The Mermaid Chair: A Novel
10 journalers for this copy...
Loved Secret Life of Bees thought I would try this one
The Mermaid Chair-Sue Monk Kidd-This was a very interesting book. Interesting in the sense as to where it took me. I did not like the Protagonist, Jessie. I thought the idea of her going to the island to tend to her mother and falling immediately in love with “Brother Thomas” was sinful and hateful and so totally not real life. But then, with about 100 pages left in the book, I was enlightened and it made more sense. I won’t give away the ending but it was unexpected. I was totally down a different path in my mind so the ending was surprising. I am not sure I would agree with the ending. I think in real life the husband (Hugh) would have left her (Jessie). I honestly skimmed thru some of the mermaid, spiritual stuff. In some ways, it’s almost unnecessary. However, I guess it gave the book more color. The rating for this book improved after I finished it.
Going to see if anyone would like to take part in a ring.
Going to see if anyone would like to take part in a ring.
Bookring guidelines:
I just want everyone to enjoy the book and send it on to the next person in line. One month seems reasonable to me but if you need to take a little longer, that's fine.
Remember to PM each other for mail address and PM me if you have any questions or concerns. You know the drill....
The bookring list: (Order subject to change)
1-RowanneM-Scotland-
2-wandering-Netherlands
3-le7-Israel
4-NICNIC2-Scotland
5-LindyLouMac-UK
6-Banshee-Italy
7-BabyFlylady-UK
8-kawgrl-Oregon---->asked to be skipped
9-spoiledrotten-New Jersey-----> Book is here!
10-Love2Read4Fun-South Carolina
Back to me acountkel
I just want everyone to enjoy the book and send it on to the next person in line. One month seems reasonable to me but if you need to take a little longer, that's fine.
Remember to PM each other for mail address and PM me if you have any questions or concerns. You know the drill....
The bookring list: (Order subject to change)
1-RowanneM-Scotland-
2-wandering-Netherlands
3-le7-Israel
4-NICNIC2-Scotland
5-LindyLouMac-UK
6-Banshee-Italy
7-BabyFlylady-UK
8-kawgrl-Oregon---->asked to be skipped
9-spoiledrotten-New Jersey-----> Book is here!
10-Love2Read4Fun-South Carolina
Back to me acountkel
Recieved as part of a bookring, looking forward to reading it (sorry for the delay in posting a journal entry - was on holiday when it arrived!!)
Thanks for setting this one up acountkel :)
Thanks for setting this one up acountkel :)
Found this a hard book to get into, but did enjoy it especially the bits about the Mermaid!! However I don't think it was as good as her first book The Secet Life of Bees. Will be sending it on as part of the bookring.......
Happy Reading!
Happy Reading!
Arrived today, just in time for the Christmas holidays! Will read it as soon as possible, which might possibly be this year...
I really liked this book. It is a bit strange an maybe not real-life like, but I did like the story. I think the pace in the story is just right and it reads easily.
[possible spoiler]
There is something that did disturb me in a way, which is that the story about the death of Jessies father is kind of all of a sudden. It is present throughout the entire book, but there where really no clues to its importance or hints to what really happened. The 'real' story also didn't put all the storylines together like it could have. But still, I liked the book.
[/end possible spoiler]
-----
p.96: Yesterday a lady came wandering through the refectory while we were eating lunch.
p.207; I crossed the cloister quadrangle, forcing my limbs to move with unassuming casualness - the stroll of someone wandering over to the library to browse around, that was all.
p.317: We held each other without the slightest of worry of someone's wandering by.
This book will resume its travels as soon as I get an address to forward it to. Thanks for sharing and sending this book!
Edit Jan. 17th: received address and I will send it this weekend. Have fun!
Edit Jan. 21st: I gave this book to a friend to send it from Germany this week, since the sending costs for books from the Netherlands to outside Europe have been raised to a rediculously high amount.
[possible spoiler]
There is something that did disturb me in a way, which is that the story about the death of Jessies father is kind of all of a sudden. It is present throughout the entire book, but there where really no clues to its importance or hints to what really happened. The 'real' story also didn't put all the storylines together like it could have. But still, I liked the book.
[/end possible spoiler]
-----
p.96: Yesterday a lady came wandering through the refectory while we were eating lunch.
p.207; I crossed the cloister quadrangle, forcing my limbs to move with unassuming casualness - the stroll of someone wandering over to the library to browse around, that was all.
p.317: We held each other without the slightest of worry of someone's wandering by.
This book will resume its travels as soon as I get an address to forward it to. Thanks for sharing and sending this book!
