The Mill River Recluse [NOOK Book]

( 2128 )

Overview

Disfigured by the blow of an abusive husband, and suffering her entire life with severe social anxiety disorder, the widow Mary McAllister spends almost sixty years secluded in a white marble mansion overlooking the town of Mill River, Vermont. Her links to the outside world are few: the mail, the media, an elderly priest with a guilty habit of pilfering spoons, and a bedroom window with a view of the town below.
Most longtime residents of Mill River consider the marble house ...
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The Mill River Recluse

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More About This Book

Overview

Disfigured by the blow of an abusive husband, and suffering her entire life with severe social anxiety disorder, the widow Mary McAllister spends almost sixty years secluded in a white marble mansion overlooking the town of Mill River, Vermont. Her links to the outside world are few: the mail, the media, an elderly priest with a guilty habit of pilfering spoons, and a bedroom window with a view of the town below.
Most longtime residents of Mill River consider the marble house and its occupant peculiar, though insignificant, fixtures. An arsonist, a covetous nurse, and the endearing village idiot are among the few who have ever seen Mary. Newcomers to Mill River--a police officer and his daughter and a new fourth grade teacher--are also curious about the reclusive old woman. But only Father Michael O’Brien knows Mary and the secret she keeps--one that, once revealed, will change all of their lives forever.
The Mill River Recluse is a story of triumph over tragedy, one that reminds us of the value of friendship and the ability of love to come from the most unexpected of places.

Now a New York Times and USA Today bestseller!
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Editorial Reviews

Kirkus Reviews
"Chan's sweet novel displays her talent....A comforting book about the random acts of kindness that hold communities together." ~ Kirkus Reviews
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Product Details

  • BN ID: 2940012964205
  • Publisher: Darcie Chan
  • Publication date: 6/4/2011
  • Sold by: Barnes & Noble
  • Format: eBook
  • Sales rank: 6,688
  • File size: 382 KB

Meet the Author

Darcie Chan was born in Wisconsin and grew up in the small towns of Brandon, Wisconsin, La Junta and Cheraw, Colorado, and Paoli, Indiana. She has two younger sisters.

Thanks to loving and supportive parents who are both educators, she learned to read and write at an early age. As a child, she fell in love with books and became quite obsessed with Walter Farley's Black Stallion series of books, among many others. Her passion for reading and writing continued through college at Indiana University, Bloomington, and law school at the University of Baltimore.

Currently, Darcie lives in northern Westchester County, New York, with her husband and son. In her spare time, Darcie enjoys reading, writing fiction, gardening, playing piano, and cooking.

The Mill River Recluse is her first novel.
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Customer Reviews

Average Rating 4
( 2128 )
Rating Distribution

5 Star

(979)

4 Star

(692)

3 Star

(288)

2 Star

(97)

1 Star

(72)

Your Rating:

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See All Sort by: Showing 1 – 20 of 2129 Customer Reviews

  • Posted June 29, 2011

    5 out of 5! Darcie Chan is an author to keep your eye on!

    This story had me hooked from the moment I read the overview and kept me hooked through the last page. Chan's portrayal of the small town atmosphere and its citizens is dead-on...from the gossiping and nosy neighbors to the sense of community when something goes wrong. She draws you into Mill River from page one, and you will quickly "recognize" your own neighbors throughout the pages.

    The story is so good that my 15-year-old daughter started reading The Mill River Recluse the day I purchased it, and I didn't get the Nook back until she had finished. She couldn't put it down!

    I can't wait to see what Chan has in store for us next!

    185 out of 205 people found this review helpful.

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  • Posted August 21, 2011

    I Also Recommend:

    The Divorce Club
    Beelzebub Girl (Ancient Legends)
    The Mill River Recluse

    excellent

    This was a fantastic read. Very hard to put down. Highly recommended

    119 out of 139 people found this review helpful.

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  • Posted September 9, 2011

    Terrific for the human spirit!

    The Mill River Recluse is a well-written and compelling love story about human compassion set in a charming New England village, in the 1940's. The storyline is a lot of flashback in nature but smartly begins at the end to bring questions to mind that are answered in an exciting and anxious way. I connected with the flawed and realistic and interesting characters, especially Mary McAllister. This feel-good storyline is built around Mary who has spent almost six decades secluded in a white mansion overlooking Mill River. She suffered dreadfully her entire life with an anxiety disorder that pretty much limited her socially to mail and an elderly priest, Father O'Brien. Few have seen the reclusive Mary as she upholds a reputation of being peculiar to the town. Only Father O'Brien knows the secret she keeps, that if revealed will change lives forever. This is a wonderful novel of tragedy and triumph, human values and all facets of love. Terrific for the human spirit!

