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The Drowning Tree
Juno McKay intended to avoid the nearby campus of her alma mater during her fifteenth reunion weekend, but she just can’t turn down the chance to see her longtime friend, Christine Webb, speak at the Penrose College library. Though Juno cringes at the inevitable talk of the pregnancy that kept her from graduating, and of her husband, Neil Buchwald, who ended up in a mental hospital only two years after their wedding, Juno endures the gossip for her friend’s sake. Christine’s lecture sends shockwaves through the rapt crowd when she reveals little-known details about the lives of two sisters, Eugenie and Clare—members of the powerful and influential family whose name the college bears. Christine’s revelation throws shadows of betrayal, lust, and insanity onto the family’s distinguished facade.
But after the lecture, Christine seems distant, uneasy, and sad. The next day, she disappears. Juno immediately suspects a connection to her friend’s shocking speech. Although painfully reminded of her own experience with Neil’s mental illness, Juno nevertheless peels away the layers of secrets and madness that surround the Penrose dynasty. She fears that Christine discovered something damning about them, perhaps even something worth killing for. And Juno is determined to find it—for herself, for her friend, and for her long-lost husband.
But after the lecture, Christine seems distant, uneasy, and sad. The next day, she disappears. Juno immediately suspects a connection to her friend’s shocking speech. Although painfully reminded of her own experience with Neil’s mental illness, Juno nevertheless peels away the layers of secrets and madness that surround the Penrose dynasty. She fears that Christine discovered something damning about them, perhaps even something worth killing for. And Juno is determined to find it—for herself, for her friend, and for her long-lost husband.
467 pages, Paperback
First published June 29, 2004
73 people are currently reading
2594 people want to read
About the author
Carol Goodman
35 books2,915 followersCarol Goodman is the author of The Lake of Dead Languages, The Seduction of Water, which won the Hammett Prize, The Widow's House, which won the Mary Higgins Clark Award and The Night Visitors, which won the Mary Higgins Clark Award. She is also the co-author, with her husband Lee Slonimsky, of the Watchtower fantasy trilogy. Her work has appeared in such journals as The Greensboro Review, Literal Latte, The Midwest Quarterly, and Other Voices. After graduation from Vassar College, where she majored in Latin, she taught Latin for several years in Austin, Texas. She then received an M.F.A. in fiction from the New School University. Goodman currently teaches literature and writing at The New School and SUNY New Paltz and lives with her family in the Hudson Valley.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 330 reviews
June 18, 2013
I tried to wade through all the pretentious quotes in Latin, the lessons in Greek mythology, the prestigious school name-dropping, among other things, but after 70 pages I still couldn't find a story in this book. If you're really interested in the art of stain-glass making or the rowing sport--crew, then you'll enjoy the tedious, mind-numbing descriptions that go on ad nauseam. Unfortunately, I don't find either subject very appealing, especially not in the dosages the author is handing out. When I read a book like this, I often get the impression that the author is trying to say, you're just not smart enough to read my book. I'm not above learning something new but I actually require a book to be entertaining and not just a manual for subjects the author finds interesting.
June 26, 2012
This was my third Carol Goodman novel and from the outset it's clear; she definitely has a formula down. Secrets from the past shedding light on the present, tight knit academia, meditations on art and literature, and gripping literary mysteries. I suppose I should feel as if I've read this before (and from the same author), but instead I'm waiting for a new one in the mail.
'The Drowning Tree' is the story of Juno McKay, former artist and current expert in stained glass. She lives in the same small Hudson Valley enclave where she attended college at fictional Penrose (basically, Vassar) with her kayaking fanatic daughter, Beatrice, and their dogs Paolo and Francesca. Clearly she's a Dante fan. Beatrice's father, Neil, is locked up in Briarwood, a mental health facility near Poughkeepsie, where her best friend, Christine, is from, after an incident where he tried to kill himself, Juno, and their baby daughter by drowning. Moving on from exposition, early on Christine makes a speech about secrets of the Penrose family and a stained glass window everyone assumed was a portrait of Augustus Penrose's wife but who Christine believes to really be his sister in law, Clare, a patient at the same facility where Neil lives. That evening Christine disappears and Juno is propelled into a chase for the truth behind, not just her best friend's death, but also secrets locked away at both the former Penrose estate, Astolat, and Briarwood itself.
The thing that is immediately apparent in Goodman's writing is that she really knows how to set a scene. She creates stunning atmosphere. This book made me desperate to go to the Hudson River Valley and see the places she wrote about, real or imagined. It's something I've been impressed with in every one of her novels, all set in Upstate New York, the reader really feels as if they are there.
