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    The Drowning House: A Novel
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    The Drowning House: A Novel
    Unavailable
    The Drowning House: A Novel
    Audiobook11 hours

    The Drowning House: A Novel

    Written by Elizabeth Black

    Narrated by Ann Marie Lee

    3.5/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this audiobook

    A gripping suspense story about a woman who returns to Galveston, Texas after a personal tragedy and is irresistibly drawn into the insular world she's struggled to leave.

    Photographer Clare Porterfield's once-happy marriage is coming apart, unraveling under the strain of a family tragedy. When she receives an invitation to direct an exhibition in her hometown of Galveston, Texas, she jumps at the chance to escape her grief and reconnect with the island she hasn't seen for ten years. There Clare will have the time and space to search for answers about her troubled past and her family's complicated relationship with the wealthy and influential Carraday family.

    Soon she finds herself drawn into a century-old mystery involving Stella Carraday. Local legend has it that Stella drowned in her family's house during the Great Hurricane of 1900, hanged by her long hair from the drawing room chandelier. Could Stella have been saved? What is the true nature of Clare's family's involvement? The questions grow like the wildflower vines that climb up the walls and fences of the island. And the closer Clare gets to the answers, the darker and more disturbing the truth becomes.

    Steeped in the rich local history of Galveston, The Drowning House portrays two families, inextricably linked by tragedy and time.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherPenguin Random House Audio
    Release dateJan 15, 2013
    ISBN9780385360210
    Unavailable
    The Drowning House: A Novel

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    Reviews for The Drowning House

