A gripping novel of enduring love, family secrets, and mysterious death from the bestselling author of Hello Love.Joe Arneson’s ordinary life is upended by troubling dreams of himself as a different man in another place and time. It isn’t until he visits his estranged grandmother, Pearl, in her Wisconsin hometown that a startling connection emerges.Drawn into his family’s past, Joe discovers … emerges.
Drawn into his family’s past, Joe discovers secrets weighing on the old woman’s soul: the tragic death of her sister Alice a half century ago and its ripple effect on all who loved her. Digging into the events of that summer in 1916, Joe is convinced that his recurrent visions relate to Alice’s untimely passing and to the beloved man she meant to marry. With the help of Kathleen, a local woman Joe’s fallen for, the puzzles of the past start falling into place.
As uncovered truths bring Joe and Kathleen closer together, they also reveal a new danger. For Joe’s dreams may be a warning–from one star-crossed couple to another.
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Dovetail by Karen McQuestion is an amazing story. Ms. McQuestion wrote a wonderful story which drew me right in, making me forget everything else and did not let me go until I turned the last page. This book is very well written book set in dual timelines which are perfectly woven together. The characters are well defined you feel as if they are standing right next to you. This was a very emotional read, keeping you turning the pages wanting to know what happens next. I highly recommend this book to readers of any genre.
There’s so much we don’t know about the past, that who doesn’t wonder what if…, Dreams are also another avenue of connecting to those who we love or might know. Joe has such terrible nightmares that his family has him committed. Once he escapes the hospital, he explores his family history with the help of Kathleen, a woman he finds compelled to keep close. Karen McQuestion has a knack of finding stories that many of us find scary and yet we can’t put the book down. Dovetail is a ghost of a story that will haunt you!
Dovetail by Karen McQuestion is a compelling, emotional and engaging novel set in dual timelines that grabbed me from page one. The characters were well developed, likable and realistic, and one character bordered on sociopathic. Without giving away any spoilers, this novel has all the elements of a good novel including family love, deep secrets, regrets, tragedy, fear, suspense and romance. These opinions are solely mine. In my opinion, it is very well written and is worthy of being an award-winning bestseller. I rated it a five, but it could easily be rated a ten.
I really enjoyed this story. It had good characters, developed well, easy to read and follow the characters and changes in period. I judge a good book by one that I think about for a few days after reading and this one did that for me.
Pensive, heartwarming, and mysterious!
Dovetail is a captivating, moving tale that takes us into the life of Joe Arneson, a young man who after years of struggling with tormented dreams finally gets some closure and relief after moving to a new town, forging a relationship with a grandmother he never knew existed, embarking on a blossoming new relationship, and uncovering tragic memories and long-buried family secrets from the past.
The prose is fluid and smooth. The characters are troubled, complex, and genuine. And the plot, alternating between timelines and told from multiple perspectives is an absorbing tale of life, loss, love, family, guilt, grief, friendship, forgiveness, jealousy, obsession, and romance all interwoven with a thread of magical realism.
Overall, Dovetail is a compelling, thought-provoking, emotional novel by McQuestion that reminds us that often even the little choices we make often have far-reaching consequences, and sometimes, perhaps, things are truly just fated to happen.
A captivating love story with a touch of magical realism. Karen McQuestion expertly weaves a multi-layered story of past and present. I thoroughly enjoyed this book!
Hats off to this author. Such a true to life portrayal of the differences in character between siblings and the secrets families can carry over the years. Great characters, original story line, great read!
I really enjoyed this book. The storyline was nothing like I was expecting; it was much more interesting to me. It is really two storylines…one from the past and one of the present. Pearl is shown through the story as a young 17 year old girl and in the present day as an 87 year old woman who is dying of cancer. She knows she has not lived the life she should have and is hoping to atone for some of the cruel things she has done.
Her grandson, Joe, has been in a mental institution for awhile due to his very vivid and disturbing dreams. They drove him crazy because he could not figure out what they meant. When he learns of Pearl’s sister, Alice’s, mysterious death years ago, he thinks the dreams may be connected to that and that maybe he knows something about what that involved (as seen through his dreams).
This is a very interesting book and one that you should read when you have the time to focus on the storylines. This was the first book I read by this author and I look forward to reading her other work. I would highly recommend this book.
A generation story switching between 1916 and 1983 with Pearl as the common link.
Two separate tales set in each year are laid out for the reader, the link between them is hinted at in the beginning and slowly expands, drawing the reader in.
The title – “Dovetail” – fits perfectly with the theme of the story – the joining of two stories.
I love how the author uses the 1983 story to fill in the gaps of the 1916 story.
A beautifully written book. Although I had sort of figured out where the story was going I found myself reading slower towards the ending so that I could stretch the story for longer. The ending although expected, was beautiful.
