return to home  
Join   |  Gift   |  Member Login   |  Library Login
BookBrowse Mobile
Follow Us: 
   First Impressions: Book Reviews

Member Reviews of forthcoming books.

Book Jacket

The Swimming Pool
by Holly LeCraw

Publisher: Doubleday
Publication date: 04/06/2010.
Novels, 320 pp.

Number of reader reviews: 35
Readers' Consensus: 4.0
More information
Buy This Book
First Impressions: Page 2 of 5
Rated 5 of 5 of 5 by Nikki R. (Irvine, CA)

Seduced by the Swimming Pool
I really enjoyed the book and was quite frankly amazed at how the author was recounting the character's thoughts as she wove an ingenious and startling twist into the plot. This book hits you on many levels and would probably be best as a lady read. It has more depth than many books directed at ladies and yet is a quick and entertaining experience.

Rated 5 of 5 of 5 by Sharon S. (Stanley, N.C.)

"The Swimming Pool" by Holly Lecraw
Holly Lecraw's first novel "The Swimming Pool" is a story of two families who's lives will become intertwined for years to come due to an affair. Unbeknown to these families this affair will result in not only love but secrets,lies, murder and lives changed forever. Hold on for a ride of twists and turns that will keep you captivated to the end !!! Lecraw wrote a novel that will surely become a favorite of book clubs everywhere !!

Rated 5 of 5 of 5 by Mary Q. (Greeley, CO)

Debut Novel a Nice Surprise
This beautifully written and well constructed novel pulled me right in. The characters had their own distinctive voices and I felt empathy for each one. Reading it at times took a little patience and concentration because the events of the story and the characters' personalities were very slowly revealed in a flip-flopping way between then and now. That took a little getting used to, but I eventually liked that aspect and felt it added depth to the book as a whole. The best thing about this book, though, is the author's sensual and poetic writing style, and I really will look forward to her next effort. Highly recommended!

Rated 4 of 5 of 5 by Deb Y. (Blanco, TX)

Et tu, Benjamin?
This is a new treatment of the Mrs. Robinson/Benjamin Braddock - older woman/younger man story. It is an old story, but Holly LeCraw breathes life into it with some plot twists and well-chosen words. It is definitely a page-turner, or at least it was for me, and very well written, in my opinion. Holly's writing is top-notch! And this book is certainly recommended.

Rated 4 of 5 of 5 by Jane H. (Owensboro, KY)

The Swimming Pool
This is an amazing "first book" by a new author. I felt it could have benefited by a little tighter editing in the first half ... but that's about all the criticism I have. Great story ... I thought it was going to be predictable, but pleasantly wasn't. It has a haunting quality of a novel written by a veteran author and old soul. Characters were well developed -- I could see this in a movie version very easily. Good job....want to read more from this author!

Rated 4 of 5 of 5 by Carol G. (Little Egg Harbor, NJ)

The Swimming Pool
As an Italian American and spending many summers at the Cape, the book was thoroughly enjoying. The book was easy to get into and held one's interest - 2 things important to me and for recommending books as a Book Club Leader. The book should be enjoyable for most age groups. I read a lot of Debut novels and this one hit the spot.

Rated 4 of 5 of 5 by Marjorie W. (Bonita Springs, FL)

The Swimming Pool by Holly LeCraw
What an engrossing read! I can imagine sitting on the beach and staying too long. The author developed the characters, with all of their faults, into a very suspenseful story. At times I felt annoyed with certain characters; often I felt sympathy for one of the other - but it certainly held my attention. I believe it would be a good book for discussion and I will recommend it to my book club.

« prev   1 2 3 4 5   next »

Become a Member
Click Here
Editor's Choice
  •  May 21 
  •  May 20 
  •  May 18 
Helga's Diary
Helga Weiss

Helga's Diary Jacket

The remarkable diary of a young girl who survived the Holocaust—appearing in English for the first time.
Fever
Mary Beth Keane

Fever Jacket

A bold, mesmerizing novel about the woman known as "Typhoid Mary," the first known healthy carrier of typhoid fever in the burgeoning metropolis of early twentieth century New York.
The Woman Upstairs
Claire Messud

The Woman Upstairs Jacket

The riveting confession of a woman awakened, transformed, and betrayed by passion and desire for a world beyond her own.
Click Here
   Most Recent Blog Entries
Movies Based on Books: Summer 2013 (May - August)
Jewish Young Adult Books That Are Not About The Holocaust
Books to Give This Mother's Day
rss  RSS   rss  subscribe
Recent Reader Reviews
Z: A Novel of Zelda Fitzgerald by Therese Fowler
Z, the novel about the life of Zelda Sayre Fitzgerald is at points charming and; like another reviewer, I kept thinking of the movie, "Midnight... read more
Flight Behavior by Barbara Kingsolver
Although heavy on the scientific details, which slowed down the story for me (OK, I admit, I was one of those liberal arts majors who skipped out on... read more
The House at the End of Hope Street by Menna van Praag
Loved this book. Magical, quirky, enchanting I could go on. All books do not have to be literary fiction, sometimes it is just so comforting to read... read more
RSS RSS feed More...  
Most Viewed This Week
1. Half the Sky
Nicholas D. Kristof, Sheryl WuDunn
2. A Child Called It
Dave Pelzer
3. And the Mountains Echoed
Khaled Hosseini
4. Defending Jacob
William Landay
5. Into The Wild
Jon Krakauer
More...
Book Club Recommendations
Why Be Happy When You Could Be Normal?
by Jeanette Winterson
Paperback (Mar/13)
Eleanor & Park
by Rainbow Rowell
Hardback (Feb/13)
The House Girl
by Tara Conklin
Paperback (Oct/13)
The Painted Girls
by Cathy Marie Buchanan
Hardback (Jan/13)
More...
First Impressions
Members read and review books often months before they're published. See what they think in First Impressions!
Golden Boy
by Abigail Tarttelin
4.5 Stars            (May/13)
The Caretaker
by A .X. Ahmad
Four Stars            (May/13)
The Sisterhood
by Helen Bryan
Four Stars            (Apr/13)
The Last Girl
by Jane Casey
Four Stars            (May/13)
More...
  Latest BookBrowse News
British Parliament asks Amazon to clarify why it pays $9 million in income tax on $23 billion of UK sales. (May 20 2013)
Amazon will be called back to give further evidence to members of the British Parliament "to clarify how its activities in the U.K. justify its low corporate... Full Story
rss RSS feed More...
 
BookBrowse Poll
Q: Which of these Summer movies based on books would you like to see? (Info on each movie here)
The Great Gatsby
Epic
Man of Steel
World War Z
The Lone Ranger
The Wolverine
R.I.P.D.
Percy Jackson
Paranoia
The Mortal Instruments
Select Any That Apply
Search: Title or Author
Free Newsletters
The Light Between Oceans

Online Book Club
More about
The Comfort of Lies
Join the discussion!


Win This Book!
On Sal Mal Lane


"Piercingly intelligent and shatter-your-heart profound."

Enter To Win Now!

wordplay
Solve this clue:
"I Y N P O T Solution, Y P O T P"

and be entered
to win....
frame top
New Author
Interviews
Menna van Praag
Erica Brown
Helga Weiss
Kate Morton
frame bottom
HOME Book Submissions | Advertising | Library Subscriptions | Reviewing for BookBrowse | Contact Us