Book Review: The Turn of the Key by Ruth Ware @RuthWareWriter

I enjoyed The Turn of the Key so much, it was almost "unputdownable." That hasn't happened to me for a while.

Rowan can't believe her good fortune. She's landed a great paying job at a gorgeous house in the Scottish Highlands, away from all the hustle of the city, nannying for three small children. She's been warned that previous nannies didn't last very long, but that doesn't stop her.

It is a difficult situation, given that their mother and father leave on a trip pretty much as soon as Rowan gets there.  The children take a while to warm up to her and give her some problems, but nothing she hasn't dealt with before.

What is even more difficult are the strange occurrences around the house. The footsteps she hears above her room at night, even though she's on the top floor. A locked door that she didn't lock. A disappearing key. And the difficulties of the high-tech system for monitoring and controlling everything in the house doesn't help either.

Ware keeps you guessing, throwing out plausible red herrings over and over again. Who wants Rowan out of the picture? It's not what you think. At least it isn't what I thought! I was totally blindsided by several twists.  And that just added to the enjoyment.

If I have one complaint it is that I didn't think the technique of the whole story being told through letters written to a lawyer was necessary. It did make for a unique wrap up at the end, I guess, so no biggie.

I enjoyed The Death of Mrs. Westaway, also by Ware, a lot. But The Turn of the Key was even better. Highly recommended to thriller fans.

Published by Gallery/Scout, August 6, 2019
eARC obtained from Edelweiss
352 pages

Rating: 5/5

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Book Review: At the Water's Edge by Sara Gruen

At the Water's Edge is a unique, wonderful, lyrical book that left me with such a good feeling. It is a love story, but so much more.

Madeline Hyde and her husband, Ellis, of Philadelphia, are kicked out of her husband's house and they are cut off from the family fortune. Ellis and his constant companion and best friend, Hank, come up with a hair-brained scheme. They will travel to Scotland to hunt the illusive Loch Ness monster, to redeem Ellis' father and get back in his good graces. You see, Ellis' father had suffered much public humiliation when he tried to prove he had photographed the monster. It's 1945, and Scotland is in the thick of WWII.

Maddie reluctantly joins them, having no other choice. After almost losing their lives during a torpedo attack, they end up in a tiny, remote Scottish village in an inn that has none of the high-society perks they are accustomed to. Everything is rationed and there is little food and a lot of work to be done. Left alone much of the time, Maddie befriends the staff and even begins to help out around the inn, without her husband knowing. She soon realizes what a cad her husband is. She finds out more and more secrets about him that shed him in a very undesirable light. He treats other people horribly and Maddie doesn't know how to go about getting rid of him. Soon, she fears he will harm her or have her committed. Things deteriorate rapidly.

She begins a relationship with Angus, the caretaker of the inn, and soon finds herself unable to resist his charms. She's playing a very dangerous game though, and she knows it.

Who would ever combine a hunt for the Loch Ness monster with WWII in Scotland? I don't know how Gruen comes up with these ideas, but she makes it work. The characters are priceless. I loved every single one of them, even the "bad" characters. They were all vividly portrayed. The story isn't action packed, but it still sweeps you away and the atmosphere is perceptible.

I really enjoyed At the Water's Edge. I lost myself in this world with these characters, and who can ask for more than that?

Published by Spiegel & Grau, March 31, 2015
Copy obtained from the library
354 pages

Rating: 5/5

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Book Review: The Betrayal of Maggie Blair, by Elizabeth Laird

I wouldn’t have wanted to live in the time period I learned about in The Betrayal of Maggie Blair. We’re talking seventeenth century Scotland. And we’re not talking about royalty; we’re talking about very poor people who struggle every day just to survive.

Maggie is an orphan who is living with her grandmother on a very isolated island off the coast of Scotland. As I said, most of Maggie’s existence involves daily hard work trying to keep food on the table. Granny is a superstitious, cranky old woman who doesn’t get along well with their neighbors, and this is what starts all the trouble for Maggie. Granny is accused of witchcraft, and Maggie, by her association, is also thrown into prison with her. 

Maggie escapes, and begins an adventure that will carry her all across Scotland. She ends up with her Uncle Blair and his family—and what a difference from Granny. These are very devout Covenanters-Presbyterians, who defy the English government to practice their religion. So, at first Maggie thought she had finally found safety and security, but because of this religious zeal, her uncle is thrown into prison and Maggie is once again struggling for survival.

Maggie is a typical 16-year-old.  She’s malleable – she goes from chanting curses and spells to reading the bible and praying to God. I didn’t feel that she was without conviction – well I guess she was, but I don’t blame her for that – try to remember what it’s like to be sixteen. Maggie is brave and daring, although she doesn’t realize it.  The adventures she survives throughout this book give her heroic status, and I think teens will enjoy rooting for this plucky character.

The rest of Laird’s characters are worth knowing too.  Tam, Maggie’s rescuer, is a somewhat elusive character, but this is intentional, and you can’t help but admire him. Maggie’s cousins and aunt and uncle give us a very clear picture of what it was like to be a family driven only by their convictions to God.  Annie is a perfectly snotty, evil character and is easy to hate.

The Scottish setting is described, but didn’t really come alive for me. There is a map at the beginning that helps, but reading on a Kindle, I didn’t tend to flip back as often as I would have with a printed book.

The book is a bit long for teens, but fans of historical fiction, with an admirable teen heroin that gets stronger and stronger throughout the book will find this worth the time. It isn’t action-packed, but the story moves at a steady pace, and I didn’t lose interest.

 
Published by Houghton Mifflin, April 18, 2011
eBook Copy obtained from NetGalley
432 pages (qualifies for my 350 Page Book Challenge!)


Rating: 3/5

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