As formerly stated, this book has the same elements are the two other Goodman books I've read, 'The Lake of Dead Languages' and 'Arcadia Falls'; the early on death of a character, the return to an alma mater that hides secrets, a somewhat absent daughter, a policeman love interest, and shadowy pasts. But that doesn't mean it's the same book. 'The Lake of Dead Languages' has so far been my favorite offering, but I have to wonder if that was just because it was the one I read first. In any event this novel was filled with enough twists and turns that I couldn't wait to get back and discover who had done it. And, I really didn't know. Several times I found myself desperate to find out Christine's killer because all I knew was who much I didn't want it to be a certain character. I was invested enough to care that much, and I think that's telling. I can't imagine this will ever be winning any prizes for great literature, but I'm okay with that because sometimes things are just compelling and that's enough.
'The Drowning Tree' is the story of Juno McKay, former artist and current expert in stained glass. She lives in the same small Hudson Valley enclave where she attended college at fictional Penrose (basically, Vassar) with her kayaking fanatic daughter, Beatrice, and their dogs Paolo and Francesca. Clearly she's a Dante fan. Beatrice's father, Neil, is locked up in Briarwood, a mental health facility near Poughkeepsie, where her best friend, Christine, is from, after an incident where he tried to kill himself, Juno, and their baby daughter by drowning. Moving on from exposition, early on Christine makes a speech about secrets of the Penrose family and a stained glass window everyone assumed was a portrait of Augustus Penrose's wife but who Christine believes to really be his sister in law, Clare, a patient at the same facility where Neil lives. That evening Christine disappears and Juno is propelled into a chase for the truth behind, not just her best friend's death, but also secrets locked away at both the former Penrose estate, Astolat, and Briarwood itself.
The thing that is immediately apparent in Goodman's writing is that she really knows how to set a scene. She creates stunning atmosphere. This book made me desperate to go to the Hudson River Valley and see the places she wrote about, real or imagined. It's something I've been impressed with in every one of her novels, all set in Upstate New York, the reader really feels as if they are there.
As formerly stated, this book has the same elements are the two other Goodman books I've read, 'The Lake of Dead Languages' and 'Arcadia Falls'; the early on death of a character, the return to an alma mater that hides secrets, a somewhat absent daughter, a policeman love interest, and shadowy pasts. But that doesn't mean it's the same book. 'The Lake of Dead Languages' has so far been my favorite offering, but I have to wonder if that was just because it was the one I read first. In any event this novel was filled with enough twists and turns that I couldn't wait to get back and discover who had done it. And, I really didn't know. Several times I found myself desperate to find out Christine's killer because all I knew was who much I didn't want it to be a certain character. I was invested enough to care that much, and I think that's telling. I can't imagine this will ever be winning any prizes for great literature, but I'm okay with that because sometimes things are just compelling and that's enough.
April 17, 2017
no one makes that many art history or mythology references in day to day life. cool it with that nonsense.
March 13, 2012
This is by far my favorite Carol Goodman book. I love the characters in it, the elements of mythology, the art, the settings, all of it. It's also one of the saddest books I've read. When I read this book the first time, in high school, it was probably the saddest book I had ever read, and it took me about a week to get the story, and especially the ending, out of my head.
This book has a lot of elements in common with other Carol Goodman books, such as the protagonist being divorced, having a child, and working at a school, although in this book she isn't a teacher. The settings are described so beautifully that I can just picture them, and wish they were real so I could live there, or at least visit. Goodman also seems to do extensive research for her books, making her characters and their professions seem very believable. I've always been impressed by her ability to do this, as she has branched out farther and farther with each book she has written.
All in all, I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys mysteries, mythology, vivid imagery, and a good non-Hollywood ending.
This book has a lot of elements in common with other Carol Goodman books, such as the protagonist being divorced, having a child, and working at a school, although in this book she isn't a teacher. The settings are described so beautifully that I can just picture them, and wish they were real so I could live there, or at least visit. Goodman also seems to do extensive research for her books, making her characters and their professions seem very believable. I've always been impressed by her ability to do this, as she has branched out farther and farther with each book she has written.
All in all, I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys mysteries, mythology, vivid imagery, and a good non-Hollywood ending.
March 9, 2025
Such a pretty cover, not that you can tell from the thumbnail, but trust me. I had this and the Mary Stewart 3-in-1 Merlin book on the coffee table at the same time. Same colors. One looks like some bizarre Jesus theory, the other looks brooding and mysterious. The girls and I all noticed.
Not just the cover is my cuppa. Something horrible happened twenty years ago, and now many of the same people are back in town and one of them ends up dead. More Laura Lippman than Barbara Vine, but very moody and atmospheric, and I love the bit about the artists, and the past resembling the present. With the mother and daughter pair it comes across as the Gilmore Girls in need of SSRIs. Plus there's a little insight into the making of stained glass, as well as the restoration thereof. Learning about an unusual job was always the coolest part of a Dick Francis.
Just a big old delicious pudding of impending doom.
