Rated of 5
by Mary O. (Boston, MA) Disappointing
I love historical fiction and couldn't wait to read this novel. I must say I was disappointed in the character development and the book did not keep me engaged. "Drowning Ruth" is one of my all-time favorites so maybe my expectations were unrealistic.
Rated of 5
by Janet P. (Houston, TX) Choices and Consequences
When an old woman returns to the place of her birth, she reminisces about the past, about the delights of childhood and the challenges of living on a peninsula off the northern California Coast. in Christinia Schwarz' novel "THE EDGE OF THE EARTH", an inherited manuscript takes the reader to the 1890's through the eyes of Gertrude Swann, early marine biologist and lighthouse-keeper. When Trudy breaks ties with her family to marry young visionary Oskar, she cannot foresee her future. The difficulties of Mother Nature in the form of cold, wind, rain, ice, relentless waves, isolation and rocky cliffs parallel the challenges of human nature as Trudy and Oskar struggle to find balance in their marriage. The addition of an unexpected family on the premises when they arrive at Santa Lucia and a strange figure at a distance will keep the reader engaged in the well-detailed plot and enchanted by the beautiful imagery.
Rated of 5
by Elaine M. (Beaver Falls, PA) Lighthouse Traveler The Edge of the Earth
In 1890, Trudy Swann and her husband leave Milwaukee and travel to California's Big Sur country to tend to the Point Lucia Lighthouse.
The author writes this realistic story with such vivid details, that you feel you are experiencing the isolation, trials , and adventures with the characters.
I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys historical and adventure fiction.
Besides the adventures, the characters' interactions and the geographical setting would be perfect for a bookclub discussions.
Rated of 5
by Alyce T. (San Antonio, TX) The Edge of the Earth
This is my first Christina Schwarz book to read so I can't compare it to her other book. I really enjoyed reading this book. It is a historical novel and the arthor gives a lot of insight into both the period-the late 1898 of the US west coast and the every day existence of a remote place. It is mostly set at the lighthouse which gets virtually no visitors. The days are filled beyond your imagination with the activities of the family that has been living there and the newly weds who are sent to their first lighthouse. Schwarz carefully draws you into their lives and the mysteries of the sea and marine life. There is an added twist of a mystery involving the families. The book will keep you page turning while increasing your knowledge of the era and of a working lighthouse.
Rated of 5
by Linda B. (Sheridan, WY) The Edge of the Earth
The Edge of the Earth by Christina Schwarz is a book that I did enjoy. The characters are fleshed out very well with good descriptions that let us meet them but don't let us in on their secrets. We may suspect some secrets as the story progresses, but we won't really know what they are until they begin making themselves known in the last third of the book.
I think that women who enjoy Oprah books will like this book, especially since one of the author's books was an Oprah book. I also feel that this would be a good book club choice due to the many themes that could be discussed, like coming of age or not, families, coping with lonely places, escaping from a preordained life, and learning the true character of a new husband. Some men may enjoy the story due to the various kinds of male characters that inhabit it. The suspense gradually builds until in the last third I could hardly put the book down.
It did take me about ten pages to figure out who was speaking. However, once I had that figured out, I was off and running and enjoying every minute. Thanks for the opportunity to read this book.
Rated of 5
by Elizabeth K. (Dallas, TX) A Sea of Emotional Turmoil
The first few pages did not draw me in right away, but as soon as Trudy's voice emerged, I was hooked. This is a fascinating study of the sea and of the emotional undercurrents of the people keeping a light house on the California coast in the early 1900s. I like the way the author wove together the scientific aspects of marine life and the far less precise and regulated human emotions involved in the story. The twist at the end is intriguing, and I think this is an author well worth reading.
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.
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...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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of 5
by Mary O. (Boston, MA) 
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by Janet P. (Houston, TX) 
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by Alyce T. (San Antonio, TX) 
