Customer Reviews

101 Borden Street

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

101 Borden Street is a bittersweet love story with a surprise twist at the end. The story of a young girl?s search for understanding why she was abandon by her mother, her journey begins when her social worker presents her with a beautiful necklace in an old box that is the only link not only to her past but a mystery as well.

Susan Eileen Walker has woven an endearing tale of ghosts, unending love and finally hope of a future. I highly recommend this book to all who like to believe that love can rise above all problems even death.

Reviewer name: Deven Vasko of Betsie's Literary Page
http://betsie.tripod.com/literary

Ariel was left alone at age four with nothing but a necklace and the knowledge of her first name. She was able to keep her name but the necklace was taken from her. Now, fourteen years later Ariel's necklace and the small box it rested in for all those years is returned to her just before she is released from the social welfare system. In the box she finds an old yellowed photo with the words "Borden Street, Goldsboro" written on the back.

Now that Ariel's an adult she's determined to discover her past. She knows that the photograph can provide her with needed answers. Ariel will travel to Goldsboro, shedding her abusive boyfriend John and the years of foster homes.

Ariel locates the house in the photograph, is hired as the housekeeper and learns 101 Borden Street is haunted-trapped in time waiting to be released from the violence that occurred there over a hundred and sixty years earlier. Only Ariel can free the house from the past and release the star-crossed lovers from their prison. But in helping others, she may lose her own life without learning about her own family history.

Susan Eileen Walker writes a fascinating suspense story that will keep you turning the pages. The plot is exciting and she is able to deftly weave the present into the past. I enjoyed it!

That said I have one criticism. The story ends so abruptly I thought I'd received a book that didn't have all the pages. I kept thinking that there had to be more and then learned that that was indeed how the author chose to end the book. For me it felt unfinished, though you could also argue for the opposite.

It's a great read if you love good story telling.

Susan Walker's novel intrigued me from the start. Her dialogue and descriptions are excellent but more than that, her storyline draws you in, making you want to find the answers. Why was Aeriel abandoned as a small child by a woman who apparently loved her? The answer is complicated as the young woman goes in search of her heritage with only a small photo with an address on the back as a clue. This book is well worth reading.

Normally, I don't go much for women/children in peril stories, but something about this story compelled me to keep reading. It is a well written story about a young woman searching for her past, and gets more than she bargained for. Her strength and courage are tempered with a tender vulnerability that makes you keep turning pages with anticipation. Very recommended.

Great writing combines with a well-paced build up of important clues to the rest of the storyline. Ariel is an engaging character from the get-go. Bravo on this one!

This is a stay-up-til-2-in-the-morning-reading-til-I'm-done kinda book! The author invites the reader step by step into the visual mysterious world of Borden Street complete with a shudder and a chill! You won't be sorry you stayed up late!