Customer Reviews

Prospect Street

5 star:		(20)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

It is definitely one of the best romantic mysteries I have found this year. I happened to stumble across it at a garage sale and picked it up. It is definitely a find ~~ now, I have found another author to add to my favorites list. Emilie Richards is an author to keep an eye out for.

This book is a gem. It starts out with Faith, the perfect daughter of an US senator and his wife, perfect wife of an upcoming and rising politican and mother of two, Remy and Alex. One day, her world crumbles when she discovers her husband is having an affair ~~ and found her world is built upon shams and deep secrets. For starters, her parents survived the kidnapping of her older sister, Hope. And secondly, she has to rebuilt the Georgetown home that is her mother's ~~ and while there, she starts to explore what the past holds. Along the way, she meets Dottie Lee, her next door neighbor who seems to know all the secrets of everyone who have lived in Georgetown, and she meets Pavel Quinn, a man with a secret of his own.

This is a really insightful novel ~~ not only is Faith dealing with the issues of her failed marriage, she is dealing with her parents' secrets, Remy's attitude change from being the perfect daughter to the teenager from hell, and Alex's blooming into a delightful young man who discovers his own talents. Also, Faith has to work with her images as being the perfect daughter/wife/mother ~~ and accepts herself in the end.

It is just a really interesting book ~~ full of twists and turns that keeps you guessing. And it does tug at your heartstrings ~~ Richards writes with feeling. She is definitely one author I'd like to read more of!

8-15-03

Married for fifteen years to a man who directs a right-wing organization, Faith Bronson leads a charmed life. With the requisite beautiful children, a fourteen-year-old girl, Remy and an eleven-year-old boy, Alex, Faith has few complaints as wife, mother, and homemaker in their elegant northern Virginia home.

When she discovers her husband, David, at their West Virginia cottage with another man, her carefully built world crumbles around her. Forced to move to her mother's Georgetown home on Prospect Street, Faith begins renovations there as she researches the kidnapping of her baby sister from the house some thirty years prior. Eccentric neighbor Dottie Lee fills in the gaps of Faith's research as Faith begins a relationship with Pavel Quinn, dot-com guru and fellow Georgetown resident.

Ms. Richards deftly integrates all aspects of Faith's existence into one neat package. A new love interest, a troubled teen-age daughter, and disturbing facts about her older sister's kidnapping keep this novel brimming with tension. As the pieces to the puzzle of the thirty-year-old mystery begin to fall into place, Faith must come to terms with her husband's homosexuality and learn to trust again. Multifaceted, this is a read that will appeal to a reader searching for mystery, romance, and personal struggles all in one page-turning read.

And by that I mean that if you're looking for the standard bodice-ripper, this ain't it. We all know how the average romance novel goes: guy meets girl, sexual attraction is immediate, but for some reason they can't admit their love until the end of the book. And, these days, lots of sex scenes thrown in along the way.

Prospect Street adds a lot more turns to that simple path. What it offers are situations that expertly mirror reality, and that force the reader to recall a truth we too often forget--things are seldom black and white.

Faith Bronson is a mother of two, happily married to her politician husband of fifteen years, David. In one moment, their lives are blown apart. Trying to start anew, Faith moves her son and daughter to an old family house in Georgetown, a house from which her baby sister was kidnapped decades ago. As she slowly restores the century-old family home, Faith rediscovers her heritage and, in the process, herself.

Putting the pieces of her life back together is both frightening and liberating. When all is said and done, who is the woman who will emerge? Will that woman have room in her life for Pavel Quinn, a handsome and enigmatic neighbor? And what DID happen to Faith's baby sister all those years ago?

