Helpful Score: 2
good book, full of twists. Quick read.
Helpful Score: 2
The Bay at Midnight was a longer book than I usually read, although it kept me interested and completely entertained from cover to cover. This book is much deeper than your normal chick lit or beach read, but not too intellectual.
A story filled with family secrets that eek out slowly enough not to ruin the plausible twist ending. With all mysteries, my fear lies in discovering the ending too soon. Not so with this book. I enjoyed every chapter that bounced between different points of view and different moments in time.
The main character Julie has been living with a large burden of guilt thinking that she helped cause the murder of her older sister, more than forty years earlier. Her younger sister Lucy, her mother Maria, and Julie have been completely affected by their loss and never pulled together as a family unit to complete the grief circle.
I enjoyed the slowly unfolding of events through both a glance back in time and the revealing of struggles that these ladies are facing in their current lives.
A definite must read that I would recommend to ladies of all ages.
A story filled with family secrets that eek out slowly enough not to ruin the plausible twist ending. With all mysteries, my fear lies in discovering the ending too soon. Not so with this book. I enjoyed every chapter that bounced between different points of view and different moments in time.
The main character Julie has been living with a large burden of guilt thinking that she helped cause the murder of her older sister, more than forty years earlier. Her younger sister Lucy, her mother Maria, and Julie have been completely affected by their loss and never pulled together as a family unit to complete the grief circle.
I enjoyed the slowly unfolding of events through both a glance back in time and the revealing of struggles that these ladies are facing in their current lives.
A definite must read that I would recommend to ladies of all ages.
Helpful Score: 1
The characters in this one are just wonderful. My favorite was Maria - the grandmother, 'though most of the story is told by one of her daughters, Julie, a writer of mystery novels, who was 12 when her sister dies and feels responsible for her part in her sisters death.
The story goes from present day back and forth to 1962 where Maria's loses her daughter Izzy in a tragedy at the age of 17 at Bay Head Shores, in New Jersey - the family summer site. The story revolves around two families that lived next door to each other and spent their summers together at the Bay.
Now, over 40 years have passed and an apparent note left by a dying man (who was the victims boyfriend when she died) indicates that a man prosecuted for murdering Izzy may have been innocent and so the case is reopened, and so are all the memories and scars of that fateful night that the tragedy occured for everyone at the Bay, and how it affected all their lives.
The story goes from present day back and forth to 1962 where Maria's loses her daughter Izzy in a tragedy at the age of 17 at Bay Head Shores, in New Jersey - the family summer site. The story revolves around two families that lived next door to each other and spent their summers together at the Bay.
Now, over 40 years have passed and an apparent note left by a dying man (who was the victims boyfriend when she died) indicates that a man prosecuted for murdering Izzy may have been innocent and so the case is reopened, and so are all the memories and scars of that fateful night that the tragedy occured for everyone at the Bay, and how it affected all their lives.
Helpful Score: 1
Forty years after her sister's death, Julie and her family must face the fact that the wrong person was probably jailed for her murder.
4.0 out of 5 stars Secrets and lies..., March 20, 2011
A beautiful young girl. A tragedy on a moonlit night. In 1962, Isabelle Bauer drowned in Bay Head Shores. Her death, ruled a homicide, remained an unsolved mystery despite the fact that a local man was found guilty and spent the rest of his life in prison for the murder. Isabelle's mother and sisters don't talk about her or what happened on that hot August night. Until the day that Julie Bauer, who was 12 years old during that fateful summer, receives a visitor bearing a letter that may or may not shed light on the case.
This is a novel about what happens when secrets are kept and passions are denied. It's about what happens when love is confusing and mistakes are made. The events of that particular night and others during the summer leading up to it are examined from three different points of view. Maria (mother to Isabelle, Julie and Lucy) tells her story, each of the daughters relates what part she played in the unfolding drama, and Julie's daughter, Shannon is meanwhile creating problems of her own that lead the women to finally deal with 40 years of anger, silence, suspicion, guilt, and shame.
The reason I like the novels that Diane Chamberlain writes is because she writes believable characters. This suspense story, set in two different time periods -- 1962 and present day - is a wonderful mystery featuring three generations of women. Those women, a grandmother, two middle-aged daughters, and a teen granddaughter, are so real that they seem to be people that you know who have feelings that you have or that you've had in the past. The interactions and the relationship that they have, the type of personalities and the deep attachment they display, will definitely touch the hearts of readers as the narrative unfolds.
Highly recommend to all fans of romantic suspense novels and to those who enjoy a good family story with a multi-generational cast of interesting women.
A beautiful young girl. A tragedy on a moonlit night. In 1962, Isabelle Bauer drowned in Bay Head Shores. Her death, ruled a homicide, remained an unsolved mystery despite the fact that a local man was found guilty and spent the rest of his life in prison for the murder. Isabelle's mother and sisters don't talk about her or what happened on that hot August night. Until the day that Julie Bauer, who was 12 years old during that fateful summer, receives a visitor bearing a letter that may or may not shed light on the case.
This is a novel about what happens when secrets are kept and passions are denied. It's about what happens when love is confusing and mistakes are made. The events of that particular night and others during the summer leading up to it are examined from three different points of view. Maria (mother to Isabelle, Julie and Lucy) tells her story, each of the daughters relates what part she played in the unfolding drama, and Julie's daughter, Shannon is meanwhile creating problems of her own that lead the women to finally deal with 40 years of anger, silence, suspicion, guilt, and shame.
The reason I like the novels that Diane Chamberlain writes is because she writes believable characters. This suspense story, set in two different time periods -- 1962 and present day - is a wonderful mystery featuring three generations of women. Those women, a grandmother, two middle-aged daughters, and a teen granddaughter, are so real that they seem to be people that you know who have feelings that you have or that you've had in the past. The interactions and the relationship that they have, the type of personalities and the deep attachment they display, will definitely touch the hearts of readers as the narrative unfolds.
Highly recommend to all fans of romantic suspense novels and to those who enjoy a good family story with a multi-generational cast of interesting women.
Wasn't sure about this when I started it BUT it's another keeper--the story set in 1962 of the murder of a teenage girl will keep you going while the present time deals with the families secrets from the time of the death and how it effects the members of all the families involved. Very well written and an attention keeper.
One of the better books I've read in a while. Makes me miss NJ.
Wow this was really good! Again I'm never disappointed by Chamberlain. I liked how it was written from different view points and I couldn't get through it fast enough.
Good Book ! Read it in just a few hours as the story really holds your interest.
quick read
