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Mill River #1
The Mill River Recluse
The sensational New York Times bestseller The Mill River Recluse reminds us that friendship, family, and love can come from the most unexpected places. Perfect for fans of Maeve Binchy.
269 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 10, 2014
About the author
Darcie Chan
8 books276 followersDarcie Chan is the New York Times bestselling author of the eBook sensation THE MILL RIVER RECLUSE and the novels THE MILL RIVER REDEMPTION and THE PROMISE OF HOME. She has been featured in The New York Times, USA Today, and The Wall Street Journal.
For fourteen years, Chan worked as an attorney drafting environmental and natural resource legislation for the U.S. Senate. She now writes fiction full time and lives north of New York City with her husband and son.
For fourteen years, Chan worked as an attorney drafting environmental and natural resource legislation for the U.S. Senate. She now writes fiction full time and lives north of New York City with her husband and son.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,746 reviews
April 21, 2018
Mill River, Vermont is a quiet small town where everyone knows everyone. It is the perfect little community for those looking for a new beginning, a place to start over and create a new home. This is the perfect place for a widowed father to raise his young daughter and for a school teacher looking to start fresh. For some it has always been their home and they enjoy their community and way of life. For some, this is a sanctuary where they keep their secrets hidden away from the public eye.
As I stated, everyone knows everyone in this town, except for the woman who lives in the marble mansion overlooking the town. The children have created stories about her and many wonder about this woman who lives in the huge mansion. The town has accepted that she is there, even though they have had no interactions with her except for a few people. Father O'Brien made a promise to look out for Mary long ago and has kept his word and served as her friend, confidant, and link to the outside world over the years.
Mary McAllister lives in the mansion overlooking the town. For most of her life she has suffered from Social Anxiety/phobia. For over sixty years she has watched her town from above. The townspeople do not know her, but she has learned about them through the town newspaper and stories form Father O'Brien.
This book is told through alternating timelines showing us Mary as a young woman and as a woman at the end of her life. This book also shows us some of the members of the town, some good and some bad. I found this book to be charming and heartwarming. To a small degree this book also shows the impact that social anxiety can have on someone's life. I found this book to be a fast read and quite enjoyable. A little predictable but in a good way. People have flaws and we see many people with flaws in this book, but we also see people with big hearts, compassion, kindness and generosity. A very enjoyable read!
See more of my reviews at www.openbookpost.com
As I stated, everyone knows everyone in this town, except for the woman who lives in the marble mansion overlooking the town. The children have created stories about her and many wonder about this woman who lives in the huge mansion. The town has accepted that she is there, even though they have had no interactions with her except for a few people. Father O'Brien made a promise to look out for Mary long ago and has kept his word and served as her friend, confidant, and link to the outside world over the years.
Mary McAllister lives in the mansion overlooking the town. For most of her life she has suffered from Social Anxiety/phobia. For over sixty years she has watched her town from above. The townspeople do not know her, but she has learned about them through the town newspaper and stories form Father O'Brien.
This book is told through alternating timelines showing us Mary as a young woman and as a woman at the end of her life. This book also shows us some of the members of the town, some good and some bad. I found this book to be charming and heartwarming. To a small degree this book also shows the impact that social anxiety can have on someone's life. I found this book to be a fast read and quite enjoyable. A little predictable but in a good way. People have flaws and we see many people with flaws in this book, but we also see people with big hearts, compassion, kindness and generosity. A very enjoyable read!
See more of my reviews at www.openbookpost.com
October 19, 2011
Having finished this novel, I feel as sugar sick as I did once after pigging out on my mother's home made fudge
This is the sort of tale I would have loved when I was 7. I was a very precocious 7, however, having already read Pearl Buck and Havelock Ellis. However, at 76 I need more than plot or facts from a book. I need good writing.
The heavy-handed prose plodding through the banal plotting had me groaning. So why did I finish it? Boredom. Disbelief. That others gave it 5 stars.
If Touchstone doesn't make this into a family fun movie, they'll miss out on a sure hit. A witch who sprinkles goodnesses on a whole town, a Vermont Glochanoorah where the evil are evil and everyone else is good and loving, where a 90 pound weight loss leads to true love, where goodness is rewarded with magical gifts of color TVs--and so much more. A lovely town with nary a pierced belly button and nobody has to worry about health insurance.
I can't believe I read the whole thing. I need a sour pickle
This is the sort of tale I would have loved when I was 7. I was a very precocious 7, however, having already read Pearl Buck and Havelock Ellis. However, at 76 I need more than plot or facts from a book. I need good writing.
The heavy-handed prose plodding through the banal plotting had me groaning. So why did I finish it? Boredom. Disbelief. That others gave it 5 stars.
If Touchstone doesn't make this into a family fun movie, they'll miss out on a sure hit. A witch who sprinkles goodnesses on a whole town, a Vermont Glochanoorah where the evil are evil and everyone else is good and loving, where a 90 pound weight loss leads to true love, where goodness is rewarded with magical gifts of color TVs--and so much more. A lovely town with nary a pierced belly button and nobody has to worry about health insurance.
I can't believe I read the whole thing. I need a sour pickle
April 18, 2018
This book was very endearing. The book follows the life of Mary McAllister, a misunderstood widow and recluse who has lived in quaint Mill Creek for eighty plus years. Emotionally scarred by a childhood incident at school, her life doesn't improve any when she meets and marries rich Patrick McAllister. The story weaves back and forth through the decades of her life. Her character felt very real and the special lifelong friendship she shared with her parish priest was a tender focus in the story. The book held my interest and tugged at my heartstrings.
January 31, 2012
A disappointing book better suited for a cheesy lifetime movie.
With a feel-good factor of 10, believe-abilty factor of 0 and poor dialogue this story is best suited for a lifetime made-for-tv movie starting some washed-up sitcom actress from the 80s. There is potential in the story of Mary--she was raped by her high school teacher, she married a wealthy aristocrat, she was physically abused by her cheating husband, she was widowed at a young age yet she maintained a peaceful existence in a mansion overlooking her small hometown. The author never allows you to really understand how Mary feels because all the character-developing aspects of her life are quickly dismissed. Instead the author tells of the seemingly random members of the small community. How their stories intersect with Marys is forced and far too cheesy (even for me). At the end of the book we know as much about Mary as the townsfolk who never even met her....and it's difficult to care about any of them.
Even at 99 cents--don't bother. Turn on lifetime and I'm sure something very similar will be on and you're chances of a love scene are significantly higher.
With a feel-good factor of 10, believe-abilty factor of 0 and poor dialogue this story is best suited for a lifetime made-for-tv movie starting some washed-up sitcom actress from the 80s. There is potential in the story of Mary--she was raped by her high school teacher, she married a wealthy aristocrat, she was physically abused by her cheating husband, she was widowed at a young age yet she maintained a peaceful existence in a mansion overlooking her small hometown. The author never allows you to really understand how Mary feels because all the character-developing aspects of her life are quickly dismissed. Instead the author tells of the seemingly random members of the small community. How their stories intersect with Marys is forced and far too cheesy (even for me). At the end of the book we know as much about Mary as the townsfolk who never even met her....and it's difficult to care about any of them.
Even at 99 cents--don't bother. Turn on lifetime and I'm sure something very similar will be on and you're chances of a love scene are significantly higher.
March 28, 2012
Warning-spoilers ahead.
Darcie Chan is the poster child for struggling indie writers. Her debut novel, The Mill River Recluse, has logged a staggering half million downloads and maintains a four plus star rating on Amazon with close to nine hundred reviews. So it was with eagerness that I began The Mill River Recluse.
