Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I have mixed feelings about this book. I really enjoyed reading it through a historical context. Before I picked it up, I knew very little about Galveston or about the hurricane that destroyed it in 1900. The author does a very good job describing the land, town, and sea and seeing it all through Catherine's eyes as she travels there for the first time to marry Oscar. I enjoyed reading about the two of them re-learning each others personalities and gradually falling in love. The story goes back and forth between Catherine's viewpoint and that of Nan, an old family friend of Oscar's who stepped in to care for him and his young son after his first wife died. I actually liked how the author did this. Catherine and Nan were as different as two women can be on the surface, but reading both of their thoughts, you realize deep down they're really not all that different. All of those things could have made for a very satisfying read. One where you close the book and sit for a minute thinking about how much you liked what you just spent hours of your life reading. However. For me, this book wasn't one of those. I really hated the ending. Like REALLY hated it. Hated. Hated it. A lot. I won't spoil it just in case you're looking for a book whose ending will make you sad and probably more than a little angry. Why the author felt the need to write it this way, I'll never understand. A good read at first, but if you're not into horrible, depressing endings, I'd say you're safe to skip it.