Personal copy donated 2025
Not just the cover is my cuppa. Something horrible happened twenty years ago, and now many of the same people are back in town and one of them ends up dead. More Laura Lippman than Barbara Vine, but very moody and atmospheric, and I love the bit about the artists, and the past resembling the present. With the mother and daughter pair it comes across as the Gilmore Girls in need of SSRIs. Plus there's a little insight into the making of stained glass, as well as the restoration thereof. Learning about an unusual job was always the coolest part of a Dick Francis.
Just a big old delicious pudding of impending doom.
Personal copy donated 2025
February 23, 2010
Ahh, Carol Goodman. Returning to her novels is like ordering your favorite meal at a restaurant. You know exactly what to expect and will most likely enjoy it. I certainly enjoyed this one.
Juno McKay sees her best friend Christine Webb off at the train station after their fifteenth-year college reunion. Christine had just delivered a lecture at the Penrose College Library, shocking the crowd with little known details about the founding Penrose family. The next day, Christine disappears.
I find it easy to submerge myself in Goodman's descriptive prose. In The Drowning Tree, she took me to New York to the Hudson River and artfully wove descriptions of water throughout the novel. References to stained glass, mythology and dreams of a former lover blended well with the story line and kept me thinking about the book throughout the day until I could get back to it. If I have one criticism on this one it would be that the last few chapters lacked some of the drama and suspense I have come to expect from Goodman, but still I stayed up late reading just one more page until the story was over. Thanks to Marika for lending it to me!
Juno McKay sees her best friend Christine Webb off at the train station after their fifteenth-year college reunion. Christine had just delivered a lecture at the Penrose College Library, shocking the crowd with little known details about the founding Penrose family. The next day, Christine disappears.
I find it easy to submerge myself in Goodman's descriptive prose. In The Drowning Tree, she took me to New York to the Hudson River and artfully wove descriptions of water throughout the novel. References to stained glass, mythology and dreams of a former lover blended well with the story line and kept me thinking about the book throughout the day until I could get back to it. If I have one criticism on this one it would be that the last few chapters lacked some of the drama and suspense I have come to expect from Goodman, but still I stayed up late reading just one more page until the story was over. Thanks to Marika for lending it to me!
January 9, 2017
My least favorite book of this author thus far. I was 70% in before it became interesting. After reading so many of Goodman's books, I've become a little annoyed with all of the extensive similarities. The ever changing love interests (3 in this book alone) - as though her heroine is unable to be without a man. The fact that characters can not only remember MANY direct quotes & references from college classes they took 15 years ago as if it were yesterday,and all of her main characters seem to have an extensive background in greek mythology and lives that revolve around it. Her main characters often have a thing for cops. I wonder what's up with that?
I love the setting on the Hudson and the little easter eggs that link each book. However, at this point, it seems like the similarities are becoming pretty redundant. Variety is nice sometimes! :)
Overall, 2.5 stars because I liked the ending, even though it was pretty far fetched.
I love the setting on the Hudson and the little easter eggs that link each book. However, at this point, it seems like the similarities are becoming pretty redundant. Variety is nice sometimes! :)
Overall, 2.5 stars because I liked the ending, even though it was pretty far fetched.
Read
January 28, 2016When I finished "The Lake of Dead Languages" about a month ago, I couldn't wait to read more by Carol Goodman. I liked everything about it: the setting, the characters, the references to art, literature and classical mythology, and the mystery (although it wasn't very hard to solve). Those same elements make "The Drowning Tree" worth reading too, but the similarities go so far that I sometimes wondered whether I wasn't still reading the same book. Single mother with daughter faces mysterious developments in academic setting in upstate New York, involving the family who founded the academy in question and her own oldest loves/friends; there are parallels between what happened in the past and what is happening now; there's even a possible romance with the policeman investigating the murder to top it all off.
But for all that, I still liked this book. It took me a while to get into it because I kept noticing all these similarities at first, but after a couple of days and around 100 pages I suddenly couldn't put it down anymore and finished it in a day. I still think I'm going to read more by Carol Goodman, but this time I'm going to wait for at least a year, so I won't be bothered as much by the fact that she seems to keep writing the same (good) book
But for all that, I still liked this book. It took me a while to get into it because I kept noticing all these similarities at first, but after a couple of days and around 100 pages I suddenly couldn't put it down anymore and finished it in a day. I still think I'm going to read more by Carol Goodman, but this time I'm going to wait for at least a year, so I won't be bothered as much by the fact that she seems to keep writing the same (good) book
March 16, 2009
Why haven't I heard about this boook before? Astoundingly good.
Layers upon layers of symbolism and metaphor, from pre-Raphaelite art to Greek mythology. The layers show up not only in the characters' activities, but in the language the author chooses. The book is so lovely and carefully wrought, it makes my head spin (in a good way).
