Customer Reviews

Up Island

5 star:		(24)
4 star:		(17)
3 star:		(10)
2 star:		(12)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

This story touched my heart in a way that only another caretaker can. Women take care of people. It is our job without our knowing it. We do it from birth and are lost without it. Up Island touches us where we live, not for ourselves, but for others. I enjoyed it very much and now want to read all of her books. LAR

I picked this book basically because I have enjoyed most of the author's other books and it is one of the very few that I have not read (or heard of). This book is definitely perfect for a winter reading since it's more of a depressing book than an uplifting book like some of her others.

This book focuses on Molly Redwine whose world just shattered when she found out that her husband, Tee, is having an affair and was leaving her for an upstart from Florida. Then her son, Teddy, tells her that he's not returning to Georgia and her mother dies. So with her life basically in shambles, Molly accepted her best friend's invitation to stay at Martha's Vineyard. That month-long invitation turned into a much longer stay as Molly didn't want to return home and pick up the pieces. Together, with her father, they nursed two ailing women and a former schoolteacher who lost his leg due to cancer. Along that journey, Molly rediscovers what family really is and rediscovers who she is as well.

Siddons has the magical touch of keeping me spellbound while reading her books ~~ her characters are vividly drawn and the story keeps moving. But this time, instead of giving this book a four or a five ~~ I was a bit disappointed. It lagged towards the end then bam! The ending was here and left a lot of issues unresolved. The book starts out with Molly's divorce (or not wanting one) and ends on a different note. It is a bit confusing to read. And it was a let down too as if the story didn't have the ending neatly wrapped and tidy for the reader.

If you don't care how it is as you're a Siddons' fan ~~ then be sure to read this book. It's wonderful as always except for that flaw. If you're new to Siddons' books, don't start with this one. It is definitely not one of the best one in her library.

6-21-06

I am a great big fan of Anne Rivers Siddons books and love her styles of writing. I say styles,(plural), because each book of hers is never quite the same as the one before. I enjoyed the character of Molly and felt that Siddons wrote with much emotion as she described the changes in Molly's life, beginning with when her husband left her for another women. From there, Molly finds a new life on the island, and yet still faces challenges with her ailing father, and helping two lesbian ladies, (a new twist), through their troublesome life as their health deteriotates. A wonderful book to read!

I read the Editorial Reviews and I have to look at the book in my hands to make sure we're all reading the same one. Can you tell I don't always agree with their summary?

This author writes for women. Men could never understand the emotion she puts into her characters and their lives. This book is good. It's well written and the plot won't take you in a million different directions. It also won't quench your thirst for sex, violence or vulgar language.

It's fiction at it's best but not one you can read in between classes or whenever you get the time. You need to sit down, tell everyone to leave you alone and begin to read. Then feel the magic as you get pulled into a wonderful work of fiction, not total reality. After all, isn't that why we read fiction instead of non-fiction?

This is the first book I've read from Ms. Siddons. I got the recommendation off of Oprah's Book Club site after reading Elizabeth Berg's "Open House". I was not disappointed at all. I love when a book captivates me so I can't even put it down. I just bought Fault Lines and ordered Colony. I'm anxious to read those as well. I like the main character of Molly and how she comes through so much with such strength. An inspiring story with beautiful descriptive detail especially about Martha's Vineyard. I'm glad I finally found this author.

I was frankly surprised to see that this book has such a high rating with Amazon readers. I was pretty disappointed by the time I was finished with the book. The only character that evokes even a little sympathy is Molly's father. For Molly, her son, her daughter, her cheating husband and her so-called friends, I didn't have much feelings at all. And there is not much point even talking about that dysfunctional bunch she latches onto "up island".

It would have helped immensely if we had had a little bit of problem resolution. I also would have liked Molly to show a little more backbone or spirit or determination or something akin to the qualities she must have to be the type of woman we are led to believe she is.

Sign me - a 40 year old avid reader

This is the second novel I have read by this author. I find her writing enthralling. Her tale of an aggrieved woman grips you and you must read on and on... I found myself engrossed in her characters as though I had met them myself. The story will also make you want to tour every inch of Martha's Vinyard.

Ms. Siddons has once again captured the true Southern spirit that transcends setting. Wherever her heroine travels, the Scarlett stength accompanies her. Molly in UP ISLAND spends most of the novel on Martha's Vineyard, but her persona displays the Atlanta sensitivity and reactions to both nature and people. Siddons has the ability to couple the story of a typical Southern woman's response to unfaithfulness and the empty nest syndrone with personal friendships, sexual passion, and parent/child relationships, blending all into a well-developed story line. Her varied characters in this novel offer reading appeal to a vast summer reading audience. Passages are often so poetic that they are worthy of reading aloud - or having printed on a t-shirt. This reader only wishes Ms. Siddons could create her characters more rapidly; I anxiously await the next novel.

Anne Rivers Siddons makes magic with the settings she describes so vividly in her books. "Up Island", set on Martha's Vinyard, takes us deep into the ancient heart that beats beneath the glitz and glitter of a "touristy" New England haven. With her, and the tragic heroine, Molly Redwine, we explore this wild country, and it's old families and even older mysteries.

Rivers Siddons' writing is oriented toward "The Setting". . . which is probably why most of her books have titles describing a place (Outer Banks, Hill Towns, Up Island, etc.) She expertly mingles setting with character, and creates for us unforgettable people.

There's escape awaiting Rivers Siddons' readers. Her books tend to sweep us away, and this particular book was one I had a hard time putting back on the nightstand. Even so, her characters tend to be a bit frivolous and silly. Most of them are--if not wealthy--at least well-bred. At times, I find myself without sympathy for these privelaged women in the beginnings of Siddons' novels,about to give up on the character and shelve the book as garage sale material. Then some revelation within the story's plot makes this fictional person "real", after all.

In all, "Up Island" is a worthy Summer read for anyone seeking a book to get lost in. It's story is beautifully told and it's ending--though predictable--still managed to bring me to tears.

Anne Rivers Siddons' portrayal of an Atlanta woman whose life is changed forever by the treachery of her husband's midlife crisis is the best novel she's written so far. I picked the book up and couldn't put it down until I was finished in the early hours of the next morning.

Siddons' description of a woman's emotions as her husband leaves her for a younger version of herself is absolutely accurate. The separation from her husband serves to highlight the problems in all the relationships she has with her family, especially her mother. Her mother's death turns out to be what causes Molly to face all her problems and begin her life again.

Unlike her earlier novels, Siddons leaves Molly Redwine in the midst of her divorce with her situation with her estranged husband not resolved. I think Molly Redwine deserves another book to go on with her story.