We are introduced to a rich cast of characters: Faith and David's teenage daughter Remy, who hates their new life, their smart and sensitive young son Alex, Faith's distant mother Lydia, her politician father Joe and their shrewd old neighbor Dottie Lee. What makes this novel a true delight is that every family member is shown from many angles. It is difficult to truly hate any of the characters involved in this tragedy, except for a couple of minor characters. Faith's children are particularly compelling, as through them we are brought back to a time when everything in life was clear-cut, and to the painful first time we realized the people we loved could make mistakes.

Richards offers a fascinating reminder that every decision we make shapes the rest of our lives and that people, the world over, simply try to roll with the punches the best they can. The central message is simple: no relationship can endure without truth, or forgiveness. What a wonderful novel.

What a completely satisfying read! Romance,mystery,family saga,history,..you name it, this book has it all. Don't be intimidated by the sheer size of the book. The story is so captivating you'll finish it in no time and, believe me, you'll want more.
However, PROSPECT STREET isn't your typical romantic suspense. The author used a sublime way to tell her story. The plot's more depth than just solving a crime and baring heroine's flesh. There's no FBI/CIA-SERIAL KILLER-DAMSEL IN DISTRESS nonsense. If you like this book also read WHISKY ISLAND, THE PARTING GLASS and FOX RIVER. Those book're just as good, if not better.

This is the first of Emilie Richard's books I've read and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Faith's life takes a huge turn when she finds out that her husband [prefers men], and the revelation also takes a toll on her two children. Luckily, Faith's parents have a row house that she moves into and renovates with the help of the mysterious and oddly "available" Pavel Quinn (is it just me, or is the name "Quinn" popping up a lot in contemporary novels?). The emotional strength of Faith's character is written well, and I like how Richards teases us with potentially ghastly clues that end up being fun (such as the "Ghost" family in the attic).

Remy's fall by the wayside into a potentially disastrous situation was an important essay in itself - as was the outcome of her involvement with the older boy. I like Richards' style.

Faith Bronson believed she had the perfect marriage. After being married to her husband, David, for fifteen years, Faith accepted the fact that though her marriage lacked passion, they were still soulmates. Then on the evening that Faith believed would put their marriage back on track, it instead changed all their lives forever. For David harbored a secret in his heart that he didn't even admit to himself.

Now Faith is questioning herself as a woman, and a mother. The life that she has lived for the past fifteen years has been a lie. She now has two children who refuse to talk to their father and a house that has been in mothers family for generations. After talking to mother into letting her and her children move into the house on Prospect Street, Faith soon finds that the house is the only thing that is helping her hold it together. With all the fixing and cleaning and rentovating that needs to be done, Faith has little time for anything else.

Then the secrets of the past come to haunt the family that lives on Prospect Street. Along with neighbor, Pavel Quinn, who is more than he says he is, and her mother Lydia, they work together to uncover the truth about that tragedy that occured in the house so many years before.

Emilie Richards has a way of pulling the reader in so they never want to come out. Though it lacks the usual passionate spark that you find in most romances, you won't miss it with all the emotion that flows through in this book. Lydia and Dominik's story will make you cry, as will Faith's fight to find out who she really is. Pavel will make you laugh, for he is eccentric and doesn't understand why he should do anything that everyone thinks he should do. As a parent, the reader will sympathize with Faith's plight to teach her children that there is more to life than black and white.

Don't miss it!

I loved this book. It was a quick read, one that you don't want to put down. I am looking forward to reading more of Ms. Richards work. The storyline held me an never let me go. I highly recommend this for anyone who wants to escape for awhile....

Wonderful story and mystery, realistic characters. Thank You Ms Richards

What a great book, and having lived in Dupont Circle several years ago, the images painted of Georgetown, DC, Booeymonger's, etc brought back vivid and accurate images. I'll bet I can even guess the name of the restaurant from which Pavel brought curry, rice and daal to Faith's home! Enjoyed every page immensely!

I loved the characters, the plot, and the mysteries. I feel like I've just been to Georgetown for a brief holiday. This book is going on my "favorite books" shelf. Thank you, Emilie Richards, for a wonderful read.