In addition, there is a mystery to be solved. Those of you who hate mysteries, I am one of you. Never read them. Nope. But I was sucked into this one by not knowing it was a mystery and by being lulled along by the author's very fine voice.
Excellent character development.
I will be thinking about this book for months -- what this action symbolized, what that piece of art represented, how two seemingly disparate things parallel each other. Rich reading.
Plus a really substantial and literate author interview at the end of the book.
Layers upon layers of symbolism and metaphor, from pre-Raphaelite art to Greek mythology. The layers show up not only in the characters' activities, but in the language the author chooses. The book is so lovely and carefully wrought, it makes my head spin (in a good way).
In addition, there is a mystery to be solved. Those of you who hate mysteries, I am one of you. Never read them. Nope. But I was sucked into this one by not knowing it was a mystery and by being lulled along by the author's very fine voice.
Excellent character development.
I will be thinking about this book for months -- what this action symbolized, what that piece of art represented, how two seemingly disparate things parallel each other. Rich reading.
Plus a really substantial and literate author interview at the end of the book.
October 19, 2007
I listened to the audio version of this novel for a suspense genre study for work. It's a contemporary Gothic set in upstate New York, where an art scholar drowns (murder? suicide?) while investigating the mysterious lives of a Victorian artist and his mentally ill sister-in-law. The book has a few creepy, atmospheric moments, but ultimately is undone by ridiculous plot twists and clunky, repetitive writing (for some reason every person or thing in the book looks like a 'medieval painting').
June 22, 2022
One of the things I like best about being in a book club is the exposure to books I probably wouldn’t have read otherwise. I had never heard of Carol Goodman or this title until it was chosen for this month. Given it wasn’t even on my radar, I was surprised by how many things about it were right up my alley - particularly the mystery/puzzle and all the literary connections/allusions.
Early on, I thought the foreshadowing was heavy handed…but then I realized I was wrong - Goodman is actually carefully sucking the reader into the narrator’s mindset, making you distrust what Juno distrusts and see things the way she sees them…until she doesn’t any more. I found that the way that created tension really pulled in to the story and kept me reading. I also loved the way she played with parallel situations between the main characters and the characters in a past timeline as well as between all the characters and mythological figures.
The climax and resolution really required me to stretch my suspension of disbelief a little farther than I would’ve liked, and there were a couple loose ends I wish had been tied up, but overall, I found this an engaging and interesting read that I’m looking forward to discussing. (Probably more like a 3.5 star, really.)
Early on, I thought the foreshadowing was heavy handed…but then I realized I was wrong - Goodman is actually carefully sucking the reader into the narrator’s mindset, making you distrust what Juno distrusts and see things the way she sees them…until she doesn’t any more. I found that the way that created tension really pulled in to the story and kept me reading. I also loved the way she played with parallel situations between the main characters and the characters in a past timeline as well as between all the characters and mythological figures.
The climax and resolution really required me to stretch my suspension of disbelief a little farther than I would’ve liked, and there were a couple loose ends I wish had been tied up, but overall, I found this an engaging and interesting read that I’m looking forward to discussing. (Probably more like a 3.5 star, really.)
August 7, 2025
I've said it a hundred times and I'll keep saying it, Carol Goodman's novels are my guilty pleasure. And the Drowning Tree is my new favourite. It was atmospheric, suffocating and cozy in a way only small-town mysteries can be.
February 8, 2013
Juno McKay's best friend, Christine Webb, is found dead in an upturned kayak on the private property of her alma mater, a women's college in upstate New York. Before she died, Christine asked Juno if she thought that a person could love someone so much that the beloved would have no choice but to love them back. Fourteen years earlier, Juno's husband, Neil, took her and their infant daughter out on the Hudson River, and in a fit of madness, attempted to drown them all. The events of that day, Neil's subsequent institutionalization, and their divorce have haunted Juno ever since. In the investigation into Christine's death, questions about inevitable love, mental illness, and family ties rise to the surface like long-forgotten pieces of a tragic shipwreck.
Carol Goodman is a talented writer. This is the second book of hers that I have read, the first being The Lake of Dead Languages. If the two are representative of her work as a whole, Goodman likes gothic tales with a long-lost princess twist set against the background of liberal arts women's colleges. Other common themes include water, troubled marriages, and the ties between women. Her water images (Heart Lake in The Lake, and the Hudson River in The Drowning Tree) are often beautiful and very evocative. And I like her exploration of women's relationships a great deal.
However, while all of these elements combined to a pleasurable effect in The Lake, I'm flat out irritated with The Drowning Tree. To be fair, I have not finished it. I've skimmed and skipped and come to the conclusion that it is not something I'm interested in finishing. Why? I'm happy to tell you, dear Reader.
