The Seduction of Water

By: Carol Goodman

Narrated by: Christine Marshall

Length: 13 hrs and 30 mins

Publisher's summary

For Iris Greenfeder - all but published, all but a professor, and all but married to her boyfriend of ten years - the sudden impulse to write a story about her mother, Katherine, leads to a shot at literary success.

The piece recounts an eerie Irish fairy tale her mother used to tell her at bedtime - and nestled inside is the sad story of her mother's death, a strange, untimely end in a fire 30 years ago.

When Iris returns to the remote Hotel Equinox in the Catskills, the place where she grew up, to write her mother's biography and search for her mother's missing manuscript, she unravels a haunting mystery that threatens to envelope her.

©2003 Carol Goodman (P)2008 BBC Audiobooks

Critic reviews

"Mystery, folklore, a thoroughly modern romance, a strong sense of place and a winning combination of erudition and accessibility make this...a treat." ( Publishers Weekly)

Disapointing

This book seemed to have great promise, but never really followed through. There was no character development and as a result, instead of being caught up by the story, I felt like I was on the outside looking in, always waiting for something to happen. It was confusing in parts and I struggled to finish.

Okay

The Seduction of Water lacked any true seduction. It was not the worst book I have listened to by far, but not one I would listen too again. It was predictable and just left you wanting. Could have been a truely good story, but it falls flat. Okay if you just want something to listen to. I'd wait until it was on sale to purchase or just find something else if I had to do it over again. At the end of the novel, I just felt disappointed. Characters were flat and never really cared about them. I kept waiting for the bad guy to pull off a mask and say, "I'd of gotten away with it too if it weren't for those pesky kids!"

if you loved...

the movie Lady in the water, chocolate or the Mistress of spices you're going to love this one fantasy fairy tale mixed in to real life murder mystery it's not sci-fi it's intriguing.

Charming, complex, almost Literary

Densely interwoven with leitmotifs, fantasy and fairytale allusions, character and plot echoing archetype and rich language, this book only disappoints toward the end, when it settles down into a thriller/mystery plot tie up. Over all an enticing and delightful listen.

Great listen but abrupt ending!

I really enjoyed this book all the way til I got to the end. It was somewhat suspenseful without expecting murder or anything bad. But, I was disappointed in the end. I felt like it just ended without being sure what the outcome was for some of the characters. That was the only disappointment.

twisting tale of love

narrator is wonderful and the story has me wanting to read more , more , more of the authors books!

Story could have been edited better.

Not a bad story. Found they could have shorten it. Started to lose interest near the end as a result. Narration was o-kay.

Solid story

I have had this in my library for a bit and I could not remember why I had downloaded it. At first it didn't seem like my usual genre that I enjoy. I was pleasantly surprised by the story that was vaguely reminiscent of The Maltese Falcon. The story was well written and I found it unpredictable which I truly enjoyed.

Didn’t Hold My Interest

Slow moving and a tad dull. I elected not to invest anymore time in the book after the first hour.

Beautifully written

One of the best books I’ve heard in a long time.
Unpredictable, engaging and characters that are realistic and easy to become fond of. It also tells a few stories within the story. I’ll add this to my short list of favorites. Definitely looking forward to seeing more from Carol Goodman.