Secret Life of Bees this wasn't. There was nothing appealing about the main character Jessie--selfish, unfaithful, thoughtless. Not only could I not like her-- I actually couldn't stand her. For me that's the kiss of death-- character development and attachment to me is the number one necessity if I'm going to really like/love a book.
The story itself was a little bit "Prince of Tides" to me ( of course I actually attached to some of those characters and that book). Family member has a breakdown, the other family member comes to help, has an affair, major family secrets revealed, re-evaluates life...even set a lot in SC. Anyhow.. just flickered my memory of that book a bit.

The good parts? It's short and easy to read. The descriptions of the scenery/atmosphere are good (I can especially relate being a current Carolina gal). I liked her husband's character Hugh.

I read this so that I could see what all the bad reviews were about and I found out. I got to page 123 and I just can't do it anymore. I wasn't intrigued by the mermaid part of the story at all and a love story between a monk and a married woman didn't do it for me either. I have too many books that I want to read to waste any more time on this one. Such a disappointment after loving The Secret Life of Bees so much. Oh well, hopefully she will put out another good one!

I did not like this book.

That’s not entirely accurate. I loved the religious themes that ran through this book, I loved the stories of growing up on an island, I loved the Mermaid aspect of this story.

So why the rating of “did not like?” I’m really tired of stories where the lead character decides they need to drastically change their life. Then they run off through either some decision they consciously make or through some twist of fate (as in this case) to “find” themselves. While finding themselves they find (surprise!) a new love interest. At this point they find themselves madly and inexplicably in LOVE with someone they met 10 minutes ago. They decide to walk away from a secure (albeit bland) life and a stable (albeit ordinary) lover/spouse who has given them a lifelong commitment.

After making the decision to leave the said stable relationship the lead character always (and I mean ALWAYS) manages to convince themselves (and the reader) that it isn’t just “lust” that draws them into this new relationship—oh no, it’s TRUE LOVE. This new person is the person they were meant to be with.

So they plunge into this new relationship (often without ending the first one) with great bliss. Headlong into the great unknown. Romping around, rolling in the hay, having a grand ole time convinced they are in love and life will be like this for the rest of their days. Nothing could be better. Nothing could end this bliss. This is what life is meant to be.

And then……yep. Then another plot twist either separates the two new lovers, or throws the lead character back into the path of the stable relationship.

And lo and behold……it turns out the new relationship isn’t all that great. And the first relationship is what they really need. (Smacks head loudly….d’oh!)

And now our beloved lead character leaves the new-found love and goes back to the first love.

And they live happily-ever-after.

I’m really tired of authors using this device/plot. Really tired of it. I feel it cheapens the importance of marriage or a committed relationship, and makes the lead character (typically a woman) look naive and well, let’s be honest, like an idiot. (Okay…that’s overly harsh. It makes the woman look less than insightful at best.)

Let’s call a spade a spade. The lead character wanted to have a steamy affair with their new-found love interest. And they felt guilty because they were already married. So they convinced themselves that they were at a point in their life where they needed to change and they found this amazing new person who could love who they now are. Why not just admit they want to have an affair and damn the consequences? At least have the decency to be honest with themselves and the reader about it.

Sigh. Time to step off my soap box.

I suppose this book hit me at just the wrong moment. There were parts I loved. But the overall plot frustrates me. It presents a stereo-type of women that doesn’t sit well with me. It is possible to “find” yourself while still honoring your commitments and keeping your integrity intact. And that’s a plot line I’d like to see more of!

After glancing over the goodreads reviews of this book, and seeing how negative they were, I was expecting to dislike, or simply feel apathy for, this book. But I really loved it, surprisingly so. I enjoyed "The Secret Life of Bees", but I didn't connect to the characters as much as I connected to Jessie in this story. This book tackles a difficult subject: how can you fall in love with someone else while still married to a wonderful man who hasn't changed? The goodreads complaints were that Jessie has no reason to fall for another man--her husband is seemingly perfect, and she's just selfish and awful for not wanting him. But I loved the gray areas of the story, and I didn't find myself able to judge her easily (and I'm pretty judgmental!)

The story is this: Middle aged artist and housewife Jessie returns to her childhood home off the coast of South Carolina to care for her aging and depressed mother. She has avoided home because of the sad memories she has of her father being killed in an accident when Jessie was a child, and she blames herself for his death. While there, she falls for a Benedictine monk who turns Jessie's life upside down. Kidd writes beautifully, and I read this faster than a lot of other recent novels. I thought she explained (but never excused) Jessie's confused emotions and behaviors realistically--nothing is ever black and white, even love. Especially love. And what she (and the reader) realizes at the end is how much she has closed herself off--from her mother, her husband, and especially herself. I was touched by the character's honesty and her humanity, and I thought it was a beautiful story of how a person has to sink to the very bottom before they can climb their way back to the surface.