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Used book in good condition, due to its age it could contain normal signs of use
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First published January 1, 2005
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Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews
did-not-finish
July 9, 2016Nope.
There may well be a decent story in here, but I'm abandoning it at 14% as the incessant naming in a two person conversation - my biggest hate in any book - is driving me insane. You know the sort of thing:
'Blah blah blah, Gabby.' 'Yes, blah blah blah, Charlie.' 'But Gabby, blah blah blah. 'Oh, Charlie, blah blah blah.'
Just. Stop. Now.
There may well be a decent story in here, but I'm abandoning it at 14% as the incessant naming in a two person conversation - my biggest hate in any book - is driving me insane. You know the sort of thing:
'Blah blah blah, Gabby.' 'Yes, blah blah blah, Charlie.' 'But Gabby, blah blah blah. 'Oh, Charlie, blah blah blah.'
Just. Stop. Now.
September 17, 2022
A book to keep and re-read, a classic
Beautiful book with richly delineated characters and setting with a story that weaves the present and past together into a hauntingly lovely history. This is the best example I've read of the mixing of a historical story with a present day one. All the characters are 3 dimensional, noone comes over as a caricature nor does any part of the tale come accross as trite or contrived. In addition to that the main setting in Cornwall is brought to life in all its wild tempestuous glory.
Beautiful book with richly delineated characters and setting with a story that weaves the present and past together into a hauntingly lovely history. This is the best example I've read of the mixing of a historical story with a present day one. All the characters are 3 dimensional, noone comes over as a caricature nor does any part of the tale come accross as trite or contrived. In addition to that the main setting in Cornwall is brought to life in all its wild tempestuous glory.
January 23, 2022
After a rather slow start I really got into this excellent tale of Gabby in the final years of the twentieth century and of Isabella, the subject of a ships figurehead that Gabby has been tasked to renovate. There was much to enjoy in the story and in places I could not put it down. I did not give it five stars because so many loose ends were tied up one after the other in the closing pages I felt the author had suddenly lost interest and just wanted to get finished!
June 15, 2019
This book spans several generations and the stories are woven through several families. I really enjoyed this book and found it moved along really quickly and kept me intrigued right through to the end. It highlighted how other people can have such a remarkable impact on your own life, either through withholding information or forcing things to go a certain way. Well worth reading.
May 1, 2021
I'm sorry to say I couldn't finish this book. I had to give up at 37% of the end. I absolutely adored Sea Music, so I hoped to love this one too. But I couldn't engage with the story, I found it boring.
June 28, 2022
This sounded like a good plot for a story. Unfortunately and sadly I stopped at 23% when the author decided that a sex scene was needed and where there's one more will most likely follow. It's so sad that authors do his
September 14, 2020
A great story and hard to put down. Characters were interesting and they made you part of the story. Would recommend
January 18, 2021
Excellent book
It held my attention from start to finish and was brilliantly written. I’m now looking forward to reading more of her books.
It held my attention from start to finish and was brilliantly written. I’m now looking forward to reading more of her books.
September 21, 2021
One and a half stars
July 20, 2022
This author wrote a fascinating story that did not seem contrived for even one moment! She writes with skill and authority.
February 1, 2023
Art restorer finds her life turned around when she meets a man who values her. A dual time-line story, well done. Uplifting overall, but sad in places.
May 27, 2023
Great story, a bit slow to start. Enjoyed the different developments for each character within the story and how they intertwined in parts. Would have liked a but more from the ending.
February 26, 2022
I’ve had this book on my shelf for ages. I remember loving Sea Music by this author and decided to finally open it. The book is a daunting 600 pages but I couldn’t put it down. Toward the end I got a little confused with one twist but it was worth the journey. I loved the setting in Cornwall for both stories - Gabrielle’s and Isabella’s. The sense of place was an anchor in the story as was Nell, my favorite character.
June 3, 2017
I liked this book, except for the fact that it contained 16 unnecessary 'F' words and some brief but explicit sex.
I liked the change of typefaces for the different stories but they weren't always as cohesive as they could have been and there was a lot of detail that could've been left out of the story in the past that didn't connect to the present day story..
