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judithdcollins's review against another edition
5.0
THE BAY AT MIDNIGHT was extraordinary! I tend to start with an author's newer books, fall in love with their style--then quickly devouring their backlist. "A 2006 hidden gem."
Each of Diane Chamberlain's books are unique and different. A complex story of three generations of women, hidden family secrets, death, intrigue, love, relationships, romance, and mystery.
Appreciating the era, the lake cottage bungalow setting; born in the 50’s and in my teens in the 60’s -- reminiscent of past summer family vacations, teenage rebellion, segregation, young and forbidden love, and all the other fun things.
Urging you to return to simpler times when we were 12 and 13 yrs old. (It is always funny to hear of hidden secrets even in generations of the 30s and 40s; capable of the same mistakes; however, kept them very taboo, due to the times.)
The teenage loves of next door lake neighbors for both generations, the relationship between mother and daughters, sisters, and how Diane portrays them so eloquently, with her past expertise in social work as well as being a talented author – making for a five-star novel! Pulled another 3 am to finish!
1962 at the Jersey Shores for the setting of the main story which involved 3 sisters (daughters), mother and father, and grandparents at their summer bungalow and another family next door with two sons and a dad with a past connection to the mother.
A setting for a night of horror with a murder of the oldest sister; cover-ups, guilt, and the wrong person dying, in prison and not until years later did the mystery start to unravel which changed the lives of all involved.
Combined with current day events of Julie’s struggle with her pregnant daughter, the strained relationship between Julie and her mother Maria, secrets of years past, and the reentering of her past next door neighbor and a new budding friendship and romance.
Faced with doubt, questions, and guilt It is time to bring all the lies and secrets to the surface. The families have to revisit their past and gather the courage to face the complex emotions which led to the one unexplained night at midnight on the bay.
An Oldie but Goodie! Highly recommend all Diane's books. You MUST read her upcoming PRETENDING TO DANCE , a 5 Star +, top books of 2015!
Each of Diane Chamberlain's books are unique and different. A complex story of three generations of women, hidden family secrets, death, intrigue, love, relationships, romance, and mystery.
Appreciating the era, the lake cottage bungalow setting; born in the 50’s and in my teens in the 60’s -- reminiscent of past summer family vacations, teenage rebellion, segregation, young and forbidden love, and all the other fun things.
Urging you to return to simpler times when we were 12 and 13 yrs old. (It is always funny to hear of hidden secrets even in generations of the 30s and 40s; capable of the same mistakes; however, kept them very taboo, due to the times.)
The teenage loves of next door lake neighbors for both generations, the relationship between mother and daughters, sisters, and how Diane portrays them so eloquently, with her past expertise in social work as well as being a talented author – making for a five-star novel! Pulled another 3 am to finish!
1962 at the Jersey Shores for the setting of the main story which involved 3 sisters (daughters), mother and father, and grandparents at their summer bungalow and another family next door with two sons and a dad with a past connection to the mother.
A setting for a night of horror with a murder of the oldest sister; cover-ups, guilt, and the wrong person dying, in prison and not until years later did the mystery start to unravel which changed the lives of all involved.
Combined with current day events of Julie’s struggle with her pregnant daughter, the strained relationship between Julie and her mother Maria, secrets of years past, and the reentering of her past next door neighbor and a new budding friendship and romance.
Faced with doubt, questions, and guilt It is time to bring all the lies and secrets to the surface. The families have to revisit their past and gather the courage to face the complex emotions which led to the one unexplained night at midnight on the bay.
An Oldie but Goodie! Highly recommend all Diane's books. You MUST read her upcoming PRETENDING TO DANCE , a 5 Star +, top books of 2015!
odmay's review
4.0
The Bay at Midnight is set predominantly in two different times, the present and the sixties. It is the story of two families who spend the summer next door to each other and told through the voices of the different individuals involved. An older sister dies mysteriously and the wrong person was found guilty of her murder. Then over forty years later a letter is found and her sister sets out to find out what really happened.
This book was a pleasant surprise for me and I really enjoyed reading it. The relating of the story through individual voices in different timelines worked very well for me. The characters seemed real to me and grew and developed throughout the story. Even though I was unfamiliar with the setting, the sense of place was well conveyed.
As this is the first time I have read a novel by Diane Chamberlain, I will be looking to read more of her books.
This book was a pleasant surprise for me and I really enjoyed reading it. The relating of the story through individual voices in different timelines worked very well for me. The characters seemed real to me and grew and developed throughout the story. Even though I was unfamiliar with the setting, the sense of place was well conveyed.
