Victoria LustbaderBesprekingen

I read this a few years ago and so cannot recall much about it except that the interest lay in the fact that it contained an early story by Pat Cadigan, one by Connie Willis and an interview with Elizabeth A Lynn.

The theme of this novel centers around the cyclical nature of abuse and there is a steady level of tension throughout. There are a few sections of uncomfortable reading, however I thought the author handled it very well. It was interesting how deeply she developed certain characters while others just floated in a out of the story, serving their purpose and moving on. I thought it was well done, but I would say it is not for a sensitive reader.

I don't remember much about this book of short stories but with writers like Piers Anthony, Jack Dann, Tom Disch, and others it's probably good. The back cover says ' This may be the most controversial collection you will read this year. ...[W]e offer the most ambitious of the new fiction that will define the direction of science fiction and fantasy for the 1980s. No easy reads. No fillers. No stale voices from the past. Just good sharp fiction aimed at the heart and sometimes at the jugular."

This is a difficult book for me to rate. Some parts are beautifully written and poignant, many are heartbreaking, and other parts feel overly contrived.

Sadness permeates this story. The characters, particularly Jody, are so weighed down by the emotion that it has nowhere to go but into the reader. I found myself falling into that pit along with him, and I would have liked something to grasp to help me float along the way.

Despite this overwhelming sadness, the story is well told. We get right inside Jody's character, which is why it's so easy to get lost with him.

At times, the prose felt too flowery. Maybe obscure is a better word. There is a lot of literary beauty here, but there are also long-winded sections that begin to feel redundant.

One of my biggest problems comes with the character of Fern. I'll do my best to explain why, without giving any spoilers. I just did not find Fern's character or her actions believable. At all. And, because her behavior becomes pivotal, the story lost me at that point. Her behavior and the results felt too convenient and didn't hold the realism of the other characters.

Overall, this story is a powerful statement about child abuse and society's utter failure to protect these children. It's both difficult to read and hard to put down.

A horribly depressing read. I had to make myself finish it just so I could find out what happened. Cannot recommend.

I read this book which I received from the Early Reviewers only because I needed to write a review (I was gently reminded to do so). The characters were likable but the story a bit tired. The plot was completely predictable and the ending less than satisfying. That having been said, I guess I liked it well enough to finish it...not something I feel compelled to do with a book I don't like.

I received this book from The LibraryThing Early Reviewers and must admit that I just got around to reading it. My mistake because I really loved this book! I was hooked from the very start and read it all yesterday and finished it this morning. I couldn't put it down. It deals with sadness, love and loss and the many complications that life gives you. I enjoyed reading it from different views of the 3 main characters. I wish the ending had not been quite so abrubt, but other than that I think it is a wonderful book that I will recommend.

I really liked this book about l0ove and loss and finding your way to hope again. I read it at a time in my life when I was dealing with these issues. My son Caleb died just two years before and the 5 year old Caleb in this book tugged at my heart.

Widower Danny struggles to raise his son Caleb alone. They both miss Danny's wife Tara completely...she was the love of Danny's life. They live in a small town where hurting Lily comes to spend the summer. Lily and her husband have grown apart. This is at least poartially due to Lily's desire for a child which her husband absolutely does not share. He thinks their life together should be enough and he doesn't understand why Lily would want a child after they both agreed in the beginning there would be no children. He feels betrayed by her change of heart and she feels betrayed because he cannot hear or understand her pain - the loss of a child she never had a chance to love.

And so they spend a season apart, during which Lily grows closer and closer to Danny and Caleb, finding in their relationships what she so longs for with her husband. At the same time her husband is doing some exploring on his own and realizing how much he truly loves his wife. At the end of the day Lily realizes she truly loves him, too, and her itme with Danny was a nice interlude but niot something she can pursue. Danny and Caleb resign tehmselves to being grateful for Lily's friendship and the joy and love she brought to their lives, teaching them that they could laugh and love again.

it is a bitterwseet predictable story but I loved every word. Just the kind of book to read when you just want to get away from the world for awhile. Thanks so much for sending me this book, I have share it with many friends and will continue to do so.

Plot driven stroy of two entertwined families in New York City from 1915 to 1928. Lots of twists and turns. Fun read.½

A rather predictable, but enjoyable story of forbidden love. Childless Lilly longs not only for the unconditional love of a child of her own, but the love of her husband. Recently widowed Danny longs to have his deceased wife back while dealing with raising his son, Caleb. The book's ending (while not wanting to ruin the story for anyone) feels clipped and unresolved. You are drawn in hoping that Lilly and Danny find happiness and each resolves their lingering personal issues but are left questioning what direction they each go in. Perhaps it's the author's intent to draw us in, but to leave us assuming our own endings.

This was a hugely emotional novel and very, very good. Right off, I will say that I loved it!

