Marta Tandori

Marta Tandori's Continuance is not an easy book to categorize. It is historical fiction, but part of the book takes place in the present day. It is a mystery, but there is no detective. Tandori takes us on a journey through a turn-of-the-century New York family whose wealth is a product of arrogance, greed and unspeakable cruelty, to the long line of immigrants passing through Ellis Island, to the filthy, neglected Lower East Side - a world of hunger, sickness, crime and fear. And that is show more only the first third of the book.

The present day heirs of this cursed family are involved in a double mystery, both of which, it turns out, have roots in actions and events that took place a century ago. There is a kidnapped child of a direct heir to the corrupt industrialist and two unidentified skeletons found buried in the tenements he used to own.

While there is a lot of ground covered in Continuance, Ms. Tandori's prose is fluid and unadorned, making it easy for the reader to follow the many characters and settings of the book. Like all good writers of historical fiction, she is able to describe a setting with such precision the reader not only sees a picture of the scene in his mind's eye, but can smell and feel it as well.

One of the positives about this book is that it can be read simply as a page-turner, full of tantalizing clues to the underlying mystery. There is the satisfaction of seeing the super-rich air out the family laundry, and for the romantic, there is just enough steam there to kindle the flame of imagination.

Personally, I also love a page-turner, but if that book can also lead me into worlds I have not yet experienced, all the better. Continuance offers both. show less

This is a page-turning mystery, heaped with history and intrigue. The novel brings a deeper more thought-provoking glimpse to the immigrants’ arrival at Ellis Island, the immigrants’ tenuous survival in the tenements of New York, and to the American railway system built through the endurance of men and women with meager equipment and tools that is almost too difficult to comprehend and more realistic than in any U.S. history book. It could also be portrayed as a genealogical study of the show more du Maurier family. It could also be portrayed as the romance novel that brings the quotation to life – “Behind every successful man, there is a strong, wise and hardworking woman.”

I’d also like to note that the cover art and the formatting of the paragraphs within each chapter were definite features which added to my total pleasure of enjoyment of this novel. I learned by reading online an interview with the author that the cover art was designed by a company in Poland called Formatting Experts. The front cover art perfectly captures the dual aspects of the story from New York to Savannah, Georgia and the expression on the little boy’s face draws the reader’s attention instantly. The back cover is haunting with the photographic shadows behind the book’s description. As one reads the opening chapter, your heart is then captured by Ethan’s desire for a Big Surprise – “bigger than his birthday and Christmas all rolled into one, he’d been told.”

Chapters of the novel are sometimes told from Present Day and sometimes share the past history from 1905. It was interesting to read a mystery unfolding with a kidnapping without emphasis on law enforcement participation or for the case to be solved by a private detective. But don’t discount Annie Eastwood – former documentary researcher at CNN – and now owner of The Bean and Pole in Savannah, Georgia. Annie has transformed an old historic building into an eatery / souvenir shop. Imagine her shock when the FBI intrudes on her opening night.

There is an ensemble cast of characters and a variety of settings from northern to southern shores. Sometimes when there is such a large cast of characters particularly in a stand-alone novel as opposed to the gradual entrance of characters in a series, I have been unable to keep each of the characters in mind or to keep their role in the story in mind but not with this read. The characters are strong and distinct and some have a willful disregard for the rules and/or laws especially if there is money to be made. Geez! Sound like any of the recent headlines? I couldn’t put this novel down and read it in one day on vacation. It is not to be missed!
I was lucky to find this interview with the author online after reading the novel. I would highly recommend reading the interview too! http://literalexposure.com/2013/09/12/interview-with-marta-tandori-author-of-con... show less