I don't believe in inevitable love, the way Goodman (actually, I suppose it was Dante) presents it. I think it's an absurd concept, and ridiculously romantic. The scenes in which Juno and her ex-husband finally meet again are too silly for me to swallow. Perhaps I find it too much of a stretch to think that after such a traumatic split (he tried to kill his wife and child), and fourteen years of absence that there might be any love left. That's my cynic showing.
SPOILER ALERT
Also, it turns out that Christine was the victim of not one, but two TOTALLY unrelated murder attempts that converged at the same time. Implausible much?
Finally, the characters had potential, but ultimately were not convincing. Perhaps, I am a little tired of the whole women's college scene as well. Who knew it was such a world unto itself? Not I. This one will be going back to the library early.
Happy Reading,
The Professor's Wife
Carol Goodman is a talented writer. This is the second book of hers that I have read, the first being The Lake of Dead Languages. If the two are representative of her work as a whole, Goodman likes gothic tales with a long-lost princess twist set against the background of liberal arts women's colleges. Other common themes include water, troubled marriages, and the ties between women. Her water images (Heart Lake in The Lake, and the Hudson River in The Drowning Tree) are often beautiful and very evocative. And I like her exploration of women's relationships a great deal.
However, while all of these elements combined to a pleasurable effect in The Lake, I'm flat out irritated with The Drowning Tree. To be fair, I have not finished it. I've skimmed and skipped and come to the conclusion that it is not something I'm interested in finishing. Why? I'm happy to tell you, dear Reader.
I don't believe in inevitable love, the way Goodman (actually, I suppose it was Dante) presents it. I think it's an absurd concept, and ridiculously romantic. The scenes in which Juno and her ex-husband finally meet again are too silly for me to swallow. Perhaps I find it too much of a stretch to think that after such a traumatic split (he tried to kill his wife and child), and fourteen years of absence that there might be any love left. That's my cynic showing.
SPOILER ALERT
Also, it turns out that Christine was the victim of not one, but two TOTALLY unrelated murder attempts that converged at the same time. Implausible much?
Finally, the characters had potential, but ultimately were not convincing. Perhaps, I am a little tired of the whole women's college scene as well. Who knew it was such a world unto itself? Not I. This one will be going back to the library early.
Happy Reading,
The Professor's Wife
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 5, 2012
This book was NOT a favorite of mine. The book is very descriptive and those descriptions were painfully simple and one dimensional. And the details were MANY. Forget subtle foreshadowing, when some little detail of note occurred in the book, the it was explained in such overabundant detail, and flaunted things that were painfully obvious observations. But this was not the end.... If this detail was then remembered by the main character, all the same information was written again as the small details were lengthily explained. I found it very hard to get through this book and the ending was very unsatisfying.
October 17, 2008
Carol Goodman continues with her theme of secrets-from-the-past in her third book. Once again, she's created a world that I became completely absorbed in and a mystery that I couldn't figure out. Each time I thought "ah ha, THIS is what happened" the main character thought of it herself and sent the story in another direction by disproving it.
It happens too often that I love someone's debut novel and then end up disappointed in everything that follows, so I'm really glad Goodman isn't falling victim to that trend.
It happens too often that I love someone's debut novel and then end up disappointed in everything that follows, so I'm really glad Goodman isn't falling victim to that trend.
August 2, 2014
This book had some good moments, but mostly it was just a hot mess. There was way too much going on in the story and much of it was impossible to believe. Too many blind alleys and crisscrossing plot lines, to the point that I'm still not sure what exactly happened or what it all meant. I've read other Carol Goodman titles and have really enjoyed the combination of scholarship and suspense, but this one did not work for me.
December 5, 2024
Juno returns to her small private college years later to support her bestie, who is giving a lecture on a stained-glass window in the school library that was created by one of the founders of the school. Juno herself is preparing to restore the window to its original glory, along with her father and the glass company they run together. And then her bestie turns up death, drowned in the same river in which Juno’s husband (now institutionalized) tried to kill her and their then-infant daughter. So she works to solve the murder while putting the window back together, revisiting her relationship with her returning-to-normal-life-with-the-help-of-therapy-and-drugs husband, all while diving into the mysterious history of the man and wife team who originally created the window and founded the college.
Goodman tries to do *a lot* here, and it gets ponderous fairly quickly. The allusions to classical myth and its representations in art are way too heavy handed; she needs to leave some things up to the imagination of the reader and stop hitting us over the head with all her cleverness. The story’s not bad, but the writing is too self-consciously artsy, I think. Just a bit too fussy overall.
Goodman tries to do *a lot* here, and it gets ponderous fairly quickly. The allusions to classical myth and its representations in art are way too heavy handed; she needs to leave some things up to the imagination of the reader and stop hitting us over the head with all her cleverness. The story’s not bad, but the writing is too self-consciously artsy, I think. Just a bit too fussy overall.
