The Sandcastle Girls

A Novel

By: Chris Bohjalian

Narrated by: Cassandra Campbell, Alison Fraser

Length: 11 hrs and 9 mins

Publisher's summary

Over the course of his career, New York Times best-selling novelist Chris Bohjalian has taken readers on a spectacular array of journeys. Midwives brought us to an isolated Vermont farmhouse on an icy winter's night and a home birth gone tragically wrong. The Double Bind perfectly conjured the Roaring 20s on Long Island - and a young social worker's descent into madness. And Skeletons at the Feast chronicled the last six months of World War Two in Poland and Germany with nail-biting authenticity. As The Washington Post Book World has noted, Bohjalian writes "the sorts of books people stay awake all night to finish."

In his 15th book, The Sandcastle Girls, he brings us on a very different kind of journey. This spellbinding tale travels between Aleppo, Syria, in 1915 and Bronxville, New York, in 2012 - a sweeping historical love story steeped in the author's Armenian heritage, making it his most personal novel to date.

When Elizabeth Endicott arrives in Syria, she has a diploma from Mount Holyoke College, a crash course in nursing, and only the most basic grasp of the Armenian language. The First World War is spreading across Europe, and she has volunteered on behalf of the Boston-based Friends of Armenia to deliver food and medical aid to refugees of the Armenian genocide. There, Elizabeth becomes friendly with Armen, a young Armenian engineer who has already lost his wife and infant daughter. When Armen leaves Aleppo to join the British Army in Egypt, he begins to write Elizabeth letters, and comes to realize that he has fallen in love with the wealthy, young American woman who is so different from the wife he lost.

Flash forward to the present, where we meet Laura Petrosian, a novelist living in suburban New York. Although her grandparents' ornate Pelham home was affectionately nicknamed the "Ottoman Annex", Laura has never really given her Armenian heritage much thought. But when an old friend calls, claiming to have seen a newspaper photo of Laura's grandmother promoting an exhibit at a Boston museum, Laura embarks on a journey back through her family's history that reveals love, loss - and a wrenching secret that has been buried for generations.

©2012 Chris Bohjalian (P)2012 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

"The granddaughter of an Armenian and a Bostonian investigates the Armenian genocide, discovering that her grandmother took a guilty secret to her grave. . . . [An] unforgettable exposition of the still too-little-known facts of the Armenian genocide and its multigenerational consequences." ( Kirkus Reviews, starred review)

"Chris Bohjalian is at his very finest in this searing story of love and war. I was mesmerized from page one. Bravo!" (Paula McLain, author of The Paris Wife)

;In his latest novel, master storyteller Chris Bohjalian explores the ways in which our ancestral past informs our contemporary lives--in ways we understand and ways that remain mysteriously out of reach.

The Sandcastle Girls is deft, layered, eye-opening, and riveting. I was deeply moved." (Wally Lamb)

Enjoyed the story; not so much the performance...

If you could sum up The Sandcastle Girls in three words, what would they be?

Tragic, beautiful, informative

What other book might you compare The Sandcastle Girls to and why?

The last book I listened to was Chris Bohjalian's "The Light in the Ruins". Like "The Sandcastle Girls", it was wonderful to listen to as well as shedding light on a period of history about which I suspect not many people are aware.

What three words best describe Cassandra Campbell and Alison Fraser ’s voice?

Cassandra Campbell: wonderful (5 stars)
Alison Fraser: Reading the part of a middle-aged woman but sounding like a giddy teenager (1 star)

Who was the most memorable character of The Sandcastle Girls and why?

I think Hatoun is sad, brave, faithful, strong and deeply intelligent.

Any additional comments?

This beautifully constructed book is filled with fascinating characters and a compelling storyline. I must admit I knew virtually nothing about the Armenian genocide, and am grateful that Chris Bohjalian has written this wonderful historical novel.

Great story and oration

Bohjalian's vivid descriptions are timeless and the reader learns about the outrageous horrors of 1915 through the relatable dialogues of his compelling characters. It is challenging to learn about the inhumane personal accounts of Armenians. This book was fast moving and oral telling was great.

An excellent book. Well written.

What did you love best about The Sandcastle Girls?

I love Historical fiction and this book covers a horrific little known story. Breaking the book between current time and historical time makes the book easier to read.

What did you like best about this story?

The story line of the Historical events of 1915

Have you listened to any of Cassandra Campbell and Alison Fraser ’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

No, but I thought her performance was excellent.

Who was the most memorable character of The Sandcastle Girls and why?

Elizabeth

content great but recording not

it was very disconcerting to me that pretty much every chapter changed markedly in volume. I got the impression that each person take their chapter with different equipment than the total. it was especially annoying at bedtime listening before sleeping when I had to keep continually changing the volume

War and moral distress

I usually love Bohjalian novels. This one was depressing and graphic so it does not get my usual 5 stars. It was an important topic, one I knew nothing of, but depressing none the less.

Amazing read

HAWL Readers Club read this as one of our selections.

Although this is historical fiction, it was quite a learning experience for most if not all of us.

I’m always amazed at how horrible some people are, how strong others are and how profound is the unselfishness of others.

Fast, Moving, Descriptive & Informative!

Would you consider the audio edition of The Sandcastle Girls to be better than the print version?

I couldn't say never read print version.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Elizabeth-She is so brave and bold.

What about Cassandra Campbell and Alison Fraser ’s performance did you like?

They truly seemed to personify the chractors.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Yes, when Elizabeth discovers Armen's Wife dying in the hospital.

Any additional comments?

Did not like the ending.

Excellent

I am embarrassed to admit that I knew very little of the Armenian Genocide of WWI. Because of Chris Bohjalian’s novel that is no longer the case. This is not always an easy book by any means. I do think the two narratives helped give me a reprieve from the tale of individuals during the horrific mass murders of 1.5 million Armenians. The book is well written with well developed characters. I am so glad I read it.

Captivating story

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

This is a fascinating story about a genocide that I had never heard of - the Armenians by the Turks during World War I - as seen through the eyes of 2 generations of women in a single family. The first is a young woman from Boston who accompanies her father to Aleppo, Syria, to deliver food and medical aid to the victims of the Armenian genocide and the second is her granddaughter who is just discovering the story as she reaches middle age. There are two narrators for each woman's voice which really adds to the sense of intimacy to how the two women react. As is typical with good historical fiction you learn a lot about history while engrossed in the lives of the characters.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Sandcastle Girls?

I had never heard of the Armenian genocide and it made me wonder about other genocides that I have never heard of.

Which character – as performed by Cassandra Campbell and Alison Fraser – was your favorite?

Viewing this story from two different perspectives, that of the one living through the experience and that of the grandchild learning something new about her grandparents really fleshes out the impact of the horror of the genocide.

Intriguing History Lesson, but Anti-Climatic

What did you love best about The Sandcastle Girls?

The history lesson was great. I love books that, after I finish, have me researching more about the topic. With The Sandcastle Girls I walked away feeling like I had learned something new.

How would you have changed the story to make it more enjoyable?

There were parts where I was a little lost as to who was who, exactly. There were some characters who had potential, but were never fully developed and others that were developed more than they needed to be.

Any additional comments?

I purchased this book since I enjoyed "Midwives" so much, but I don't think this one had the same punch. I felt like nothing ever "new" really happened. The story was told, but the fictional characters weren't overly interesting. The ending was anti-climatic.