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At the Water's Edge: A Novel
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At the Water's Edge: A Novel
Unavailable
At the Water's Edge: A Novel
Audiobook10 hours

At the Water's Edge: A Novel

Written by Sara Gruen

Narrated by Justine Eyre

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

3.5/5

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Currently unavailable

Currently unavailable

About this audiobook

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • In this thrilling new novel from the author of Water for Elephants, Sara Gruen again demonstrates her talent for creating spellbinding period pieces. At the Water's Edge is a gripping and poignant love story about a privileged young woman's awakening as she experiences the devastation of World War II in a tiny village in the Scottish Highlands.

After disgracing themselves at a high society New Year's Eve party in Philadelphia in 1944, Madeline Hyde and her husband, Ellis, are cut off financially by his father, a former army colonel who is already ashamed of his son's inability to serve in the war. When Ellis and his best friend, Hank, decide that the only way to regain the Colonel's favor is to succeed where the Colonel very publicly failed—by hunting down the famous Loch Ness monster—Maddie reluctantly follows them across the Atlantic, leaving her sheltered world behind.

The trio find themselves in a remote village in the Scottish Highlands, where the locals have nothing but contempt for the privileged interlopers. Maddie is left on her own at the isolated inn, where food is rationed, fuel is scarce, and a knock from the postman can bring tragic news. Yet she finds herself falling in love with the stark beauty and subtle magic of the Scottish countryside. Gradually she comes to know the villagers, and the friendships she forms with two young women open her up to a larger world than she knew existed. Maddie begins to see that nothing is as it first appears: the values she holds dear prove unsustainable, and monsters lurk where they are least expected.

As she embraces a fuller sense of who she might be, Maddie becomes aware not only of the dark forces around her, but of life's beauty and surprising possibilities.

LanguageEnglish
Release dateMar 31, 2015
ISBN9781101889374
Unavailable
At the Water's Edge: A Novel
Author

Sara Gruen

Sara Gruen is the author of the New York Times bestseller Water for Elephants and Riding Lessons. She lives with her husband and three children in a conservation community outside Chicago.

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Reviews for At the Water's Edge

Rating: 3.5473071666666662 out of 5 stars
3.5/5

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  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    A special thank you to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

    I don't want to compare this book with Water for Elephants, I don't think that is fair to do...but...I didn't love this book and Water for Elephants is partly to blame because it was so fantastic.

    Gruen tackles a historical time and fictitious creature in At the Water's Edge. I enjoyed the setting for the book, as many other reviewers have said, this would make a great movie. My problem is with the characters. It's not that Gruen is a bad writer, quite the opposite, but I didn't overly like any of them. I kept getting the Scottish girls confused, and didn't care for any of the men, save for maybe Hank at times. I realize that the reader is not supposed to like Elis, he's very similar to the husband in Water for Elephants, but I found his character flat for the villain part.

    The book started off great. The best part of the book for me was the prologue and the New Year's Party.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    I listened to this on CD, in my car. I really enjoyed it a lot! I had read Sara Gruen's "Water for Elephants" a few years ago and found that pretty good... But I think this is far and away better than "Elephants"! I think it helped having it read to me, complete with Scottish accents--so beautiful! I know things are different now, in Drumnadrochit, than they were during WWII... but I still think it would be beautiful and exciting and enriching to go visit.

    I remember, when my husband read "The Great Gatsby", he expressed great disdain for the over-privileged, over-indulged, self-serving wealthy brats in that story--that's how I felt about the main characters in "Water's Edge". Except that Maddie does a complete 180 and sees how ugly that lifestyle actually was! And, as so often happens in stories (as in real life), she discovered that those around her that are 'poor' are actually far richer than the wealthy folks she's been surrounded by all her life.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    It seems I am at the opposite end of the spectrum where I enjoyed At the Water's Edge much more than I liked Water for Elephants, but of course, I am currently going through a Scotland phase. And I am always going through a WWII phase.

    This novel was a great example of storytelling and I was hooked from the first page. It didn't take a few chapters to get into it for, I was enjoying the story from the start. The story just flows so well and I found this to be one of those books that I had a very hard time putting down for any length of time.

    The three characters in the beginning: Maddie, Hank, and Ellis, while not exactly "likable", where still entertaining to read about. I really felt as though Maddie did redeem herself by the end and all of the Scotland characters where great!

    The only flaw I really found was with the romance itself. Not very realistic and super rushed. The romance was not the focal point of this novel, however, so I was able to look past it and still highly enjoy this novel.



