Customer Reviews
Outstanding - By: SJSmith, 26 Aug 2008 
A fantastic piece of writing that I enjoyed immensely. The blurb talks about it being based on a real murder at the turn of the century - this is at the start of the 1900s. The person murdered is a young girl who is read about by Mattie through her letters. Mattie wants to become a writer & is great friends with Weaver who is an academic like herself. Naturally her teacher becomes her greatest influence & Mattie would do anything to be able to read more material & write. Or would she? Her life is mapped out for her already - livein the neighbourhood, acquire a husband & children &in the meantime continue to look after her own family.
I enjoyed reading about Mattie's life & the decisions she made. The reader always feels involved, almost as if Mattie has consulted you. I loved her teacher & I really felt for her later onin the novel; there was something about Donnelly's writing style that evoked real emotions concerning the teacher, Miss Wilcox. Mattie's determination is fabulous, I could see her every morning taking down the big dictionary that had belonged to her mother & choosing the word for the day. The letters Mattie reads have a powerful effect on her, & on the reader. We learn a lot more about Mattie through these letters. The lives of the murdered girl & Mattie become entwined & when Mattie learns about how she has drowned it is only then that she makes her final decision.
I would not be able to do justicein a review to the quality of writing. I actually sat for four hours to read this book as I genuinely did not want to put it down & miss a minute. I could just have easily started straight again from the beginning & found other clues as to paths Mattie could have taken. I thought the relationship with her friend Weaver was beautifully written & the heartache he goes through is shared by her. She is a wonderful character with many strengths, it would be nice to read a sequel to her life. For those interestedin the actual murder that is the basis for the novel, there is information about it at the back, with some notes from the author.
Just average - By: book_lover, 30 Jul 2008 
I was disappointed by this book. I bought it because of the reviews on the cover (the George Clooney remark!), expecting it to be really good, but I found it just average. It was an age-old storyline (should the main character marry someone she doesn't love, or follow her dreams?) & I didn't warm to the characters much or like the atmosphere. The only thing really that got my attention was the historical notes at the end which explained about the murder & the fate of the murderer.
Maybe I should read it again - it was a few years ago that I read it. But I just find it frustrating that some books, like this one, receive all the official rave reviews & awards (and maybe it does deserve some of them, maybe it's just difference of opinion) whilst so many others, especially those for young adults, don't get a lookin just because people haven't heard of them. I got this book from the young adult section of the bookshop - I don't know if it is intended for young adults - but it seems that often the young adult books that (adult) reviewers praise are not the ones that are popular among young adults (and don't say that's just because we're too young to know what makes a good book!).
MASTERPIECE - By: Emma M, 19 Jan 2008 This book is truly a masterpiece.
I found myself being dragged into the story with Mattie, feeling her hurt, experiencing her love, hope & disappointment. I wanted to reach out to help her & Grace Brown. I couldn't put the book down & was sorely disappointed when I reached the last page & it was all over.
If you haven't all ready read this book I would highly reccomend it to you!
You'll laugh, you'll cry, it'll change your life - By: Malin Engdahl, 17 Dec 2007 At least that was what happened to me when I read this wonderful book. I picked it up at a bookstore at a 3 for 2 sale, & it lingered on my bookshelf for quite some time before I actually picked it up. Once I started reading, I could not put the book down - & it did indeed make me both laugh & cry, & even occasionally exclaim out loud (even though I wasin a public place at the time) & it changed my life to the better because I discovered Jennifer Donnelly as a writer, & I have yet to read a bad book by her. I greatly enjoyed The Tea Rose, & absolutely adored The Winter Rose, & would recommend her novels to anyone who enjoys a long & intricate read with many memorable characters.
Powerful and evocative page turner - By: SB, 12 Dec 2007 Step back a hundred years to rural US & life as it was for those struggling to put food on their tablesin the first decade of the twentieth century. Meet 16-year-old Mattie (Matilda), who loves books & learning & writing stories, but who is sidelining her dreams to look after her younger sisters & put food on the table for the family, following the death of their mum.
Mattie & her best friend Royal have dreams of going to college, but life is pretty tough for them both & money hard to come by. They both go to work at a big hotel nearby over the tourist season. One day one of the guests is found washed up, drowned, on the shore of the lake. Her companion is missing, presumed drowned. Mattie, however, comes to suspect foul play... can she resist the temptation of reading the letters that drowned girl gave her to burn, or will they hold the key?
This is a wonderfully sensitive novel, beautifully written with intricate detail of everyday tasks which help to bring the pages to life. A must read!!!