August 23, 2021
“𝘐𝘵 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘴 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘢 𝘤𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘭𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘢 𝘧𝘢𝘪𝘳𝘺 𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘦,” 𝘕𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘴𝘢𝘺𝘴.
“𝘠𝘦𝘢𝘩," 𝘐 𝘴𝘢𝘺; 𝘱𝘶𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘰𝘢𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘥𝘰𝘸𝘯𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘭, “𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘭 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘤𝘩’𝘴 𝘤𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘭𝘦.”
——
Carol Goodman’s novels are very formulaic- but it’s a formula I absolutely love. I could create a drinking game out of the template she uses for each one of her stories and yet every time I’m having a complete ball. She is the master of academic, careful, mystery novels which while full of cheesy twists, is rarely mean spirited in them. While other books in this genre go for shocking at all costs no matter the implications, Goodman’s twists are earned and earnest and explored properly, with the emphasis on the consequences as opposed to the mic drop moment. I really enjoyed this book and was completely absorbed in this story. It focuses, as usual, on a middle aged woman with an academic background trying to raise her daughter. When her best friend is killed after delivering a controversial lecture at their old college, she is left reeling. The story follows her attempts to understand what happened to her friend and as a consequence discovers not only a forgotten history in the the antique window she is restoring but unexpected revelations about her child’s father. I just really enjoyed it and as always the cover sucks and doesn’t accurately represent the layered story inside.
“𝘠𝘦𝘢𝘩," 𝘐 𝘴𝘢𝘺; 𝘱𝘶𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘰𝘢𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘥𝘰𝘸𝘯𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘭, “𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘭 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘤𝘩’𝘴 𝘤𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘭𝘦.”
——
Carol Goodman’s novels are very formulaic- but it’s a formula I absolutely love. I could create a drinking game out of the template she uses for each one of her stories and yet every time I’m having a complete ball. She is the master of academic, careful, mystery novels which while full of cheesy twists, is rarely mean spirited in them. While other books in this genre go for shocking at all costs no matter the implications, Goodman’s twists are earned and earnest and explored properly, with the emphasis on the consequences as opposed to the mic drop moment. I really enjoyed this book and was completely absorbed in this story. It focuses, as usual, on a middle aged woman with an academic background trying to raise her daughter. When her best friend is killed after delivering a controversial lecture at their old college, she is left reeling. The story follows her attempts to understand what happened to her friend and as a consequence discovers not only a forgotten history in the the antique window she is restoring but unexpected revelations about her child’s father. I just really enjoyed it and as always the cover sucks and doesn’t accurately represent the layered story inside.
June 23, 2022
I was extremely hesitant to read this for book club because something about the cover and description made me think it was a psychological thriller, which is one of the few genres I never read. I was delighted to find out I was wrong! This is a mystery, but more than that it is a book about people, relationships, and perception. I loved the river as a backdrop, and the languid pacing seemed to me to emulate the river. I loved the focus on art and learning some things about stained glass. Were there some of those unlikely coincidences that seem to happen in mystery novels? Yes, but that’s ok with me! My mom is a mystery lover and spent her young adult years in the area of New York where this takes place, so I look forward to sharing this book with her. 3.5 stars.
May 29, 2018
This was another solid book from Carol Goodman. Her writing is so evocative, always with water, place and landscape, and this time around with paintings and stained glass as well.
July 22, 2019
Irritating and poorly written. Writing is a craft this author does not respect. I slogged through the book, editing as I read. I made 66 alterations on page 152.
January 18, 2026
3.5 stars ✨
September 7, 2014
Carol Goodman is one of my favorite authors, but when you read her novels, you know you are going to have a female main character who is a writer, artist, art historian or some closely related field, a closed community of some sort and a mystery that links past and present. But her writing is so lyrical and her plots so interesting, that it doesn't matter. You fall into the mood and stay there till the end.
In this novel, best friends from college are, 15 years later, both working on their alma mater's prize stained glass window. One is researching its history and the other is restoring it. As the plot unfolds, one woman is found dead and the other finds herself suspected of murder. As she works to follow the threads of her friend's research, it brings to light all sorts of things people would rather have left in the shadow of both the present and the past.
This plot was different than most of Goodman's works in that the closed community was more open than normal. Everyone had an association with the college, but it was a loose association based on the window and old friendships. This was a new twist.
As usual, Goodman is masterful in setting tone and mood and particularly good in parceling out information a little at a time, so that you have an understanding of events long before the details of those events emerge. That is what I liked most about this novel, seeing how Goodman strung it together. Unfortunately, that strength was also a weakness, in that she may have tipped her had a little too much, so her formula was on display. She seemed to try to make up for that by twisting the plot more than usual. although the end was satisfying, it got away from itself a little in the lead up.
I enjoyed this novel, but wasn't my favorite of Goodman's works. Neither was it the worst.