“DOVETAIL” is a beautiful story told in two timelines, one in 1916 with Pearl as a young woman and in 1983 when Pearl is in a home dying from cancer. Pearl’s estranged grandson Joe Arneson has been having troubling dreams that have affected him so much he needed help and treatment. Pearl offers Joe a chance to reconnect by offering a job of clearing out her home and a place to stay. There in Wisconsin, Joe connects with Kathleen who runs the antique store, Secondhand Heaven, in town. In 1916, Pearl’s story as a young girl and older sister Alice is revealed. Between Joe and Kathleen, the piece together the past, uncovering secrets that have been haunting Pearl’s life many years ago.
I enjoyed the dual time lines and the element of mystery as to what happened in the past and how it connects to the present day. The alternating timelines added to how the story moved forward and had me turning those pages. The story was easy to read and had characters I enjoyed reading about.
I really enjoyed listening to this on Audible. The story is great and the narrators are great. As with most of this authors books, they draw on your emotions and leave a smile on your heart.
Dovetail is the third novel by Karen McQuestion. Joe Arneson has been plagued with vivid dreams and nightmares where he seems to take on the life of another man from another time. His worried father convinces him he needs help, leading Joe to be hospitalized in a psychiatric facility. And the worst part is, Joe isn’t getting any better and now just wants to go home, but that isn’t happening.
Then, Joe receives a very unexpected visitor, the grandmother he thought had died before his birth. Pearl Arneson was on a mission to make amends before her life came to a close. She offered Joe a way out of the hospital, a place to stay, and a summer job. He needed space and time to think so willingly accompanied Pearl back to the small town of Pullman, Wisconsin.
In Pullman, things happen showing connections between Joe’s dreams and the events surrounding the 1916 death of Pearl’s older sister, Alice. As events unfold and certain things happen, the associated dreams disappear. What is the strange connection between the long ago events and the events occurring now? And how does Kathleen, the young owner of Secondhand Heaven antiques and consignment furnishings, fit into the scheme of things?
This is a beautifully crafted generational dual timeline novel with rich characters and a spotlight on how things have changed, especially for women, over the past hundred years. I very much enjoyed this book and I do recommend it!
I’ve read several of Karen McQuestion’s books and have to say that this is my all time favorite by far. It’s so full of emotions of all kinds that you will keep reading and wanting to know what happens with each page, each chapter.
This book is told from two different time periods. In 1916 when Pearl was just a teen and in 1983 when she is an old woman dying from cancer. Her story is one that will break your heart. Make you believe in love. Bring you to your knees. Fill you with hope and make you want more. It’s such a good story and you won’t forget it for a good long while.
This is a tragedy and a love story. It’s the story of two sisters in the early years and a grandmother and grandson in the later years. Joe first meets his grandmother, Pearl, when he is 21 years old. He was always told that she had died. His dad never talked about her and he really had no questions. But once he meets her his life will change drastically. She breaks him out of a psychiatric hospital and takes him to her home. His dad and step mother thought he needed to be in this hospital because of the dreams he was having that disturbed him and scared them. Little did they or anyone know exactly what these dreams would eventually reveal.
Pearl is an old woman who has so many regrets in her life. Things she has done and can’t change. Her fear of dying and her longing to make amends with her son, Bill. They both seem to be rather stubborn in many ways and neither wants to be the one to admit they are wrong.
Kathleen moved to town to escape her abusive ex husband. She needed to get away where he could not find her. She and Joe become friends. She took over her great aunt’s second hand store and moved into her home after her death. It was the answer to her problems so she thought. Kathleen is a sweet young woman that you will love. You’ll root for her to find love and happiness as she certainly deserves it. Even though she vows to never fall in love again. She really just needs to find the right man.
This is a story to make you feel many feelings. From sorrow, heartache, tragedy, true deep emotional love, loss, just plain meanness, forgiveness, starting over. It has all the feels you can get from a book. Laughter even. I did cry quite a few tears reading this one but I also laughed a lot. I cringed and held my breath also. It is one book that will give you many feels.
Great characters that you will love, some maybe hate, but most you will love. The settings are done to perfection and you’ll feel like you are in both time periods. You’ll feel each persons pain and happiness. Love and heartache. It’s a feeling book for sure.
I have to thank #NetGalley, #Lake Union Publishers, #Karen McQuestion for the eARC of the awesome book. This is my own true review.
I gave it 5 stars and believe me it deserves way more. A huge high recommendation to everyone. This book will grab you and won’t let go. It’s done so perfectly. From start to finish everything falls in place and all your questions are answered. It’s one great book.
Nobody writes with such compelling and poignant simplicity as Karen McQuestion, and her latest novel Dovetail could well be the best proof yet. In this wonderfully atmospheric, dual timeline tale, a beautiful love story and a haunting and mysterious, long-ago death, come alive through dreams that carry a message critical to the present, but dreams can often obscure and confuse the truth, leading good people into deeper trouble. I was drawn into this story by the cast of very human characters and the elements of love-inflected mystery and suspense, and kept quickly turning the pages until the very satisfying end. This is storytelling at its finest. Don’t miss it!