The first part of the novel reads well. The writing doesn’t take many chances but that’s fine—a good story well told is a great thing. The characters are introduced in a revolving manner that keeps the reader turning pages and the narrative moves back and forth from past to present without that jarring clumsiness that frequently trips up many promising novels. Story questions grow around Mary, the damaged protagonist. I was hooked. I even gifted a copy of the novel to a friend of mine at this point.
Then, somewhere around the second act, it all starts to sag. The writing grows deliberate and uninspired —or perhaps it had always been that way but the pacing and story questions up until now compensated. The dialog is painfully direct and frequently mundane. A date at Pizza Hut reads like a teenager’s diary: no irony, no witty repartee, no real danger for a woman trying desperately to watch her weight—just pizza between two adults who act like they’ve never been out to dinner before. Is this what a leading man who wants to snare an attractive woman does on a first date—take her to Pizza Hut?
The biggest problem of the novel by this point is structural: Mary has had her main threat removed and is now continually rescued by a series of benefactors. People build her houses, leave her piles of money, and tend to her ongoing seclusion that borders on mental illness. We want to see Mary overcome her past—or at least fail valiantly. But the Mary we see doesn’t have much to do except withdraw from life and give away wealth to her supposedly beloved town members in a clandestine manner. We don’t see the inner workings of her pathological reclusiveness, just the symptoms, and not enough of them at that. She reads like a secondary character.
In the third act, the story is hijacked by a subplot where one citizen of Mill River tries to attract the attention of the woman who loves Pizza Hut by setting houses on fire. Meanwhile Mary dies. It’s supposed to be heart-wrenching but it’s a relief for a character who has done little but suffer amidst secluded wealth while the rest of Mill River toils. They say that every novel can get away with one coincidence but the one between Mary and the local crazy person smacks so much of author intervention it’s simply not believable. And the local priest’s little foible—meant to be endearing and quirky—comes across as silly and contrived. Are we really expected to believe he had the sleeves of his garments altered so he could steal spoons?
On a technical note I also have to say that the Kindle formatting of this book is atrocious. There are many sections that are indented incorrectly. Throughout the book the reader is treated to paragraph after paragraph of offset, misaligned text. As an indie author I know how trying the process can be but one afternoon with a word editor could fix this. Or hire someone to do it. Half a million readers might appreciate it.
But they seem to love this book anyway. So Darcie Chan must be doing something right.
I’m sure my friend I gifted the copy to must be wondering about me.
Darcie Chan is the poster child for struggling indie writers. Her debut novel, The Mill River Recluse, has logged a staggering half million downloads and maintains a four plus star rating on Amazon with close to nine hundred reviews. So it was with eagerness that I began The Mill River Recluse.
The first part of the novel reads well. The writing doesn’t take many chances but that’s fine—a good story well told is a great thing. The characters are introduced in a revolving manner that keeps the reader turning pages and the narrative moves back and forth from past to present without that jarring clumsiness that frequently trips up many promising novels. Story questions grow around Mary, the damaged protagonist. I was hooked. I even gifted a copy of the novel to a friend of mine at this point.
Then, somewhere around the second act, it all starts to sag. The writing grows deliberate and uninspired —or perhaps it had always been that way but the pacing and story questions up until now compensated. The dialog is painfully direct and frequently mundane. A date at Pizza Hut reads like a teenager’s diary: no irony, no witty repartee, no real danger for a woman trying desperately to watch her weight—just pizza between two adults who act like they’ve never been out to dinner before. Is this what a leading man who wants to snare an attractive woman does on a first date—take her to Pizza Hut?
The biggest problem of the novel by this point is structural: Mary has had her main threat removed and is now continually rescued by a series of benefactors. People build her houses, leave her piles of money, and tend to her ongoing seclusion that borders on mental illness. We want to see Mary overcome her past—or at least fail valiantly. But the Mary we see doesn’t have much to do except withdraw from life and give away wealth to her supposedly beloved town members in a clandestine manner. We don’t see the inner workings of her pathological reclusiveness, just the symptoms, and not enough of them at that. She reads like a secondary character.
In the third act, the story is hijacked by a subplot where one citizen of Mill River tries to attract the attention of the woman who loves Pizza Hut by setting houses on fire. Meanwhile Mary dies. It’s supposed to be heart-wrenching but it’s a relief for a character who has done little but suffer amidst secluded wealth while the rest of Mill River toils. They say that every novel can get away with one coincidence but the one between Mary and the local crazy person smacks so much of author intervention it’s simply not believable. And the local priest’s little foible—meant to be endearing and quirky—comes across as silly and contrived. Are we really expected to believe he had the sleeves of his garments altered so he could steal spoons?
On a technical note I also have to say that the Kindle formatting of this book is atrocious. There are many sections that are indented incorrectly. Throughout the book the reader is treated to paragraph after paragraph of offset, misaligned text. As an indie author I know how trying the process can be but one afternoon with a word editor could fix this. Or hire someone to do it. Half a million readers might appreciate it.
But they seem to love this book anyway. So Darcie Chan must be doing something right.
I’m sure my friend I gifted the copy to must be wondering about me.
October 16, 2011
Well that's the best 99 cents I ever spent (kindle ebook). I've spent much more on books I've liked less. This has a little bit of everything, and is very original. Strong 4.5 rating from this reader. I just do not understand the other low ratings I've seen here.
The town of Mill River seems like a character itself in this captivating tale of a widowed recluse who lives high on a hill in a marble castle-like home overlooking the town. This character-driven novel holds the readers attention well, I myself read it in one day. The characters are believable and likeable. Mary, the recluse, has her own story, one that is heartbreaking but draws you in. There is Father Michael, Mary's best and only friend. The novel takes you through 60 years of their friendship, from the beginning when he officiated over her marriage, one of the first things he did as a priest, to giving her the last rites at her death. He has a secret of his own, and Mary has always kept it for him. She knew it was a minor flaw in the big picture of a loving, dedicated human being that she was lucky enough to have as a devoted friend. "Crazy Daisy" is another character that endears you to her kind heart and naivete. She doesn't always understand why people treat her the way they do, but it doesn't stop her from picking her herbs and selling her potions so she can live her modest life in her trailer with her best friend, her doggy. She just wants friendship and will help anyone in need.
The novel fluctuates between past and present. The past being Mary's young life, and the present being the events surrounding the towns-people; those that run the bakery, the diners, the Police Dept. and of course Father Michael and Daisy. As a reader the only minor complaint I have is that I would have liked the chapters labeled by the year of the events in that chapter, just to tidy things up and make it easier for the reader to pick up that part of the story line. The are several good messages in this novel. The writing gets the reader involved and caring about what happens to the people, which to me, is what makes an author successful. It had a very satisfactory ending too, which always helps, but alas, it did end :( Hope to read more by this budding author. Kudos to you, Ms. Chan. It is our "book club" selection for my group this month.
The town of Mill River seems like a character itself in this captivating tale of a widowed recluse who lives high on a hill in a marble castle-like home overlooking the town. This character-driven novel holds the readers attention well, I myself read it in one day. The characters are believable and likeable. Mary, the recluse, has her own story, one that is heartbreaking but draws you in. There is Father Michael, Mary's best and only friend. The novel takes you through 60 years of their friendship, from the beginning when he officiated over her marriage, one of the first things he did as a priest, to giving her the last rites at her death. He has a secret of his own, and Mary has always kept it for him. She knew it was a minor flaw in the big picture of a loving, dedicated human being that she was lucky enough to have as a devoted friend. "Crazy Daisy" is another character that endears you to her kind heart and naivete. She doesn't always understand why people treat her the way they do, but it doesn't stop her from picking her herbs and selling her potions so she can live her modest life in her trailer with her best friend, her doggy. She just wants friendship and will help anyone in need.
