Nightwoods
Frazier, CharlesThe tranquillity of Luce's reclusive life as caretaker of an abandoned lodge in the Appalachians is shattered with the arrival of her niece and nephew. Orphaned when their mother (Luce's sister) is murdered, they bring with them, not only their traumatic past, but in pursuit, Bud, their mother's killer.
Engrossing and gripping, this is story-telling at its best: damaged characters, spectacular landscapes and the best and worst of human nature.
Comments from Groups
A brilliant book - provoking a great discussion, some enjoying it better than others and some finding it more "scary" than others! Fully recommended. Wellington 074 Nearly everyone enjoyed this book. It took awhile to get into it but in the end it was tense and gripping. The "sparse" style of writing seemed to suit the times and landscape with beautiful use of language. Several relationship issues seemed to be bubbling under the surface. A psychologist would have a field day with the children! Several threads were left dangling ... however the ending suited the story and the manner in which it was written. A great read with plenty of discussion to follow. Tauranga 009 The novel seemed to really polarise the group. Several people loved the book while others felt it difficult to get into and didn't like it. Excellent characters - so well drawn though not all likeable. Taupo 004
Pages
259
259
Year
2011
2011
Reviews
15-05-2019
Varied opinions about this book. 50% loved it, and others were ho-hum, with one member not finishing it. Those that did like it thought the characterisation was fantastic, and the language eloquent.
15-05-2019
Charles Frazier places you in the beautiful wilderness. The story had many loose ends at the end of the book, and the group wanted to know more of each character's future. Compelling reading although not classified as 'enjoyable'.
15-05-2019
Very mixed reaction. Some members thought it an engaging thriller with the harsh colloquial language matching the genre and landscape. Others found it too menacing.
15-05-2019
Fabulous writing. Succinct without a wasted word.
15-05-2019
Mixed reaction to this "gothic" novel. Many felt the first 2/3 of the book was overloaded with descriptive passages that got in the way of the storytelling. The final chapters were much easier to read and provided a nail biting ending.
15-05-2019
Rather confusing to read at first, it jumped around. Lovely storyline if you can overlook the blood and gore.
15-05-2019
Engaging characters, beautiful writing.
15-05-2019
Most of our group really enjoyed this book. We felt it was beautifully written and clever too; we liked how he just dropped in snippets of information, such as Lit being Luce's father, and other jaw dropping moments. He described the landscape so well we felt we were there. One member liked the way it was written, but found the story joyless.
11-02-2019
A popular choice with the group; we enjoyed the plot, the descriptions, the characters - members who had read this author's first book, Cold Mountain, felt that it was a better book.