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lgmaxwell722's review against another edition
3.0
Sent to a massive house of trees located on Puget Sound a young boy learns about his past. Filled with visits from ghosts, mystery and old family feuds. I liked the writing style, and was pulled in from the beginning. I enjoyed learning how naturalist John Muir influenced this fictitious family to protect the land they lived on. The ending felt a bit rushed. A good read that makes one see the importance of sacrifice and family.
judithdcollins's review against another edition
4.0
A special thank you to Simon & Schuster and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Master storyteller and filmmaker, Garth Stein delivers his latest novel, A Sudden Light, a haunting family saga, set in Puget Sound (love this area), near Seattle, in the Pacific Northwest. Centered around The Riddell House, a 100-year-old mansion (falling apart), and acres of forest, narrated by the voice of smart, 14 yr. old Trevor Riddell, a boy seeking desperately to save his parent’s marriage, while uncovering a family history of dark secrets.
In 1990, Jones Riddell and his 14-year-old son, Trevor, move to the estate, following the failure of Jones’s business and his separation from Trevor’s mother. Jones is here to help his younger sister, Serena (wacko), persuade their Alzheimer’s-afflicted father, Samuel to sell the family land, which is worth a fortune, to real estate developers. (oops….and send him to an elderly living facility).
However, the ghost of family patriarch Elijah wants the land returned to wilderness to make amends for the millions of trees harvested by the Riddell Timber Company of the past. The mansion was built by Trevor's great-great-grandfather, a ruthless timber baron, surrounded by forested acreage.
Strong forces (spirits) stand in the way of the deal as Trevor begins to see ghosts and experience visions. While researching the Riddell history, a ton of dark shocking secrets began to surface—and the more Trevor dives into his ancestors' history, the more he learns of ghosts, incest, sexual secrets and even madness. (scandalous)!
A multi-generational historical saga, full of mystery, intrigue, love, ghosts, bit of paranormal, and suspense with flashbacks by an older Trevor. A family confronts long-buried secrets as it struggles for forgiveness and redemption with superb writing, well developed characters, and mixed with humor.
Fascinating! Would be nice for all authors to take the time to develop a similar rendition, and research, which pulls you into the story! As you can see by this array of topics, you are in for a real treat; a complex multi-layered novel— a house with a history, ghosts and family secrets from the past, and then you have the land which brings about environmental and moral issues. A mix of wacky, poetic, intriguing, mysterious, and beautiful.
I love reading stories about mysterious family’s secrets and intriguing old mansions, rich in history! Look forward to reading Garth Stein's The Art of Racing in the Rain, as this was my first book by this talented author.
Often I read not for the story, plot, or characters; however, read for the pleasure of engaging prose . . . Stein delivers; the other is just an added bonus.
JDCMustReadBooks
Master storyteller and filmmaker, Garth Stein delivers his latest novel, A Sudden Light, a haunting family saga, set in Puget Sound (love this area), near Seattle, in the Pacific Northwest. Centered around The Riddell House, a 100-year-old mansion (falling apart), and acres of forest, narrated by the voice of smart, 14 yr. old Trevor Riddell, a boy seeking desperately to save his parent’s marriage, while uncovering a family history of dark secrets.
In 1990, Jones Riddell and his 14-year-old son, Trevor, move to the estate, following the failure of Jones’s business and his separation from Trevor’s mother. Jones is here to help his younger sister, Serena (wacko), persuade their Alzheimer’s-afflicted father, Samuel to sell the family land, which is worth a fortune, to real estate developers. (oops….and send him to an elderly living facility).
However, the ghost of family patriarch Elijah wants the land returned to wilderness to make amends for the millions of trees harvested by the Riddell Timber Company of the past. The mansion was built by Trevor's great-great-grandfather, a ruthless timber baron, surrounded by forested acreage.
Strong forces (spirits) stand in the way of the deal as Trevor begins to see ghosts and experience visions. While researching the Riddell history, a ton of dark shocking secrets began to surface—and the more Trevor dives into his ancestors' history, the more he learns of ghosts, incest, sexual secrets and even madness. (scandalous)!
