Published by Spiegel & Grau
Publication date: November 10th 2015
Genres: Fiction, Historical
Water for Elephants author Sara Gruen returns with another novel set in a location that is likely to draw readers in. At the Water’s Edge takes place in a tiny village in the Highlands of Scotland, near the shores of Loch Ness…and you can guess the rest. Madeline Hyde is there with her husband Ellis and his best friend as they try and prove the existence of the Loch Ness monster so Ellis can get back in his wealthy father’s good graces. Gruen has not swapped genres from historical fiction to science fiction, At the Water’s Edge is less about Nessie than it is about Maddie and her preconceived notions about herself and those around her.
A novel that includes the Loch Ness monster needs a light touch to keep the story balanced, but from the beginning Gruen is heavy handed in her portrayal of Maddie, Ellis, and Hank. The men especially are caricatures of spoiled, drunk, foolish rich boys and the initial picture of Maddie is not much better. To complicate matters At the Water’s Edge is set in 1945, which ratchets up the improbability factor. Three wealthy young dilettantes are able to get on a ship in 1945 and sail from the United States to Scotland to find the Loch Ness monster? That’s dicey, but once they’re settled in and matters focus more on Maddie’s backstory and marriage as well as the stories of the village and the war’s impact on them, the novel regains some of its footing. Right up until Maddie begins to realize her husband doesn’t love her and begins to fear that he is going to have her lobotomized. Because in Scotland in the final days of WWII there were plenty of medical staff in remote areas waiting to forcibly lobotomize healthy women whose husbands said they were insane. What?!
Ultimately, At the Water’s Edge has none of the nuance or depth found in Water for Elephants, but Gruen is an engaging writer and the story does move along at a clip that allows the eye and mind to pass over the implausible aspects and linger at the lighter, almost romance style parts. Plus, we are talking about the Loch Ness monster. If approached from an ‘anything goes’ angle At the Water’s Edge works as quick, entertaining reading.
Sarah's Book Shelves says
November 6, 2015 at 4:46 amI’ve heard mixed reviews on this one…and I didn’t really love Water for Elephants, so I think I’ll be skipping this. Phew – finally something NOT to add to the TBR from your posts…haha!
Catherine says
November 6, 2015 at 9:58 amYou’re welcome! I didn’t like Elephants at all so think Gruen may not be an author for me.
Lynn @ Smoke & Mirrors says
November 6, 2015 at 7:26 amPreparing to read this over the weekend for my book club meeting the following weekend. Two of the book club members loved it. It will be interesting to see how I feel about it. I gather it is definitely not one of your favorites… 🙂
Catherine says
November 6, 2015 at 9:56 amNo, it wasn’t! I don’t think Gruen is an author who works for me. As a light almost romance novel this is fine but beyond that it wobbles.
Lynn @ Smoke & Mirrors says
November 8, 2015 at 10:10 amI must admit I was silently humming a tune in my head while I read of your dislike of Water for Elephants! LOL I can’t imagine that..but for each book we all have unique reactions! 🙂 (I will not hold it against you…) 😉
Catherine says
November 8, 2015 at 11:46 amUh oh, what were you humming? You are correct, though, there are books and authors I love that leave other readers mystified. That’s what’s so great about reading, right?!
Lynn @ Smoke & Mirrors says
November 8, 2015 at 3:20 pmThe lyrics were along the lines of “It’s okay, I really do like Catherine and we agree on many books and authors, it’s really okay, it’s okay, I can giver her this one disagreement…it’s okay, la, la, la, la,…” 😉 And you are so correct! That is what makes it so much fun to discuss what we read with others!!
Catherine says
November 8, 2015 at 3:21 pmLOL!!! 🙂
Naomi says
November 6, 2015 at 7:43 amI was confused by the intentions of the author when I read this book. I found it entertaining, but didn’t really know how to categorize it or describe it. Some parts seemed serious, but other parts almost silly and tending toward historical romance. I think in my attempt to describe it I might have put off some readers without really meaning to. Your review does a much better job of explaining it. 🙂
Catherine says
November 6, 2015 at 9:57 amYou’re exactly right- it was neither here nor there. When she was writing about the war and its effects I was interested but then her husband was so over the top I didn’t know what to think.
Eva says
November 6, 2015 at 11:43 amYou know how sometimes you read work by an author (Water for Elephants in this case) and you don’t like it but you feel like that’s on you because everyone else loves it so much? Then you hear about their second book and think ‘Maybe I should give that a try and see if I will like that one better’ but then you see a review like this and you’re like “mmmm maybe not’?
That’s me right now. I thank you for saving me from this one.
Catherine says
November 7, 2015 at 11:57 amI was that way about Elephants- people raved and I didn’t like it at all. I hoped this might be the game changed for me, but it was not. Just not my cup of tea.
Jennine G says
November 10, 2015 at 5:36 amAgreed. Not as good as Water for Elephants, but entertaining enough.
Lynn @ Smoke & Mirrors says
November 10, 2015 at 7:32 pmSo, it was definitely NO Water for Elephants, which I loved and adored, but it was a good read for me. A bit ‘romancy’ and really, let my imagination project the sex scenes, please, but I did like it. It is one I’m not getting out of my mind quickly–it’s lingering and making me think. And I admit celebrating at the end…not just the happy marriages, but Ellis, who, in my opinion, got just what he deserved! And that rather helped me forgive Hank just a bit for being such an ass…