  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Rather disappointing. While I did devour this book in a few days, there were more weaknesses apparent than strengths. Of the strengths I consider the inventive premise and the recreation of time and place, a Scottish village during WWII. However, most of the characters were two dimensional, more like caricatures than characters, and several of the plot conventions just plain unbelievable. There were too many instances of take it with a grain of salt which is really poor as far as characterization goes. I think what pulled me in was to find out when she would wake up to off load those two obnoxious entitled jerks.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Sara Gruen writes well, but this story didn't work for me. The good people were really good and the bad ones really bad. Some of the motivations didn't hold up. Some outcomes too predictable. I think this will be my last book by this author.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    It's difficult to enjoy a book when you dislike the main characters so much but I still did like this book. More the second half when Maddie starts to come around from a spoiled brat. Her husband Ellis and his friend Hank never do. Maddie becomes part the real world during war time while staying at a modest inn while her husband searches for rememption with his parents and their money by hunting for the Loch ness monster. Class and morality compete with Scottish folklore and wartime heroism to make this a novel worth reading.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    I thought Water for Elephants (the book, NOT the movie) was a much better story. I didn't have much use for any of the American characters (of both generations) in this book and it was only redeemed by Maddie becoming "human" halfway through. But, quick summer read so it had that going for it.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Interesting fictional account of a woman who went along with her husband to chase a legend in a foreign country and the cultural challenges she faces. Gruen is an author to watch.
  • Rating: 1 out of 5 stars
    1/5
    Madeline Hyde, the rich, spoiled socialite and her similarly privileged husband, were thrown out of his family home with a reduced allowance. Oh, poor dears. Better order another bottle of champagne.A search for the Loch Ness monster combined with a WWII setting, sounded like a good read. Despite a terrible beginning, I stayed with it, hoping for improvement. With about 30 pages left, I've had enough. I read this to fill a challenge over at the Category Challenge group, otherwise I would have abandoned it much earlier.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Jumbled storyline, emotions and things thrown in for whatever reason. I finished reading to see which predictable ending the author would choose. Two and a half stars.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Maddie, Ellis and their friend, Hank are wealthy socialites who live a life of luxury. They are spoiled and rude and entirely unlikable. After making the perilous journey by ship to Scotland (during war-time I might add) the two men pretty much abandon Maddie while they hunt for the elusive Loch Ness monster. Throughout the rest of the book we follow Maddie as she turns from a spoiled, pampered brat to a strong woman who develops new friendships, learns compassion for others and discovers what true love is really like. Readers looking for a story with a great setting and lots of character development will enjoy this one as I did. The book is relatively slow moving. There's not a whole lot going on in terms of plot except Maddie getting to know the locals, and herself. Her wealth and privilege have sheltered her from most of the horrors of war and her realizations of how the other half lives is staggering for her. As the book progresses, Maddie slowly turns from a spoiled socialite into a woman who cares for others and wants to help. She starts to understand the ridiculousness of the world she used to live in. Her husband, Ellis, and their friend, Hank, have no such epiphanies so when they return their scenes are increasingly uncomfortable for both Maddie and the reader. I especially loved the setting. The descriptions of the countryside, the people and even the rooms in the inn really make you feel like you're there with Maddie. You can feel the cold, see the water, the castle, the bomb shelter. There were a couple of things I didn't really like. First, the romance here didn't really feel as developed as it should have. We go from lots of glances and a couple of words to full on bedroom scene with not a whole lot of development in between. I wouldn't call it insta-love, but I would have liked more. Second, the ending was all a little too neat for me. All the loose ends were wrapped up in a pretty bow and I just wasn't buying it. Overall, despite those things, I really enjoyed this book. I loved reading about Maddie's personal journey. I loved some of the supporting characters and really loathed others - as the author intended. The romance was sweet and there's a happy ending which is always nice. I loved the descriptions and setting and the general atmosphere. Over the couple of days it took me to read it, I was always eager to pick it back up. Readers looking for an adventure about looking for the Loch Ness monster will be disappointed. Readers looking for an in-depth story about WWII will be disappointed. However, readers who enjoy character development, a great setting, historical fiction and light romance will enjoy this one. I recommend it. Note: I received a copy of this book for free from the publisher via the Early Reviewer program
