Sabbathday River

This book has some very minor flaws but I still had to give it 5 stars and here's why: This is one of those rare books that is so well-written and so engrossing that it is impossible to put down. I absolutely hated to finish it. At the heart of the book, is the murder of 2 babies, who may or may not be related and the trial of a woman who may be falsely accused, even though the evidence seems to point to her as the murderer. Behind the main story, however, are the kinds of details that make a book truly come alive, revealing deeper and deeper layers of complexity and mystery as the story unfolds. There is so much here to hold the reader - the descriptions of small town life, characters which are not stereotypical, portrayals of women searching for their identity in the rather constricted community they inhabit. Finally, there is the story itself, which is gripping, intriguing and horrifying. One of my favorite books of the year!

I could not put this book down. I loved every word of it, even the characters I hated. Seldom does a writer invoke in me the desire to reach in and shake a character til his/her teeth rattle. In this book, I wanted to shake at least three characters. Repeatedly.The characterization was excellent, the plot gripping. One previous reviewer asked why the characters acted so stupidly, but I've always wanted to re-write Romeo & Juliet with some common sense. Why come up with such an elaborate ruse to be together - why not just run off? But that wouldn't make much of a story, would it?In the end you are left wondering if justice was really served - and if so, do circumstances really matter? And if they do, who decides? I also have to say I never expected the ending - it was laid out, almost SPELLED out for me in the last chapeter, but it was upon me before I even guessed. I don't usually buy books I haven't read first, or at least by an author I've read - but this is one impulse purchase I don't regret.

As an English teacher in a high school, I am always interested in finding wonderful contemporary novels -- by women -- for my students. This novel was impossible to put down, and in addition, I found that I wanted to savor each word, and I read it very slowly, an unusual feat for me, since I tend to devour my books in one bite. The characterization of the protagonist was real and the events through which she lived, riveting! The novel strode toward a climax of high power. I am recommending it to my book group, and to whomever I meet. Not since THE SHIPPING NEWS have I been so taken with a novel!

I couldn't put this book down. I tried, but had to keep picking it up again and stayed up far too late finishing it. I found the mystery gripping and the characters wonderfully drawn especially loved the beautifully drawn cipherlike character of Heather.

This book got under my skin. I found myself putting it down and walking away from it because I was so irritated by a character's behavior. That's how I knew that the author had written a great character--one does not inwardly argue with a character that one does not find believable. I would point out to some of the other reviewers that the book is set in 1984, which was prior to DNA evidence being admissible in trials, I think. The thing that I loved most about this book was its focus on the myths of sisterhood. In some people's version of a perfect world, women would look out for the interests of women, but since we're humans first, we have all the same faults as men. Thus, as Naomi finds out, the women of Goddard do not rally to the cause of Heather and see her as a victim of patriarchy. They judge her within their culturally conservative context. It's only Naomi, with her utopian visions of feminist collectives, who has to find out that women aren't supportive of other women just because they share a gender. I thought this book was well-written, well-paced, and well-plotted.