Edit Jan. 17th: received address and I will send it this weekend. Have fun!
Edit Jan. 21st: I gave this book to a friend to send it from Germany this week, since the sending costs for books from the Netherlands to outside Europe have been raised to a rediculously high amount.
its here (together with its "friends"... ;0) )
thanks for the postcard wandering!
i'm in the middle of a book and this will be next up.
thanks for the postcard wandering!
i'm in the middle of a book and this will be next up.
first i should say that i liked this book but parts of it were really disturbing for me.
maybe because i am also going through a stage where i am trying to understand what i want from my life. (not that i can imagine myself doing what Jessie did...).
the whole having an affair thing was also disturbing for me (what would Freud say?). i find i hard to face that sort of thing in books/movies.
that said, i liked The Secret Life of Bees better. i didnt feel the characters were "round" enough here. a lot of things bothered me about the characters but i tried to just go with the flow of the story.
she certainly tells a good story and i enjoyed it.
thank you so much for sharing acountkel!
i had really wanted to read this one and i am glad i did.
maybe because i am also going through a stage where i am trying to understand what i want from my life. (not that i can imagine myself doing what Jessie did...).
the whole having an affair thing was also disturbing for me (what would Freud say?). i find i hard to face that sort of thing in books/movies.
that said, i liked The Secret Life of Bees better. i didnt feel the characters were "round" enough here. a lot of things bothered me about the characters but i tried to just go with the flow of the story.
she certainly tells a good story and i enjoyed it.
thank you so much for sharing acountkel!
i had really wanted to read this one and i am glad i did.
mailed to NICNIC2 today
enjoy!
enjoy!
Just received today - thanks! Looking forward to reading it. I haveone book to read first then I'll get stuck in.
PS thanks for the postcard Le7
PS thanks for the postcard Le7
Sorry guys!!! I tried, I really really tried to get into this but it was no use. Just not my cup of tea I'm afraid. Even the mystery of what happened to her father wasn't enough to hook me :(
Have PM'd lindyloumac for her address.
Have PM'd lindyloumac for her address.
Journal Entry 13 by NICNIC2 at By mail in Exchange/Trade, A Bookcrossing member -- Controlled Releases on Thursday, April 26, 2007
Released 17 yrs ago (4/26/2007 UTC) at By mail in Exchange/Trade, A Bookcrossing member -- Controlled Releases
WILD RELEASE NOTES:
RELEASE NOTES:
On its way to lindyloumac - I hope you enjoy it!!
On its way to lindyloumac - I hope you enjoy it!!
This arrived today with thanks to Acountkel for setting up the ring and to NICNIC2 for sending on to me along with another postcard for my study wall.
I will start this once I have finished my current read. I am intrigued and wondering how much I will enjoy this, the reviews are varied. I signed up because I enjoyed her first novel, oh well lets see!
I will start this once I have finished my current read. I am intrigued and wondering how much I will enjoy this, the reviews are varied. I signed up because I enjoyed her first novel, oh well lets see!
Although I enjoyed this as much as The Secret Life of Bees, I did find it rather fairytale like rather than realistic. Maybe I was meant to?
There is one theme that appears in both books which makes me wonder if the author maybe also have lost her Father as a child. In The Secret Life of Bees the heroine Lily believes that as a child she accidentally killed her mother. Then in The Mermaid Chair you have Jessie believing she was the cause of her father's accidental death.
Anyway, those are my thoughts on this powerful novel that is well worth reading.
There is one theme that appears in both books which makes me wonder if the author maybe also have lost her Father as a child. In The Secret Life of Bees the heroine Lily believes that as a child she accidentally killed her mother. Then in The Mermaid Chair you have Jessie believing she was the cause of her father's accidental death.
Anyway, those are my thoughts on this powerful novel that is well worth reading.
Journal Entry 16 by LindyLouMac at by mail in To the next participant, A Bookring -- Controlled Releases on Saturday, May 19, 2007
Released 16 yrs ago (5/18/2007 UTC) at by mail in To the next participant, A Bookring -- Controlled Releases
WILD RELEASE NOTES:
RELEASE NOTES:
En route to Banshee in Italia and the post office let me use Pieghi di Libri which was good news!
En route to Banshee in Italia and the post office let me use Pieghi di Libri which was good news!
arrived, thanks!
* I never succeded in using Pieghi di Libri fee at my post office! :(
* I never succeded in using Pieghi di Libri fee at my post office! :(
I loved "The Secret Life of Bees" and I think that Jessie is similar to Lily in some way. They both live love and sorrow, and try to build a new life, to belong to themselves.
