The Courage Tree
by Diane Chamberlain
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Book Summary Information
Author: Diane ChamberlainEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2009-04-01
ISBN: 0778327418
Number of pages: 400
Publisher: Mira
Book Reviews of The Courage Tree
Book Review: A Chain of Coincidences . . .
Summary: 3 Stars
I WANTED to like this book. I LOVED "the secret life of Cee-Cee Wilkes," but was somewhat disappointed by this particular novel by Diane Chamberlain. The premise is fantastic -- little girl goes missing during a Girl Scout campout, parents who are somewhat divided about the logic of allowing the girl to go find themeselves at odds in the aftermath of her disappearance. That alone would have been enough to make a great story, but it felt like instead of allowing the story to tell itself and focussing on the emotions of the participants involved, Chamberlain just kept piling on more and more coincidental events, so that the plotting took over from the story. There is Zoe, the aging movie actress, who just happens to be hiding out in the SAME woods where Sophie has been lost, along with her daughter Marti, who has been jailed for killing a friend. There is Sophie's mom Janine and her boyfriend, who many already suspect of being a pedophile, a plot involving orphans, being separated at birth, and of course a controversy involving the treatment of Sophie's kidney disease with an herbal remedy, which Janine supports while her ex-husband Joe opposes it. I felt like none of the story lines or the people in the book were sufficiently well-developed, due simply to the sheer volume of events shoveled into the book. It was hard to identify with any particular character, nor ultimately to really be drawn into the story of the search for Sophie. Chamberlains' "Cee Cee Wilkes" in contrast, was a fantastic story, with highly developed characters and a thrilling conclusion. Read that instead.
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