What do readers think of The Map of True Places by Brunonia Barry? Write your own review.

There is nothing good to say about this book. The story is unbelievable, the events too coincidental, the characters forgettable. Too much conversation and too little plot development. I truly didn't care what happened to these people. It was a chore to read.

I read The Map of True Places in only a few days. It is an easy read with great descriptions of modern day Salem and a masterfully created sense of wonder and power concerning the sea. The story is maybe a little too complicated so the weaving of it does not always hold together. There are many players in Zee, the heroine's, life who all seem to have a piece of the puzzle for her. The ending was as I expected, but the journey was good. It is indeed a novel about courage. I thought I would learn more about Salem's witches but did not find that to be so. I will recommend it to my book club but will also relate that it is not a great book .... just a good read and what's not to like about a good read!

This book kept my interest from beginning to end. Although it is set in New England like the "Lace Reader," to me it has a very different feel. The characters are well drawn and believable. The plot has several different side twists; however, they are tied together at the end in an appropriate manner.

I loved The Map of True Places! Barry captivates with a wonderful, believable cast of characters and a great plot. I was taken in by Zee from the first page and enjoyed the entire journey. I thought the story was suspenseful and well-written!

A novel that is a fast read; a page turner. The story is a mix of reality and fantasy with a bit of the history of Salem, MA in the background. The main character, Zee, uncovers secrets and works through dark events in her past to finds her way through life.
The book gets a bit too much into psychotherapy and mental illness issues, which may not be for everyone's taste.

I enjoyed reading The Map of True Places, but it wasn't a book that kept me awake late into the night reading it. Zee, the main character, has many problems that involve many characters and this seemed to lead to lots of introduction but not a lot of development. I would recommend this book to friends for a light read, if they enjoyed the Lace Reader, they would enjoy this. I imagine it would appeal most to people, especially women from late thirties onwards. There is lots to fuel discussion in Book Clubs and would lead to lots of interesting discussions.

I have not read this type of book in years; I am tired of protagonists who are depicted as being somehow larger than life. I was looking for a different kind of protagonist; Zee a likable character with a tortured soul presents as a different kind of protagonist, she and the other characters are not larger than life but represent the very essence of life with all of its flaws. That is why I choose to read and review this book and I am extremely glad that I did. I was hooked from the first line. Born and raised on the Texas Gulf Coast I felt immediately drawn into this delightfully surprising story. The secret formula for good fiction is character plus conflict equals drama. Barry's characters are believable and conflicted; the drama leaps off the pages as the reader feverishly reads on to discover what happens next. The story moves like a freight train through a seamless plot that finally ends, leaving the reader with the sense that this is not really the ending for Zee but rather just the beginning.

There was just enough suspense in this book to make me keep on reading. I found Zee's linking the suicides of Lilly and her mother confusing at first, but the last part of the book brought out how all the different stories going on were all linked together. There were clues scattered through the book that allowed you to guess the true identity of some of the male characters. I thought the story moved slowly until the end when Ms. Barry tied up all the loose ends.