"Dear Mr. Watson, I came across this book at auction
as part of a larger lot I purchased on speculation. The damage renders
it useless to me, but a name inside it—Verona Bonn—led me to believe it
might be of interest to you or your family...."Simon
Watson, a young librarian on the verge of losing his job, lives alone on
the Long Island Sound in his family home—a house, perched on the edge
of a bluff, that is slowly crumbling toward the sea. His parents are
long dead, his mother having drowned in the water his house overlooks.
His younger sister, Enola, works for a traveling carnival reading tarot
cards, and seldom calls.
On a day in late June, Simon receives a mysterious package from an antiquarian bookseller. The book tells the story of Amos and Evangeline, doomed lovers who lived and worked in a traveling circus more than two hundred years ago. The paper crackles with age as Simon turns the yellowed pages filled with notes, sketches, and whimsical flourishes; and his best friend and fellow librarian, Alice, looks on in increasing alarm. Why does his grandmother's name, Verona Bonn, appear in this book? Why do so many women in his family drown on July 24? Could there possibly be some kind of curse on his family—and could Enola, who has suddenly turned up at home for the first time in six years, risk the same fate in just a few weeks? In order to save her—and perhaps himself—Simon must try urgently to decode his family history while moving on from the past.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1209086495
On a day in late June, Simon receives a mysterious package from an antiquarian bookseller. The book tells the story of Amos and Evangeline, doomed lovers who lived and worked in a traveling circus more than two hundred years ago. The paper crackles with age as Simon turns the yellowed pages filled with notes, sketches, and whimsical flourishes; and his best friend and fellow librarian, Alice, looks on in increasing alarm. Why does his grandmother's name, Verona Bonn, appear in this book? Why do so many women in his family drown on July 24? Could there possibly be some kind of curse on his family—and could Enola, who has suddenly turned up at home for the first time in six years, risk the same fate in just a few weeks? In order to save her—and perhaps himself—Simon must try urgently to decode his family history while moving on from the past.
The Book of Speculation is Erika Swyler's gorgeous and moving debut, a wondrous novel about the power of books and family and magic. @goodreads
MY REVIEW:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1209086495
**I would like to thank Netgalley and St Martin's Press for an ARC of this book.**
I love the ideal of this book, but it wasn't really for me. I think the only person I really liked in the book is Mr. Churchwarry. They are not bad characters, I just didn't click with any of them.
I loved Amos story from when he was a child. It was so very sad what his family did to him, but I am glad he found the circus.
Simon gets this book from Churchwarry with his grandmothers name written inside. After doing a lot of research he finds out generations of women in his family performed as mermaids, women who could hold their breathe a long time and did acts underwater. But each of these women drowned on the same day of the year at different years in time. I mean just walking into the water and drowning themselves. They have some kind of curse on the family.
I don't like Simon's sister Enola at all. She is annoying in everything she does. Every time her mouth opens it's something annoying.
I think this book is a wonderful read for a lot of people, but I just couldn't feel it. The only thing I really liked is the mystery of the mermaids. 3 Stars
I love the ideal of this book, but it wasn't really for me. I think the only person I really liked in the book is Mr. Churchwarry. They are not bad characters, I just didn't click with any of them.
I loved Amos story from when he was a child. It was so very sad what his family did to him, but I am glad he found the circus.
Simon gets this book from Churchwarry with his grandmothers name written inside. After doing a lot of research he finds out generations of women in his family performed as mermaids, women who could hold their breathe a long time and did acts underwater. But each of these women drowned on the same day of the year at different years in time. I mean just walking into the water and drowning themselves. They have some kind of curse on the family.
I don't like Simon's sister Enola at all. She is annoying in everything she does. Every time her mouth opens it's something annoying.
I think this book is a wonderful read for a lot of people, but I just couldn't feel it. The only thing I really liked is the mystery of the mermaids. 3 Stars
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