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    The book was a fast read, and while it was not great literature, it was entertaining but nothing more than a romance novel. I disliked the main characters as I was meant to, liked the average people of Scotland, and the redemption of the main female and the happy ever after ending with everything turning out in a predictable manner.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    "After disgracing themselves at a high society New Year's Eve party in Philadelphia in 1944, Madeline Hyde and her husband, Ellis, are cut off financially by his father, a former army colonel who is already ashamed of his son's inability to serve in the war. With his best friend, Hank, Ellis decides that the only way to regain his father's favor is to succeed where the colonel once very publicly failed-by hunting down the famous Loch Ness monster. Maddie reluctantly follows them across the Atlantic, leaving her sheltered world behind. The trio find themselves in a remote village in the Scottish Highlands, where the locals have nothing but contempt for the privileged interlopers. Maddie is left on her own at the isolated inn, where food is rationed, fuel is scarce, and a knock from the postman can bring tragic news. Yet she finds herself falling in love with the stark beauty and subtle magic of the Scottish countryside. Gradually she comes to know the villagers, and the friendships she forms with two young women open her up to a larger world than she knew existed. Maddie begins to see that nothing is as it first appears: the values she holds dear prove unsustainable, and monsters lurk where they are least expected. As she embraces a fuller sense of who she might be, Maddie becomes aware not only of the dark forces around her but of life's beauty and surprising possibilities." (inside cover flap) Part WWII historical novel, part dramatic "awakening" of a young woman, both stunted but sheltered in her love-deprived upbringing, Gruen's use of detail and characterization are engaging, with each (mostly) believable plot twist bringing Maddie more fully into her own. All the other supporting characters are gradually revealed to us, and can I say? what a cruel pair of parents in law, and parents she endures... yikes. And rich playboys with young wife in tow allowed on a merchant freighter in a military convoy to Scotland in the middle of WWII? Hmmm, truly a stretch. Gruen plays fast and loose with Ellis' character in particular, letting us see his disdain for his father and disbelief in the Loch Ness monster and almost inexplicably, deciding he must investigate the legend himself. Not very plausible. Yet the other characters contribute to a realistic (mostly) satisfying story arc; I think Gruen's strength definitely appears to be female protagonists. Loved the setting.
  • Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
    2/5
    This book was just slightly above "ok." It had such and interesting idea for a plot, and the main character, Maddie, was well developed. However, the other characters were not as well done, and the story, which could have been great, ended up flat, with an ending that was too predictable and trite.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    An engrossing story of Maddie's gradual awakening to the emptiness of her life - and a satisfying ending.
  • Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
    2/5
    2.5 stars. I loved "Water for Elephants" so maybe my expectations were set too high. The first part of this book was interesting, as was the Scottish setting and WWII history, but the characters were mostly two-dimensional cardboard cutouts and the situations (especially the threat to the heroine, Maddie) were implausible. The story is supposed to show Maddie's evolution from spoiled (if damaged) society rich girl to a more mature, well-developed person with a conscience, but the plot turns into a formulaic romance in the last hundred pages, complete with castles, titles, inheritance, and a very convenient accident.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    The reviews that I had read about this book made me think I would be disappointed. Nothing is further from the truth, I loved listening to this story by Sara Gruen. I had read Water for Elephants and I loved this even more. The historical background, WWII, in wilds of Scotland, the characters living there, it was all perfect. Maddie and her new husband, Ellis come to Scotland on a mission. Elllis planned to back the favor of father who had cut him off financially . So they took a ship with Ellis longtime friend, to search. The only thing that his father had been a failure at in his life.Maddie came from a well to do family, was sheltered and trained to be dependent upon others. She is very unhappy and feels unloved. But what happened in Scotland changed her life entirely. She found herself, realized that dangerous reality of her marriage and took control of her life.This book is one of the very few that I would not hesitate to re-visit. It had everything, comedy,drama and very memorable scenes. The narrator was wonderful, very talented. This book, it is now one of my favorites.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    After a disaster of a New Years Eve party that leads to a fight between her in-laws and her husband Madeline finds herself in Scotland with her husband Ellis and their best friend Hank at the tail end of WWII. The three friends are from money, the men had been medically excused from fighting and all seem woefully ignorant of what had been going on in Europe. Either unaware or just dense the men felt this was a good time to resume a hunt for the loch ness monster abandoned by Ellis's father decades ago. Maddie begin to grasp the danger and stress these people have been through and begins to take control of her life. The two men are pretty awful and their insensitivity and attitude makes them pretty intolerable. The change in Maddie and the supporting characters save this book for me. However I credit Gruen in her ability as a writer that she can write such a loathsome character as Ellis.