Family Reunion

Rating:
Summary: a good modern gothic
Review: The "Family Reunion" is a rather good old fashioned novel, crafted somewhat on the gothic genre: for decades Odile Annesley has had nothing to do with her family. After the death of her favourite son, Odile abandoned her family to concentrate on her art. And for all these years, no one seems to have any contact with her. Now as she approaches her eightieth birthday, she sends her remaining relatives her will. This inspires her five remaining granddaughters to plan an impromptu visit to their grandmother in order to celebrate Odile's birthday, and to heal all breaches. The gothic touch comes into play when the reader realises that someone seems to be hunting down members of the Annesley clan and killing them off one by one, and that a mysterious young man, who may or may not be an Annesley relative also seems to be stalking the granddaughters. What will Odile's grandchildren find when they reach her estate in France, and will the mad killer and menacing stalker follow them there?

I found this novel to be an interesting and enjoyable read, except for a couple of points. As with "The Neighbors", Carole Smith has peopled this novel with an assortment of characters that run the gamut from eccentric to rather obnoxious. All were quite well developed but unfortunately there just a little too many Annesleys, and I had to keep checking with the family tree to keep all the aunts and cousins and wives straight! Fortunately, about a third way through the book, a character explains all the familial relationships, so that the book was saved for me. And if it wasn't for the fact that I never warmed to the 'hero' of the piece, or that the only chracter I identified with was killed off (which probably says more about me than the quality of the book), I probably would have given the book a higher rating.

This is quite a good modern gothic novel, with just the right mix of a menacing atmosphere, peculiar and eccentric characters, and family secrets to keep the reader glued to the pages. A rather enjoyable read.

Rating:
Summary: Terribly complicated novel filled with plot inconsistencies
Review: This book is terrible! There are so many mistakes in this book, I don't even know where to start. The family tree is so complex, that not even the author seems to have been able to keep it straight. In addition the plot takes so many twists and turns and so many of them dead end that it is hard work keeping the story straight. And the ending is predictable. A character ("Ashely") identified as Odile's grandson on the family tree is called a great-grandson in the text. The novel describes events that take place in 1999, yet Odile's birthdate is given as 1918, when the characters are supposed to be coming together to celebrate her eighteth birthday. And when a character talks about an event in the 60's, she describes it as almost thirty years ago? Last time I checked, that should be almost forty!!! In addition Henry's son is named Harry Jr. Aren't Henry and Harry different names? How did he (Harry) get to be a Jr. I couldn't put this book down - mainly because I wanted to see what would be wrong next. These errors bothered me so much, I got up to write a review at midnight - and I've never written a review before.

Rating:
Summary: Murder As You Like It---All In the Family
Review: Welcome to the French mansion of Odile Annesley as she approaches her 80th birthday. The artist and mother of nine children abandoned her beloved husband and eight surviving children forty years ago after the death of her favorite child. Why she left has been shrouded in mystery, but when she writes her grandchildren and invites them to come meet with her and discuss her will, old secrets come to light. The grandchildren, who are mostly estranged, begin to prepare for the trip and bond in interesting ways prior to their journey. Proving that blood ties are the strongest of all, this suspenseful tale explores their lives and brings them together as, one by one, family members begin to be killed off. Who could be performing these ghastly murders? Odile herself? The obnoxious oldest grandson who hopes to inherit all? The distant relative whom all five granddaughters have a sexual relationship with? There's lots of eerie suspense before Odile's secret and the murderer are revealed. Good fun and murder aplenty---but as mentioned by another reviewer, a bit too many Annesleys. Fortunately, Carol Smith has put the family tree at the front of the book, so be prepared to glance at it often while keeping all the brothers and sisters sorted in your mind.