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Burnt Mountain Review
NOTE: I received a free review copy of this book from the publisher.
I have been a fan of author Anne Rivers Siddons for some time now. Although I was raised on the east coast myself, her sweeping southern novels have way of drawing me into their rich, lush context, particularly in her generational sagas such as Peachtree Road and Colony. Plus, Siddons never fails to feature stories of deep, aching romance and invariably tragic consequences--a captivating combination.
At first, BURNT MOUNTAIN seemed to be of a similar tradition to my favorite Siddons works, and it definitely drew me in. The main character is Thayer Wentworth, whose first nine years, growing up on the outskirts of Atlanta, were fairly idyllic: her beloved father is the headmaster of a boys' school that his family founded, and the Wentworths live just off the school's grounds, it a beautiful Greek Revival house along the river. But the death of her father was the earliest tragedy to shape Thayer, followed by a devastating first love affair, and eventually, the relationship which forms the heart of the book and changes Thayer's life forever.
Overall, I did enjoy this novel; as mentioned above, I like Siddons' writing style--it can be a bit melodramatic, but reading one of her books always feels familiar and comforting. On the other hand, I also had several problems with this novel. During the period that Thayer is growing up (i.e., her adolescent and high school years), various references suggest that the story takes place in the 1950s or 60s. However, just a few years later, when Thayer is married (which occurs immediately after her graduation from college), the time is definitely the mid-1990s, as Atlanta is preparing to host the Summer Olympics. Not only does this seem incongruous with the earlier part of the story, but also Siddons includes additional references which don't fit for that time frame (e.g., there is a preponderance of cell phones in the story, which weren't so prevalent in the mid-90s). Finally, Thayer's growing dissatisfaction with her husband, Aengus, never quite feels right. Siddons seems to over-emphasize the point that in the times that Thayer and Aengus still spend together, everything is great, wonderful--if so, does Thayer really have cause to be so massively unhappy?
In the end, I would NOT recommend this book to those who have never read Siddons before, as this is not the best example of her work; instead, I would suggest trying one of the earlier novels that I referenced above. However, if you are already a fan of Siddons like myself and are willing to overlook some flaws in favor of just sinking into Siddons' writing, then you may still enjoy this latest foray into Siddons' southern world.
Burnt Mountain Overview
From one of our most acclaimed writers comes this dramatic tale of a well-born Southern woman whose life is forever changed by the betrayal of her mother and by the man she loves Growing up, the only place tomboy Thayer Wentworth felt at home was at her summer camp - Camp Sherwood Forest in the North Carolina Mountains. It was there that she came alive and where she met Nick Abrams, her first love...and first heartbreak. Years later, Thayer marries Aengus, an Irish professor, and they move into her deceased grandmother's house in Atlanta, only miles from Camp Edgewood on Burnt Mountain where her father died years ago in a car accident. There, Aengus and Thayer lead quiet and happy lives until Aengus is invited up to the camp to tell old Irish tales to the campers. As Aengus spends less time at home and becomes more distant, Thayer must confront dark secrets-about her mother, her first love, and, most devastating of all, her husband.
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