This book could have been written in half the words and still told a very good story.
The main character is Gabby who has had a difficult life growing up, a cold marriage and chooses to embark on an affair with Mark, the historian who brings the ship's mast head to Cornwall. Gabby's first friend was Olive who ran the B & B in Cornwall she first came to, then she had Nell, her mother-in-law and she didn't really have any others until Mark. She was married to Charlie for over 20 years yet had never told him what she told Mark within a few months.
There are plenty of subjects for book group discussion - eg:
Gabby didn't drink alcohol at the beginning of the story and Elan said to her that alcoholism isn't genetic but recent research seems to suggest that it is - which is right?
Charlie and Josh did hand slapping and 'wahoo' at each other to say goodbye, self-conscious of hugging; Thomas said that he carved feelings that men cannot speak of - is is true that men cannot show their feelings?
Josh came home from army training because a friend had been killed during an exercise; "Over the past 15 years there have been 126 deaths during training across all 3 services, including 4 so far this year," BBC News Sept 2015 - why?
"it's the courage that comes with having suffered which strips away cant and shallowness" page 420 - is suffering really character building?
I liked the change of typefaces for the different stories but they weren't always as cohesive as they could have been and there was a lot of detail that could've been left out of the story in the past that didn't connect to the present day story..
This book could have been written in half the words and still told a very good story.
The main character is Gabby who has had a difficult life growing up, a cold marriage and chooses to embark on an affair with Mark, the historian who brings the ship's mast head to Cornwall. Gabby's first friend was Olive who ran the B & B in Cornwall she first came to, then she had Nell, her mother-in-law and she didn't really have any others until Mark. She was married to Charlie for over 20 years yet had never told him what she told Mark within a few months.
There are plenty of subjects for book group discussion - eg:
Gabby didn't drink alcohol at the beginning of the story and Elan said to her that alcoholism isn't genetic but recent research seems to suggest that it is - which is right?
Charlie and Josh did hand slapping and 'wahoo' at each other to say goodbye, self-conscious of hugging; Thomas said that he carved feelings that men cannot speak of - is is true that men cannot show their feelings?
Josh came home from army training because a friend had been killed during an exercise; "Over the past 15 years there have been 126 deaths during training across all 3 services, including 4 so far this year," BBC News Sept 2015 - why?
"it's the courage that comes with having suffered which strips away cant and shallowness" page 420 - is suffering really character building?
March 4, 2011
Gleich mal vorweg: Nicht vom kitschigen Titel täuschen lassen!
Erzählt wird in zwei Erzähl- und Zeitebenen, die durch eine Gallionsfigur verbunden sind. Gabrielle, relativ unglücklich verheiratete Restauratorin, und Mark, ein kanadischer Historiker sind fasziniert von der Geschichte der Gallionsfigur der "Lady Isabella" einem Schiff, das im 18. Jahrhundert (glaube ich, ist schon eine Weile her, seit ich es gelesen habe, kann auch Anfang des 19. Jhds. gewesen sein) gesunken ist.
Parallel dazu wird die unglückliche Liebesgeschichte zwischen Isabella und dem Schreiner Tom erzählt, der die Gallionsfigur nach Isabellas Vorbild gestaltet hat. Nach und nach fügen sich die Teile zusammen, so dass Gabriella und Mark die Geschichte der Gallionsfigur und damit die der beiden unglücklich Verliebten kennen lernen.
Das Buch ist sehr spannend und auch nicht sehr vorhersagbar, ich bin jedenfalls einige Male ziemlich überrascht worden. Der Teil, der in der Vergangenheit spielt, ist allerdings deutlich spannender und die Charaktere einfach liebenswerter.
Es ist deutlich weniger schnulzig, als der Titel suggeriert und einfach ein fesselnder Schmöker, den ich sehr genossen habe. Durchaus empfehlenswert.
