Tuesday, July 27, 2010

Review -- This Must Be The Place by Kate Racculia


by Kate Racculia
Henry Holt, 2010
368 pages
*I received a review copy from the publisher.

Summary: When his wife unexpectedly dies, Arthur finds a mysterious postcard amongst her things and ends up in Ruby Falls. There he meets his wife's childhood friend, Mona and her daughter Oneida and he begins to learn who his wife was before she met him.

Review: How can I explain how much I loved this novel? The four main characters (Arthur, Mona, Oneida, and Eugene) are so wonderfully quirky that I couldn't help but love them. Author Kate Racculia really nailed the teenage angst and confusion as well as the intensity of a first relationship. The story is predictable but I think the author lets the reader in on the secret early so that we are able to bond with Mona and Arthur and dread the moment when the secret is revealed (this is just a theory). The story is engrossing and the writing is wonderful. I especially loved when the narrative progressed into the future to give the reader an understanding of how important the events of the story are and how they change the course of the character's life. Rating: ***** out of 5. (I had to, I LOVED IT.)

3 comments:

Sue Jackson said...

Wow, strong praise! I'll have to look for this one. Thanks -

Sue

Jenny said...

I've only read a couple reviews for this but yours and the other both raved about it. I have this on my pile to read... I should probably pick it up soon!!

Anonymous said...

What a good review! It's going on my list :)