. Writer works through all the emotions of the characters and pulls it all together. Reminded me of Pat Conroy's Prince of Tides ....and enjoyed this book immensely!
April 16, 2008
This was a great book and it did surprise me. I had to keep reading to the last page to actually see what would happen to the characters. The author really keeps you hanging!
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