The novel fluctuates between past and present. The past being Mary's young life, and the present being the events surrounding the towns-people; those that run the bakery, the diners, the Police Dept. and of course Father Michael and Daisy. As a reader the only minor complaint I have is that I would have liked the chapters labeled by the year of the events in that chapter, just to tidy things up and make it easier for the reader to pick up that part of the story line. The are several good messages in this novel. The writing gets the reader involved and caring about what happens to the people, which to me, is what makes an author successful. It had a very satisfactory ending too, which always helps, but alas, it did end :( Hope to read more by this budding author. Kudos to you, Ms. Chan. It is our "book club" selection for my group this month.
October 27, 2011
I think the author had a wonderfully soft, kind story to tell but she had to work way to hard to try and convince me that I should love her character, Mary, the town recluse. I never felt connected to Mary. Too much time was spent telling me that Mary was crying. Eventually I lost patience with her. As a reader I would have been better served if I'd been allowed to get into the character's thoughts. Mary was one dimentional and spent way too much time crying. Who knew there were so many varried phrases and ways in which to cry...
tears ran down, poured, gushed, leaked, sobbed, eyes full of tears, with tears, tears streaked, began to cry, wipe a tear, began to sob, a tear slipped, another tear slid, dabbed at their eyes, fresh tears, tears dribbled, tears ran down, tears fell freely, tears on her fingers, fought back tears, tears came, tears like droplets of blood, fought back tears, pent-up tears, tears leaking, silvery tears, tears coming faster, tears began to flow, slow tears, tears squeezed, tears spilled, tears threatened, happy tears, eyes full of tears, strings of tears, angry tears, a tear slid, burst into tears, wiped tears, little girl tears, wet with tears.
tears ran down, poured, gushed, leaked, sobbed, eyes full of tears, with tears, tears streaked, began to cry, wipe a tear, began to sob, a tear slipped, another tear slid, dabbed at their eyes, fresh tears, tears dribbled, tears ran down, tears fell freely, tears on her fingers, fought back tears, tears came, tears like droplets of blood, fought back tears, pent-up tears, tears leaking, silvery tears, tears coming faster, tears began to flow, slow tears, tears squeezed, tears spilled, tears threatened, happy tears, eyes full of tears, strings of tears, angry tears, a tear slid, burst into tears, wiped tears, little girl tears, wet with tears.
January 26, 2012
I downloaded a sample of this book after hearing about it on Len Edgerley's "The Kindle Chronicles" podcast. It's an excellent podcast and Len has an MFA so I just assumed he would only recommend good books. I am quite disappointed. The sample drew me in enough that I figured it was worth the .99 to download the book, but after reading it I have to say...I don't understand over 400 5-star reviews for this work.
The characters are entirely 1-dimensional, either all-good or all-bad. Really no in-between gray area whatsoever, unless you count the fact that Father O'Brien has a strange spoon-pilfering habit, which is ultimately harmless. The plot and all of the characters' actions are completely 100% predictable, and the plot is extremely predictable as well. This was unexpected given that there's this major attempt by the author to make the "big reveal" at the end some sort of surprise. Believe me, by about the third chapter you'll have figured out what this "big reveal" is.
Also, as another reviewer pointed out, some of the dialogue is a little strange - in particular, there is a moment where Kyle and Claudia are having dinner and Kyle says at the end that he feels he is in a "food coma." Claudia thinks this is just about the funniest thing she's ever heard, and the reader is left under the impression that the author thinks she has invented this term for the very first time.
Perhaps this final note is a minor point, but it irritated me to no end. EVERY SINGLE TIME "Crazy Daisy" is mentioned in the book, and it's a lot toward the end, she is referred to as "the little round lady." Seriously, I think once or twice would have driven the point home. I get it, she's little. She's round. Now can we just call her Daisy, please?
The writing is on about a 3d-grade reading level, which I guess didn't bother me too much, but it's definitely such a saccharine, over-the-top "heartwarming" story that it feels juvenile to say the least. A little edge would have gone a long way.
The characters are entirely 1-dimensional, either all-good or all-bad. Really no in-between gray area whatsoever, unless you count the fact that Father O'Brien has a strange spoon-pilfering habit, which is ultimately harmless. The plot and all of the characters' actions are completely 100% predictable, and the plot is extremely predictable as well. This was unexpected given that there's this major attempt by the author to make the "big reveal" at the end some sort of surprise. Believe me, by about the third chapter you'll have figured out what this "big reveal" is.
Also, as another reviewer pointed out, some of the dialogue is a little strange - in particular, there is a moment where Kyle and Claudia are having dinner and Kyle says at the end that he feels he is in a "food coma." Claudia thinks this is just about the funniest thing she's ever heard, and the reader is left under the impression that the author thinks she has invented this term for the very first time.
Perhaps this final note is a minor point, but it irritated me to no end. EVERY SINGLE TIME "Crazy Daisy" is mentioned in the book, and it's a lot toward the end, she is referred to as "the little round lady." Seriously, I think once or twice would have driven the point home. I get it, she's little. She's round. Now can we just call her Daisy, please?
The writing is on about a 3d-grade reading level, which I guess didn't bother me too much, but it's definitely such a saccharine, over-the-top "heartwarming" story that it feels juvenile to say the least. A little edge would have gone a long way.
February 28, 2012
The only reason that I didn't give this book one star is because it didn't make me angry. I reserve the one star treatment for books that actually manage to evoke an emotional response (hate, disbelief, homicidal rage, etc.).
I can't bring myself to hate this book because it bored me to tears. There was absolutely nothing original about the plot or characters. It wasn't believable nor were the characters relatable and frankly, the book served no purpose other than possibly to make the author congratulate herself on making people "feel good". The only people who could possibly enjoy this book are those who also enjoy lifetime movies. You know, the kind of movie where the female lead is abused/raped and then overcomes her past like she's the first woman on the planet to do so.
As a social worker, this author clearly has no fucking idea of what real people actually go through that is traumatizing, about how mental illness shows up or progresses or what social mores were in the 1940s. Yes, Mary was raped (one in four US women are) and yes, she was abused by her husband (sadly, also common) but her life was charmed. Her husband died right after the one time he ever really assaulted her and she was financially set up by his family (?????). In any case, the whole damn thing was unrealistic and poorly written. I'd like some creativity and mystery to my novels, I don't want to be be able to write the whole thing before I'm done reading the first chapter.
I can't bring myself to hate this book because it bored me to tears. There was absolutely nothing original about the plot or characters. It wasn't believable nor were the characters relatable and frankly, the book served no purpose other than possibly to make the author congratulate herself on making people "feel good". The only people who could possibly enjoy this book are those who also enjoy lifetime movies. You know, the kind of movie where the female lead is abused/raped and then overcomes her past like she's the first woman on the planet to do so.
As a social worker, this author clearly has no fucking idea of what real people actually go through that is traumatizing, about how mental illness shows up or progresses or what social mores were in the 1940s. Yes, Mary was raped (one in four US women are) and yes, she was abused by her husband (sadly, also common) but her life was charmed. Her husband died right after the one time he ever really assaulted her and she was financially set up by his family (?????). In any case, the whole damn thing was unrealistic and poorly written. I'd like some creativity and mystery to my novels, I don't want to be be able to write the whole thing before I'm done reading the first chapter.
