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There are currently 20 member reviews
for The Guest Book
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Chris H. (Wauwatosa, WI)
The Guest Book
This book tells the story of a family through the times of life. I enjoyed every bit from start to finish. I find that the longer it has been since I have finished it, the more I appreciate and think about it. The characters (there are many) are interesting, unique, and relatable. The stories of family and friends being together ring true. I loved reading about how this family evolves over time. Great book, wonderful setting, interesting characters. What more could you want?
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Esther L. (Newtown, PA)
Not To Be Missed
Thank you to BookBrowse for sharing this wonderful book with me. It was beautifully written and the characters were human and deeply compelling.
The book follows the Milton family through three generations from 1935 until the present. Kitty and Ogden are from prominent, upper crust New York families. Ogden runs a private bank that he inherited from his family and Kitty is a devoted wife and mother, both believing that perfect manners and their insular and quiet life are what matter most.
1959 brings both a Jewish man and a black man into their orbit and their prejudices are shown. The author uses the stereotypical mannerisms for both men. Len being gregarious, money grubbing and noisy and not knowing his place in their polite society. Reg is portrayed as the angry black man.
I finished The Guest Book wanting to start reading it again. It's a perfect discussion book for my book club.
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Barbara L. (Novato, CA)
The Gust Book
Wow... just finished this wonderful book and I miss it already. Beautifully written, this story is of love, class, race and our own individual blindness to all of these. The setting on The Island makes the perfect backdrop for the tale of sameness and change. I loved it.
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M K. (Minneapolis, MN)
History Through Many Vantage Points
From the first paragraph on the first page I was hooked by how beautifully written this book is. The Guest Book by Sarah Blake is about the Miltons, starting in 1935, and their history is about wealth (including an island they bought off the coast of Maine), power, tragedy, and secrets. Through nearly five hundred pages, like any detective, I was curious as to how each character would evolve while all that happens within the family is shadowed by a World War that's going on and the racism against Blacks and Jews that permeated our country. From the first words to the last words I was not disappointed.
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Jean B. (Naples, FL)
The Guest Book
If you have ever believed you could write you will feel diminished by this novelist. Sarah Blake is an extraordinary writer. Her prose enables the reader to know the people in her novel and to see and feel the settings. But this novel, The Guest Book, is much more than beautiful descriptive writing. It is an indictment of a group of wealthy and entitled citizens. This is an important novel.
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Mary B. (Laguna Woods, CA)
Great historical fiction
This book follows the Milton family through 3 generations from 1935 to today. Grandmother Kitty has many rules the upper class live by and these lead to secrets that almost tear the family apart. I found the alternate chapters in different time periods hard to follow in the beginning, especially since two of the main women are named Evelyn & Evie. The last part of the book is hard to put down. It would make for good discussion in a book club.
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Ariel F. (Madison, WI)
A three generation saga
Can money, greed, mistakes, and lack of trust destroy a family? The author of The Guest Book, showed the reader extremely well how money, greed and lack of trust can destroy a family in this 3-generation saga of the Milton family. In some instances, I felt some of the incidents could be tied to things happening today.
A great big thank you to Book Browse and the publisher for providing me with this advanced reading copy of The Guest House to read and review and provide my personal opinions and comments.
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