Review: A Sound Among the Trees by Susan Meissner

A Sound Among the Trees by Susan Meissner

Waterbrook Press ~ Oct. 4, 2011
Amazon / Goodreads

About the book:

A house shrouded in time. A line of women with a heritage of loss. 

As a young bride, Susannah Page was rumored to be a Civil War spy for the North, a traitor to her Virginian roots. Her great-granddaughter Adelaide, the current matriarch of Holly Oak, doesn’t believe that Susannah’s ghost haunts the antebellum mansion looking for a pardon, but rather the house itself bears a grudge toward its tragic past. 

When Marielle Bishop marries into the family and is transplanted from the arid west to her husband’s home, it isn’t long before she is led to believe that the house she just settled into brings misfortune to the women who live there. 

With Adelaide’s richly peppered superstitions and deep family roots at stake, Marielle must sort out the truth about Susannah Page and Holly Oak— and make peace with the sacrifices she has made for love.

My rating:

"I shouldn't have to tell the world that things aren't always what they seem," Adelaide had said. "Just because you hear a rustle in the trees, that doesn't mean that the bogeyman is preparing to pounce on you the minute you turn your back. Sometimes the rustling is just God sending a breeze to cool your skin after a hard day in the blazing sun. But I suppose the notion of the bogeyman makes the story more interesting." ~ Page 87

My thoughts:

Holly Oak is a house rumored to be haunted by Susannah Page's ghost seeking peace from her troubled past. But is that what is really happening in that mansion, or is the rumor just that - a rumor?

I haven't read any books by Susan Meissner until now. A Sound Among the Trees is a beautifully written contemporary novel with a lot of history and when I was reading "The Letters", it felt like a historical novel.

At first, I thought "The Letters" in the book were going to be my least favorite part, but after reading a few of the letters, I actually loved reading them. It was great to read what Susannah was going through and what had happened back then.

While some people might not like the talk of ghosts, curses, and other similar things in this book, I think if you continue to read, you will come to really like A Sound Among the Trees!!

I have two favorite characters from this book: Susannah and Marielle - both of them were very interesting to read about and I just really enjoyed their stories!

I wish there would have been a couple of more pages/chapters because I would have liked to have known how a certain character reacted to reading the journals (I'm not going to say who).

Overall, A Sound Among the Trees was a great novel that I recommend! :)

*I received a complimentary copy from the publisher for my review. I was not required to give a positive review, only my honest opinion - which I've done. All thoughts and opinions are my own.*

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A Sound Among the Trees by Susan Meissner (Chapter 1 Excerpt)