I think Jessie's love story with Brother Thomas is unrealistic, but the island descriptions are charming.
And I tried to imagine the paintings of Mermaids...
I think Jessie's love story with Brother Thomas is unrealistic, but the island descriptions are charming.
And I tried to imagine the paintings of Mermaids...
Journal Entry 19 by BabyFlylady from Driffield, East Yorkshire United Kingdom on Thursday, June 28, 2007
Arrived today - after the torrential rain and before a postal strike! Cool must be a good omen. Looking forward to this one. Thanks for sharing!
Journal Entry 20 by BabyFlylady from Driffield, East Yorkshire United Kingdom on Monday, July 16, 2007
Am almost through this. Found it difficult to get into at first as I found the Mother character very cold and brittle, however I am beginning to understand that she is much deeper than I expected. Also desparate to know what happens to Brother Thomas.....
Have PMed next in line today so I don't hold it up when I have finished. kawgrl has already had book so contacting spoiledrotten instead
Thanks Accountkel for sharing this lovely edition of the book.
Have PMed next in line today so I don't hold it up when I have finished. kawgrl has already had book so contacting spoiledrotten instead
Thanks Accountkel for sharing this lovely edition of the book.
Journal Entry 21 by BabyFlylady from Driffield, East Yorkshire United Kingdom on Thursday, July 19, 2007
Hmm where to start! I found this book both fascinating and annoying! Like many people I could not believe the ending and was so surprised that Hugh took Jessie back at all. I loved the "Brother Thomas" character and was so pleased to know he didn't spend the rest of his life in the monastery and hope he found happiness.
I found the mermaid tales really gripping and the description of the landscape of the island really interesting. Only to discover it wasn't real!
All in all I can say I liked it once I got into it and would read another of hers. I have "The Secret Life of Bees" on Mt TBR so this may motivate me to bring it nearer the top.
Thanks Accountkel for sharing.
I found the mermaid tales really gripping and the description of the landscape of the island really interesting. Only to discover it wasn't real!
All in all I can say I liked it once I got into it and would read another of hers. I have "The Secret Life of Bees" on Mt TBR so this may motivate me to bring it nearer the top.
Thanks Accountkel for sharing.
Journal Entry 22 by BabyFlylady at Post Office - Controlled Release in Bridlington, East Yorkshire United Kingdom on Thursday, July 19, 2007
Released 16 yrs ago (7/19/2007 UTC) at Post Office - Controlled Release in Bridlington, East Yorkshire United Kingdom
WILD RELEASE NOTES:
RELEASE NOTES:
Sending on to spoiledrotten. Enjoy!
Sending on to spoiledrotten. Enjoy!
Received in the mail & will read as soon as done with my current book.
Loved this one. It really made you stop and think about life. I agree with acountkel about the ending. Love2read4fun never answered my pm's or ISO so this was mailed out this morning back to acountkel. Thanks sooooo much for including me!!!!!
This book arrived safe and sound.
Thank you everyone who participated in this ring.
This book has been on the road for over a year.
It was a pleasure sharing it with you!!
Thank you everyone who participated in this ring.
This book has been on the road for over a year.
It was a pleasure sharing it with you!!
Sending to Mass as a trade
Received today, thanks so much! I hope I'll find a little more time to read after the holiday, and this will be one of the first up.
Like several of the previous readers, I had trouble with the ending here. I felt the story of Jessie's father's death and its effect on her mother was wrapped up too easily and suddenly, and the same with the patching-up of Jessie's marriage. But looking back on it, that fits with my impression of the rest of the book. I don't understand how Jessie and Brother Thomas were so quickly and suddenly in love, and nearly all the characters were described so hastily and incompletely that I had a very hard time getting a handle on any of them. It was hard to relate to anyone because I felt they were all sketches of half-characters. Overall, not nearly as enjoyable as The Secret Life of Bees.
Thanks again for the trade, acountkel. Even though I didn't like the book as much as I had hoped, I'm glad I was able to cross if off my list. I'll try to pass it along soon, hopefully to someone who will enjoy it more than I did!
Thanks again for the trade, acountkel. Even though I didn't like the book as much as I had hoped, I'm glad I was able to cross if off my list. I'll try to pass it along soon, hopefully to someone who will enjoy it more than I did!
Well, I said I'd try to pass this along "soon" and now it's 2020! Oops!
Sending to someone outside Bookcrossing, so I'm marking it traveling. Maybe they'll come here to update!
Sending to someone outside Bookcrossing, so I'm marking it traveling. Maybe they'll come here to update!