A multi-generational historical saga, full of mystery, intrigue, love, ghosts, bit of paranormal, and suspense with flashbacks by an older Trevor. A family confronts long-buried secrets as it struggles for forgiveness and redemption with superb writing, well developed characters, and mixed with humor.
Check out Garth Stein’s Website! http://www.garthstein.com/ and view the artist’s rendition of The North Estate, the central location of the novel, and hover over items for more information and relevant topics in the novel:
Paranormal, spirituality, spiritualism, GLBT, Seattle History, The Timber Barons, Tree Climbing, USFS National Parks and Grandpa Samuel’s Barn.
Fascinating! Would be nice for all authors to take the time to develop a similar rendition, and research, which pulls you into the story! As you can see by this array of topics, you are in for a real treat; a complex multi-layered novel— a house with a history, ghosts and family secrets from the past, and then you have the land which brings about environmental and moral issues. A mix of wacky, poetic, intriguing, mysterious, and beautiful.
I love reading stories about mysterious family’s secrets and intriguing old mansions, rich in history! Look forward to reading Garth Stein's The Art of Racing in the Rain, as this was my first book by this talented author.
Often I read not for the story, plot, or characters; however, read for the pleasure of engaging prose . . . Stein delivers; the other is just an added bonus.
JDCMustReadBooks
kaitmm's review against another edition
adventurous
inspiring
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Comforting. Like those few seconds of warmth on a piece of freshly printed paper.
littletaiko's review against another edition
3.0
A sort of coming of age story told by Trevor as he's looking back at the summer he was 14 and the events that changed his life. It involves family secrets and ghosts. Overall, I liked the book though it felt a bit sluggish in the middle. It was also hard to get past a certain ick factor that permeates through the book. Also, the two female characters were the weakest link. Still I couldn't help but be intrigued by the history of the area and I do love ghosts who come back to help settle things.
tamdot's review against another edition
4.0
I couldn't put this down. It's one of those books that you want to stay in.
lizella's review against another edition
2.0
The book felt a bit like the retelling of Poe’s The Fall of the House of Usher with an environmentalist twist. It started out promising, but soon became heavy-handed, lacking the psychological subtlety I was hoping for.
karolyntowle's review against another edition
3.0
The last hundred pages had me hooked, but it was definitely a slow start in comparison to The Art of Racing in the Rain.
brb_reads's review against another edition
3.0
I don't know what to think about this book. We listened to Garth Stein talk at our local library and he introduced this as his newest and the premise sounded good. The book wasn't bad by any means. I did not want to put it down at the end, but man the middle was a serious drag. I loved hearing about the Riddell House and the history of it. The dreams that Trevor had were interesting to me and a neat way to get a unique perspective into the history of the family but I just didn't love it. I'm not sure why. Don't think I'd be able to recommend it to anyone.
deecreatenola's review against another edition
1.0
I loved "The Art of Racing in the Rain" so it pains me to give a bad review to this novel, but I thoroughly disliked it. About half-way in I realized I just was not going to get into it; yet, I continued on just to get to the end. I didn't like really any of the characters. Of course, there are several here you aren't supposed to like, but I didn't even find the narrator compelling. In fact, I felt that it was so much from his point of view that you didn't see him or really get to know him at all. His dialogue did not seem appropriate for a 14-year old boy; maybe a 50-year old man trapped in a 14-year old boy's body.
The story is meandering and confusing with ghosts both real and made up. There is a ecological backstory, and family secrets, and a great old house, any of which could have been put to good use in a better story.
I hope this is an anomaly. I think Garth Stein is a talented writer, but he struck out with this one, at least for me. (Great cover, though.)
The story is meandering and confusing with ghosts both real and made up. There is a ecological backstory, and family secrets, and a great old house, any of which could have been put to good use in a better story.
I hope this is an anomaly. I think Garth Stein is a talented writer, but he struck out with this one, at least for me. (Great cover, though.)