In this novel, best friends from college are, 15 years later, both working on their alma mater's prize stained glass window. One is researching its history and the other is restoring it. As the plot unfolds, one woman is found dead and the other finds herself suspected of murder. As she works to follow the threads of her friend's research, it brings to light all sorts of things people would rather have left in the shadow of both the present and the past.
This plot was different than most of Goodman's works in that the closed community was more open than normal. Everyone had an association with the college, but it was a loose association based on the window and old friendships. This was a new twist.
As usual, Goodman is masterful in setting tone and mood and particularly good in parceling out information a little at a time, so that you have an understanding of events long before the details of those events emerge. That is what I liked most about this novel, seeing how Goodman strung it together. Unfortunately, that strength was also a weakness, in that she may have tipped her had a little too much, so her formula was on display. She seemed to try to make up for that by twisting the plot more than usual. although the end was satisfying, it got away from itself a little in the lead up.
I enjoyed this novel, but wasn't my favorite of Goodman's works. Neither was it the worst.
July 26, 2007
Once again, Goodman delivers with a fabulous setting seemingly drawn from her own imagination. I would wager that Goodman has spent time in upstate New York, because she writes of the place as if she knows it, as if she has thought it was beautiful for a long time. And it sounds amazing, her descriptions make me want to visit so much more than any of those "Discover (insert state here)" commercials I see on television.
The Drowning Tree also has that element of myth woven into the story. The backstory of the myths Goldman brings into her novels are sometimes the most creative parts of them. I would love to know if she plots it all out ahead of time or if she just allows the pieces to fall into step with each other.
This book suffers from the same weaknesses as the others--weak, single dimension characters (who, in this instance, have improbable jobs--like there is enough business in a small, up-state New York town to support a stained glass restorer, I mean, come on and on that note, I would kill, with a lack of concience, for a job like Jane has in the Lake of Dead Languages but instead I wait tables and hope to land a receptionist gig at my husband's university but I'm going to let THAT go). And once again, Goodman should really let go of the first person narration. It betrays her, it shows her to be a little too in her characters and I can't help but think that she is on some level, her main characters. Which should give me hope for my own writing, because I think all young writers struggle with that, its hard to get out of yourself, its hard to not write with you as the star. But, I will continue to be excited when I see Carol Goodman has a new book out, because as long as you avoid them in mass quantities they are, in fact, quite good.
The Drowning Tree also has that element of myth woven into the story. The backstory of the myths Goldman brings into her novels are sometimes the most creative parts of them. I would love to know if she plots it all out ahead of time or if she just allows the pieces to fall into step with each other.
This book suffers from the same weaknesses as the others--weak, single dimension characters (who, in this instance, have improbable jobs--like there is enough business in a small, up-state New York town to support a stained glass restorer, I mean, come on and on that note, I would kill, with a lack of concience, for a job like Jane has in the Lake of Dead Languages but instead I wait tables and hope to land a receptionist gig at my husband's university but I'm going to let THAT go). And once again, Goodman should really let go of the first person narration. It betrays her, it shows her to be a little too in her characters and I can't help but think that she is on some level, her main characters. Which should give me hope for my own writing, because I think all young writers struggle with that, its hard to get out of yourself, its hard to not write with you as the star. But, I will continue to be excited when I see Carol Goodman has a new book out, because as long as you avoid them in mass quantities they are, in fact, quite good.
February 23, 2011
This is my first Carol Goodman novel and I think I'll go back and read her earlier work. This was a really good novel. This is such a well written book - the imagery created by the author is just wonderful! I enjoyed the intermix of the modern mystery and the ancient with the use of mythology throughout the book. Really effective way to tell this particular story!
This wasn't an 'easy' read yet it wasn't what I'd characterize as difficult either. It felt a bit academic but perhaps that was more about the location of the novel and the mythology pieces. In a few reviews, I noticed it was compared to Donna Tartt's The Secret History. I can see where that comparison comes from but this is the better book in my opinion.
The sense of place is done so well with this book. The place just seemed to come alive for me with each word. The gothic feel of this novel really makes it special. Goodman paces the novel very well, giving you enough to stay interested but not enough to ruin the final 'aha' moment at the end of the novel. I also really liked the strong characters in the novel ... they were very well done and real in their complexities. I wish that Goodman had spent a little more time on character development but it was adequate for me.
Overall, I really enjoyed this novel and look forward to reading more of Carol Goodman's work. If you like well written mysteries, especially those that are more focused on human complexities than just a good old fashioned 'who done it,' then this may be a book for you to pick up. Also, if you have an interest in mythology and novels that interweave mythology with story, this may be a book to read!
