Annoying

I was excited about this one and super let-down. Nothing happens, it just goes in circles, and the voice of Ruth was so airy and irritating I found myself yelling at it

5 people found this helpful

Not the gothic for me

On paper this should have been my new favorite book with the religious fundamentalism and cults and Kelly Link comparisons but I struggled to get through the book and spent most of the middle bored and looking for patterns.
I bumped it up to 3 stars because I enjoyed the ending despite seeing the plot twist miles from the end.
I also have given up on books narrated by Cassandra Campbell; her tone of voice hear made me think of a disgruntled librarian and I just can't anymore.

4 people found this helpful

I love this book!

I heard an interview with the author on Studio 360 and tried to get the Audible version. Too soon. So I read it on Kindle. Hated to lose the characters so I ordered it on Audible. Even better the second time. Great writing, well performed. You will often have to stop because a sentence is so powerful or beautifully written.These characters and their story are still with me. Now, added to my favorite books list.

3 people found this helpful

Huffing Ectoplasm

Ms. Hunt...I'm not sure how to react to your book other than to say, hmmm, it was interesting...(like they say, "your mother's meatloaf is *interesting*"). Not sure what the hell was going on. It was like running in a dream where your feet don't touch the ground -- but then there is a passage in the book where the characters do just that. Or like being really stoned at the dentist and thinking you've solved world peace and then the gas wears off; or driving down the road when you notice you suddenly don't know how you got where you are; or listening to 11 hrs of an audio book and wondering if the LSD you took in your wild youth really is stored in your spinal column and just got knocked loose... Freaked me out, so I resorted to the experts.

"What keeps all this engaging — beyond the real charm of these two young people — is the way Hunt refuses to let any conclusions solidify in her wry prose." [Wash. Post] Read that last little portion of the quote again....Ehhh... I'm not convinced they know what the hell either. They wrote some very nice things about your book, loved the prose, which made me feel a little bit better about myself, a little less obtuse, because I too loved the prose. Which brings me to how the hell I came about picking your book. I saw the title somewhere in a S. King interview; again it was suggested to me by Audible; again a friend said I needed to read; and I enjoy me some supernatural Gothic occasionally, especially those that are "evil...fru-its of the devil" [Mike Meyers]. Splitfoot sounds like the reportedly cloven-hoofed Beelzebub, the cover looks like the wily garden serpent, voila. And here I am finished and I'm still not sure whether or not your Mardellion is supposed to be Mephistopheles.

A very encourage ing reviewer said..."the novel moves not just in two time frames, told through two voices, a first-­person narrator and a third, but also moves in the fourth dimension."[NYTimes] I suspect my own literary shortcomings, but have to tell you that I've transcended the temporal and spatial interpretations of the fourth dimension with Proust, H.G.Wells, Dostoevsky, Joseph Conrad and Ford Madox Ford more soberly. And, I love a good mash-up: future past and present; fact and fiction; science and supernatural...throw in some religious dogma, and I'm in Mitchell heaven. Mix you did! From L. Ron, to Joseph Smith, to aliens, Carl, Sagan, to a comet that hit the US, to a Comet-cleanser snorting cult leader *deep breath* golden plates to the Voyager Golden Records.

I can't really write I review of a book that leaves me wondering, WTH? So, I'm taking some of your words as advice...“There isn’t any point to it,” complains Cora, mid-journey. “I’m not getting anywhere. No start, middle, or end.”
Call me Cora.

16 people found this helpful

Marvelous mysterious ghost story

Travel back in time while walking with Ruth and Cora. The narrators were marvelous, except for one mispronounced Native American name. But the story is a mystery with many twists. I will read it again.

1 person found this helpful

Killer Plot Twist!

Absolutely loved this story! The narrators were wonderful at weaving the stories of these two amazing women together.

1 person found this helpful

A Decent Read

This was a decent read, I enjoyed listening to it. I’m giving it four stars because the author did a great job building up a good story but, it fell flat at the very end. It was almost as if she wrote herself into a corner and then couldn’t come up with an ending that matched the hype. Still, I recommend this book despite the lackluster finish. The writing style is interesting and I was kept in suspense which, to me, means the story is worth a listen.

1 person found this helpful

enjoyable listen

unique story with interesting clues strewn along the way. will probably relisten more than once.

1 person found this helpful

wonderfully weird, dark, hopeful and beautiful

What did you like best about this story?

Entirely original take on a ghost story. I loved it, and am a big fan of Samantha Hunt's gorgeous language, punctuated with her very unique sharp, dark wit. This story had everything for me - plot, style, and characters I could hold hands with.

1 person found this helpful

Vulgar,confusing,and overall vile.

This book is absolutely awful. It’s so awful that I actually feel insulted and angry reading it. It’s not vile in the sense that it is gory or even scary. It’s just poorly written with a absolutely stupid plot and needlessly vulgar and sexual- especially towards children. I wish I could return it but audible is stingy now with how often you can return titles. Save your money people unless your out of toilet paper.