    3.5/5

    61 ratings12 reviews

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    • 4/5
      The Drowning House is the story of Claire, a professional photographer, who, having lost her daughter, returns home to Galveston Island where she confronts a past filled with secrets and lies.This is a southern gothic novel that some have described as a suspense thriller. I think if I’d been expecting a suspense thriller, I’d have been sorely disappointed. What I suspect was to have been a major tell was fairly obvious early on. Still, the story was compelling and although there may have been too many plot lines thrown in the mix and the mid-section seemed a bit muddled, this debut novel was worth a read. The hurricane that struck Galveston in 1900 is an essential element of one of the storylines and the historical aspect, as well as the description of Galveston, was interesting. Elizabeth Black is a poet and her prose is beautiful. And it was that talent, more than the story itself, that kept me reading long past the point where I was tempted to abandon the book. I’m looking forward to her next effort.
    • 4/5
      Author: Elizabeth BlackPublished By: Nan A. Talese Age Recommended: AdultReviewed By: Arlena DeanBook Blog For: GMTARating: 4Review:"The Drowning House" by Elizabeth Black was indeed a novel that will take you into a Gothic mystery, thriller, and suspenseful read all rolled up into one. This novel definitely kept me turning the pages to see where the author was taking me on this ride. The setting is from Galveston, Texas where we find Clare has come home to do some work as a archival photographer where she has been recruited to put together a show about Galveston... showing old photos from the families and library. However, Clare seems to be somewhat interested in 'Stella Tale.' Now what is that all about? We find that she is very unhappy due to the fact of her marriage has fallen apart and more so...the terrible accident that took her daughter's life. Now that Clare is back in Galveston she finds that there is not much change in her relationship with her mother and sister....you taking about a dysfunctional family! Clare seems to find this "a place filled with corrosive relationships and family secrets" dealing with the Carraday and Porterfield families. Now what is this all about? Will Clare find any peace here? I found some of the characters were not very likable and I will only say you will have to pick up "The Drowning House" to see who they may be, however I still enjoyed the read. Ms. Black does a wonderful job in the excellent descriptions that are given on the Galveston area...making you feel as you are there, especially if you have been there you will be able to identify it. Also, the history of Galveston was simply well written. From the read I could see that really Clare is drowning from her memories of Galveston, along with a bad marriage, the death of her child along with a few other things... Now, with all that being said you will have to pick up the this good read and if you are like me ... you may get a suprise ending. So, would I recommend "The Drowning House" to you? YES!
    • 3/5
      "In the morning, I woke to find my cheeks wet with tears." {insert eye-roll emoticon here} If this debut author had focused less on achieving a literary style and more on crafting a rip-roaring Southern Family Gothic set in a fascinating location, I probably would have enjoyed it more. The Drowning House wasn't a total groaner. The characters were fairly solid and the premise had promise; but I saw the big reveal coming a lot earlier than I'd have liked. I'll read Ms. Black's next release, but I'll check it out from the library rather than letting my bookseller talk me into putting cash down.
    • 2/5
      This book was hyped for its dual story of Clare, a photographer who, after a personal tragedy, returns to Galveston to direct an exhibition and begins to question the story of a girl whose body was found after the 1900 Great Hurricane, her hair entangled in the family chandelier. Intriguing, right? Wrong. Elizabeth Black devotes her words to descriptions of Galveston rather than characters, dialogue, or plot. Her descriptions are beautiful but anything related to character and plot is vague and suggestive without actually revealing anything. The reader is left stumbling along, guessing at motives and actions and the author's intent. This story boils down to dysfunctional families with disturbing relationships and wraps up, though many questions are left unanswered, with a series of events told after-the-fact in the last 6-page chapter of the book. Very disappointing.
    • 3/5
      I live in Houston, Texas, and am a frequent visitor of Galveston, so naturally I was interested in reading Black's novel about Texas's much beloved and much maligned barrier island. While I felt that Black did well in creating a poignant and well-rounded character in the island itself, the rest of the plot felt too vague and quickly lost my interest.
    • 3/5
      Elizabeth Black is a poet. I suspected as much reading descriptions such as, "Around her, I felt as though every minute was already full, that all the air in any room that contained us both had already been used up." and "that the air and water are often so close to body temperature you sometimes feel, if it weren't for the accident of your skin, you could melt into either one." She can evoke all of the senses with her lovely words. Black describes Galveston so the reader experiences the island. This is worth reading the novel alone. And there is a relatable and painful story here that has many layers, perhaps too many layers. Death, abuse, addiction, marital infidelity, lies. Or Sex, Lies, and Photographs. Clare Porterfield is a photographer who returns home after ten years to grieve after a personal tragedy. There are many characters, her mother, her sister, old neighbors and new. And an old mystery involving Stella Carrady, who is believed to have drowned during the Great Hurricane that hit Galveston in 1900. There is just a little too much going on to really develop some of the characters, and I felt like I didn't get to know some of them the way they deserved. Black is a talented writer, and her first novel is promising, and poetic.Received by the publisher on Net Galley.
    • 2/5
