What do readers think of The Bog Wife by Kay Chronister? Write your own review.

I really enjoyed this book. The plot of the book was interesting . The writing was smooth and well done. I will definitely read more from this author. I liked that the chapters were titled, with the name of the characters alternating. I like getting their POV.
The story is gothic , magical realism . It reminds me of The Inheritance of Orchidea Divina .I would recommend this for anyone who enjoys magical realism, gothic stories, family saga, YA

I'm an avid reader..at age 92 I've read a lot of books…mystery, history, fiction, non fiction. When I read "The Bog Wife" I realized this book was different. I really enjoyed a change of genre to the gothic or maybe supernatural.
I hope you like it. I did.








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WOW. Compulsively readable if this is your genre... supernatural, gothic, family relationships/sacrifices and an "unbreakable "compact. Each character has a unique vision of what family means and pursues this strange life as best they can. Our ties and responsibilities to mother earth couldn't be clearer. Highly recommend.

Normally I don't care for books that deal with the supernatural, ritual sacrifice, the weird, but this particular book drew me in in spite of its strangeness. I thought the characters of the Haddesley family were very well developed and provided a solid background for the plot. I was haunted by the relationship of the family, through the years, to the cranberry bog. I was intrigued by the way Chronister revealed the family secrets. Because of my own squimishness and leftover feelings, I can only rate this book a 4, but I'm guessing many will find it a great read.

I quite enjoyed this novel. It was such a departure from my typical reads…the author created this story about an eccentric family living in West Virginia, but almost totally isolated from the rest of the world. It was part fantasy, part supernatural, hard to fit into any genre that I'm aware of! I couldn't help thinking of Cousin Marilyn on the Munsters tv show as I read because one of the sisters, Wenna, left the Bog (a cranberry field), and went on to live a somewhat normal life. When the patriarch of the family is dying, Wenna feels the pull of familial responsibility to return and carry out the ritual they've been told has been ongoing in their bloodline for generations. This was the strangest story I've read in quite some time, but I was utterly drawn into the lives of this family…and liking some of them while disliking others. The author did a great job developing these odd characters. I can't wait to see what she writes next!

This is definitely not my normal genre, but I found this book very intriguing and creepy and strange. The story of the Haddesley family and their relationship with the bog they live on is filled with oddities and traditions that kept things very entertaining and thought provoking. This would be a great book club book because there are so many things to discuss! Each member of the family is outlined and developed very thoroughly, the book is well written and engaging. It was hard for me to imagine that this could be a real family, but there are some pretty strange things happening out there, and who knows? I definitely would like to read more by this author.

THE BOG WIFE delves into family mythologies, interconnectedness of siblings, and the trauma and drama that these mythologies create. It has elements of magical realism, horror, and the supernatural.

The chapters are titled with the name of the five sibling characters and divided into sections for each season that the novel passes through. This makes reading this book an easy pleasure, which was perfect for me as I was in a bit of a reader's rut.

I enjoyed this book and would rate it 4 out 5 stars. I would recommend it for reading clubs, since there is ample opportunity for delving into the psychology of the brothers' and sisters' trauma, as well as the meanings behind the bog wife and the bog itself.

I was immediately hooked into this book by the setting, the bog, and the characters. The writing is beautiful . I would love to know how the author chose the setting. Her description of the bog and the surroundings, at least to me, was one of the best part of the novel.