September 13, 2011
I've been a Kindle reader since the very beginning of the Kindle and ebook revolution. I try to read forty books a year, but that can be very expensive. EBooks are cheaper. But now the publishers are forcing up the price of ebooks (I saw one recently where the ebook was more expensive than the paperback! But that's a different subject.) The counter to more expensive ebooks is causing an even bigger revolution, and I don't think the publishers realize it yet. The book in question is a self published ebook and cost the grand total of 99 cents. This is my third self published book, and it was by far the best I've read. In fact, I have no idea why no publisher picked it up because it was better than some of the mainline books I've read recently. It has some flaws, but they are minor. The story concerns a small town in Vermont. The recluse of the title is a woman with an anxiety disorder that keeps her from ever leaving the mansion she lives in that sits on a hill overlooking the town. The townspeople know nothing about her, even though she has secretly done much for the town over the years.The story switches back and forth between the story of recluse from her youth to her old age and the stories of various members of the town. One of the flaws is that there is no real reason until the very end for the two story lines. I will give the author poetic license and forgive that minor problem. The other flaw, and I would like to advise the author on this. She seems to have no ear for dialog. The writing is fine, but no one talks like her characters. The language is far too formal. I liked the book, though, and for 99 cents it was a GREAT read.
July 19, 2011
Disfigured by the blow of an abusive husband, and suffering her entire life with severe social anxiety disorder, the widow Mary McAllister spends almost sixty years secluded in a white marble mansion overlooking the town of Mill River, Vermont. Her links to the outside world are few: the mail, the media, an elderly priest with a guilty habit of pilfering spoons, and a bedroom window with a view of the town below.
Most longtime residents of Mill River consider the marble house and its occupant peculiar, though insignificant, fixtures. An arsonist, a covetous nurse, and the endearing village idiot are among the few who have ever seen Mary. Newcomers to Mill River--a police officer and his daughter and a new fourth grade teacher--are also curious about the reclusive old woman. But only Father Michael O’Brien knows Mary and the secret she keeps--one that, once revealed, will change all of their lives forever.
The Mill River Recluse is a story of triumph over tragedy, one that reminds us of the value of friendship and the ability of love to come from the most unexpected of places.
I don't think the blurb for this book does it justice, it's so much more than what it sounds like. I loved this book, the characters, and the way it made me feel. The author did a wonderful job of pulling you and making you want to know more about the people, the town, the back stories. I couldn't hardly wait to finish it but was sad when it ended. I look forward to seeing more by this author. Oh and I have to say this was the best 99 cents I've spent on a book so far!
Most longtime residents of Mill River consider the marble house and its occupant peculiar, though insignificant, fixtures. An arsonist, a covetous nurse, and the endearing village idiot are among the few who have ever seen Mary. Newcomers to Mill River--a police officer and his daughter and a new fourth grade teacher--are also curious about the reclusive old woman. But only Father Michael O’Brien knows Mary and the secret she keeps--one that, once revealed, will change all of their lives forever.
The Mill River Recluse is a story of triumph over tragedy, one that reminds us of the value of friendship and the ability of love to come from the most unexpected of places.
I don't think the blurb for this book does it justice, it's so much more than what it sounds like. I loved this book, the characters, and the way it made me feel. The author did a wonderful job of pulling you and making you want to know more about the people, the town, the back stories. I couldn't hardly wait to finish it but was sad when it ended. I look forward to seeing more by this author. Oh and I have to say this was the best 99 cents I've spent on a book so far!
October 31, 2011
The Mill River Recluse was one of those books that I put into that unexplained category of 'books that kept me reading due to intense curiosity, but that I didn't necessarily enjoy.' The story wasn't particularly deep or interesting, but there was a lot of foreshadowing and I kept wanting to know what happened next. There were a few twists and turns that kept me interested, but a book doesn't become interesting due to plot twists alone.
Also, maybe I am just being a killjoy here, but I found to book to be overly saccharine and groan-worthy. I'm not sure if this is a personal bias on my part, but even with all of the horrible things that happened in the book, I felt as if it were just too 'sweet.'
Overall, if you want a book that is cheap (99 cents on kindle!) and will keep you interested for a few days, go ahead, you won't be wasting your time. However, don't read this book expecting any kind of great literature.
Also, maybe I am just being a killjoy here, but I found to book to be overly saccharine and groan-worthy. I'm not sure if this is a personal bias on my part, but even with all of the horrible things that happened in the book, I felt as if it were just too 'sweet.'
Overall, if you want a book that is cheap (99 cents on kindle!) and will keep you interested for a few days, go ahead, you won't be wasting your time. However, don't read this book expecting any kind of great literature.
February 11, 2013
What a great lesson that this book instills....Don't judge! Throughout this book many people were not how they were perceived. I love the parallels the author made between many of the characters: Mary-Claudia and Patrick-Leroy. How different Mary's life would have been if she had met someone like Kyle. Favorite quote from the book...
"You cannot force someone to like you or love you, but you can make it difficult for others to dislike you by earning their respect and trust. And to do that, you must respect yourself."
"You cannot force someone to like you or love you, but you can make it difficult for others to dislike you by earning their respect and trust. And to do that, you must respect yourself."
June 15, 2012
One hit wonder – like Bobby McFerrin - Don't Worry Be Happy
So enthrallingly cheesy – like an episode of Little House on the Prairie. I read a lot of reviews, and some were rather harsh, most were gushing. One was even a little hostile, going as far as checking Darcy Chan’s work records. Green is an ugly color when worn with red.
Yes, the story is so predictable and boring. Yes, the characters are cliché, the town is cliché and Daisy is very annoying. Darcy Chan created cardboard cut-out characters that we’ve all seen and know, nothing extraordinary or memorable. I don’t quite get what took her two years to write, and still the characters rang dull and lacked any originality, (and she should have had the respect, to edit the work, if writing is her passion). Having said that, the market has spoken, and the readers love it. Maybe that’s what people, who live in this crazy world want - a happy ending. A happy, annoying and Crazy – Daisy ending. Would I opt to buy another of Darcy Chan’s books? No – this was a one hit wonder, and I’m sure the literary agents out there would agree.
I really hope that the author doesn't think that this fluke is a prelude to writing The River Mill Recluse book 2. - Unless, she has vampires taking siege of the town, and Mary becomes immortal, and takes Daisy and the priest with her.
So enthrallingly cheesy – like an episode of Little House on the Prairie. I read a lot of reviews, and some were rather harsh, most were gushing. One was even a little hostile, going as far as checking Darcy Chan’s work records. Green is an ugly color when worn with red.
Yes, the story is so predictable and boring. Yes, the characters are cliché, the town is cliché and Daisy is very annoying. Darcy Chan created cardboard cut-out characters that we’ve all seen and know, nothing extraordinary or memorable. I don’t quite get what took her two years to write, and still the characters rang dull and lacked any originality, (and she should have had the respect, to edit the work, if writing is her passion). Having said that, the market has spoken, and the readers love it. Maybe that’s what people, who live in this crazy world want - a happy ending. A happy, annoying and Crazy – Daisy ending. Would I opt to buy another of Darcy Chan’s books? No – this was a one hit wonder, and I’m sure the literary agents out there would agree.
I really hope that the author doesn't think that this fluke is a prelude to writing The River Mill Recluse book 2. - Unless, she has vampires taking siege of the town, and Mary becomes immortal, and takes Daisy and the priest with her.
October 18, 2011
So far, I can't "put it down".
(I'm reading it on Kindle for MacBook) ;)
(I'm reading it on Kindle for MacBook) ;)
August 24, 2014
This book has quite a few bad reviews so I started reading with no real expectation of enjoying it. I have to say that I was pleasantly surprised.
The narrative moves backwards and forwards, between past and present, telling the story of an ordinary small town and, for the most part, the ordinary people who live there. It's a well written, easy read, with realistic characters that I enjoyed getting to know.
There's nothing outstanding about the book, but I liked it a lot and was sorry when I finished it.
April 19, 2012
I have to admit, I picked up this book 1) because it was free 2) because I'd heard about its popularity, 3) despite being a self-published book, the writing was solid enough it didn't make my eye twitch in the first 10 pages, and 4) I was thoroughly intrigued by the premise.
Issues
Yes, I have some serious issues with this book. Big ones. Serious ones.
