The Old Mermaid's Tale by Kathleen Valentine
I'm a nut about all things about Cleveland, the State of Ohio and the Great Lakes. Don't ask me why. I grew up in Cleveland and could have cared less while I lived there. Now that I've moved elsewhere, I'm fascinated by the rich history and culture of the area.
I believe I downloaded this book onto my Kindle some time ago. It was on sale and the mermaids called to me. Like my book shelves, titles also sit in the virtual world of my Kindle. A hard habit to break. The other night I was looking for something to read and for the first time noticed the subtitle. The Old Mermaid's Tale A Romance of the Great Lakes. That's all it took. I searched no further and began to read.
Clair has grown up on a farm in Ohio. She longs for something more from life. When she heads to a small private college on the shores of Lake Erie, her world suddenly expands beyond anything she has ever known. I liked Clair. She had a good solid head on her shoulders that became clouded by love as any college girl would. She makes friends and finds lovers in the less desirable neighborhoods along the shores of the lake. Clair loves the stories they can tell of life and loss at the hands of the powerful water comparing them to the yarns she heard as a child that the farmers spin.
The author did a wonderful job of setting the scenery in this novel. The characters were rich and believable. I wanted to know them. The only thing that didn't resonate with me was the relationship between Clair and Baptiste, the older French musician she cherished as her soul mate. Their story was the bulk of the novel. Their lovemaking over powered their relationship for me as a reader. Maybe that was just my interpretation since I wanted to read about the call of the lake just as the mermaid calls to a sailor. Often the sex took over and that wasn't what I was looking for when I chose to read The Old Mermaid's Tale.
If you long for romance, this tale has plenty. If you are being called to the power of the water, the mermaid had only a small role.
I'm a nut about all things about Cleveland, the State of Ohio and the Great Lakes. Don't ask me why. I grew up in Cleveland and could have cared less while I lived there. Now that I've moved elsewhere, I'm fascinated by the rich history and culture of the area.
I believe I downloaded this book onto my Kindle some time ago. It was on sale and the mermaids called to me. Like my book shelves, titles also sit in the virtual world of my Kindle. A hard habit to break. The other night I was looking for something to read and for the first time noticed the subtitle. The Old Mermaid's Tale A Romance of the Great Lakes. That's all it took. I searched no further and began to read.
Clair has grown up on a farm in Ohio. She longs for something more from life. When she heads to a small private college on the shores of Lake Erie, her world suddenly expands beyond anything she has ever known. I liked Clair. She had a good solid head on her shoulders that became clouded by love as any college girl would. She makes friends and finds lovers in the less desirable neighborhoods along the shores of the lake. Clair loves the stories they can tell of life and loss at the hands of the powerful water comparing them to the yarns she heard as a child that the farmers spin.
The author did a wonderful job of setting the scenery in this novel. The characters were rich and believable. I wanted to know them. The only thing that didn't resonate with me was the relationship between Clair and Baptiste, the older French musician she cherished as her soul mate. Their story was the bulk of the novel. Their lovemaking over powered their relationship for me as a reader. Maybe that was just my interpretation since I wanted to read about the call of the lake just as the mermaid calls to a sailor. Often the sex took over and that wasn't what I was looking for when I chose to read The Old Mermaid's Tale.
If you long for romance, this tale has plenty. If you are being called to the power of the water, the mermaid had only a small role.
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