Bittersweet

A Novel

By: Miranda Beverly-Whittemore

Narrated by: Cassandra Campbell

Length: 13 hrs and 38 mins

Publisher's summary

Suspenseful and cinematic, New York Times best-seller Bittersweet exposes the Gothic underbelly of an idyllic world of privilege and an outsider’s hunger to belong.

On scholarship at a prestigious East Coast college, ordinary Mabel Dagmar is surprised to befriend her roommate, the beautiful, wild, blue-blooded Genevra Winslow. Ev invites Mabel to spend the summer at Bittersweet, her cottage on the Vermont estate where her family has been holding court for more than a century. Mabel falls in love with midnight skinny-dipping, the wet dog smell that lingers near the yachts, and the moneyed laughter that carries across the still lake while fireworks burst overhead. Before she knows it, she has everything she’s ever wanted: friendship, a boyfriend, access to wealth, and, most of all, for the first time in her life, the sense that she belongs.

But as Mabel becomes an insider, a terrible discovery leads to shocking violence and reveals what the Winslows may have done to keep their power intact - and what they might do to anyone who threatens them. Mabel must choose: either expose the ugliness surrounding her and face expulsion from paradise, or keep the family’s dark secrets and make Ev's world her own.

©2014 Miranda Beverly-Whittemore (P)2014 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

"Evokes Gone Girl with its exploration of dark secrets and edge-of-your-seat twists." ( Entertainment Weekly)

"In the tradition of The Great Gatsby, Miranda Beverly-Whittemore's heroine is an outsider invited into the secret, labyrinthine world of the super-rich - but the twist is, you never met such debauched people as the Winslows. Bittersweet is a satisfyingly dramatic, super-juicy read." (Jenna Blum, New York Times and internationally best-selling author of Those Who Save Us and The Stormchasers)

Worst narration ever!

I tried three times to listen to this book, but gave up and will read it in print instead. This narrator is so bad , she grates on every last nerve. She reads dialogue like every sentence is a pleading whine, and the last word is ground to a gravelly end or hard long consonant. I can't get into the story because her reading is so distracting.

Loved Bittersweet

Compelling book. Enjoyed it beginning to end. Interesting characters that are well developed. This will be a recommendation for my book club.

great read book club loved it, will recommend to

loved it, book club loved it, author was kind enough to call club, great read

Complex

College freshman Mabel Dagmar, from a working class family, plain and slightly overweight is enthralled by her wealth, beautiful roommate Ev Winslow. When Ev invites Mabel to her summer home, Mabel quickly falls in love with the Winslow extended family and the lifestyle they enjoy. She longs to be part of the family, even as she learns secrets. Small secrets. Big secrets. Life altering secrets. Secrets that go back generations and threaten the present clan. Mabel learns that some secrets carry a heavy price, maybe even a deadly one.

BITTERSWEET grabbed me from page one with Mabel's almost lyrical narration. The characters in this novel are, for the most part, deceitful, selfish and unlikable, nobody is exactly who they initially seem to be. Still, I rooted for Mabel, Ev, and Ev's younger sister Lu, who may just be the only completely sympathetic redeeming character. Despite Mabel's shortcomings, she is a multidimensional character, with more positive than negative traits. The plot was well fleshed out and complicated, however with 4-5 generations of names of both alive and dead Winslows, I couldn't keep most of the names straight. A family tree would have been extremely helpful. At 400 pages, BITTERSWEET is at times laden with too much description slowing down the pace. Once I hit the last third of the book revelations came fast and furious, some I saw coming, others I did not building to an ending I found chilling, satisfying, and surprising.

If you like mysterious (though not mystery) women's, young adult or new adult fiction, BITTERSWEET is a book you want to to grab up while the ebook is on sale for $1.99. Even if you miss the sake, this is a book worth paying full price.

Outstanding narrator!

Any additional comments?

I enjoyed everything about this book-could NOT put it down during the last 4-5 hours.
That being said, what was especially outstanding was Cassandra Campbell's narration. She took an excellent book and made it really superlative with the reading! Perfect summer read. It even takes place at a "camp" by the lake

A COMPLEX,WORTHWHILE AND THRILLING NOVEL

This book takes a while to get there but when it does, cynical readers who dwell on historical injustices will start to believe the world can still be turned around.

entertaining story-nice twists n turns

loved it but frustrated by the less character. overall the story and the performance was enjoyed.

A good summer read but a little too long

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

At first it was kinda hard to want to keep listening because the beginning was dull and never actually got to the point until around the 5th hour, and I couldnt put it down since then.

Any additional comments?

The story was a little cliche I suppose but its definitely a good summer read except that its a little/way too long, there was too much description about pretty much everything.

One of my favorite books!

Would you consider the audio edition of Bittersweet to be better than the print version?

I think the audible reading would be better. The reader's interpretation of each character's voice is wonderful! It really brought the story to life.

Who was your favorite character and why?

I really loved Mabel. She was realistic. I rooted for her all the way.

Which scene was your favorite?

I love the final scene. It was a worthy finish.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Shockingly, I really kept wanting to keep reading! I got sucked in and intrigued. I couldn't wait to find out what happened next.

Any additional comments?

I really love this book! It's not my usual go-to type, but I love it! Full of suspense, but still realistic.

Wonderful family saga

Story of a family with many terrible secrets .Narration is very well done. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and the performance. Twists and turns are many and exciting . Read it!