NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • In this thrilling new novel from the author of Water for Elephants, Sara Gruen again demonstrates her talent for creating spellbinding period pieces. At the Water’s Edge is a gripping and poignant love story about a privileged young woman’s awakening as she experiences the devastation of World War II in a tiny village in the Scottish Highlands.After disgracing … Highlands.
After disgracing themselves at a high society New Year’s Eve party in Philadelphia in 1944, Madeline Hyde and her husband, Ellis, are cut off financially by his father, a former army colonel who is already ashamed of his son’s inability to serve in the war. When Ellis and his best friend, Hank, decide that the only way to regain the Colonel’s favor is to succeed where the Colonel very publicly failed—by hunting down the famous Loch Ness monster—Maddie reluctantly follows them across the Atlantic, leaving her sheltered world behind.
The trio find themselves in a remote village in the Scottish Highlands, where the locals have nothing but contempt for the privileged interlopers. Maddie is left on her own at the isolated inn, where food is rationed, fuel is scarce, and a knock from the postman can bring tragic news. Yet she finds herself falling in love with the stark beauty and subtle magic of the Scottish countryside. Gradually she comes to know the villagers, and the friendships she forms with two young women open her up to a larger world than she knew existed. Maddie begins to see that nothing is as it first appears: the values she holds dear prove unsustainable, and monsters lurk where they are least expected.
As she embraces a fuller sense of who she might be, Maddie becomes aware not only of the dark forces around her, but of life’s beauty and surprising possibilities.
Praise for At the Water’s Edge
“Breathtaking . . . a daring story of adventure, friendship, and love in the shadow of WWII.”—Harper’s Bazaar
“A gripping, compelling story . . . Gruen’s characters are vividly drawn and her scenes are perfectly paced.”—The Boston Globe
“A page-turner of a novel that rollicks along with crisp historical detail.”—Fort Worth Star-Telegram
“Powerfully evocative.”—USA Today
“Gruen is a master at the period piece—and [this] novel is just another stunning example of that craft.”—Glamour
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Well rounded characters, easy to navigate between two different eras, and really well done.
Great read!
Watch Maddy bloom and come into her own self-it’s all there, just buried! The women who help her are grand and real…the men too, but not so grand. A good yarn.
always enjoy this author’s books.
I listened to it while driving to and from work. I often sat I. The car to find out the rest of the chapter before going in.
Fun.
I don’t remember it except to know that it was very good. I read it many stories ago. She writes a good story.
Great book stayed up late reading it
It took me a while to get into this book, but once I did, I was hooked. The characters were believable and the links between past and present kept me engaged. Loved all the twists and gradually increasing suspense.
I think I might have enjoyed this even more than Water for Elephants. Struggling with the whole adulting thing, the protagonist follows her drunken poor little rich boy draft-dodging husband and his best friend to Scotland to chase the Loch Ness monster, only to be confronted with the very harsh realities of WWII in Scotland. There she learns …
I was expecting a riveting historical drama. Instead it was a tale of scandalous behaviour among three friends in high society. Madeline Hyde, her husband Ellis and his best friend Hank are far removed from the horror of the war. I wasn’t invested into these characters. This novel was a huge disappointment.
WARNING: Profanity and intimate …
It did not live up to her previous book, Water for Elephants which was excellent.
I had a hard time putting down this book. It’s a great original story. I really enjoyed the characters and would like more books about Maddie and Angus.
The promise of a poignant first scene of a Scottish mother’s unendurable grief over the loss of her baby and soldier husband gives way to an unconvincing morality tale. Philadelphia socialites Maddie, her alcoholic husband Ellis, and his man-crush Hank escape military service and parental scrutiny to Scotland to hunt for the Loch Ness monster in …
One of my favorite authors of all time and simply loved this book
Fantastic book, loved it!
I’m a little biased here because I’ll read most anything with Scotland in it, the title got my attention also. Then I read a little between the covers and liked that the story included family and the siblings have a desire to finish what their father couldn’t – prove or disprove their father’s belief in the lochness monster.
A good rainy day …
A very disappointing read. Characters were insipid and unlikeable, storyline was far fetched, and setting was disappointing. I expected more after reading Water For Elephants, which was outstanding.
I liked Water for Elephants better but this was still a good read.
An enjoyable read