This wasn't an 'easy' read yet it wasn't what I'd characterize as difficult either. It felt a bit academic but perhaps that was more about the location of the novel and the mythology pieces. In a few reviews, I noticed it was compared to Donna Tartt's The Secret History. I can see where that comparison comes from but this is the better book in my opinion.
The sense of place is done so well with this book. The place just seemed to come alive for me with each word. The gothic feel of this novel really makes it special. Goodman paces the novel very well, giving you enough to stay interested but not enough to ruin the final 'aha' moment at the end of the novel. I also really liked the strong characters in the novel ... they were very well done and real in their complexities. I wish that Goodman had spent a little more time on character development but it was adequate for me.
Overall, I really enjoyed this novel and look forward to reading more of Carol Goodman's work. If you like well written mysteries, especially those that are more focused on human complexities than just a good old fashioned 'who done it,' then this may be a book for you to pick up. Also, if you have an interest in mythology and novels that interweave mythology with story, this may be a book to read!
January 22, 2010
Juno's best friend, Christine, mysteriously disappears after giving a controversial speech about the influential founding family of the college they both attended. As Juno searches for answers about her friend's disappearance, her own dramatic past- the unplanned pregnancy that kept her from graduating, her former husband's attempt to drown Juno and her daughter, and his subsequent admittance to a nearby mental hospital- begins to emerge in uncomfortable and haunting ways.
Dark, mysterious, and fraught with mythological references and artistic allusions, this was a wonderfully spooky mystery! Like her other novels, Carol Goodman, has, with wonderful imagery, used water as a central focus of this book. In fact, so many of the features of this mystery- a single mother with a sad history, a scholarly setting, allegorical references, water- are so similar to the other Goodman novels I've read (The Lake of Dead Languages and The Seduction of Water) that, for the entire first chapter, I believed The Drowning Tree might be a book that I'd somehow forgotten I'd already read. This was definitely not my favorite Goodman book, but I am very anxious to continue reading more by this author. She's great! If you like mysteries, you must look her up!
Dark, mysterious, and fraught with mythological references and artistic allusions, this was a wonderfully spooky mystery! Like her other novels, Carol Goodman, has, with wonderful imagery, used water as a central focus of this book. In fact, so many of the features of this mystery- a single mother with a sad history, a scholarly setting, allegorical references, water- are so similar to the other Goodman novels I've read (The Lake of Dead Languages and The Seduction of Water) that, for the entire first chapter, I believed The Drowning Tree might be a book that I'd somehow forgotten I'd already read. This was definitely not my favorite Goodman book, but I am very anxious to continue reading more by this author. She's great! If you like mysteries, you must look her up!
February 16, 2008
After fifteen years, Juno McKay returns to Penrose College, her alma mater, to hear her friend Christine Webb give a lecture on a famous stained-glass window that graces the college library. Juno is reluctant to return, given that she dropped out of college shortly before graduation to give birth to her daughter, Bea, and to marry her boyfriend, Neil, who was institutionalized a year later. Loyalty to Christine wins out, however, and Juno is gratified but also concerned when Christine reveals some controversial theories about the window's subject matter. That night, Christine dies -- but is it an accident, suicide, or murder? Juno must delve into the history of the college and into her own past to learn the truth.
I'm not sure how to class this; literary thriller/mystery, maybe? It started out strong, but I was disappointed in the ending, which sort of came out of left field and brought in a whole other element of the plot that hadn't really been developed very well.
I'm not sure how to class this; literary thriller/mystery, maybe? It started out strong, but I was disappointed in the ending, which sort of came out of left field and brought in a whole other element of the plot that hadn't really been developed very well.
October 23, 2013
I always learn something from Carol Goodman's novels. She has a magical way of blending the classics into her storyline, so that while I'm rooting for various characters, I'm also getting bits of Greek and Roman mythology, history, and a bit of Latin, to boot.
This was another such novel (many of hers seem to involve classics, art, water, and female schoolmates) that brought in the many angles of love and loyalty. I really was intrigued by all the information on stained glassworks, and wish I could go up to the Hudson to see the area where this story took place. I'd also like to see some of the artwork and statuary described in the book.
This was another such novel (many of hers seem to involve classics, art, water, and female schoolmates) that brought in the many angles of love and loyalty. I really was intrigued by all the information on stained glassworks, and wish I could go up to the Hudson to see the area where this story took place. I'd also like to see some of the artwork and statuary described in the book.
March 8, 2008
This was not so good. In fact, I read about 120 pages and quit. I knew whodunnit that early, and it wasn't very interesting as a mystery. Boring characters and weird storyline. I know Goodman's other novels got better reviews, so maybe I'll try one more.
November 3, 2009
I almost quit halfway through-the college history and information on art/glass making were very long and drawn-out. I am determined to finish though...
Update: I finished it. It wasn't great but at least I know what happened at the end.
Update: I finished it. It wasn't great but at least I know what happened at the end.
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