The Ebony Swan
by Phyllis A. Whitney~ Goodreads ~
Rating: 3.5 Stars
Susan Prentice is a woman alone. In the past six months her father has died, she has called off her engagement to a cynical young doctor she no longer loves, and she has begun to question the ethics of the medical profession of which she is a member.
Now at a crossroads in her life, Susan decides to make contact with her maternal grandmother whom her father had forbidden her to see since Susan's mother's death from a tragic fall almost twenty-five years earlier.
There are so many questions she wants to ask--about her mother and her own dimly remembered childhood on Virginia's eastern shore. Susan is also determined to get acquainted with her grandmother, a reputedly difficult woman, on her own terms.
Traveling across the country to the lush Southern land of her birth, Susan has no way of knowing that her entire life is about to change irrevocably. Once there she discovers that her mother's death may not have been an accident and that her return has caused anxiety among people who fear what may lie dormant in Susan's memory.
Now at a crossroads in her life, Susan decides to make contact with her maternal grandmother whom her father had forbidden her to see since Susan's mother's death from a tragic fall almost twenty-five years earlier.
There are so many questions she wants to ask--about her mother and her own dimly remembered childhood on Virginia's eastern shore. Susan is also determined to get acquainted with her grandmother, a reputedly difficult woman, on her own terms.
Traveling across the country to the lush Southern land of her birth, Susan has no way of knowing that her entire life is about to change irrevocably. Once there she discovers that her mother's death may not have been an accident and that her return has caused anxiety among people who fear what may lie dormant in Susan's memory.
Just as fellow BL-er, Murder by Death noted, this story is a slow trudge, with parts that dragged throughout. There were moments when I just wanted the plot to get on with it. However, the mystery itself is quite intriguing and the writing is excellent. The characters are pretty one-dimensional, and I found I didn't really care for them one way or another--didn't like them, didn't hate them.
There were some thought-provoking anecdotes, even if the whole "white swan, black swan" thing felt a bit trite. In the end, the book DID end up grabbing my attention and keeping it without me making too much of a fuss over any frustrations. Truly, the only complaint I have is the slow pacing of the story's unfolding, but otherwise, this was enjoyable and entertaining enough to please me.
