The Swimming Pool
The Swimming Pool is very enjoyable and keeps your interest throughout the whole book. The plot takes some interesting twists and at times compels you to keep reading!
Rated of 5
by Heather F. (Tulsa, OK)
The Swimming Pool
This book drew me in right on its opening pages. There was a sense of mystery and of impending doom that kept me turning pages long after "reading time' was over. The characters were well fleshed out and my sympathies were with each of them in turn. As the story unfolded, I was caught up in the tangled lives surprised at the twists and turns. A page turner to the end!
Rated of 5
by Jill S. (Chicago, IL)
Diving Into 'The Swimming Pool'
Each of the characters in The Swimming Pool are constantly treading water in their search to uncover elusive family secrets. One of the biggest mysteries: what happened years ago when Cecil McClatchey, suspected in his wife's murder, dies in a car accident. Fast forward: Cecil's grown son Jed, returns to the Cape with his sister for the first time in years, and decides to confront Marcella, Cecil's one-time lover. The result: Jed and Marcella dive headfirst into an affair that ends up rocking their world with unexpected revelations.
The book is haunting and well-plotted, yet the shifts are often too abrupt and improbable; I wanted to be carried away more than I was. Readers of Jodi Picoult and Anita Shreve may find this book to their tastes. I wanted it to make some deeper waves.
Rated of 5
by Vicky R. (Cumming, GA)
Nothing new at the "Pool"
I didn't dislike this book...I just thought it was a lot of the same old thing. Affairs, murder, revenge, despair...the usual suspects. I kept hoping that the plot would pick up since a couple of the characters did have some strength to them, alas, I felt I stayed with the story in search of the answer to the murder mystery (and I will give the author credit for keeping me hanging on to the end); but much to my dismay, I closed the book continuing to wonder what happened. I don't think I would recommend this book to anyone simply because the story just didn't offer any real intrigue and the plot was just mediocre. It doesn't mean I wouldn't pick up another book by this same author though and give her another "spin".
Rated of 5
by Beth T. (Savannah, GA)
Ultimately Unsatisfying
While this book contains some lovely images and stirring language, in parts, I found it uneven and ultimately unsatisfying. The characters seemed to go around and around in circles - I kept waiting for at least partial resolution to all the angst, but it never came, and at the end I felt cheated. Unfortunately, this is not a book I'd highly recommend.
Rated of 5
by Denice B. (Fort Bragg, CA)
The Swimming Pool
This Pool is shallow. The story seemed contrived and implausible, the love affairs trite and also unlikely. The author doesn't much heed the writerly axiom "show, don't tell." Her language and style are pretty ordinary in the first half or so of the book, but she goes on to turn some pretty good phrases in the second half. Here too her characters have a few insightful things to say.
Rated of 5
by Tracy T. (Wakefield, RI)
The Swimming Pool
I am not a fan of the book. The characters were flat and one dimensional. I read much longer than I wanted to in hopes of finding a way to connect with them. Enough of the plot is revealed on the back of the novel to know that if I didn't care about these characters I didn't really want to read about what I knew was in store. The plot line wasn't gripping, the characters weren't engaging and therefore the subject matter was not one I cared enough about. Some may find this a good "summer read" but I think there are better.
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by Margaret M. (Chicago, IL)
of 5
by Jill S. (Chicago, IL)