Erzählt wird in zwei Erzähl- und Zeitebenen, die durch eine Gallionsfigur verbunden sind. Gabrielle, relativ unglücklich verheiratete Restauratorin, und Mark, ein kanadischer Historiker sind fasziniert von der Geschichte der Gallionsfigur der "Lady Isabella" einem Schiff, das im 18. Jahrhundert (glaube ich, ist schon eine Weile her, seit ich es gelesen habe, kann auch Anfang des 19. Jhds. gewesen sein) gesunken ist.
Parallel dazu wird die unglückliche Liebesgeschichte zwischen Isabella und dem Schreiner Tom erzählt, der die Gallionsfigur nach Isabellas Vorbild gestaltet hat. Nach und nach fügen sich die Teile zusammen, so dass Gabriella und Mark die Geschichte der Gallionsfigur und damit die der beiden unglücklich Verliebten kennen lernen.
Das Buch ist sehr spannend und auch nicht sehr vorhersagbar, ich bin jedenfalls einige Male ziemlich überrascht worden. Der Teil, der in der Vergangenheit spielt, ist allerdings deutlich spannender und die Charaktere einfach liebenswerter.
Es ist deutlich weniger schnulzig, als der Titel suggeriert und einfach ein fesselnder Schmöker, den ich sehr genossen habe. Durchaus empfehlenswert.
May 10, 2016
Meh
There were many times I wanted to stop reading this book because of the boring nature. Every time I was ready, she'd pull me in with an exciting few chapters, giving me hope for the rest of the book. Then back to boring. What's worse is the final few chapters where, I assume, she was trying to give us some closure. Characters that were quite enjoyable were suddenly dead or dying with flippant remarks like, oh so and so died, then carries on with the sentence. I would not read this again or recommend it to anyone.
There were many times I wanted to stop reading this book because of the boring nature. Every time I was ready, she'd pull me in with an exciting few chapters, giving me hope for the rest of the book. Then back to boring. What's worse is the final few chapters where, I assume, she was trying to give us some closure. Characters that were quite enjoyable were suddenly dead or dying with flippant remarks like, oh so and so died, then carries on with the sentence. I would not read this again or recommend it to anyone.
April 3, 2016
This is my favourite book of the year so far. The characters are all written with warmth and I spent most of the second part of the book in tears. The author has a knack of writing moving scenes without being overly sensitive. The storyline kept me interested with little twists and turns. I was sorry to get to the end as I'd grown so attached to the characters.
May 12, 2016
A long book that seemed to take me ages but the characters are so believable and it had me in tears more than once. One of those books that has you dying to get to the end to see what happens whilst also dreading next getting to the end because it means the end of the story
May 27, 2016
This was a great book but sometimes hard to read . It was really In depth with family ties and emotions . I love the art aspect tied in as I am an artist and I'm always interested when it is tied in . It was very well written and I am looked forward to reading more of Sara's books
June 24, 2016
Nice steady storyline, with twists that lead you through the book.
Enjoyable read, well written and an unusual story. Recommend to someone who wants to read a good story that's not over sentimental.
Enjoyable read, well written and an unusual story. Recommend to someone who wants to read a good story that's not over sentimental.
August 3, 2011
Meine Meinung:
Ein wunderschönes Buch von Sara MacDonald. Wer auf Bücher á la "Der verborgene Garten" steht, sollte dieses Buch unbedingt lesen!
Ein wunderschönes Buch von Sara MacDonald. Wer auf Bücher á la "Der verborgene Garten" steht, sollte dieses Buch unbedingt lesen!
February 19, 2015
In het nederlands heet dit boek Isabella en het is heerlijk leesvoer
November 7, 2017
A wonderful read. I laughed and cried at the same time. Both timelines held my interest and all the characters came alive to me. Will definitely look out for more books by this author.
April 17, 2016
This is one of the best books I've read in a long time... Sara MacDonald made her characters believable. Brilliant
May 6, 2017
Good read
A wonderful book, really felt you were there. Scenery described so well, loved the characters. Both sad and happy parts
A wonderful book, really felt you were there. Scenery described so well, loved the characters. Both sad and happy parts
September 19, 2016
At last. That was a very slow read.
December 16, 2019
In het NL heet het boek "Isabella". Geen grote literatuur maar vlot lezen.
Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews