The Legacy of Eden by Nelle Davy, Mira, Jan 24, 2012.

About the book (from Amazon.com):

For generations, Aurelia was the crowning glory of more than three thousand acres of Iowa farmland and golden cornfields. The estate was a monument to matriarch Lavinia Hathaway’s dream to elevate the family name—no matter what relative or stranger she had to destroy in the process. It was a desperation that wrought the downfall of the Hathaways—and the once-prosperous farm.

Now the last inhabitant of the decaying old home has died—alone. None of the surviving members of the Hathaway family want anything to do with the farm, the land or the memories.

Especially Meredith Pincetti. Now living in New York City, for seventeen years Lavinia’s youngest grandchild has tried to forget everything about her family and her past. But with the receipt of a pleading letter, Meredith is again thrust into conflict with the legacy that destroyed her family’s once-great name.

Back at Aurelia, Meredith must confront the rise and fall of the Hathaway family…and her own part in their mottled history.

My Review:
This novel was very dark and twisted with family secrets. The characters were well developed and complex, but their stories were somewhat disjointed. The novel switched from present to past frequently and I sometimes had to reread portions to determine whose story was being told at the time.

The character’s stories were interesting to read, but they could be hard to keep straight at times. There were alot of players in this novel and their stories were intertwined. There was great pain and suffering throughout the novel and parts were very sad. Truly a story of secrets and how circumstances shape who you become. There was no huge climax for me, because by the middle of the book, I figured out what the big family secret was.

Overall, it was well written (more literary than most contemporary novels) and the character development was top notch, but I was not overly impressed with the storyline. For me, this book was just okay, but still worth the read if you appreciate delving into a family’s story of dark secrets and tragedy.

Giveaway:
I have one copy of The Legacy of Eden by Nelle Davy to giveaway to a lucky reader. Use the Rafflecopter form below to enter to win.  (Note: If you are reading this in an email, you need to click on the title of this post to see the form.)

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