The Cottage At Glass Beach (2012) - Plot & Excerpts
I really want to like this author, but I feel that she is perhaps a bit lazy. I would have appreciated more character details of Nora in her previous role as politician's wife. I think the book would have been richer with more details of the mysteries of the island, as well. I could have prepared myself for the loose ending. I also didn't care for the Ella characters smart mouth. It seems as though Nora is bound to be held as a slave/ doormat if not by her husband, her daughter. As it were, I enjoyed the book, but I don't think I will be recommending it. While I enjoyed Barbieri's writing style, which was full of vivid landscapes and a great plot idea, the book did nothing for me. I really expected something major to occur at the end. Honestly, the ending was absolutely terrible. I think it would have been better if they had all died, because it made no sense to me. As other reviewers have said, there were so many loose ends that were never tied up.I found myself cringing at many subplots of the story that never went anywhere. I thought it was going to be a romance book, but I was very misinformed. Owen didn't seem to have much purpose, when I thought he was going to be the hero.Also, this book was supposed to have mythological aspects. However, with Barbieri's simplistic writing, the whole "selkie" thing seemed so misplaced. I found myself hating Nora's 12-year-old daughter, though I am only four years older than that age. While I see Ella's reasoning for her rudeness, I could not stand her. She repeatedly made me want to close the book and never read it again. Another problem I found was a few typos. Flanagan vs. Flaherty? Also, while Barbieri has a simple style, she seemed to continue the story without explaining things. Countless times, I found myself completely confused at what was going on, because she assumed we readers would know. Generally, I liked the characters. I loved Nora, and how she believed that her children were the only thing she needed. I found Annie to be a wonderful, positive light, a contrast to my bitterness toward Ella. There was Maire, whom I also believed had a terrible ending. She was the second-most important character, and then Barbieri seemed unsure what to do, and just decided to completely confuse me forever.I really enjoyed the idea, and the book makes me want to pack up and go to Maine pronto. However, the idea wasn't well commenced, and I feel as if the ending resolved nothing, which is okay, but at a certain point, you cannot just end a book because you have run out of time or whatever. I probably would have given the book 3 stars if Barbieri had made Chapter 24 co-align with the rest of the darn book!
What do You think about The Cottage At Glass Beach (2012)?
Good book, though the ending was a little anticlimactic.
—kflynn14
