Desire Lines: A Novel

Rating:
Summary: A made-for-TV-movie-book....
Review: Desire Lines is a hugely enjoyable read for a number of reasons, not the least of which is the fact that it does not fit squarely into any specific genre. I am not at all sure where the Gen-X tag is coming from, to approach the book with that in mind is to begin with an unnecessary preconceived notion. At no point during the book did I find myself pausing to wonder if anyone would actually say that, if anyone would actually do that, if such things could actually take place. The story is eminent and the existential dilemmas are enough to inspire empathy in any person. The scattered bad things I have read about this book seem to have been written by people who didn't actually read it and could not conceivably be more off base. Do yourself a favor, buy two. One for yourself and one for someone you love. Or like.

Rating:
Summary: Unlike any other current novel.
Review: Desire Lines is a hugely enjoyable read for a number of reasons, not the least of which is the fact that it does not fit squarely into any specific genre. I am not at all sure where the Gen-X tag is coming from, to approach the book with that in mind is to begin with an unnecessary preconceived notion. At no point during the book did I find myself pausing to wonder if anyone would actually say that, if anyone would actually do that, if such things could actually take place. The story is eminent and the existential dilemmas are enough to inspire empathy in any person. The scattered bad things I have read about this book seem to have been written by people who didn't actually read it and could not conceivably be more off base. Do yourself a favor, buy two. One for yourself and one for someone you love. Or like.

Rating:
Summary: a well written first novel...
Review: I really enjoyed this book. While the story is about a best friend's disappearance 10 yrs prior on the night of high school graduation, the real focus of the book is someone coming to terms with themself. Revisiting the disappearance of her friend on that fateful night, with ten yrs life experience and disappointments under her belt, allows the narrator to discover who she is and, ultimately, through this process to unravel the mystery. A worthwhile read that approaches a typical subject matter from a different angle with winning results...

Rating:
Summary: Very well written novel that balances it all
Review: This is the second novel I have ready by this author. I enjoyed Sweet Water very much and this novel did not disappoint either. The author does an excellent job of slowly letting the story unravel naturally. Characters are very realistic as are their relationships and the strains between people, even with the passing of time. I found this book very readable and am surprised it is already out of print and didn't really make much of a showing. The writer is extremely talented and the mystery absorbed me as a reader. I reccommend finding a used copy from one of the amazon used booksellers. I'm glad I did.

Rating:
Summary: Very well written novel that balances it all
Review: This is the second novel I have ready by this author. I enjoyed Sweet Water very much and this novel did not disappoint either. The author does an excellent job of slowly letting the story unravel naturally. Characters are very realistic as are their relationships and the strains between people, even with the passing of time. I found this book very readable and am surprised it is already out of print and didn't really make much of a showing. The writer is extremely talented and the mystery absorbed me as a reader. I reccommend finding a used copy from one of the amazon used booksellers. I'm glad I did.

Rating:
Summary: Ho Hum
Review: This was a quick afternoon's beach read--I may not have finished it if I had packed another book to read. No great literary value here-- in fact, the story had a lot of holes in it, so I was forced to use my imagination.

In Bangor, Maine, on the night of her high school graduation in 1986, Jennifer Pelletier, Kathryn Campbell's best (she thought) friend, just disappeared from the face of the earth. She walked away from a bonfire and was never seen again.

Ten years later, a few weeks before their class reunion, Kathryn, recently divorced, returns to her mother's home in Bangor. She is still haunted by Jennifer's disappearance with its lack of closure and begins to write an article for the local paper, resurrecting the case in the eyes of the town and those who knew the missing girl.

I DID learn one thing from this book: the meaning of "desire lines". This means the trail through woods or brush, often barely discernible, showing that someone else has walked there before. It is a term used in orienteering and hiking.