What a wonderful book. As the first sentence say… Time has a way of evening things out…This sets the stage for the whole book. Written in dual time we follow the love of Alice and John, and the envious hatred of Pearl and Frank. Alice is the perfect daughter and sister, taking care of her father and sisters after her mother’s death. Her sister Pearl is so jealous that she makes trouble at every turn, encouraging Frank who would love for Alice to be his. Flash ahead to the story of Kathleen and Joe, whose love will follow a similar path, again involving Pearl. Will love prevail? Read the book and find out.five stars.
Simply beautiful! A story that brings two generations almost 70 years apart together like a dovetail. An emotional tale of love, heartbreak, forgiveness and hope.
This is such a wonderful story of love, heartache, jealousy, and happiness! Karen told a beautiful story of how selfish actions can affect multiple generations. In the novel, you flow gracefully through two different eras; both intertwined perfectly, felling a page turning story! I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest, unbiased opinion.
Finding out you had a grandmother you never knew you had and to have her release you from a treatment center was the best thing that could ever have happened for Joe and his entire family.
Joe wanted to know why his father never told him about his mother. What could have happened?
Joe was in treatment for nightmares, and his father wouldn’t let him come home until the treatments resolved his problems.
Another question is how did his grandmother find him, and why did she want to find him? Answers are she had a private detective look for him mainly because she wanted him to clean out her house and inventory everything that was in it. That would be a great way to learn about Grandmother Pearl wouldn’t it?
We go back and forth from 1916 to 1983 and see the family Joe never knew about as we meet Alice and Pearl as young women and Pearl present day. The story from 1916 gave details about the family’s life without their mother, and present day gave details about what Pearl told Joe about her past and his place in her life now.
We have another story line that involved a young woman, Kathleen, hiding from her abusive ex-husband in her aunt’s home. Whose home could it be? None other than Aunt Edna.
Who is Aunt Edna? She knew Pearl’s family, and her sister, Alice, was Aunt Edna’s best friend. The odd thing is that when Kathleen and Joe met each other, they did a double take because they seemed familiar to each other, but they couldn’t figure out how they knew each other.
DOVETAIL pulled me in because the characters and story line were warm and inviting. I would have loved to be acquainted with the characters.
If you need an uplifting read set in a small, mid-western town, you won’t be disappointed in DOVETAIL.
This book has intrigue, tenderness, suspense, and an all-around cozy, sweet story line. 5/5
This book was given to me by the author in exchange for an honest review.
I would like to thank Karen McQuestion for sending me an ARC edition in exchange for an honest review. Her writing style never disappoints and her stories always please me. As much as I’ve enjoyed her previous books, I have to say Dovetail might be my favorite so far.
There were a few things that held my attention from chapter to chapter that include well developed characters, the interesting connections between the two timelines, and the mystery of Joe’s dreams. There’s also a suspense element to this story that had me anxious to know the books ending.
Dovetail was an easy and enjoyable read that I recommend to my family and friends. Clean romance with magical realism in a mystery to solve. I liked how Joe, the main character was a respectable, kind, and a funny guy with flaws. He definitely was my favorite character, him and Ricky. Ricky brought some suspense to the story, but you’ll have to read the book to find out Ricky’s story 😉
Welcome to Tea Time Tuesday, my fellow Book Dragons! This evenings Gem is quite beautiful. It is the color of a pond under an sunset. See how the colors seem to ripple in the light? It gives off a warmth and a feeling of grace and serenity. But there is another feeling underneath, one of claustrophobia, of panic..that something or someone is nearby and means danger. See how, just for a second the gem clouds over and then clears up again, just as quickly? This is Gem Maker Karen McQuestion’s “Dovetail”.
McQuestion has carved a perfect gem for us using a story of flashback’s from the summer of 1913 and the summer of 1983 to interconnect four people, much as her character, Mr. Arneson, connect the wood of his daughter’s Hope Chest with Dovetail joints. This story is one that will took me by the heart and lead my soul along.
I cannot tell too much for in the telling I do not want to ruin the beautiful fluidity of McQuestion’s prose. But I will say this, she didn’t waste a drop of paper and ink. She does not waste a moment of time. It reminded me of sitting at my Grandmother’s knee and listening to the stories she told of our family when I was a young Book Dragon. The stories weren’t always pretty, but they were necessary. This tale moves along, in both era’s with a quiet, urgency and keeps one turning pages as fast as one can read. The characters, for the most part, are people one could sit and have tea with. There are characters that perhaps one could give their tea a shot of arsenic. This is a book that will have you wishing you could read faster.
It is available today. It is on Amazon in several forms right now and you can get it on KU for free for a very limited time. Don’t miss this one. It had the fire burning in this old Dragon’s belly thirty minutes after I began reading it. That’s what humans call a knot in the stomach, I believe.
Until tomorrow, I remain, your humble Book Dragon, Drakon T. Longwitten
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the author, Karen McQuestion. My review is my honest opinion.