At the Water’s Edge by Sara Gruen
Maddie, a well-heeled, naïve,
recently married woman from Philadelphia, is dragged by her husband Ellis and
his best friend across the Atlantic to save the family name. Too bad there is a war going on and travel is
restricted, but by greasing the right palms they arrive in Drumnadrochit. Yes, Ellis is on the search for the monster
of Loch Ness, his father took a famous picture years before which has been
ridiculed as a forgery. Ellis is going
to prove the world wrong and find the monster.
Many reviews said that they didn’t
like Maddie and had a hard time enjoying the tale because of it. I don’t understand. Yes, Maddie starts off an entitled snob but
she grows into an independent minded woman and her character growth is
extremely apparent when contrasted with her husband who seems to be growing younger
and brattier as time goes on. The place
is a character itself. The rationing, the
scarcity and the little joys are all described in detail so the reader feels
like they are in wartime Scotland. I am
ashamed to admit that I didn’t know Inverness and areas surrounding it were
bombed by the Germans, I wasn’t aware they traveled that far north.
I didn’t think I would enjoy this
book even though I am fond of the idea of a sea monster living in Loch
Ness. However I really enjoyed it and I
think those who enjoy watching a woman grow into her own will enjoy it as well.
