Coldwater

By Mardi McConnochie

Book Overview

A beautiful and mesmerizing debut,Coldwateris the tale of three sisters, the dangers of isolation, and the explosive repercussions when seemingly absolute power is challenged. Charlotte, Emily, and... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0385502605
• ISBN13: 9780385502603
• Release Date: August 2001
• Publisher: Doubleday
• Length: 304 Pages
• Weight: 0.85 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.5" x 1.0" x 6.5"

Customer Reviews

-fascinating story-

This is a captivating story that's beautifully told. It's gripping and, in the middle and towards the end, full of suspense. The characters are intriguing. The way the story is told (through the eyes of different characters in the story) is quite effective. The ending is unpredictable..

Gem

Excellent Read. I had the hardest time finding this book in the bookstores. The story is so unique, beautifully written - true literature. Not to mention intriguing (I read it in a day). It is a shame it has not gotten the recognition it deserves. Hopefully, her next book will get more publicity so this book will get some spotlight it deserves.

Chilling, suspenseful gem

Some of the greatest fiction written has come from small, unheralded writers far from the maddening crowds of New York. Read this fine novel and learn that truth.Coldwater is an Australian penal colony in the 1840s, a time when the prison trade was one of Australia's most important businesses. But Coldwater is more than the average prison. It is the equivalent of America's Alcatraz Island ; a cold barren rock of an island separated from the mainland and without a successful escape attempt. The credit for its impermeability is given to the prison's governor, Captain Wolf, seen here mostly through the eyes of his three single adult daughters. Life on a penal island is short on oppurtunity for women. Love prospects are few and, short of domestic chores, there is little to occupy their lives. Lack of intellectual oppurtunity, lack of romance and a lack of consideration from a career-obessed father create the perfect recipe for depression, rebellion and the familial breakdown that fuels the page-turning drama in this book. The drama builds and builds into a tremendous climax of destruction, loss and conflagration. And yet magically McConnochie ends this story of disturbance with a sweet romanitc ending. The author, Mardi McConnochie, admits a fascination with the Bronte sisters and weaves that fascination heavily into her plot, even naming her three female characters Charlotte, Emily and Anne. McConnochie has done copious historical research for her novel and capsulizes her learning in a historic note at the end of the story. Her historic setting is true, the atmospheric essence is powerful. And despite the use of viewpoint that hops between the main characters(from 1st to 3rd person), diaries and snippets of textbooks, the author keeps the storyline free of confusion and wastes no words. I have never seen an author who handles changing viewpoints so deftly.This a gem. It is a tremendous book. Written by a more recognized author it might be deemed a classic. Having been authored by this Aussie, it is sad that it may well be forgotten. I heartily recommend this novel for all readers.

a reinvention of the Bronte sisters

Pride and Prejudice was adapted into Bridget Jones' Diary and now after years of Jane Austen-mania, perhaps the Bronte sisters will become the next best (new but old) thing. Mardi McConnochie creates an alternate habitat for the three sisters and, in doing so, breathes new life into their somewhat mysterious lives. But the reader need not be familiar with the Bronte's lives or novels in order to enjoy this enticing tale. I highly recommend this book.

Throw Yourself In.

Mardi M., in her first novel, has excelled in Coldwater. This book should be read for what it is, an insightful look at the nineteenth century Australian colonial experience. I am sure there were not too many daughters of prison governors, then or now, who had the talents and liberated spirits of the Bronte sisters. If we suspend belief what better way to look at the horrors of the convict and prison system as it existed in the Antipodes of the 1840's than through the eyes of Charlotte, Emily and Anne.Mardi's obvious love of the Brontes' work shines through here without inhibiting the story. The bonus is we have a new perspective on the sisters. And,most importantly, we see how they may have looked at the prison system in Australia (and how colonial life affected women) if they had known of or experienced it in such a way. After all these girls, as is shown by their writings, had an attitude, insight and empathy beyond their years and times. What better way to examine the past than through the adventurous eyes of its contemporaries.This is a great book and possibly the best first novel since Ann-Marie MacDonald's Fall on Your Knees. Oops, I forgot about Wrack by James Bradley. Loved that one too.