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Captivating!!I'll admit, this was my first book by Sara Gruen so I came in with no expectations. It sounded like an interesting story so I decided to give it a shot. I was not disappointed! I loved how I slowly sunk into the book until I was totally engrossed. By the end of it, I felt like I had gone through all the same realizations that Maddie had. It was beautifully written. Sometimes authors get too long winded when describing the scenery and what not, but Gruen was able to give you rich detail without halting the story or dragging you down. It was as if you were literally looking through Maddie's eyes and experiencing everything with her.I would loosely call this book Historical Fiction. I feel like that implies a lot more history than what this book gave. For me, this was more of a Coming of Age novel -- just the young adult version. I'm not sure that it specifically says, but Maddie is roughly mid-20s. But teens aren't the only ones who go through major revelations about life!This was just the book I needed to read, to help me be okay with discovering new things about myself and realizing that it's never too late to be happy.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    I received this book from the Library Thing's Early Reviews program. When I saw that the author of Water for Elephants had a new book out, I jumped on it. Unfortunately, this book was nowhere as good as Water for Elephants. You can't compare the books, as they are very diferent but At the Water's Edge was a disappointment. I coudn't stand the characters. The story was odd and unbelievable. Why would Americans move to Scotland in the midle of WWII? It was all just very hard to believe.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Read as an ARC from NetGalley.A quick read that will keep you engaged. The setting is Scotland in the final months of WWII. Specifically along the shores of Loch Ness. In disgrace and disinherited by his family, Ellis and his friend Hugh, come to Scotland to bring back pictures of the monster. Pictures Hugh's father had attempted to take years before and had been accused of fabricating his monster pictures. With the two men is Ellis's wife , Maddie. This is not what she wants to be doing.The trio are used to the very good life of the idle rich. They expect to be waited on and catered to. This is not going to happen at the rustic hotel they will use as their base camp. All 3 will change as they interact with the people at the inn and with each other. Very descriptive, WWII historic material, interesting characters come together to make another good book for Ms Gruen.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    And so, because of my husband's war with his father and their insane obsession with a mythical monster, we'd crossed the Atlantic at the very same time a real madman, a real monster, was attempting to take over the world for his own reasons of ego and pride.This was a book that I stayed up late to finish (definitely later than I should have). Once I started reading this and was transported to Scotland, I just couldn't put it down. While I was reading this book I was in love with it and its characters (well except for Ellis and Hank) but once I finished and really started to think about it, certain things began to lose their shine.I admit that in the beginning I really loved Ellis and Hank. I really loved their sense of humor. The more I read the more I began to hate them. They were absolute jerks and some readers may not be able to get past that. I really grew to love Maddie so I was extremely angry at the way they treated her. I was dying for Maddie to stand up to them and was glad when she did.The other secondary characters really add a lot to the story. I fell hook, line, and sinker for the relationship between Maddie and Angus while reading the book. When I really thought about it afterwards it seemed a bit too much like instalove at times. I liked seeing Maddie grow as a person as she became friends with Anna and Meg.Overall this was an enjoyable read that will transport you to Scotland during WWII to follow complex and compelling characters. [I received this book from a Librarything Early Reviewers giveaway. The content of my review is not affected by that.]
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Sara Gruen's book centers around a woman in an abusive relationship that doesn't become obvious until she's thousands of miles from home and help. I was so engrossed in Maddie's slow recognition of the awful person her husband Ellis truly was. I was proud of the strong woman she found herself to be in the end.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    It didn't take many pages of reading before I was absorbed in this book. It's "historical fiction" if one uses that term somewhat liberally, and I do. About the first half of the book is setting the scene and building suspense, after which time the story begins by comparison to fairly race along.I enjoyed it in its entirety. I love Scotland and am familiar with the 21st century version of the scene. For me the author's descriptions of the sights and sounds and rain and damp of the area were effective enough without bogging down the pace of the story. I actually felt the main characters were believable. Ellis and Hank were perhaps a bit caricatured, but this was not something that distracted me while reading. I found the antagonists just despicable enough to keep reading late into the night while hoping with each page turn to read of their downfall.The plot had some weaknesses, but there was nothing there distracting enough to spoil the story nor the reading experience for me. The second half of the book, as mentioned by other reviewers, does become rather gothic and romantic. That could be a turn-off or irrelevent, all depending on.I really enjoyed the book and have since bought one of the author's other books [Water For Elephants]. I would recommend this book to those who enjoy historical fiction and/or romance. I received this book as a Library Thing Early Reviewer, but that did not influence my review.