The Splendor Falls [Paperback]

Rosemary Clement-Moore (Author)

Book Description

Release date: January 11, 2011

Sylvie Davis is a ballerina who can't dance, she lost everything important to her in one missed step.

Uprooting her from her Manhattan apartment, and shipping her to Alabama is her mother's solution for Sylvie's unhappiness. But life might not be any more simple down south.  As it turns out, her family has a lot more history than Sylvie ever knew. More unnerving, though, are the two guys that she can't stop thinking about.

Then Sylvie starts seeing things. A girl down by the lake. A man peering into the window. And a graveyard with an oddly placed headstone. Sylvie's lost nearly everything—is she starting to lose her mind as well?

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Sophie's character is marvellous - despite her hardships she remains likeable, determined and feisty. However, the family home in Alabama is almost a character in it's own right with its history and ghostly happenings... Bang on trend for the current teenage market ... Perfect" -- Anna Elliott Carousel 20101109 "What can I say other than WOW? The Splendour Falls is a hauntingly, beautiful, love story with a twist!" -- Jenn Book Crazy Book Blog 20091228 --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

About the Author

ROSEMARY CLEMENT-MOORE lives and writes in Arlington, Texas. The Splendor Falls is her fourth book for young readers. You can visit Rosemary at ReadRosemary.com.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 528 pages
• Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers; Reprint edition (January 11, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0385736916
• ISBN-13: 978-0385736916
• Product Dimensions: 5.7 x 1.2 x 8.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.5 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (43 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,539,203 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Rosemary Clement-Moore loves dogs, horses, sailing, vintage fashion, history, old movies, Gilbert and Sullivan, Guitar Hero, BBC America, and books. Lots and lots of books. You can visit her webpage at www.rosemaryclementmoore.com.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Fab New Book October 27, 2009

By Candace Havens

Format:Hardcover

I'm a big fan of Rosemary Clement Moore's writing and she doesn't disappoint with her new book The Splendor Falls. The story follows Sylvie, a young dancer who's dreams are crushed when she breaks her leg. She's sent to heal in Alabama, a place where she knows no one. Her cousin is restoring the family home, and as welcoming as she is, Sylvie just wants to go home. But there's a dark and mysterious stranger, who makes her curious. And when strange things start happening, Sylvie can't help but be intrigued, and perhaps a little frightened. It might be a YA, but adults will enjoy this too!

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Splendor Falls? More Like SPLENDID Falls,... it was that great. October 19, 2009

By J. Harrington

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

I read this book because I am a huge fan of the author's previous works, and I was not disappointed. It's a little darker and a little more mystical than her Maggie Quinn Series, but the words popped off the page, and the descriptions in the story made you feel like you were living in a creepy old Haunted Mansion! The characters were gritty, and totally imperfect (except when they needed to be too perfect, then they totally were.) This is a book I would recommend to any avid reader of dark, but still totally fun YA. Buy it now!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars It's all right for a rainy day, not much else though. March 10, 2010

By E. Kaufman

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

First off, I had high hopes for this novel. I love me some Southern Gothic Romance literature!This was that, but it was also kind of a mess.

The main character is Sylvie Davis, she's a ballerina who gets injured and can no longer dance right in the beginning of the story. Sylvie comes from a broken home, her mother and father are divorced, and not only that, her father, the one person who understands her the most, has passed away. Her mother, who's a kind of a Park Avenue snob, is getting remarried.

After drinking a few too many glasses of champaign mixed with pain killers and causing her mother and new stepfather (who's a shrink) to be on high-alert, Sylvie (along with her cute Chihuahua; Gigi) end up in Alabama under the watchful eye of her cousin Paula (Southern blood on her father's side).

Paula lives in the famous Bluestone Hill (Davis) Manor, she's also in the process of making it into a Bed & Breakfast for tourists. Paula has a bit of Southern tang to her, unlike her business partner and friend, Clara, who is sweet and also the resident chef at the manor. There are quite a few people staying at Bluestone Hill, Clara's daughter (in need of a major attitude adjustment), and the Professor and his son Rhys Griffith; educated visitors from Wales.

Sylvie has an instant connection with Rhys, but Rhys has secrets of his own and both characters are too stubborn to admit them. And then there's the Tom Sawyer sneaky-heartthrob Shawn Maddox. He has a fascination with Sylvie right away, almost as if he's been awaiting her arrival for long time.

F.Y.I. the humans aren't just the main characters in this novel. The Supernatural plays a major role in the story as well.

Don't get me wrong, I love mystery and supernatural. And when I received this book I was very excited to read it. It lacks something though. I liked reading and following Sylvie's journey as she found out her family history. I liked the "Gaslight" appeal to it too. Those parts were quite creative.

However, a lot of the book was filler, a lot detailing involving the main character's dog. I'm a dog person, but it seemed like every paragraph had mention of Gigi. It took maybe till the first 200 pages for the story to actually begin. Near the end I was losing interest and the majority of it didn't make sense to me.

I guess I was expecting more, especially with a book that is 450+ pages.