The stories main characters are Danny, Lily and Paul with Caleb, Tara and Eve being a big part of the overall picture too. Danny loses his wife Tara and while feeling that life holds no promise for him anymore, he knows that he must move on for his five-year-old son Caleb. Caleb just grabs onto your heart in this story and doesn't let go-you can just picture in your mind what a sweet little soul he is. Danny has problems with his mother-in-law Eve, she appears to us as an awful person but not all is as seems all of the time.

Lily and Paul are married. Paul is a controlling man and Lily has always followed his every wish. She has always wanted a child but Paul put an end to that hope long ago. Lily is finally getting fed up with it all and has retreated to their home in Stone Creek while Paul works in the city and comes out on weekends. She needs to find who she is and what will make her happy.

Danny and Lily meet and it is electric from the beginning. In ways you can't begin to imagine they connect on such an emotional and intense level. I think they see in each other the deep pain that exists in each of them. The novel unfolds from there and we live and feel with these characters.

This novel is romantic, emotional and sad, although hopeful. The author draws you into these characters so completely and her writing is as beautiful as is this story. I would love to see a sequel to this novel as I would be curious to see where life takes these characters. This is an excellent novel and highly recommended!

http://peekingbetweenthepages.blogspot.com/2008/07/stone-creek-by-victoria-lustb...

I just finished Stone Creek, by Victoria Lustbader. I was lucky enough to get a copy of this from Book Club Girl, and I have been savoring it for several days now.

One might consider this a love triangle of sorts, and in some ways it is..but it's so much more than that. Danny is struggling to maintain balance after the sudden loss of his wife, Tara. He is left with his 5-year-old son Caleb and the only family that he has close to him, includes his bitter, mother-in-law that blames him for her daughter's death. Danny is consumed by grief and wants desperately to learn how to live again. He is searching for something, but has no idea what. He remains in the small town of Stone Creek but is constantly reminded of what was.

On a trip to the market, Danny's attention is drawn to a woman in the same aisle. There is something about her.. the way she carries herself, her expression while talking on her cell phone, that piques his interest. Lily, also notices him and although she is married for the better part of 10 years, she is also drawn to him in a way that she cannot explain.

This is a story about love and loss. As you read the story, you feel as if you know these characters... as if they could be your friends or a close acquaintance. Their mannerisms, their preferences, everything about them become real. Lustbader does an excellent job of describing their inner most feelings and leaves you wanting more. Anyone that has experienced pain firsthand will appreciate many aspects of this novel. It is definitely a book that I will recommend.

I enjoyed this book. Set in a small town in upstate New York, Lily comes to spend the summer alone at Stone Creek. She is married, but feels a deep disconnect with her husband who is a workaholic.

The storyline is familiar but exceptional writing made it seem new and engrossing. Danny, a young widower, has been grieving deeply over his wife's death. His small son Caleb, age five, brings Danny and Lily together and they fall deeply in love.

The depth and style of the writing keeps it from falling into the sentimental syrupy love story trap. This author is definitely one I would read again.

Stone Creek starts out as an "everyday" sort of novel. Lustbader has all the typical characters that make for an interesting novel, but nothing spectacular. After a couple of chapters though, you realize this novel is far from 'everyday". You begin to feel the characters and their ups and downs, their struggles. Lily, one of the main characters, is so well written that you feel as though you personally know her when you've finished the book.

Themes: Life/Death, being a single father, wanting a child when your mate doesn't, marriage, struggles with extended family, etc..

Picture the ideal summer day...but it is raining and you have nothing to do...not because you are lazy but because you are very organized and all that you need to do is done for the day...this is the situation I was in when I picked up Stone Creek to read for my LibraryThing review...only hours later I was still reading it and couldn't put it down...this book has every detail needed to keep your interest...this book demands that you not stop reading it until the end...it has great elements...a tragic death, a handsome struggling young father, an adorable child, an evil stepmother but in this case it is the monster in law of the angelic sexy father. Then you have to add to this mix an amazingly beautiful woman who wants a child desperately and is beginning to fall a bit out of love with her own domineering yet handsome as sin power hungry husband...it is a lovely story with a thought provoking ending...I have never read any of Victoria Lustbader's books before but this book made me a fan. She is more than just a romance writer...this book had depth and grace and beauty...and sadness...I found myself wailing at parts of it...I would declare it a must read....

Enjoyable but predictable summer read. Lustbader weaves the characters together very well and in a believable fashion but you yearn for a less predictable end.

The book Stone Creek is definetly worthy of a long weekend vacation read, but not a fabulous week at the beach read! The book although corny at times does prove to be entertaining. The main characters dealing with loss are at times predictable. However, the secondary characters, the husband and evil mother in law seem to be more interesting and compelling then our 2 stars. I recommend this book to someone looking for a sappy mindless yet entertaining read!!!

A very well written story of true love, and soul mates. The characters were all very likeable (when they were supposed to be). This would be a good vacation/beach/light read.

