Many novels come straight out of the author’s imagination. It is clearly evident that Gifford spent a lot of time and effort researching this novel. I found the facts she did include fascinating, serving to enrich the story and teach us more about the people and lands that surrounded The Sea House.I did feel that the story started out a bit slowly; it took me a few chapters to get invested in the story. I have to admit that for much of the book, I don’t particularly like Ruth. I don’t know if it’s just a part of her character, as she seems to be taken similarly while she is in foster and group homes as a child, or if it’s just how I interpret her personality.I feel I learned a lot about native Scots. I really didn’t know much before reading but learned about their parties, their traditions, how they lived and the divide between the rich and the poor. I like a little history with my fiction and The Sea House fit the bill perfectly.I do feel that Gifford rushed to tie up some loose ends at the end of the book. It’s almost like she was told to wrap up the story in less pages. I wish I had learned more about how The Sea House grew as a business and how Ruth and Michael grow as a couple and family. The epilogue helped answer some questions, but still left me feeling a bit unfulfilled.I received a copy of this book to review but I was not financially compensated in any way. The opinions expressed are my own and are based on my observations while reading this novel. When Ruth and Michael first see the Sea House on the remote Scottish island of Harris, they immediately purchase it. Despite it’s rough condition they have fallen in love with it. They start to dream dreams about the house, it’s history, and it’s future. They can see it be operated as a bed and breakfast.As they work to refinish it they find, buried in the floorboards a tiny skeleton. Who was it? What had happened to it? Why was it buried in the floorboards instead of in the cemetery?Ruth is determined to find out more about the people who were living in the house when the skeleton was placed there. She is driven to learn all she can about the poor baby, in hopes that it will help settle her own fears.Growing up without a father and a mother who passes away when Ruth was a young girl her life wasn’t easy. It was thought, and reported to Ruth that her mother committed suicide. But did she?This book is riveting and masterfully told. Elisabeth Gifford is a masterful-storyteller. She has written articles for The Times and The Independent and has a diploma in creative writing from Oxford OUDCE and an MA in creative writing from Royal Holloway College. She is married with three children. They live in Kingston on Thames, a suburb of London, but spend as much time as possible in the Hebrides.Elisabeth handles tough issues with kid gloves. She writes in The Sea House about abuse, depression and post-traumatic stress, issues we all know about even if we personally have not experienced them.The book was riveting, however, at times it was not an easy book to read. I read it at first with the mindset of it being written from a Christian perspective, much like most of the books I read for review. There were times though, I wasn’t sure. I would recommend this book highly with one caveat, there are a couple of instances where some crude language is used. I believe this is thought crude mostly on the part of Americans, in other parts of the world it would not be so. There is also some evolutionary phrases and thoughts.If you want a good story of loss, love, hope, and redemption, this is a great book!
What do You think about Secrets Of The Sea House (2013)?
tried to be mysterious but was curiously mundane. not riveting, but easy and pleasant enough
—Wizard365
Wonderful writing! Good story. Historical. I really liked this book.
—jgibbons17
Wanted to like this but I just couldn't do it
—livres
