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The House at the Edge of the World
The House at the Edge of the World | Julia Rochester
10 posts | 7 read | 33 to read
Part mystery, part psychological drama, Julia Rochester's The House at the Edge of the World is a darkly comic, unorthodox and thrilling debut When I was eighteen, my father fell off a cliff. It was a stupid way to die. John Venton's drunken fall from a Devon cliff leaves his family with an embarrassing ghost. His twin children, Morwenna and Corwin, flee in separate directions to take up their adult lives. Their mother, enraged by years of unhappy marriage, embraces merry widowhood. Only their grandfather finds solace in the crumbling family house, endlessly painting their story onto a large canvas map. His brightly coloured map, with its tiny pictures of shipwrecks, forgotten houses, saints and devils, is a work of his imagination, a collection of local myths and histories. But it holds a secret. As the twins are drawn grudgingly back to the house, they discover that their father's absence is part of the map's mysterious pull. The House at the Edge of the World is the compellingly told story of how family and home can be both a source of comfort and a wholly destructive force. Cutting to the undignified half-truths every family conceals, it asks the questions we all must confront: who are we responsible for and, ultimately, who do we belong to?
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review
VanessaCW
Mehso-so

Set on the Cornwall/Devon Atlantic coast, a father falls to his death off the cliffs which leads to a mystery. I usually enjoy books set in this part of the world and featuring a house but this one disappointed me. It seemed a little surreal and it dragged for me. Daphne du Maurier it is not.

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VanessaCW
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Moray_Reads
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Does it count if you hated the book? And I mean HATED. Also, just look at that blurb at the top "I enjoyed the book so much" Really? That's the quote you want to put on the front cover? #homebythesea #rockinmay

Reviewsbylola 😂😂 7y
KarenUK Oh no! I have this on my TBR... why did you hate it? I'm intrigued 😊 7y
Moray_Reads @KarenUK I hated the characters and found the dynamics between them very unconvincing. I don't want to put you off, I think I'm in a minority! 7y
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KarenUK @Moray_Reads thanks!💕 7y
Cinfhen It counts for my challenge 😜and it sounds good...sorry you hated it, though! Not every book is for every reader....I see that everyday on Litsy ❤️ 7y
LeahBergen That would be like putting "I liked it" on the cover. ? 7y
Moray_Reads @LeahBergen "I enjoyed THE book" is also strange, wouldn't it be more usual to say "I enjoyed THIS book"? Almost as if she's not really sure which book she's talking about 7y
LeahBergen @Moray_Reads That's right! 😂 7y
ValerieAndBooks Now I'm wondering who Emma Healey is 😂! 7y
49 likes10 comments
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rachelwill
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Pickpick

Book 9: Set against a backdrop of windswept coastline and family drama, and their fair share of secrets, this book is a gently twisting tale of discoveries that come that bit too late.

Power through your irritations towards the main character, Morwena, there are other characters to meet that are worthy of your attention...

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I-read-and-eat
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Pickpick

I loved this book! The writing is filled with quoteable lines. The characters are not very relateable per se, but that makes them seem all the more real. These unsympathetic characters make for a beautiful story with a hint of mystery and folklore. A father falls from a cliff, twins go their own way and a mother builds a new life. Only grandfather remains at the house at the edge of the world. When he falls ill a secret starts to unravel. 🌟🌟🌟🌟

britt_brooke Nice photo. 📷👌🏻 8y
46 likes7 stack adds2 comments
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I-read-and-eat
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"When I was eighteen, my father fell off a cliff. It was a stupid way to die."

Good morning Littens! Starting the day with this new book, it caught my attention from the first lines. (quoted above) Paired with spiced apple puff pastry bites. #readingsnacks. Also in the photo is my notebook in which I write down thoughts and interesting quotes as I read. ?

#booktober @RealLifeReading

Centique YUM! 8y
BeththeBookDragon The quote intrigues me... 8y
quirkyreader Oh the joys of puff pastry dough. Did you make them? 8y
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I-read-and-eat @bethfriedman906 Only 50 pages in but I am loving it so far. I'll put up a review when I finish it. 😊 8y
I-read-and-eat @quirkyreader I did 😊 The pastry is storebought though, I am more of a cook than a baker 😉 8y
quirkyreader I used to make spanakopita with Fillo dough. But that was a long time ago in a galaxy far far away. 8y
I-read-and-eat @quirkyreader Googled it and it looks delicious. But I hate working with Fillo dough. It always tears when U use it, but it's so gooood. 8y
51 likes7 stack adds7 comments
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I-read-and-eat
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#bookmail ! One for school and one for pleasure. Already read the first page of The House at the Edge of the World and the writing is besutiful! Can't wait to read more of it. Has anyone already read it?

GirlMeetsBook I love that version of the cover for the house at the edge of the world! 8y
Aseleener I haven't, but it looks interesting! 8y
I-read-and-eat @GirlMeetsBook I know! It was 50% of my reason for buying it 😊 @Aseleener So far I am loving it. Review will be up when I'm finshed. 😉 8y
28 likes4 stack adds3 comments
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TheLudicReader
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Pickpick

"When I was eighteen, my father fell off a cliff."
Lots of great conversation about this novel tonight. There's the crumbling house by the sea, the prickly protagonist, too-close-for-comfort sibling relationships and a mysterious map. We pretty much all really liked it.

12 likes1 stack add
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TheLudicReader
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Finishing up my book club read for our meeting Thursday night.

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Ellen_C
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Pickpick

Didn't care for the narrator/characters, but really liked the novel. Story involves a mystery surrounding the death of narrator's father and themes related to boundaries and relationships. http://cannonballread.com/2016/06/unlikeable-characters-make-for-a-very-good-nov...