The only thing about the book that bothered me was Binkie Floyd - I felt myself cringe whenever he came up. I get that he was supposed to be sort of like the child that Lilly longed for - but it took away much of her credibility, and the story would have been better without him.

I'll be passing this book on to my Mother in Law, who I think will also enjoy it. I'm very excited about my first Early Reviewers book and hope to do more again in the future.

I really did enjoy reading this book! I just finished it last night and could hardly put it down while I was reading it. My rating for the book would be better if I'd liked the ending better. I just felt that some things were wrapped up too quickly and neatly, and other things were sort of ignored and never really resolved. I know that is life, but I enjoy reading books that wrap things up casually, and end up resolved, unlike real life. That's why I read fiction, I suppose.

Stone Creek was one of the most moving, thoughtful books about love and loss that I have read in a long time. The familiar themes are there: love, marriage, parenthood, grief, generational relations, infidelity and the consequences of our life choices. Yet, these themes are not treated in the usual, familiar way with the neat predictable outcomes you often find in fiction of this genre. Instead, Lustbader pushes the boundaries of black-and-white thinking about right and wrong in the context of everyday relationships and lives. At its core is the notion that all people are flawed, but most are flawed in extremely complicated ways that are often juxtaposed with some of their most redeeming qualities.

These concepts are explored through the lives of Lily and her husband Paul, who are finding serious chinks in the armour of their previously passionate and near-perfect marriage, Danny and his son Caleb grieving the loss of Danny's wife and Caleb's mother Tara, and Tara's mother Eve, who views her daughter's death through the eyes of her own demons. Their lives all become tied in ways that both condemn and redeem them.

The book is really a character study of regular people with normal lives, normal problems and normal desires. This is the kind of book that makes you feel not quite so alone in the world. Life can be messy, complicated, confusing and yet still contain moments of pure magic and hope. Lustbader is a very lyrical writer with a gift for portraying intense sexual and emotional tension without falling into the trap of cliches.

This book is a great summer/beach read.½

Stone Creek by Victoria Lustbader explores the connections between a childless woman in her 40’s, her husband, a recent widower, and his 5-year-old son. The book goes a little overboard with emotional themes: death, grief, parenthood, friendship, temptation, love. And as one might expect, there are lots of heartwarming and heartbreaking moments. This is a romance - not a lighthearted romp, but an emotional roller-coaster. This is not a book with a lot of action; rather, the conflicts in the book are about relationships and love.

The story takes place in Stone Creek, a gentrified small town up the Hudson from New York City. Paul is a suave and successful attorney in New York City, and he and his wife, Lily, have a second home in Stone Creek. Lily is the focus of the story, as she spends a summer trying to figure out her relationship with here husband while building new friendships away from him in Stone Creek.

The other main character is Danny, born and raised in Stone Creek, recently widowed and father to a young boy. Danny is every woman’s dream: a handsome woodworker who is sensitive and loving.

You can probably envision the characters already, and they are indeed sometimes a bit too perfect and a bit too predictable. But that is also one of the book’s best features – all of the characters are likeable and the author makes it difficult to “choose sides”. This keeps you invested in the story as you wait to see how it all ends.

I would recommend this book if you’re looking for a good beach read with emotional punch.

(Note #1 - I did find it amusing when choice of reading material is presented to help develop one of the characters . . . and he is commended for not reading "escapist drivel")

(Note #2 - the book did not need Blinkie Floyd)

The first word that came to mind after I finished Stone Creek by Victoria Lustbader is bittersweet. It's an introspective story told through the eyes of four main characters about love and loss and how to find your way when both happen to you. The story is compelling and the characters are believable but those looking for an upbeat beach read might want to choose something else.½

Don't be discouraged by long, flowery sentences that distract from the story. If you can be patient, the slow pace becomes a magical ride. One main character reminds me of Catherine Anderson's wonderful male portrayals.
It's a worthwhile read.

'... which is worse - to lose something vital that you have had, or to have never had it at all...'

Stone Creek is about love, passion, forgiving, emptiness in the heart, sex and parenthood. Mrs Lustbader had to have lived ‘Stone Creek’ to write about it so honestly. This is a great book, one that didn't leave me indifferent to the solitude felt by a woman that has it all.½

Stone Creek is well written. The descriptions of the characters and their environments made them very real. At times it read like what I would imagine a romance novel to be, but with substance. I am not certain that I found the premise of falling in love immediately to be credible, particularly since it happened twice to Lily. I would like to think that I am a romantic, but not to that extent. I also found it difficult to follow Paul's psychological problems and Lily's way of not confronting him with her feelings. Danny's grief and deep love for his son were palpable, although the quick bonding of a child that age to Lily, a woman he didn't know, is unusual. Overall, it was a good book - it wasn't filled with profound insights, but Victoria Lustbader is definitely a wordsmith.