This was my third Carol Goodman novel and from the outset it's clear; she definitely has a formula down. Secrets from the past shedding light on the present, tight knit academia, meditations on art and literature, and gripping literary mysteries. I suppose I should feel as if I've read this before (and from the same author), but instead I'm waiting for a new one in the mail. 'The Drowning Tree' is the story of Juno McKay, former artist and current expert in stained glass. She lives in the same small Hudson Valley enclave where she attended college at fictional Penrose (basically, Vassar) with her kayaking fanatic daughter, Beatrice, and their dogs Paolo and Francesca. Clearly she's a Dante fan. Beatrice's father, Neil, is locked up in Briarwood, a mental health facility near Poughkeepsie, where her best friend, Christine, is from, after an incident where he tried to kill himself, Juno, and their baby daughter by drowning. Moving on from exposition, early on Christine makes a speech about secrets of the Penrose family and a stained glass window everyone assumed was a portrait of Augustus Penrose's wife but who Christine believes to really be his sister in law, Clare, a patient at the same facility where Neil lives. That evening Christine disappears and Juno is propelled into a chase for the truth behind, not just her best friend's death, but also secrets locked away at both the former Penrose estate, Astolat, and Briarwood itself. The thing that is immediately apparent in Goodman's writing is that she really knows how to set a scene. She creates stunning atmosphere. This book made me desperate to go to the Hudson River Valley and see the places she wrote about, real or imagined. It's something I've been impressed with in every one of her novels, all set in Upstate New York, the reader really feels as if they are there. As formerly stated, this book has the same elements are the two other Goodman books I've read, 'The Lake of Dead Languages' and 'Arcadia Falls'; the early on death of a character, the return to an alma mater that hides secrets, a somewhat absent daughter, a policeman love interest, and shadowy pasts. But that doesn't mean it's the same book. 'The Lake of Dead Languages' has so far been my favorite offering, but I have to wonder if that was just because it was the one I read first. In any event this novel was filled with enough twists and turns that I couldn't wait to get back and discover who had done it. And, I really didn't know. Several times I found myself desperate to find out Christine's killer because all I knew was who much I didn't want it to be a certain character. I was invested enough to care that much, and I think that's telling. I can't imagine this will ever be winning any prizes for great literature, but I'm okay with that because sometimes things are just compelling and that's enough.
Carol Goodman is one of my favorite authors, but when you read her novels, you know you are going to have a female main character who is a writer, artist, art historian or some closely related field, a closed community of some sort and a mystery that links past and present. But her writing is so lyrical and her plots so interesting, that it doesn't matter. You fall into the mood and stay there till the end. In this novel, best friends from college are, 15 years later, both working on their alma mater's prize stained glass window. One is researching its history and the other is restoring it. As the plot unfolds, one woman is found dead and the other finds herself suspected of murder. As she works to follow the threads of her friend's research, it brings to light all sorts of things people would rather have left in the shadow of both the present and the past.This plot was different than most of Goodman's works in that the closed community was more open than normal. Everyone had an association with the college, but it was a loose association based on the window and old friendships. This was a new twist. As usual, Goodman is masterful in setting tone and mood and particularly good in parceling out information a little at a time, so that you have an understanding of events long before the details of those events emerge. That is what I liked most about this novel, seeing how Goodman strung it together. Unfortunately, that strength was also a weakness, in that she may have tipped her had a little too much, so her formula was on display. She seemed to try to make up for that by twisting the plot more than usual. although the end was satisfying, it got away from itself a little in the lead up.I enjoyed this novel, but wasn't my favorite of Goodman's works. Neither was it the worst.
What do You think about The Drowning Tree (2005)?
Carol Goodman continues with her theme of secrets-from-the-past in her third book. Once again, she's created a world that I became completely absorbed in and a mystery that I couldn't figure out. Each time I thought "ah ha, THIS is what happened" the main character thought of it herself and sent the story in another direction by disproving it.It happens too often that I love someone's debut novel and then end up disappointed in everything that follows, so I'm really glad Goodman isn't falling victim to that trend.
—Brooke
This is my first Carol Goodman novel and I think I'll go back and read her earlier work. This was a really good novel. This is such a well written book - the imagery created by the author is just wonderful! I enjoyed the intermix of the modern mystery and the ancient with the use of mythology throughout the book. Really effective way to tell this particular story! This wasn't an 'easy' read yet it wasn't what I'd characterize as difficult either. It felt a bit academic but perhaps that was more about the location of the novel and the mythology pieces. In a few reviews, I noticed it was compared to Donna Tartt's The Secret History. I can see where that comparison comes from but this is the better book in my opinion. The sense of place is done so well with this book. The place just seemed to come alive for me with each word. The gothic feel of this novel really makes it special. Goodman paces the novel very well, giving you enough to stay interested but not enough to ruin the final 'aha' moment at the end of the novel. I also really liked the strong characters in the novel ... they were very well done and real in their complexities. I wish that Goodman had spent a little more time on character development but it was adequate for me. Overall, I really enjoyed this novel and look forward to reading more of Carol Goodman's work. If you like well written mysteries, especially those that are more focused on human complexities than just a good old fashioned 'who done it,' then this may be a book for you to pick up. Also, if you have an interest in mythology and novels that interweave mythology with story, this may be a book to read!
—Amy
After fifteen years, Juno McKay returns to Penrose College, her alma mater, to hear her friend Christine Webb give a lecture on a famous stained-glass window that graces the college library. Juno is reluctant to return, given that she dropped out of college shortly before graduation to give birth to her daughter, Bea, and to marry her boyfriend, Neil, who was institutionalized a year later. Loyalty to Christine wins out, however, and Juno is gratified but also concerned when Christine reveals some controversial theories about the window's subject matter. That night, Christine dies -- but is it an accident, suicide, or murder? Juno must delve into the history of the college and into her own past to learn the truth.I'm not sure how to class this; literary thriller/mystery, maybe? It started out strong, but I was disappointed in the ending, which sort of came out of left field and brought in a whole other element of the plot that hadn't really been developed very well.
—Kirsten