- It was way too freaking long. Wow. All I can say is description could have been cut in half and it *still* would have been too long. I started skimming paragraphs (which means I read the first and last sentence and scan what's in between) around page 20. Now most who know me would say, then how in the world did you keep going? You'll see. ;) But geez louise, this one was an epic. I gauge how long a book is by seeing how many pages it takes my Kindle % record to update. Normal books are 1-3 clicks. This one had to be 8 clicks per % (or that's how it felt). I put the thing down 4-5 times because I was like, 'okay ... enough description already'. Yeah. It's that long.
- There are arcs (side stories) in the story that have no bearing on the overall premise. The story is about Mary and her life. 100%, the focus is Mary. But there is a Kyle-Claudia-Rowen-Leroy arc that at the end of the story has no closure. Everyone else has some 'link' to Mary at the end, but these four do not. It's like it's own story within the story but with no particular reason why these four had a story to be told at all. Could it have been cut to shorten? Actually, no. These guys made the story interesting. Really. Kyle was a very strong character and the rest were either conflict, issue or support. But ... it ended without them having more detail where it concerned Mary.
Throughout the story, Mary is keeping 'a secret' but the problem is ... she tells us ALL about everything else that happens in the last 2% of the book, there's no time for us to learn how that TRULY affected Mary. We know where her anxiety comes from and it's pre-Daisy. Despite the length of the story, this little blip would have been so nice to see ... to understand ... to FEEL. This entire book is so over-descriptive, but even if you skim you can FEEL these characters and this is SUCH A HUGE issues and we never got to feel it. I'm very disappointed in this mystery solved without letting us feel it like the rest of the story. This was just so underdeveloped, but such a CRITICAL piece of the story that it was just ... ::sigh::
- Leroy's conflict seemed inserted just to have a bad guy. He had nothing to do with Mary. That's probably my biggest issue with all story arcs that didn't show a direct relationship. If there was any sort of a relationship with Mary other than the one time they met when he was a teen, I would have understood it's inclusion, but without that, it's like this 2nd story just going along with the real one.
- So many perspectives makes it hard to really get into any one character's head. I will say Father and Mary though were by far the most defined as we were in their POV MOST of the time. However, we were in so many others that we never fully understood what made them them. Sure we got back story, but just to the point we'd move on to another character.
The good part!
Moving on, I'm going to switch gears a little bit. Yes, I had issue, but if I have issues while reading, and those issues aren't negated by something awesome, I don't keep reading. Period. And I did read all the way through to the end on this.
- Mary's tragedy of a life is a perfect backdrop for this book. It's a conflict made for a book and it's a conflict we can all understand. There is absolutely NO paranormal in this book (surprise to my readers! LOL). But part of the story is set through the 1900s until 'today' and we get to experience a lifetime in one book. Ha! That's probably why this is so freakin' long. ;)
- Mill River is the perfect setting for this story. The house, the town, the people — all perfectly set and staged. We have the rich, the middle class and the poor. People act like people. They love, they fight, they hate. They are just one big group of people being ... people.
- Watching the town from above (which is what Mary does) and 'reading about the town' from the book made me think/feel *I* was Mary. We both had this outsider's view. Since we had a lot of time in her perspective, I wonder if this was deliberate. I mean she was a recluse who only watched and learned little bits and we did too. If so, bravo! That was genius and worked very very well! If not planned, then well, kudos! It still worked!
- Even though the side stories didn't tie together in a way I would have liked, they really added to the story. I'd start reading about Mary (in the past) and think I need a break only to change to Kyle or Claudia in 'real time'. This back and forth kept me always looking for what was coming next and what would be revealed and wanting to know more.
- I really liked Claudia with her issues that so many of us face.
- Kyle is an awesome main male. I'd like to see a Kyle/Claudia romance book even!
- Father is awesome. He was more fully fleshed out than anyone in the story. Perhaps that's because he's the simplest of them and it didn't take as much to make him 'him'.
- Leroy was a good 'bad guy' but in a sense he was only the 'bad guy' because there needed to be one.
- The rest of 'the town' helped define 'the town' which is a character in and of itself.
The verdict
With all these issues and all these likes, what do I 'rate' this book? It gets a solid 3 stars which means it had issue enough it wasn't perfect (but I have to say most aren't) but it's also a book I could easily recommend to my literary fiction reading friends. Yes, it's a good book. It's a good, clean, solid, emotional, feel-good, feel-bad, love the characters, hate the characters book. I applaud Ms. Chan for her success (she self-published! You go girl!) and for taking the time to have/create a compelling cover, blurb and to have editing done on the book. As a writer, I had my issues, but none of them kept me from reading the book.
So yes, this one is recommended. Enjoy a good read. :)
Issues
Yes, I have some serious issues with this book. Big ones. Serious ones.
- It was way too freaking long. Wow. All I can say is description could have been cut in half and it *still* would have been too long. I started skimming paragraphs (which means I read the first and last sentence and scan what's in between) around page 20. Now most who know me would say, then how in the world did you keep going? You'll see. ;) But geez louise, this one was an epic. I gauge how long a book is by seeing how many pages it takes my Kindle % record to update. Normal books are 1-3 clicks. This one had to be 8 clicks per % (or that's how it felt). I put the thing down 4-5 times because I was like, 'okay ... enough description already'. Yeah. It's that long.
- There are arcs (side stories) in the story that have no bearing on the overall premise. The story is about Mary and her life. 100%, the focus is Mary. But there is a Kyle-Claudia-Rowen-Leroy arc that at the end of the story has no closure. Everyone else has some 'link' to Mary at the end, but these four do not. It's like it's own story within the story but with no particular reason why these four had a story to be told at all. Could it have been cut to shorten? Actually, no. These guys made the story interesting. Really. Kyle was a very strong character and the rest were either conflict, issue or support. But ... it ended without them having more detail where it concerned Mary.
Throughout the story, Mary is keeping 'a secret' but the problem is ... she tells us ALL about everything else that happens in the last 2% of the book, there's no time for us to learn how that TRULY affected Mary. We know where her anxiety comes from and it's pre-Daisy. Despite the length of the story, this little blip would have been so nice to see ... to understand ... to FEEL. This entire book is so over-descriptive, but even if you skim you can FEEL these characters and this is SUCH A HUGE issues and we never got to feel it. I'm very disappointed in this mystery solved without letting us feel it like the rest of the story. This was just so underdeveloped, but such a CRITICAL piece of the story that it was just ... ::sigh::
- Leroy's conflict seemed inserted just to have a bad guy. He had nothing to do with Mary. That's probably my biggest issue with all story arcs that didn't show a direct relationship. If there was any sort of a relationship with Mary other than the one time they met when he was a teen, I would have understood it's inclusion, but without that, it's like this 2nd story just going along with the real one.
- So many perspectives makes it hard to really get into any one character's head. I will say Father and Mary though were by far the most defined as we were in their POV MOST of the time. However, we were in so many others that we never fully understood what made them them. Sure we got back story, but just to the point we'd move on to another character.
The good part!
Moving on, I'm going to switch gears a little bit. Yes, I had issue, but if I have issues while reading, and those issues aren't negated by something awesome, I don't keep reading. Period. And I did read all the way through to the end on this.
- Mary's tragedy of a life is a perfect backdrop for this book. It's a conflict made for a book and it's a conflict we can all understand. There is absolutely NO paranormal in this book (surprise to my readers! LOL). But part of the story is set through the 1900s until 'today' and we get to experience a lifetime in one book. Ha! That's probably why this is so freakin' long. ;)
- Mill River is the perfect setting for this story. The house, the town, the people — all perfectly set and staged. We have the rich, the middle class and the poor. People act like people. They love, they fight, they hate. They are just one big group of people being ... people.