As this is the first time I have read a novel by Diane Chamberlain, I will be looking to read more of her books.
ruth559's review against another edition
2.0
A bit of a struggle to read this one, I didn’t relate to the characters and it felt like something written especially for a middle aged woman
cammieo's review against another edition
5.0
oh I love me some Diane Chamberlain. This is my favorite of hers so far.
jess1590's review against another edition
4.0
Got really good towards the end...but wasn't my favorite of hers.
elemar's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
infinitelibrary's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
readhikerepeat's review against another edition
5.0
Whew, this was a great book! I was completely drawn in from the very first page. Diane Chamberlain is moving up the ranks as one of my favorite authors. This is a book about a woman who writes paperback mystery novels and is confronted by the past. The summer that she was twelve, Julie’s sister Isabel was murdered. The story begins with a woman coming to tell her that the person who went to jail for Isabel’s murder was innocent.
From there, the book goes back and forth from that summer of 1962 and present day and is told through the eyes of Julie, her younger sister (Lucy) and their mother (Maria). Of course, it’s complete with a love story and family secrets abound, which makes it impossible to put down.
I give this one 5 stars. If it weren’t for that little bit of sleep I got, I would have read it in one sitting. I stayed up until 3 am and grabbed the book the second I woke up (and I completely ignored my husband all day, but he was glad that I found a book that really pulled me in, so it’s okay!).
http://mzspaztastic1.wordpress.com/category/book-reviews/
From there, the book goes back and forth from that summer of 1962 and present day and is told through the eyes of Julie, her younger sister (Lucy) and their mother (Maria). Of course, it’s complete with a love story and family secrets abound, which makes it impossible to put down.
I give this one 5 stars. If it weren’t for that little bit of sleep I got, I would have read it in one sitting. I stayed up until 3 am and grabbed the book the second I woke up (and I completely ignored my husband all day, but he was glad that I found a book that really pulled me in, so it’s okay!).
http://mzspaztastic1.wordpress.com/category/book-reviews/
echo_finished_cake's review against another edition
3.0
***Spoiler Alert***
This book was both surprisingly disappointing and wildly addictive at given points of the story. I was in the mood to read a mystery/thriller and this book had been on my "Want to Read" shelf for quite some time, so I decided this was going to be my next one.
Well, I have to say, the surprisingly disappointing part of the book was the first half. It was mostly ongoing backstory that had you on this hope train that the next chapter something dramatic and pivotal to the plot would happen. Unfortunately, for several chapters, it just didn't do it for me. I actually considered marking this as "Did not finish" because I was somewhat bored with it.
It wasn't until the second half, the story got real interesting. I slowly started to see how the long back story sets the reader up for trying to solve the mystery of Isabel Bauer's murder. It became a page turner, that's for sure!
I also liked how there was a romance blossoming between Julie and Ethan in the second half. At one point, I think it was chapter 21, I kept thinking "What a great character/man Ethan is! Why can't I find a real life man like him?" haha He was definitely one of my favorite characters in the story.
I also thought Ms. Chamberlain did a great job of writing a few antagonistic characters as well, so to speak. Shannon, Ross Chapman and Bruno Walker....all characters you love to hate. And I hated the character of Shannon! But I also thought their respective endings were well written in my opinion!
Anyway, I'm not sure I would recommend this book to any friends, but I overall liked it nonetheless!
This book was both surprisingly disappointing and wildly addictive at given points of the story. I was in the mood to read a mystery/thriller and this book had been on my "Want to Read" shelf for quite some time, so I decided this was going to be my next one.
Well, I have to say, the surprisingly disappointing part of the book was the first half. It was mostly ongoing backstory that had you on this hope train that the next chapter something dramatic and pivotal to the plot would happen. Unfortunately, for several chapters, it just didn't do it for me. I actually considered marking this as "Did not finish" because I was somewhat bored with it.
It wasn't until the second half, the story got real interesting. I slowly started to see how the long back story sets the reader up for trying to solve the mystery of Isabel Bauer's murder. It became a page turner, that's for sure!
I also liked how there was a romance blossoming between Julie and Ethan in the second half. At one point, I think it was chapter 21, I kept thinking "What a great character/man Ethan is! Why can't I find a real life man like him?" haha He was definitely one of my favorite characters in the story.
I also thought Ms. Chamberlain did a great job of writing a few antagonistic characters as well, so to speak. Shannon, Ross Chapman and Bruno Walker....all characters you love to hate. And I hated the character of Shannon! But I also thought their respective endings were well written in my opinion!
Anyway, I'm not sure I would recommend this book to any friends, but I overall liked it nonetheless!