eschulenburg Posted June 10, 2008 Share Posted June 10, 2008 Review - The Girl who Stopped Swimming by Joshilyn Jackson Laurel can see ghosts. At least, she had always seen them, until she married her husband, David. Then they stopped. So when the ghost of her daughter's friend, Molly, appears to her just minutes before she finds Molly's dead body in her swimming pool, Laurel knows something is bad wrong. As she tries to find out what happened to Molly, she uncovers ghosts from her own childhood, and secrets her daughter is keeping from her as well. Having read and enjoyed Jackson's previous two novels, I was really, really excited for this one. I was expecting another complex, layered novel about buried family secrets and the possibilities of redemption. I expected a fascinating heroine, and well-developed supporting characters. I don't think I quite got either of those. About halfway through the novel, I had the sinking feeling that I knew where it was headed - unfortunately, I was almost 100% correct. I also found myself irritated with Laurel, the main character, throughout much of the novel. Her sister, Thalia, was much more interesting and complex. There were a couple of characters who could have been equally interesting, but just didn't ever get completely fleshed out. I think maybe I just had my expectations up too high, since I had loved both of her previous novels so much. I still enjoyed this one, but it didn't quite hit the highs I was expecting. Finished: 6/9/09 Source: Franklin Avenue public library Rating: 6/10 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Weave Posted June 10, 2008 Share Posted June 10, 2008 Hi eschulenburg, 'The Girl who Stopped Swimming' sounds interesting but I am sorry it was not up to scratch, it is disappointing when you have read brilliant books by a specific author and then you are let down. What other books has Joshilyn Jackson read? Welcome to the forum, if I have not said it already Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nursenblack Posted June 11, 2008 Share Posted June 11, 2008 I've thought about ordering that book several times because I really liked the title and short synopsis I read. Now I think I might skip it. Unfortunately a neat title doesn't guarantee victory. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eschulenburg Posted June 13, 2008 Author Share Posted June 13, 2008 Hi eschulenburg, 'The Girl who Stopped Swimming' sounds interesting but I am sorry it was not up to scratch, it is disappointing when you have read brilliant books by a specific author and then you are let down. What other books has Joshilyn Jackson read? Joshilyn Jackson's other two books are "gods in alabama" and "Between, Georgia". I thought both of them were brilliant. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Weave Posted June 13, 2008 Share Posted June 13, 2008 I have read 'Gods in Alabama' and I really enjoyed (I thought I recognised the author's name). I will keep an eye out for 'Between, Georgia'. Thank you:D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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