- Watching the town from above (which is what Mary does) and 'reading about the town' from the book made me think/feel *I* was Mary. We both had this outsider's view. Since we had a lot of time in her perspective, I wonder if this was deliberate. I mean she was a recluse who only watched and learned little bits and we did too. If so, bravo! That was genius and worked very very well! If not planned, then well, kudos! It still worked!
- Even though the side stories didn't tie together in a way I would have liked, they really added to the story. I'd start reading about Mary (in the past) and think I need a break only to change to Kyle or Claudia in 'real time'. This back and forth kept me always looking for what was coming next and what would be revealed and wanting to know more.
- I really liked Claudia with her issues that so many of us face.
- Kyle is an awesome main male. I'd like to see a Kyle/Claudia romance book even!
- Father is awesome. He was more fully fleshed out than anyone in the story. Perhaps that's because he's the simplest of them and it didn't take as much to make him 'him'.
- Leroy was a good 'bad guy' but in a sense he was only the 'bad guy' because there needed to be one.
- The rest of 'the town' helped define 'the town' which is a character in and of itself.
The verdict
With all these issues and all these likes, what do I 'rate' this book? It gets a solid 3 stars which means it had issue enough it wasn't perfect (but I have to say most aren't) but it's also a book I could easily recommend to my literary fiction reading friends. Yes, it's a good book. It's a good, clean, solid, emotional, feel-good, feel-bad, love the characters, hate the characters book. I applaud Ms. Chan for her success (she self-published! You go girl!) and for taking the time to have/create a compelling cover, blurb and to have editing done on the book. As a writer, I had my issues, but none of them kept me from reading the book.
So yes, this one is recommended. Enjoy a good read. :)
September 28, 2011
When I read the synopsis of this book I was expecting the normal, run of the mill contemporary fiction book. In fact, what Ms. Chan has given us in her first outing as an author is more than that. She has a wonderfully descriptive writing style that is easy to read. Her descriptions of living with Social Anxiety Disorder, everyday life in a small Vermont town, and the landscape of Vermont are spot on.
The characters in the book are wonderfully developed. Most of them are flawed in some way. As Mary (the main protagonist) likes to say, "no one is perfect". It is these imperfections that Ms. Chan gives her characters, even the most subsidiary ones, that make them endearing. From early on, I felt that I was catching up with old familiar friends.
The combination of her descriptive writing and the development of wonderful characters makes this book a delightful read. I enjoyed it quite a bit and really hope that Ms. Chan will write more novels.
The bad news is that currently the book is only available as an e-book on Smashwords, Amazon, and Barnes & Noble (not sure if it is other places as well). The good news is as such it is only .99, which is a real bargain for a book this good. I have no doubt as word gets around, though, that someone will want to publish it in print format.
The characters in the book are wonderfully developed. Most of them are flawed in some way. As Mary (the main protagonist) likes to say, "no one is perfect". It is these imperfections that Ms. Chan gives her characters, even the most subsidiary ones, that make them endearing. From early on, I felt that I was catching up with old familiar friends.
The combination of her descriptive writing and the development of wonderful characters makes this book a delightful read. I enjoyed it quite a bit and really hope that Ms. Chan will write more novels.
The bad news is that currently the book is only available as an e-book on Smashwords, Amazon, and Barnes & Noble (not sure if it is other places as well). The good news is as such it is only .99, which is a real bargain for a book this good. I have no doubt as word gets around, though, that someone will want to publish it in print format.
September 6, 2011
In a word ... wonderful!
Though I love literary fiction, I tend of avoid it because it connects to the melancholia inside me. But some books are just too irresistible to ignore. I made the mistake of downloading a sample of this book when I noticed the way it was shooting up the Kindle bestseller chart. Almost from the first word I knew that I had to buy the book. I lay in bed this morning and read it in one sitting...sublime!
In a strange way The Mill River Recluse reminds me of one of my favourite albums: Norah Jones's Come Away With Me with its quiet elegance. I think it has the potential of becoming a great classic. It's very, very good but not perfect - occasionally the transitions between sentences were a little jerky and pulled me back from my total absorption, reminding me that I was reading a book and not a part of Mary McAllister's world. The book is well edited, but in the hands of an experienced editor who would give it the tiny tweaks it needs, it could become a masterpiece.
I commend Ms Chan on her beautiful debut novel and hope to read many more by her in the future.
Though I love literary fiction, I tend of avoid it because it connects to the melancholia inside me. But some books are just too irresistible to ignore. I made the mistake of downloading a sample of this book when I noticed the way it was shooting up the Kindle bestseller chart. Almost from the first word I knew that I had to buy the book. I lay in bed this morning and read it in one sitting...sublime!
In a strange way The Mill River Recluse reminds me of one of my favourite albums: Norah Jones's Come Away With Me with its quiet elegance. I think it has the potential of becoming a great classic. It's very, very good but not perfect - occasionally the transitions between sentences were a little jerky and pulled me back from my total absorption, reminding me that I was reading a book and not a part of Mary McAllister's world. The book is well edited, but in the hands of an experienced editor who would give it the tiny tweaks it needs, it could become a masterpiece.
I commend Ms Chan on her beautiful debut novel and hope to read many more by her in the future.
May 9, 2015
It is very nice once in a while to put all cynicism aside, and enjoy a feel-good novel that leaves you all warm inside. This is one such novel, with great characters you can deeply connect with and care about, with very clear separation between right and wrong, and with such old-fashioned values as friendship, loyalty, a sense of community, mutual support, and other lovely ideas we can now mostly dream about, but do not really experience in our everyday lives. Very engrossing and sweeping, I loved every minute of it, even if it is a bit too sweet and fluffy at times.
November 1, 2023
DNF at 50%. Actually, not sure why I even read it that far, but I restarted after leaving it for a year, and needed to get reacquainted. This is the story about a woman who lives alone most of her life in her mansion in the Vermont hills. The plot was slow and not very engaging. The writing was okay but didn't wow me. The majority of the characters were not memorable.
October 29, 2011
This book is awful in every way. I can not fathom why it got anything but negative reviews...except for the fact that it seems depressed people seem to like depressing stories. The book is absurd...this rich guy marries a weak-minded girl who was crushed by one terrible event, has no interests, no education, and absolutely nothing to offer except she looks good on his arm when he can coax her out of the house. Really? The book is boring...nothing to speak of actually happens. Teh book is depressing...every single undeveloped character is a sad representation of the worst of human existance. If you are one of thoes people who likes to wallow and have your books and movies depress you with a 'good dose of reality' they you will definately like this. It was definately not for me.
October 25, 2011
If I hadn't been on maternity leave and bored I never would have finished this book. The characters are one-dimensional, uninteresting and predictable. A priest whose only vice is stealing spoons? Um, ok. The writing is laughably bad. Here's a favorite quote:
"I feel like I'm in a food coma."
"A what?" Claudia said, laughing, even though she'd heard him perfectly well. It was such a clever, funny description.
The writer could use a lesson in showing, not telling.
"I feel like I'm in a food coma."
"A what?" Claudia said, laughing, even though she'd heard him perfectly well. It was such a clever, funny description.
The writer could use a lesson in showing, not telling.
July 19, 2014
"I fell in love with this story, the author, the town, and the characters!"
This mysterious mansion drew me in from the front cover, along with these intriguing characters, especially, Mary and Father O’Brien. Your heart goes out to this woman, living a sheltered life, yet able to touch so many lives with her goodwill, even in the next upcoming book (from the grave).
Shifting back and forth from past to present, Chan takes us back to the era of the fifties and sixties. A time when options were limited, for those suffering from social anxiety disorders--except mental institutions, which would have been detrimental in this case with such a delicate and fragile woman.
