For once I have received an ARC and have actually read the book ahead of when the book comes out. I have heard so much about The Swimming Pool by Holly LeCraw that I decided to ignore the enormous stacks of library books and read this book I have been hearing so much about.
The Swimming Pool is exactly the type of book I enjoy - women's fiction with character development and wonderful writing. I am not sure how to write this review without giving too much away, and this is a book you should read for yourself.
I will tell you that this book switches between the present time and a summer several years (maybe seven or eight?) in the past. Marcella, her husband Anthony, and their daughter Toni spent their summers at Mashantum as did another family: Cecil, Betsy, and their children Jed and Callie. Jed was a high schooler at this time, and is now in his mid twenties. During this summer at Mashantum much has changed. Jed and Callie are there taking care of Callie's children, while Callie becomes more detached from her life. Her husband Billy comes up on weekends. Toni is hired as a nanny for the children. Marcella and Anthony are no longer married, divorcing long ago. And yet, all of these lives converge again, joined by certain events.
This book is definitely interesting and full of characters that are multi-faceted. A lot of times I can sort of relate to the female protagonist, but Marcella isn't really someone I "get" and while I didn't dislike her, I wasn't necessarily rooting for her, either, because I really didn't agree with the decisions she made. (If you have read this and would like to discuss, let me know!).
For anyone out there looking for a good book, this one is worthy of the buzz it's been getting.
Visit Holly LeCraw's website.
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