This book started off so strongly. This was an aspect of WWII I had never seen explored in this way. I was so interested in seeing the impact of a child being sent away to another country for her own safety on the lives of both families involved, the family that has to make the heartbreaking decision to lose precious years together and the family that opens up their homes and their hearts to someone destined to leave them. Each voice was distinct; each point of view understandable. The writing was so descriptive I could picture the Maine island as I, too, had summered there.
I wish that that the focus had stayed on the family dynamics and not veered off into a very uninteresting and rather poorly executed romance. The children were not as developed as adults as when they were younger. Did adult Gerald even have a personality? As such connections did not feel real and the entire finale seemed contrived in order to find an ending. For me it diminished what was so compelling about the story and turned a book I could have loved to one I liked well enough.
I wish that that the focus had stayed on the family dynamics and not veered off into a very uninteresting and rather poorly executed romance. The children were not as developed as adults as when they were younger. Did adult Gerald even have a personality? As such connections did not feel real and the entire finale seemed contrived in order to find an ending. For me it diminished what was so compelling about the story and turned a book I could have loved to one I liked well enough.