What do readers think of The Swimming Pool by Holly LeCraw? Write your own review.

I really liked the book. After the first chapter it was hard to put it down. The relationship between Jed and Marcella took some getting used to. I would like to read from this author again.

The story bounces back and forth from present day events to the beginning of the story at an around-the-pool cookout on Cape Cod a few years earlier. Two families' lives, the McClatcheys and the Atkinsons, are entwined throughout. The book was gripping, suspenseful, and well-written. I couldn't lay "The Swimming Pool" down once I started reading. I'm looking forward to more books by Holly Lecraw

When I first started this book, I thought it was going to be ho-hum. The plot line just didn't seem very original. But I must confess that as the book progressed, it grabbed me with it's absolutely beautiful and evocative writing style. LeCraw's descriptive writing makes you feel every nuanced feeling that her characters are experiencing - - and her style is very fresh. I was just astounded with how she found new ways to describe things that have been described a million times over, in ways I had not read before. Her characters are very well drawn with interesting imperfections. If this book fell down anywhere, it was in the plot - - which didn't hold up to the beautiful language in terms of its originality. But by the end, I really didn't care because LeCrew's words drew me into the world she created, and I wanted to stay there.

I did not really care for this book. The premise sounded good and when I sat down to read it I was hoping it would be a real page turner. Sadly, that was not the case. I really did not like any of the characters...felt they were all very flawed and didn't have a lot of redeeming qualities. I also felt that it was very slow moving and that what promised to be a dramatic ending was rather a let down.

The writing is lovely and lush, but the story itself didn't move me. I often felt like I was watching the characters through a window/pane of glass, like there was a distance between us that kept me from connecting with or liking them. I thought Callie's story/plot line was the most compelling part of the book and wished more time had been spent on that.

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.

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.

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.