Bamm! A lot to absorb!
Most true artists compose a breath taking sketch before completing their masterpiece. In some ways, that is what the author has done with “Too Little, Too Late”, this fantastic work is the expanded story taken from the novella, “Forbidden”. In the novella, you have all these mind blowing scenes, one right after the other. Hard to catch your breath, leaving you wondering how this scene came to be and who is who. In “Too Little, Too Late”, you have the same show more fantastic scenes, but now you know how they got to that point, who the players are, why it is happening, a somewhat expanded description of the event and the consequences of that event. Kate Stanton becomes more than a victim, she is a survivor. You learn the truth about her history, and the legacy that consumers her. Kate is brutally raped, and this act is secretly witnessed. This event has engulfed the life of the witness so much that everything this person does is ruled by that one act. Can it be true that this person has the capability of becoming even more evil than the rapist himself? It is for you to decide, can you handle the secrets of Kate and the silent witness? Does everyone get what they deserve or was it truly too little too late? It is a wild ride worth taking. Read on in the Kate Stanton mystery series, “No Hard Feelings” show less

First, a little background as to how I came to read “Too Little, Too Late”…
I read “No Hard Feelings” as my first introduction to a novel by Marta Tandori. I thoroughly enjoyed it as a page-turning, suspense-filled independent mystery. The novel captivated me as a reader. It also reminded me that there are moments in life when you meet individuals that are new acquaintances to you but you can immediately tell that these same individuals have known each other for a long time when you show more see them exchange a meaningful glance or hear part of their shared conversation that almost seems as though it is spoken in a code only they can understand. You can tell that they share history and have deep respect and love for one another. As I was reading the conversations between Kate and her daughter Eve, Eve and the detective, Eve and daughter Karen and niece Liz, Kate with Karen and Liz, I found myself wishing that I had read “Too Little, Too Late” first but it didn’t detract my appreciation of the sequel. It only intrigued me all the more in wishing to spend more time with all of the characters as introduced by the author.

Reading “Too Little, Too Late” answered so many questions. But beyond that I have to remind you again that I thought “No Hard Feelings” was a page-turner. So to now describe the experience of reading “Too Little, Too Late”, I either have to create a brand new term for the phrase ‘page-turner’ or at the very least I should totally spell out the entire definition of a ‘page-turner’. The definition absolutely must equal the adjectives of gripping, exciting, thriller, rapid-fire action, the power of suspense, add in some HCM – Heart-Clutching Moments (and I can’t take credit for this term), and compelling plot. The whole of that definition becomes the extraordinary “Too Little, Too Late”.

As part of the description for Writer’s Digest “Boot Camp”, it is shared that…
“Today’s best novels make readers so desperate to know what happens next that they’ll stay up reading well past midnight, blistering thumbs and all, until THE END. Then and only then will they be able to relax, their souls flooded with satisfaction, relief and peace. Only to be followed—ideally!—by a gnawing sense of unfulfillment, anxiety and a compulsion to read more books by you.”

The Writer’s Digest description fully describes the novel “Too Little, Too Late.” A review of “Too Little, Too Late” would be incomplete without mention of the explicit language and graphic sexual content. It is not shared to label the novel or to prevent a reader from the discovery and exploration of this novel and series but to contribute to the understanding that the use is not for the purposes of eroticism but to contribute to the reader’s true experience and empathy of the characters within this absorbing and unforgettable plot that encompasses history of old Hollywood and family history back to Hitler’s desire to create the ‘ultimate race’.

I am a former librarian and I do not believe in censorship. “Too Little, Too Late” is the opening of a series that I would highly recommend to adult readers. One of the reasons I love to read is because novels have the capacity to take me beyond my own life experiences, to present history in contemporary settings, to widen my understanding of human nature and of human sacrifice, to listen to voices beyond my family, my friends, my coworkers, to challenge my thoughts and expressions, to broaden my world. “Too Little, Too Late” is a novel that immersed my concentration in a time in history that is difficult to comprehend and then brings me forward to contemporary days. It is not a delicate walk but it is a meaningful walk and I am richer in thought, in empathy, in compassion, in understanding for having read the novel as part of my life journey. show less