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    I read [Water for Elephants] years ago and remember enjoying it. I wasn't as excited about Gruen's follow-up [Ape House], but I was intrigued by the description of this book. Set during World War II, [At the Water's Edge] is the story of Maddie Hyde, a newlywed who goes with her husband Ellis and his friend Hank, both of whom have been kept out of the war by disqualifying medical conditions, to search for the Loch Ness monster. But once they arrive in Scotland, Maddie realizes that the monster is not the only mystery that she's is faced with. In fact, nothing in her life is as it seems. But the friends that she makes at the inn where they are staying give her the strength to figure out what's real and what's just an illusion. This story required me to suspend disbelief a few times. I would have liked a bit more of the historical context to be reflected in the story. But I highly enjoyed this book because I liked Maddie. She was easy to root for. Together with the women that she meets at the inn, she is a force to be reckoned with. This was an enjoyable story.
  • Rating: 1 out of 5 stars
    1/5
    Couldn't get into this one. Just don't identify with spoiled rich kids. Even having the book being set during WW2, or adding in the Loch Ness monster wasn't enough to make it worthwhile for me to listening to.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    I was so surprised by this book by Sara Gruen, having read Water For Elephants, ( I loved that book) and Ape House, which I really enjoyed as well. At The Waters Edge left me feeling that it must have been written by someone else. So many things just didn't work for me in this story.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    I loved "Water for Elephants" and "Ape House". I was delighted to be able to have a chance to read "At the Waters Edge". Thank you NetGalley.Immediately upon starting chapter one I was met with the gang of aristocratic, elitist, contrived characters that I hated. Hank and Ellis at the top of the list. I read a review that referred to the main players as Caricatures that don't ring true. And I can not agree more. The last fourth of the book was easier to take, but this novel does not live up to the other above mentioned. I can ,however, see it as a movie.
  • Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
    2/5
    I was really eager to read this book. I loved Water for Elephants and At the Water's Edge is set mostly in Scotland, a country I love, and has an interesting storyline, so all seemed poised for a great read. But sadly I was disappointed. The story and the writing just came across as silly and the characters are so annoying it's untrue. The three main players, in particular, are like caricatures and nothing about them rang true. In the end, I just didn't care about what happened to any of them. Shame......
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    In this novel Maddie, her husband, and their friend, all privileged New Englanders, travel to Scotland at the tail end of WWII to boost Maddie's husband's reputation. Both he (Ellis) and Hank (the friend) have been turned down for military service (or at least say they were), so to avoid being thought cowards, they determine to find the Loch Ness monster. In America, the war seemed like a distant fantasy, something to be talked of politely, but not real to the ranks of the upper class. Maddie enjoys a life of wealth and privilege, though she bears the emotional scars of childhood abuse by her perfectionist mother and absentee father. When the trio travels to Scotland, Maddie finds herself through her relationship with the women working at the inn and her attraction to its mysterious innkeeper. As Maddie drifts further away from her vacuous life of dissipation and privilege, she develops empathy, responsibility, and a greater understanding of the world around her. Her husband and Hank, by contrast, sink deeper into their alcoholism and careless dismissal of the life and death struggles of the people around them.It took me a very long time (150 pages, not kidding) to figure out that the above is basically the extent of the plot. If you're waiting for something to "happen", let me save you the trouble: it doesn't. Not really. The book has a breathless climax of sorts, but the narrative action is mostly absent. We instead follow Maddie as she grows as a person incrementally, first feeling ashamed of herself and her companions for lolling around all day while everyone else toils hard to make ends meet, then moving to help around the inn, to becoming an important part of the lives of those around her. Through her awakening to the struggles and feelings of the townspeople, she discovers the great contrast between them and her husband.Sara Gruen's strengths have always been more in her ability to evoke feelings and ambience rather than complex characterization or big themes. This is a tidy, pleasant historical novel intended to appeal to readers who enjoy tidy, pleasant historical novels. Gruen succeeds. The monster, the war, the suffering are all background set dressing to Maddie's personal journey. Ellis and Hank are one-dimensional (villains at worst, immature man-children who need to check their privilege at best). The townspeople are good salt-of-the-earth sorts, but we are more told than shown. Maddie's greatest strengths are probably her cognizance of her upper class privilege and her apology for it. At the Water's Edge is an enjoyable, if a little fluffy, novel.