What do readers think of Arcadia Falls by Carol Goodman? Write your own review.

Arcadia Falls is an entertaining, easy read. In spots, it is a little too predictable and there are a few too many coincidences. Even so, I think it would be a terrific discussion book as it raises a number of excellent questions about love, loyalty, and how the past can haunt the future.

I think that Ms. Goodman did a nice job with character development and maintaining the "gothic" feel to the story. However I felt that the sections which focused on Lily's diary were too long and took away from the smooth flow of the story as well as the feeling of suspense. I also think that while the plot twists were good - there was one too many - making the ending feel a bit contrived and too convenient. I would probably recommend it to book clubs more for a good discussion of some of the themes/symbolism threaded throughout the story - i.e. beech tree, forest, mother/daughter themes,etc.

One of the first things I noticed about Arcadia Falls was the prose. It is one of Goodman’s strong points. It wasn’t enough, however, to keep me interested for more than a chapter or two at a time. The story, set in the Catskills, is of Meg Rothstein and her daughter, Sally, who journey from their upscale Great Neck, NY home to a musty cottage owned by the private boarding school where Meg will teach English after husband and father, Jude, dies and leaves them with nothing more than memories and a great deal of debt.

The twists and turns this work takes seem convoluted to me. It could have ended with the first big revelation, but it didn’t and I soon became bored enough to think, “okay, now what?” It’s been a long time since I’ve gotten to the end of a book and, aloud, said, “Oh, please.” I won’t be recommending this one. Loved the prose, didn’t love the story.

Up until now I haven’t read any of Carol Goodman’s novels, and have always wanted to because of reviews and praise heaped on her earlier works. I certainly began reading Arcadia Falls with a strong anticipation for an intriguing mix of magic and mystery with complicated fairy tale undertones. However, before even getting a third of the way through, my reading was definitely dragging. Meg Rosenthal and her daughter Sally couldn’t seem to shake themselves out of predictable interactions and behavior which was better suited to a young adult novel. And the Arcadia School staff members were both underdressed and undercut in vague strangeness. The tale did recapture my interest when it became more immersed in the original founders of the school. I think if they had become the story unto itself, the book would have been overall more successful.

But this hasn’t deterred me from wanting to read some of her other works – Goodman is definitely a talented writer.

This is not up to Goodman's standard of The Lake of Dead Languages or The Drowning Tree. It read like a YA novel, with thin and obvious characterizations and vacuous emotions. The plot twists were so convenient and coincidental that it was utterly unbelievable. As an adult novel, I would give it 2-stars. I am being generous and rating it 3-stars where it belongs--for young readers (ages 13-16). Goodman can enthrall with her knowledge of folklore and folktales, and I like that she weaves them into the story, although ultimately it was a strained stitching. When she created and explored these ancient tales, I was immersed and satisfied. But the modern-day story was disingenuous--it felt like bad Lifetime TV.

There was a haunting atmosphere at the start of the novel, and I initially enjoyed the relationship issues between mother and daughter. However, it devolved into shallow contrivance. Moreover, the love interest of the main character was almost featureless (except at the beginning), and the emotions between them rang false. It was arid. Not even up to adult chick-lit standards.

Overall, except for Goodman's keen grasp of folklore and her vivid imagination, she gave it a dry and formulaic narrative and outcome. I won't give up on this author, as I have enjoyed several of her books in the past. I am waiting for her to write another juicy page-turner.