      For about the first fifty pages of this novel, I was hooked. A photographer, Clare, is preparing to return to her childhood home of Galveston, Texas, from which she was suddenly uprooted in the aftermath of a mysterious fire involving her and her adolescent friend/ love interest, Patrick Carraday. Clare is suffering from a tragic loss, and her life is unraveling around her. The plot was initially quite gripping, and its deflation as the book progressed was an unwelcome surprise.The biggest strength of this book was the vivid descriptions of Galveston, which came to life in the pages. Unfortunately, the setting was not enough to carry a cast of poorly developed characters and a faltering, ultimately predictable plot. The mystery of what happened to Stella Carraday, while initially seemingly a core plotline, is barely touched upon, and resolves itself with a resoundingly dull thud. Clare herself is difficult to connect with; once arriving in Galveston she seems rather self-centered and pretty insensitive to others, to the point that she almost becomes annoying. She is fixated on finding Patrick, who hasn't featured in her life for about 15 years, and mystified by the solicitousness of Patrick's father, the wealthy and powerful Will Carraday. With so many mysteries afoot (Where is Patrick? What happened in the fire? Why is Will so protective of Clare? What really happened to Stella?), the novel seemed primed to generate suspense and interest. For me, as each mystery slogged to its predictable and mundane conclusion, at the end it generated only frustration and disappointment.
    • 5/5
      One of the best debuts I've read all year, The Drowning House is a beautifully written atmospheric thriller that asks and explores all the best questions - What does is mean to live through loss, to return home, to discover things about your past, to put everything together into a new future? Galveston is as much a character in the book as Clare Porterfield and the authors's knowledge of place informs every sentence. This is related in my mind to The Cutting Season (another fabulous book) by Attica Locke for subject matter and quality of writing about place. The Drowning House is a great read all on its own, but read Isaac's Storm by Erik Larson for an even better experience. Highly recommended.
    • 4/5
      This author has a very unique and distinct writing style, rather elegant yet matter of fact. I read Isaac's Storm not to long ago, about the Hurricane that devastated Galveston and this book covers the history of Galveston from the viewpoint of the residents that lived there than and live there now. Galveston is a much the main character as is the photographer Claire. Ghosts and mysteries from the past meet up with the now adult Claire, trying to clarify for herself, things she does not understand from her own short past. Searching for answers to things that had been left unfinished as well as trying to understand her lack of closeness with both her mother and sister. This is a slow unveiling of a story set against a backdrop of family revelations and tragedies. This is a novel I savored more than rushed through.
    • 5/5
      Clare Porterfield has made a successful life for herself. As a photographer, she is invited back to her hometown of Galveston, Texas for an exhibition. Reeling from a family tragedy and unraveling marriage, she takes refuge in the offer to reconnect with the comfort of familiarity there.In revisiting the past, Clare is able to reexamine her own past, as well as research her family history. She is seeking answers involving her family’s connection to a longtime influential family, the Carradays.Clare is intrigued by the unusual drowning of Stella Carraday, who drowned in the family home during the Great Hurricane of 1900. She had drowned hanging by her hair from the chandelier. The unusual circumstances have long been a mystery. Now Clare’s curiosity grows, drawing her into a dark and unsettling past.This dark mystery tells some of the history of Galveston, while telling the stories of two families. A fascinating and well developed suspense novel, it is one not to be missed.
    • 4/5
      The Drowning House is the story of Claire, a professional photographer, who, having lost her daughter, returns home to Galveston Island where she confronts a past filled with secrets and lies.This is a southern gothic novel that some have described as a suspense thriller. I think if I?d been expecting a suspense thriller, I?d have been sorely disappointed. What I suspect was to have been a major tell was fairly obvious early on. Still, the story was compelling and although there may have been too many plot lines thrown in the mix and the mid-section seemed a bit muddled, this debut novel was worth a read. The hurricane that struck Galveston in 1900 is an essential element of one of the storylines and the historical aspect, as well as the description of Galveston, was interesting. Elizabeth Black is a poet and her prose is beautiful. And it was that talent, more than the story itself, that kept me reading long past the point where I was tempted to abandon the book. I?m looking forward to her next effort.
    • 4/5
      This book is filled with ghosts. It's no Turn of the Screw, where unaccountable figures appear and create an aura of dread, or "Ghosthunters", where intrepid investigators try to provoke taps and disembodied voices. This book is filled with the kind of spectres most everyone has to live with. Something terrible happened in the course of an ordinary day – was there anything you could have done to prevent it? Everyone else in the world proceeds through such commonplaces with no misfortune – how could it have gone so horribly for you? An accident in the past – also with terrible and unforeseen results, some immediate and some farther reaching – again, why? How? A figure from the past, once closer than anyone but not seen in years, seems to evade you – why? Has he, someone asks, been in touch in all the years since the last time you saw him? Well, no – but … No. He lingers just outside your field of vision, almost glimpsed, almost sensed. Another ghost. There is a Galveston legend, according to this book, of a girl who ran off with her lover, not realizing a hurricane was about to strike; she died, and did so rather spectacularly. This old and dear friend, evading contact now, is almost as ephemeral as that girl's spectre. Or perhaps it is she who is almost as real and present as he is. The Drowning House is the sort of book which makes it very easy to make assumptions about the author. It's such an intimate portrait of Galveston – she must have lived there, and probably was born there. It's about the loss of a child – it's so intimate and raw she must have lost a child. It's about the end of a marriage – not with the bang nor even the whimper but more with a sort of sad sigh – she must have seen a marriage end like this. The main character's own horrible childhood – the author must have experienced something like this for it to be so real. But, truly, this just serves to take away from the ability of the writer. Maybe Elizabeth Black is just like Clare, her main character; maybe she was born and raised in Moldavia and any resemblance to fictional persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental. It doesn't matter. What matters is that she has created a beautiful book. This was a Netgalley offering, read with thanks.