A Citizen of the Country (Ballantine Reader's Circle)

Rating:
Summary: superbly plotted finale
Review: A Citizen of the Country succeeded where The Knowledge of Water failed, in that it was truly worthy of being called a sequel to the tremendous opening book, The Vanished Child. While typically complex, the mystery plot here was at least understandable. But, as always, the key to these novels is the human plot introduced in the Vanished Child, and the denouement of that plot here was just fantastic; it was truly a payoff for people who have read all the books in the trilogy. Hopefully, the author will reconsider her decision to make this only a trilogy, and write one more episode set during World War One. The ending of this book certainly sets up the possibility of such a sequel. All in all, this was a great read, and anyone who may have been slightly turned off of this series by The Knowledge of Water should definitely give this book a try.

Rating:
Summary: A Sarah Smith fan for life
Review: A true sequel to the marvelous Vanished Child. Though I enjoyed Knowledge of Water perhaps more than some of the other readers writing here, this third volume is much, much better. Don't stop here whatever you do, Sarah -- when can I expect a fourth volume?

Rating:
Summary: Third time is a charm, but.......
Review: Having now finished Sarah Smith's Vanished Child Trilogy, I can conclude that the sequel is rarely ever as good as the original.

While Vanished Child thrilled, and Knowledge of Water disappointed, A Citizen of the Country strives to bring readers once again into the dark clouds that hang over Alexander Von Reisden since he was recognized and proven to be the missing Richard Knight, who vanished at the age of 8 on the night his grandfather was murdered; himself being the killer.

But this time around, Reisden and wife Perdita are parents to a happy, healthy boy. However, Reisden and Perdita are far from happy themselves. Reisden mistrusts his nearly blind wife to care properly for their son; Perdita strives to understand why Reisden has distanced himself from Gilbert Knight, a surviving Uncle of Richard's, who can end the financial woes of Jouvet, the psychiatric facility that Reisden owns, nearly destroyed in the Paris flood described in The Knowledge of Water.

Enter Maurice Cyron, who holds the key to delivering a Government contract to Jouvet that will ensure its financial well-being for years to come. Cyron charges Reisden to complete a task begun long ago at Jouvet, to help put to rest the demons of his adopted son, Andre, a friend of Reisden's youth.

Andre, the unbalanced host of alter-ego Necrosar, writes dark, murderous plays for a 'Theater of Horror' in Paris. Being shut in with his dead parents for days when just a young boy seems to have permanently unhinged Andre, though he has married a beautiful young woman, Sabine, who obsesses with bearing a child for Necrosar, whom she worships, herself a witch.

Andre and Cyron bring Reisden and company to Montfort, Andre's ancestral home, to film a treatment of Macbeth, a la Necrosar, complete with the beheading of the heroine, played by Sabine, by guillotine, as the culmination of the film. But amidst all the make-believe death and gore, real bodies begin to turn up, and a mystery unfolds. Reisden and his friend Jules are blackmailed to uncover the 'secret of Montfort'...Jules' sister Ruthie uncovers Sabine's secret, and a witch's poison, which nearly claims her life. Tunnels below Montfort itself are found to be far more than just a challenging labyrinth, and Reisden is forced to overcome his owns demons about committing murder in order to help solve the mystery surrounding the death of one of the principal characters, lest an innocent person suffer the same fate.

Sound good? Technically it is...Smith delivers dark, gloomy prose, of the same ilk as Vanished Child. Citizen is far superior to Knowledge of Water, in the respect that, like Vanished Child, there was a central plot that the other sub-plots fed from, and that affected them all. The 'secret of Montfort', while not quite as exciting as I had hoped, feeds into all other plot-lines, like a body of water feeding tributaries. Many demons are laid to rest by the end of the story, which is one of its strengths, a 'satisfying' conclusion for several of the story threads.

But where the novel fails to live up to the original is a lack of excitement when the 'secret' is finally revealed. The so-called 'secret' of Montfort is lackluster at best, and really not enough to keep perpetuating its mention time and again as a plot line. Further, Smith shoots herself in the foot by foreshadowing the death of one of the principals in the story, so that when the event takes place, it is expected, and therefore not much of a shock. While the first novel held my interest until the end to find out 'the truth', this novel does not deliver the same satisfaction. A contrived 'resolution' (from the characters of the novel) does not really answer one of the major questions of the story; the identity of the person who commits the 'shocking' murder. It seems as though Smith, in the hopes of a resolution for all the characters involved, left out a resolution for the reader.

That said, I do recommend reading this book if you have already read the other two. Without having them as a background, many things here will not make much sense to a reader, and although the story can be read autonomously, a foundation of the first two parts of this trilogy only adds to the overall read.

I sincerely hope that Smith will revisit the characters, and expand this trilogy into something larger. She is a capable writer, with a talent for creating a hazy, gloomy setting, and painting equally despairing characters to populate that setting.

Rating:
Summary: A Sarah Smith fan for life
Review: Having read Sarah Smith's first two novels, I could hardly wait to read the third -- reportedly final installment of a trilogy. Like the second, this novel contains an involving new story as well as gripping developments in the ongoing saga of Alexander Reisden and Perdita Halley -- and my only objection is, I can't believe this is the final novel of the series! Without giving away the plot of this book, I have to say it strikes me as being set up for another sequel. And it's only fair to point out to future readers that, while this book is set in 1911, Smith earlier reported that she intended the final novel of the trilogy to be set in 1914 -- World War I. I'm still waiting for that novel! -- A Passionate Fan, Kirsten Russell

Rating:
Summary: A beautifully woven tapastry of the written word.
Review: Sarah Smith has once again wriiten a beautifully intricate novel. Her third, it is definately not to be missed. In this carefully crafted novel, she once again deeply explores each of her charecters; their hidden motivations, secrets, mental standing and fears. In essense, she brings her charecters to life by making a 3-d copy of who they are and why- a DNA of personalities.

Alexander von Reisden returns in this book, along with Perdita, the blind pianist. To reveal the plot would not only be sinful but almost impossible to do. The only way to know and understand the plot is to read the book.

Although it is possible to read this excellent book without reading the first two, it would be a tragedy to miss the Vanished Child and the Knowledge of Water.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent
Review: There is a dark foreboding of change is in the air, leaving a state of uneasiness settling throughout Europe in 1911. To restrain Germany, France and Russia have formed an alliance. However, Germany will go to any length to destroy that pact. The enigmatic Baron Alexander Von Reisden owns the very advanced mental institution, Jouvet. Though Alexander is running from his own past, his patient files contains information that would shatter the Franco-Russian agreement.

As valuable as that data seems, the Germans seek something else at this moment. At Montfort Manor in Northeast France, the owner, a war hero, is doing extensive remodeling. The Germans want to know what secrets are being concealed beneath the walls of the chatelaine. They try to blackmail Alex into obtaining the buried "treasures." Alex will do whatever he needs to do to fulfill his role in destiny.

Although A CITIZEN OF THE COUNTRY is the final volume of a historical fiction trilogy (see THE VANISHED CHILD and KNOWLEDGE OF WATER), the novel remains an excellent stand-alone tale. The story line combines suspense, character analysis, and drama into an exciting thriller. Cast members from the previous stories return as more of their personal histories are revealed and the author provides hints as to their futures. As with her first two novels, Sarah Smith has written a notable book that will provide her much acclaim.

Harriet Klausner