The Drowning Tree

by Carol Goodman

Book Overview

Artfully imagined, intricately detailed, eerily poignant: these are the outstanding features of Carol Goodman's literary thrillers. She is part novelist, part craftsman--and The Drowning Tree is her newest masterpiece.

Juno McKay intended to avoid the nearby campus of her alma mater during her fifteenth reunion weekend, but she just can't turn down the chance to see her longtime friend, Christine Webb, speak at the Penrose College library...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0345462122
• ISBN13: 9780345462121
• Release Date: December 2004
• Publisher: Ballantine Books
• Length: 384 Pages
• Weight: 0.65 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 5.4" x 8.0"

Customer Reviews

Beautiful, as always

As always, Carol kept me guessing till the end. Right when you think you know how things will end she twists the story into yet another beautiful windy road.

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This was a wonderfully crafted, wonderfully written novel. Every character real and well-drawn and an original story line. So great to have a mystery that doesn't require CSI-type gore to advance the pages. What beautiful parallels to mythology in this story. This is my second favorite novel of all time - The Shadow of the Wind being my first. I read a lot and this book is a pure jewel for being original and well-written.

An entertaining literary thriller

Carol Goodman is a talented writer of what is commonly known as literary thrillers, a genre that precariously straddles serious literature and throwaway thrillers. Her highly literate style of writing, interest in Greek mythology and art, and her preferred choice of setting for her stories - often girls' schools and institutes of learning - lend a certain aura of female respectability to her mysteries. Those who have read and enjoyed "The Lake Of Dead Languages" will find "The Drowning Tree" equally entertaining if not as satisfying. Goodman takes her time telling her story of love, friendship, betrayal, heritage and madness. The plot enfolds amidst much evocative delving into the past where deadly secrets are buried in recently discovered sketches, letters, deliberately misassembled stained glass paintings, submerged treasures in out-of-bounds estate grounds, etc. All this paves the way for a denouement that isn't as much predictable as artificial, as if Goodman is trying her damnest to avoid the obvious once readers have cottoned onto the truth very early on about what really happened more than a hundred years ago. For this reason, I found the ending somewhat anti-climactic, like a last minute diversion into some minor lane. It is ultimately the consistently high quality of writing that rescues the "The Drowning Tree" from being an averagely plotted thriller. Goodman should find new plot direction if she is to avoid repetition and being stuck in a rut. Four stars for the plot but five stars overall.

A thriller for the literate

I am so glad to have discovered this author! She's created a multi-faceted, intriguing story which, although not entirely plausible, is a witty and smart read, perfect for the summer. The plot weaves together art history, unrequited love and relationships, mythology, a generations-old mystery, and a modern-day murder, using as a backdrop the Hudson Valley and incorporating everything from Dante and stained glass technique to kayaking. These seemingly disparate elements come together seamlessly, and I was repeatedly struck while reading this book how knowledgeable the author is. Her grasp of languages, history, and psychology are impressive, and I have to admit, I felt a bit smarter after reading this book. Which is not to say that it is perfect. There are small holes in the storyline, but they're not obvious, and they don't take away from the intriguing and engaging tone of the characters and the situations in which they find themselves. The ending was a bit too contrived, however the author could have taken the plot twists in several different directions, and she chose an interesting resolution to the problems the protagonist faces. Ultimately I gave this book 5 stars because I was so pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed this book. If you like thrillers, particularly those written by someone who's at least as smart as you are (if not more), you can hardly do better.

Literary mystery entertains and inspires

Some mystery writers just like to throw out the characters and weave them into a plot without frills. But Carol Goodman takes the mystery up a level or two and carves an entertaining but thought-provoking book in the process. Ms. Goodman likes mythology and classic literature and art. She moves the plot along by using parallels from mythological tales such as Baucis and Philemon, two ancient lovers turned into a tree by Zeus who granted the couple's wish that they may die together and be guardians of Zeus's temple. This sounds heavy-handed, but it isn't. Such myths work well within the storyline. The author builds her primary mystery around a painting that served as the model for an artsy stained-glass window at Penrose College. The narrator Juno McKay attended Penrose, but didn't graduate because she got pregnant and married her boyfriend Neil. Juno's story opens with a brief dream sequence, then segues into reality as she rushes to hear her best friend Christine give a lecture about the artist and other personalities associated with the painting/window. There's a lot of action in the book, considering it's what I'd call a literary mystery. Juno's husband Neil is mentally ill, and has been in a long-term care facility since he tried to drown Juno and their daughter Beatrice years ago. Juno has several romantic interests, and the reader wonders who will triumph in the end, although one of the men's names is a dead giveaway. Penrose college is one of those tony schools up North with hefty tuition and lofty expectations as well as a delicious scandal that unfolds. Several mysteries run concurrently, but are neatly wrapped up in the end. Ms. Goodman manages to take on a bit of literary and artistic theory without boring the reader. One tool she uses to do this is an antique diary written by the alleged subject of the painting, Eugenie Penrose, who writes, "Think of how a mood is changed by our surroundings-how more harmonious is the life lived among beautiful things." This mystery has the classic red herring, a well-constructed story-line, and a budding romance in addition to modern and historical love triangles. A primary theme in the book is water as both a giver and taker of life. The book is written by a thinker, by an author who obviously loves words, and is well-read in the classics important to Western civilization. I'd recommend this book to any reader, because it will work for readers on different levels. Those who like to think about philosophy and art will appreciate it, as will those who simply want to be entertained. It's a breath of fresh air in the popular mystery field, and it's a great read to boot.

A book for mystery lovers or just lovers of beautiful prose

I just finished reading The Drowning Tree. While I enjoyed the several unexpected twists in the story, what kept me entwined in its pages was Goodman's gorgeous writing style. The worlds Ms. Goodman create are complex, heady places that I can sink into comfortably. Often, I return to a sentence to savor its flavor once more. In an era of jerky TV advertisements that seem both to reflect and to further erode our attention spans, I find Goodman's books expect far more of her readers. Her stories recapture an innocent age of literature, one where readers are not condenscended to, but where we have to reach out a bit and to extend ourselves. I am looking forward with great anticipation to Goodman's next effort.