I have to thank my GR friends for letting me know that Ron Rash even exists!

Listened to this on audio (which, I admit is one of the weaker audio narrations I've heard). Took me a while to to get into the book, but when I did ---- what a good story.

Although the book is set in a small North Carolina town, it's as timely as ever (unfortunately..) It's a tale of the tragic consequences when ignorance, prejudice, and superstition are fueled by hate and pride.

This book has a beautiful lyricism and I loved the descriptions of music and birds.

4 solid stars. ( )

In the book THE COVE, the cove is a place where nothing good has ever happened to anyone who lived there. At this point in history, the end of World War I, can that be changed?

THE COVE begins with a mystery in the prologue, then soon after another mystery makes you forget about the first one.

Allow yourself to discover this mysterous story as it was meant to be discovered: as you read it. Don't read reviews. Don't even read the book flap or the back of the book until after you've read it.

And now my rant: most book reviewers spoil books. Most book reviews tell the story before readers gets a chance to read the book and discover the story themselves. Most book reviewers thereby steal the pleasure of reading.

THE COVE is an exceptionallly good book because it is mysterious. But I made the mistake of reading reviews of this book before I read it, and most of them revealed the solution to one of the mysteries. So I was deprived of the pleasure of slowly discovering the story as it was revealed. I might have given THE COVE five stars otherwise.

If you don't make that mistake, you'll love THE COVE.

Thanks to Vera at luxuryreading.com for this book. ( )

Magnifique et prenant de bout en bout, ce roman est aussi sombre que la maison où vivent les trois principaux protagonistes. On sait, sent depuis le début que tout cela finira mal, et on en a beaucoup de chagrin... Ron Rash est décidément un très grand écrivain. ( )

I enjoyed the book until the end. I do not like how it ended. It was too obvious, too abrupt, too sad, and too unfair. The Chauncey chapters were annoying and pointless, and it was because of his pointlessness in all other aspects that made the ending all-too-predictable.
( )

Generally good, but the abrupt ending left me with the feeling that the story wasn't finished. ( )