    76 out of 87 people found this review helpful.

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  • Posted July 1, 2011

    Highly Recommended!

    I can't put it down! I am writing a reveiw to say buy it and be prepared to read. You just get attached to the characters and feel concern for them. You want to know happens next and then realize it is three hours later. Buy this book today. The characters have true depth and keep evolving. This is a wonderful escape into fascinating book.

    69 out of 73 people found this review helpful.

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  • Posted September 2, 2011

    more from this reviewer

    WONDERFUL

    I do not normally write a review on books that I have read. I read on average 15 books a week. This time however I must. As this book has made me laugh, cheer, feel their pain and sorrow and well let's just say the last 45 pages I cried like a baby, using 2 boxes of tissues. Big Kudos to Darcie Chan for writing an amazing story. I fell in love with all of these characters; they came alive and leapt of the page and became real. I would defiantly recommend this book to any avid reader. I paid $0.99 for this amazing book, I would have gladly paid a lot more for it. This book has become my favorite. I will reread it again and again if for nothing more than to make me feel better.

    53 out of 59 people found this review helpful.

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  • Posted August 29, 2011

    Great book!

    This book was FABULOUS, it had me in tears!! I hope this author writes more, more, more! I cannot believe that this one was .99, it was the best book I have EVER read that was that cheap!! A must read.

    40 out of 46 people found this review helpful.

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  • Posted June 25, 2011

    I couldn't put it down!

    I was immediately drawn into the town of Mill River, and captivated by the story of the widow McAllister. This is an excellent read... I couldn't put it down!

    37 out of 42 people found this review helpful.

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  • Posted August 28, 2011

    A lovely story of loss, loneliness and redemption

    Wonderfully fleshed out characters in a small town you will come to love. A must read.

    26 out of 34 people found this review helpful.

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  • Posted August 31, 2011

    more from this reviewer

    Surprisingly good

    I bought this book because it was .99 and i figured i had nothing to lose. I was not expecting to enjoy the story and charachtets so much. The storyline is predictable, but one that kept my interest until the last sentence. If you are looking for an easy read with compelling characters, this will fit the bill.

    24 out of 26 people found this review helpful.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted August 22, 2011

    Great book! Easy read!

    Bought on a whim and couldn't put it down!

    18 out of 23 people found this review helpful.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted September 6, 2011

    Wonderful story

    How great it is to read a captivating story that is clean and well written. The characters came alive on the pages as I grew to admire, or dislike, each one. I have paid much more for books that turned out to be awful, so I am amazed that this delightful book was only .99. I hope Ms Chan writes many more.

    15 out of 17 people found this review helpful.

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  • Posted August 24, 2011

    wonderful book!

    very good, without all the sex.

    14 out of 17 people found this review helpful.

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  • Posted September 7, 2011

    Check it out!

    This is a very good read for $.99, I could hardly put it down. It has love, mystery and sadness but the ending is really good. READ IT!

    12 out of 16 people found this review helpful.

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  • Posted August 31, 2011

    Great book!

    Great story of doing the best we can with what we're given. I hope this author will write more soon!

    10 out of 11 people found this review helpful.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted January 20, 2012

    Pass the Cheese

    I don't recommend this book. It had a cheesy and predictable story line, cheesy and pedictable characters and even a little whine to go with the cheese. It belongs in a Guidepost magazine. Halfway through it, I started skimming just to get to the end. If I had a hard copy, I'd put it in my garage sale for 25 cents.

    9 out of 27 people found this review helpful.

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  • Posted September 7, 2011

    more from this reviewer

    Heartwarming

    What an unexpected treasure and gift I was given in the reading of this! The characters were friends whose lives I was allowed to be a part of, to watch through the window of my imagination through a heartwarming tale.

    9 out of 10 people found this review helpful.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted January 6, 2012

    Great!

    I enjoyed the way this book was written. I cried at the end ; )

    8 out of 9 people found this review helpful.

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  • Posted December 28, 2011

    Not my favorite

    I heard of this book in an article about how it was self-published. Read it out of curiosity and I can see why it was rejected by publishing houses. The characters never came to life for me, and I found the plot predictable and not too interesting.

    However, I've read books by established authors that weren't any better. I think Darcie Chan could be very successful in this genre, especially with help from a good editor.

    8 out of 12 people found this review helpful.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted September 6, 2011

    Read it til I finished!

    I literally couldn't put this down until I finished it. Best book I have bought for 99 cents on my nook since I got it. You will not be disappointed!

    6 out of 7 people found this review helpful.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted February 17, 2012

    loved this book

    Could not put it down very up lifting

    5 out of 6 people found this review helpful.

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See All Sort by: Showing 1 – 20 of 2129 Customer Reviews
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