What Happened in Granite Creek
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Product Details
| ISBN-13: | 9781466429550 |
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| Publisher: | CreateSpace Publishing |
| Publication date: | 10/31/2011 |
| Pages: | 364 |
| Product dimensions: | 5.90(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.90(d) |
About the Author
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
What Happened in Granite Creek
4.7 out of 5
based on
0 ratings.
10 reviews.
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A discontent wife stuck in a regrettable marriage. An unlikely romance. Think you know what happens next? Well, you're wrong. Author Robyn Bradley turns this familiar premise into something purely original and totally unexpected, with enough drama and tension to keep the reader spellbound straight through to the holy-cow conclusion. The author deftly jumps the story across a checkerboard of a timeline to show how a fairly ordinary life can take a stunning turn¿and what occurs in the aftermath. What Happened In Granite Creek is more than a super-sized version of "Support Our Troops," the basis for this novel; it's an across-the-board expansion of the characters, themes and the story itself that will keep readers turning pages and book clubs buzzing long after they've read it. Highly recommended.
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I really enjoyed part one, part two not so much. Part one is told through one character's point of view and then suddenly, in part two, it switches to multiple characters' viewpoint. As the author tried to wrap things up, the book took on an entirely different feel. I found the ending a bit ridiculous and rushed. There was so much more that could have been done with this story.
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A quadruple amputee war veteran; a battered woman, her mean-spirited husband, and the three daughters they are devoted to: these are the players at the heart of this savage, compelling drama. What makes this thriller special? It focuses on what many of its genre skip out on: character development.
The story begins when Jamie, a 26-year-old veteran, returns home from a tour in Iraq to Granite Creek, New Hampshire, minus his arms and legs. Because his schoolteacher mother can’t always be home to care for him, the neighbors take turns “visiting” with Jamie for a few hours at a time—though they are quickly driven away by his rage and bitterness. But Koty Fowler, a bullied mother of three, is able to connect with him in ways that the others cannot. What begins as friendship soon turns into something more, leading to a tragic whirlwind of events that leaves no one’s lives untouched. At the novel’s conclusion, the reader is left to question: who exactly is to blame for what happened in Granite Creek? An excellent thriller, highly recommended.
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Well! I had to eat my words—again! I have been known to say that I don’t like novels written in the present tense. When I started to read this, I thought, oh no…
BUT, within a few pages, I was drawn into this novel, and my apprehension and misgivings about the present tense vanished into thin air.
Koty is forced by her husband, Wayne, to ‘babysit’ an amputee Iraqi war veteran, Jamie—her husband’s idea of patriotism and the dues that should be paid to those that fight for their country. Koty’s marriage to Wayne was a default due to an unexpected teen pregnancy. Three children later, she finds herself unhappily married to a drunkard and control-freak.
Her ‘duty’ towards the quadruple amputee is met by resentment on both sides. Koty is tired at being ordered around by her sometimes violent husband, and Jamie, quite naturally, is finding it hard to come to terms with his situation, while only a young man. Koty’s only option is make the best of the situation and, in a battle of wills, aims to fight through his barrier of bitterness and sense of hopelessness. But they are both victims of losses of different kinds, and this common bond leads them down an unexpected path.
I very much enjoyed the development of Koty and Jamie’s relationship. It was charged, poignant—Jamie is superbly portrayed—but then Bradley drops an almighty, jaw-dropping bombshell. The story takes a different turn and what started off as a good page-turner becomes an engrossing, compelling, and powerful story of intrigue and what parents will do to protect their children.
The writing was superb, each character was utterly believable, the tension was honed to perfection, and a whole gamut of emotions exudes from the pages.
And the absolute icing on the cake was the simply perfect editing of this book. I’m getting so tired of saying ‘good book, shame about the editing’, that this was an added bonus to my excellent reading experience. I found only a few very, very minor errors which was so very refreshing. Every author (and editor) should read this book and learn!
Outstanding, Robyn Bradley—I have ensured I have your other full-length novel (Forgotten April) on my Kindle.
I received a complimentary copy of this book in order to review it.
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Great character development - I devoured this on a flight from MA to CA. Couldn't put it down!! Forgotten April is also excellent.
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I enjoyed this book. Very interesting, unexpected story line. The development of characters and drawing the reader into each of them was great. Highly recommend. I had never read this author before, and now I am searching for more!
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This book was amazing! Not exactly appropriate but thats ok. My only issue with it is what happened to koty. However, i thought it was nice that the author relieved most people from guilt at the end. Not much like the short story its based on but good.
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I bought this book because I liked the author¿s first novel, Forgotten April. What Happened in Granite Creek is a darker, more intricate and rich story. It begins with Koty, unhappily married to an alcoholic and the mother of three daughters. She takes a job helping to take care of Jamie, a quadruple amputee Iraq veteran. The author pulls us into the sadness and frustration both characters so when the caring progresses to sex, it is totally realistic. The rest of the novel is told from the point of view of several characters so compellingly it is hard to put down. I bookmarked a lot of the passages for the beauty, power and uniqueness of the descriptions. The twists are surprising, but believable. The ending was a shock but looking back, the author certainly left clues. What Happened in Granite Creek is one of those increasingly rare novels with depth, thought and substance. The book ¿ especially the last 100 pages ¿ will be with me for a long time.
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