At the Waters Edge, by Sara Gruen

At The Waters Edge, by Sara Gruen

First of all I want to thank Net Galley and the Publisher, Random House, for making an advance review copy of this book available to me for no cost, in exchange for a review.

There are several themes that run through this Saga about three young people during World War II and their personal issues. I was surprised by some of the low ratings that the book has received, but I think that is because it is not a fast paced, thrill ride about WWII. Instead it is a book about the personalities of the main characters and how they relate to each other and others.

The themes that I picked out were:

1.     The clash of Societal structures, in other words, how the wealthy view the working class.

2.     The importance upper society places on marrying the right partner

3.     The importance of upper society places on their children fulfilling the dreams of the parents.

4.     The fear some young men have of war and the lengths they will go to in order not to serve

5.     How Pride and Prejudice (yes Jane Austen Fans that is a theme) will influence two young men in regards to the others around them

6.     How a marriage needs to be developed and cared for and not taken lightly

7.     How war devastates families and countries

8.     How one hero who survives the war can still loose everything

9.     How love can conquer all and bring two people happiness

Those are just a few of the themes that I found in the book. I thought that Sara Gruen did a masterful job of developing each of the characters, whether they were the main characters or just the supporting cast.

She also does a great job of bringing to light the hardships that the people of England and Scotland went through during the war so that the battle could be waged and won. Also, the complete devastation that war brings on countries as citizens and young men of fighting age are brutally slaughtered in the pursuit of victory.

Also, there is a good case study of how the lack of American involvement was viewed until they finally joined the fight.

Then there is the plot of the story about the search for the Loc Nest Monster that the two main characters are engaged in to try and bring a name to themselves.

I was drawn, slowly, into the story but by the end I couldn’t put it down, I wanted to know how things would end.

I don’t think you will be disappointed in this book, it will bring you issues to think about and items that you need to take a look at yourself to make sure that you don’t end up having issues of pride or prejudice in your life.

Enjoy!