When combined with physical abuse, there were even less options for these victims --a lack of support, education, and protection, especially ones fighting against wealthy and powerful families. Thankfully, in Mary’s case, she has two allies – Father O’Brien and her husband’s grandfather, Conor.
Anxiety disorders are the most common emotional disorders, annually affecting more than 20 million Americans (about one in nine). In Mary’s case, one of post-traumatic stress disorder (occurring in individuals who have survived a severe or terrifying physical or emotional event), interfering with her daily functioning. Even today’s alarming statistics, one in four women (25%) has experienced domestic violence in her lifetime, and an alarming (60%) of rapes are never reported to authorities.
On a humorous note, some readers will also relate to the time between 1953 and 1968, transitioning from black- and- white television, to color—recalling the excitement, and will enjoy the TV show mentions.
Darcie Chan, writes from the heart-- Her passion is reflective throughout the pages, of this thought-providing novel of life lessons learned. Be sure and visit the author’s website to learn the inspiration behind The Mill River Recluse-- the majesty of the Cornwell mansion, and the generosity and kindness of one man.
Fans of Emilie Richards, Beth Hoffman, Donna Ball, Nancy Thayer, Joanne Demaio, Wendy Wax, Susan Wiggs, Patti Callahan Henry, Karen White, Shelly Noble, and Lisa Wingate will enjoy Chan’s warmhearted style and rich characters, you will not soon forget.
I highly recommend the second Mill River book, as well.
THE MILL RIVER REDEMPTION
Coming 8/26/14
Available NOW for Pre-Order!
A separate giveaway coming August!
These special books are standalone reads; however, trust me, you will want to read both, as some of the characters live on, in this engaging family saga of two sisters!
A special thank you to Random House Publishing Group, Ballantine Books, and NetGalley for ARCs of both books and the giveaway copies.
Congrats to Winners of The Mill River Recluse Book Giveaway Contest! Judy Canfield, Carole Bishop, and Patricia Tucker
BOOKLIKES
http://judithdcollins.booklikes.com/p...
This mysterious mansion drew me in from the front cover, along with these intriguing characters, especially, Mary and Father O’Brien. Your heart goes out to this woman, living a sheltered life, yet able to touch so many lives with her goodwill, even in the next upcoming book (from the grave).
Shifting back and forth from past to present, Chan takes us back to the era of the fifties and sixties. A time when options were limited, for those suffering from social anxiety disorders--except mental institutions, which would have been detrimental in this case with such a delicate and fragile woman.
When combined with physical abuse, there were even less options for these victims --a lack of support, education, and protection, especially ones fighting against wealthy and powerful families. Thankfully, in Mary’s case, she has two allies – Father O’Brien and her husband’s grandfather, Conor.
Anxiety disorders are the most common emotional disorders, annually affecting more than 20 million Americans (about one in nine). In Mary’s case, one of post-traumatic stress disorder (occurring in individuals who have survived a severe or terrifying physical or emotional event), interfering with her daily functioning. Even today’s alarming statistics, one in four women (25%) has experienced domestic violence in her lifetime, and an alarming (60%) of rapes are never reported to authorities.
On a humorous note, some readers will also relate to the time between 1953 and 1968, transitioning from black- and- white television, to color—recalling the excitement, and will enjoy the TV show mentions.
Darcie Chan, writes from the heart-- Her passion is reflective throughout the pages, of this thought-providing novel of life lessons learned. Be sure and visit the author’s website to learn the inspiration behind The Mill River Recluse-- the majesty of the Cornwell mansion, and the generosity and kindness of one man.
Fans of Emilie Richards, Beth Hoffman, Donna Ball, Nancy Thayer, Joanne Demaio, Wendy Wax, Susan Wiggs, Patti Callahan Henry, Karen White, Shelly Noble, and Lisa Wingate will enjoy Chan’s warmhearted style and rich characters, you will not soon forget.
I highly recommend the second Mill River book, as well.
THE MILL RIVER REDEMPTION
Coming 8/26/14
Available NOW for Pre-Order!
A separate giveaway coming August!
These special books are standalone reads; however, trust me, you will want to read both, as some of the characters live on, in this engaging family saga of two sisters!
A special thank you to Random House Publishing Group, Ballantine Books, and NetGalley for ARCs of both books and the giveaway copies.
Congrats to Winners of The Mill River Recluse Book Giveaway Contest! Judy Canfield, Carole Bishop, and Patricia Tucker
BOOKLIKES
http://judithdcollins.booklikes.com/p...
August 12, 2011
I first saw this book advertised for sale for $.99 on "Pixel of Ink" which is a Kindle Blog that publishes all the near free book offers. The description looked intriguing and there were about 30 4-5 star ratings for the book on Amazon, so I downloaded the sample and found the first chapter to be extremely well written so I got it. The Mill River Recluse is Darcie Chan's first book. It is not yet in "print" and can only be read electronically (not sure if Amazon has the exclusive or not).
The novel is a tale about the widow and recluse Mary McAllister, (who suffers from severe social anxiety disorder and has been abused by her husband) and her local parish priest who has vowed to watch over her. The book starts when she is about 19 until her death in her 80s. Chan does a nice job switching back and forth from the present day to the past to slowly reveal the events that shaped her life.
I found the writing style to be lovely, and Ms. Chan does a great job of painting a sad picture what it must be like to live with social anxiety disorder. The subplots involve other townspeople, most notably a single dad police officer, his daughter, the girl's schoolteacher as well as an eccentric, but loveable "round-faced woman", who is a self-proclaimed witch (a delightful character to be sure). The characters are interesting and the story compelling.
I definitely recommend this book - especially for a first effort, although I will tell you that Chan's writing style goes back and forth between the descriptive prose of literary fiction and summer beach read depending on what part of the story she is telling. It certainly reads like a beach read because I rarely wanted to put it down. Additionally, the ending isn't nearly as well written as the rest of the book. I really hope Chan does get a print contract because I think she could be beginning a splendid career.
3.5 stars
Check it out. I still think its $.99!!
The novel is a tale about the widow and recluse Mary McAllister, (who suffers from severe social anxiety disorder and has been abused by her husband) and her local parish priest who has vowed to watch over her. The book starts when she is about 19 until her death in her 80s. Chan does a nice job switching back and forth from the present day to the past to slowly reveal the events that shaped her life.
I found the writing style to be lovely, and Ms. Chan does a great job of painting a sad picture what it must be like to live with social anxiety disorder. The subplots involve other townspeople, most notably a single dad police officer, his daughter, the girl's schoolteacher as well as an eccentric, but loveable "round-faced woman", who is a self-proclaimed witch (a delightful character to be sure). The characters are interesting and the story compelling.
I definitely recommend this book - especially for a first effort, although I will tell you that Chan's writing style goes back and forth between the descriptive prose of literary fiction and summer beach read depending on what part of the story she is telling. It certainly reads like a beach read because I rarely wanted to put it down. Additionally, the ending isn't nearly as well written as the rest of the book. I really hope Chan does get a print contract because I think she could be beginning a splendid career.
3.5 stars
Check it out. I still think its $.99!!
April 13, 2012
The Mill River Recluse was a poorly written book. It was about a woman named Mary who was raped by her teacher in high school. This rape caused Mary to have social anxiety, she was deathly afraid of people. Then Patrick comes along and tries to cure her. When they first meet he talks about her like she is some kind of object. I hated the way the author had him thinking about Mary. It was like something out of erotica or of the like. But anyway Patrick ends up cheating on her and abusing her. He ends up disfiguring her in the end right before he dies and leaves her to live a life alone. She never again leaves the mansion that was built for them as a wedding gift. Father O’Brien is charged to take care of Mary from the grandfather. He lives as Mary’s companion for the duration of her life.
