What do readers think of The Necklace by Claire McMillan? Write your own review.

A good love story and summer read. Covers all the issues; family, hate, love, intrigue and mystery.

This book is a pleasant summer read. The writing is clear and straightforward. The alternating chapters, encompassing two different eras -- one in the roaring twenties, the second in more recent times--are adroitly handled.
That said, the book could have been better if it had more depth and substance and was less predictable.. The acquisition and disposition of the necklace did not excite this reader, nor did the unlikable characters. Still as an easy read and a light romance it passes muster.

I struggled at the beginning of this book. I took me awhile to get over the authors unusual phrasing. I don't know if that is just the way she writes or if it was deliberate to emphasize the hoity toityness of the upper class. The booked got much better after the necklace was found. I enjoyed the historical aspects of the book.

Family mysteries and drama abound in several plots in two different time frames and connected by the titular necklace.While much of the book, past and present, is set in the Midwest, the lifestyle of the wealthy in the Roaring Twenties sets up issues to be faced in the present. With a bit of romance to add to the mystery and drama, The Necklace is a pleasant summer read.

The Necklace toggles between the 1920s, when it was fashionable to do the "grand tour," and the rich lived lives of indulgence, and today when everyone is trying to make their way in society. Each era has its own set of characters and problems. However, the past does bleed into the present and old family wounds and jealousies continue to fester. There are three fully formed and intertwining plots: one girl caught between two brothers; one insecure "outcast" trying to fit into the family that ostracizes her; and a mysterious family heirloom, The Necklace. The tale has something for everyone: love, betrayal, greed, backstabbing, and growth. The story has enough despicable characters whom the reader hopes to see "get their due", and a young woman whom we root for as she navigates her world into adulthood.

It's hard to believe that this book was actually published as there are YA novels that are far superior in every way. There is such a complete lack of character development and description as well as any emotional depth that the reader is unable to invest in these one-dimensional players. Also contributing to the flatness of both the characters and the story is a lack of internal thought or motivation or background or perspective. When the players interact there isn't any feeling in their dialogue which is almost exclusively of the he said / she said or he asked / she asked variety. There is also such a pervasive and repetitive use of pronouns and repetition of verbs as to render the dialog unintelligible. There is such a lack of cohesion between sentences causing the narrative to feel jumpy and disjointed. Events are relayed in a rote fashion completely lacking any emotional content i.e. 'this happened then that happened '. The author frequently mixes past and present tenses within a paragraph or scene leaving the reader to question what if any editing occurred. All in all, nothing happens in this book. There was potential for an interesting mystery between the characters from the past and those in the present, however, that was quashed midway through when one character spelled everything out so explicitly as to nullify any further interest in on the reader's part. In my opinion this book doesn't even qualify for that fiction-lite category of 'beach read'.