Rated of 5
by Betsy R. (Gig Harbor, WA) Read it in one night
I did find Cloudland compelling as I read it in one evening; however, while it "had me at hello", I did not find the ending very satisfactory or well-done. I think the various characters and their stories were interesting and could have been better developed had the book not been so much a mystery as a literary novel. Still, the writing was good and I would read another book by this author.
Rated of 5
by Sandy P. (Gainesville, FL) Enjoyable read
For me this book was very entertaining and had just the right amount of characters. I don't like having to maintain a roster. The story moved quickly with enough possible twists to keep it interesting. Kept you guessing between several possible murder suspects. Ending was well structured with good detail as to what motivated the murderer and led up to the emotional break. Worth the time. Only once or twice did I start to think "Let's wrap this up". All this AND a pot bellied pig....what more could you ask for.
Rated of 5
by Carole R. (Burlington, WI) Cloudland
What could have been a great plot with intriguing characters couldn't make up for a rather disjointed story with too many sidetracks. I just never got the "thriller" part of the story.
Rated of 5
by Jim S. (Austin, TX) Cloudland
Catherine Winslow is a multifaceted character who early on discovers the body of a woman near her property in Vermont which turns out to be the latest of several murders of women all having similar characteristics - strangulation, assault. Catherine and her friend Anthony, a psychiatrist, along with the unlikable detective, Marco Prozzo, team up to attempt to discover the killer. Catherine's daughter, who almost died of anorexia following the death of Catherine's ex-husband who died of cancer at her home, is in a relationship with an attractive older woman.
Matthew is the younger mid-20s man who Catherine (age ~42) had an affair with and who is a suspect in the murders. He persists in wanting to pursue their relationship.
The story was somewhat slow at points but the ending was good making the slow reading worth the read. I enjoyed it.
Rated of 5
by Sue Z. (Mooresville, NC) Cloudland
Cloudland is beautifully written with evocative and elegant descriptions of the Maine countryside in winter. One can almost smell the air. Where the book fails is in the characters, who are just not fully developed nor are they, or their actions, believable. People do not behave like they do in this book, some being too saintly, some being entirely too sinful or stupid. I found myself wanting to smack some sense into them!
Rated of 5
by Lisa H. (Salisbury, MD) Brrr....Chill out with this psychological tale of suspense
Cloudland is a good psychological suspense novel. Olshan does a wonderful job setting up the story. I could feel the cold and snow, and sense the isolation of Cloudland, the remote village in Vermont where some of the crimes take place. The pacing of the book is slow and deliberate. I felt myself gradually making a path to towards the denouement and going back and forth with who I thought was the killer. The author did an excellent job of building suspense and pulling the reader into the story. I was, however, bothered by some of the dialogue. There were instances when I thought, people just don't talk that way. I found this mainly with the character of Catherine. Despite this, I liked the book overall and will try another Olshan book in the future.
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.
Two Lives is a memoir written by international best-selling author, Vikram Seth. In this interesting and engaging book, Seth writes about his great...
read more
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
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
Judge rules unused Borders gift cards to be worthless(May 23 2013) Borders owes nothing to holders of roughly $210.5 million of gift cards that had not been used by the time the bookstore chain shut down, a Manhattan federal...
Full Story
of 5
by Betsy R. (Gig Harbor, WA) 
of 5
by Sandy P. (Gainesville, FL) 
of 5
by Carole R. (Burlington, WI) 