Then there is the story of the town’s people. I must say that the two stories barely fit together. It was like reading two separate books. Except that they shared the same characters. I found that the author trying to tie the two together with Mary doing nice things and such for the town’s people were a poor attempt. Then there was poor Daisy whom every time they referred to her they said she was small and round, every time, it got real old. His characters were not built up well enough and it failed to make me like them.
The story was altruistic, Mary was in the end a good person and it tied her to the other story about all the towns’ people for what she did. But I thought it was a poor attempt. This book was only .99 cents so I don’t feel totally robbed. I don’t know how it got such high ratings. I give it 2.5 so it gets two stars, not good enough for three.
Then there is the story of the town’s people. I must say that the two stories barely fit together. It was like reading two separate books. Except that they shared the same characters. I found that the author trying to tie the two together with Mary doing nice things and such for the town’s people were a poor attempt. Then there was poor Daisy whom every time they referred to her they said she was small and round, every time, it got real old. His characters were not built up well enough and it failed to make me like them.
The story was altruistic, Mary was in the end a good person and it tied her to the other story about all the towns’ people for what she did. But I thought it was a poor attempt. This book was only .99 cents so I don’t feel totally robbed. I don’t know how it got such high ratings. I give it 2.5 so it gets two stars, not good enough for three.
May 5, 2013
Where I got the book: my sister read it and passed it on to me. She wasn't all that impressed.
Whereas I would give this book about a 3.5, for the following reasons. A few years ago, when agents ruled the land and authors scuttled around under their feet unnoticed, there was a lot of advice going around about making your book easy to read for the poor dumb reader because, y'know, long words are difficult for us and distance us from the story. Chan evidently followed that advice, and lo and behold, an indie bestseller was born.
And it's not a bad story per se, although the Big Secret became pretty obvious way before the end. There are a lot of readers who like small-town stories involving fallible characters, and when you add in perfectly decent writing that is "accessible" you're going to pull people in. Not entirely my cuppa, but I know that there's a knack to this kind of writing and Chan's nailed it. I've read way worse, by authors who've been picked up by trad publishing and touted as bestsellers.
I kind of wish Chan had stayed indie, but I can understand how those seven-figure advances are hard to resist. Would I read more Chan? No, probably not. I like a little more layering and depth of character. We're talking here about the depth of a Ken Follett blockbuster, without the grand sweep of the plot which is the only reason I stay with those things. In a short novel, I want more bite.
Whereas I would give this book about a 3.5, for the following reasons. A few years ago, when agents ruled the land and authors scuttled around under their feet unnoticed, there was a lot of advice going around about making your book easy to read for the poor dumb reader because, y'know, long words are difficult for us and distance us from the story. Chan evidently followed that advice, and lo and behold, an indie bestseller was born.
And it's not a bad story per se, although the Big Secret became pretty obvious way before the end. There are a lot of readers who like small-town stories involving fallible characters, and when you add in perfectly decent writing that is "accessible" you're going to pull people in. Not entirely my cuppa, but I know that there's a knack to this kind of writing and Chan's nailed it. I've read way worse, by authors who've been picked up by trad publishing and touted as bestsellers.
I kind of wish Chan had stayed indie, but I can understand how those seven-figure advances are hard to resist. Would I read more Chan? No, probably not. I like a little more layering and depth of character. We're talking here about the depth of a Ken Follett blockbuster, without the grand sweep of the plot which is the only reason I stay with those things. In a short novel, I want more bite.
August 25, 2011
Summary: Disfigured by the blow of an abusive husband, and suffering her entire life with severe social anxiety disorder, the widow Mary McAllister spends almost sixty years secluded in a white marble mansion overlooking the town of Mill River, Vermont. Her links to the outside world are few: the mail, the media, an elderly priest with a guilty habit of pilfering spoons, and a bedroom window with a view of the town below.
I really enjoyed this book. Mary is a sympathetic character even though she suffers from a severe form of social anxiety disorder. In the 1940's, people suffering from such a disorder were institutionalized. Mary was lucky and was able to live out her life in her marble mansion on the hill. The other characters of Mill River had interesting stories as well.
I feel I will think of Mary for a long time now. When characters become stuck in my head, I believe that's the sign of a good book.
I really enjoyed this book. Mary is a sympathetic character even though she suffers from a severe form of social anxiety disorder. In the 1940's, people suffering from such a disorder were institutionalized. Mary was lucky and was able to live out her life in her marble mansion on the hill. The other characters of Mill River had interesting stories as well.
I feel I will think of Mary for a long time now. When characters become stuck in my head, I believe that's the sign of a good book.
October 4, 2011
Who says you cannot judge a book by its cover? That's what I did with Darcie Chan's book, The Mill River Recluse, and I have not regretted it for an instant. As a result of purchasing and reading Darcie's book, I met two of the most beloved characters I've had the privilege of meeting in fiction, Michael and Mary. Furthermore, witnessing the friendship blossom between these two - spanning 60 years - was a reward, in and of itself.
In case you have not read this book, I really must suggest you take the time to do so. I can't stop thinking about it and have written two web articles featuring the book: The Mill River Recluse by Darcie Chan and Darcie Chan and The Mill River Recluse.
In case you have not read this book, I really must suggest you take the time to do so. I can't stop thinking about it and have written two web articles featuring the book: The Mill River Recluse by Darcie Chan and Darcie Chan and The Mill River Recluse.
November 3, 2016
I don't think this book is as bad as some have rated it. It has its flaws, but overall I think it's a decent attempt for a first novel. As I read I kept thinking that the author could have benefited from the input of several critique groups I've participated in over the years. Never, not even in a fit (a phrase I enjoy for its imagery,) would I have gotten away with (1) having a character's physical description present itself through a look in the mirror or a reflection in a window - an obvious rookie mistake, (2) characters who chuckle (who does that, and what could it possibly sound like?), (3) her endless use of "had been" and "had," because once we understand that an event happened in the past, we don't need to be reminded of it in every sentence, (4) things that "just so happen," such as Kyle showing Claudia a picture of his deceased wife, who just so happens to be chubby (Claudia having struggled with a weight issue all of her life,) or Mary's abusive husband, who just so happens to die in a car crash at the most convenient moment possible. Nor would I have been allowed to have characters do something extremely unlikely, like Leroy's ridiculous plan to win Claudia's affection by saving her in a fire, or Patrick, a heretofore meticulously calculating character, suddenly throwing a few belongings in a suitcase with a vague idea of rushing off to Canada to avoid military duty. These are all things that could be corrected by learning more about the craft of writing.
So, what did I like about the book? I liked the idea of Mary, a warm and caring person, who craves the company of people despite her agoraphobia, living for 60+ years in a house of cold marble, set apart from every living soul in Mill River, the flawed priest with a compulsive habit of swiping spoons, of "Crazy Daisy" and her devotion to potion-making. These characters brought the town of Mill River alive to me, and I cared what happened to them. And isn't that the one thing a novelist needs to accomplish over all else, the ability to make the reader keep turning the pages to find out what happens to the characters who have magically become real people in the reader's mind?
I recommend this book as an entertaining read, and I hope with proper editing and guidance it will make its way to print.
So, what did I like about the book? I liked the idea of Mary, a warm and caring person, who craves the company of people despite her agoraphobia, living for 60+ years in a house of cold marble, set apart from every living soul in Mill River, the flawed priest with a compulsive habit of swiping spoons, of "Crazy Daisy" and her devotion to potion-making. These characters brought the town of Mill River alive to me, and I cared what happened to them. And isn't that the one thing a novelist needs to accomplish over all else, the ability to make the reader keep turning the pages to find out what happens to the characters who have magically become real people in the reader's mind?
I recommend this book as an entertaining read, and I hope with proper editing and guidance it will make its way to print.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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