The Landscape of Love

This was quite a haunting book; one of the few adult novels I've forayed into. The characters and relationships were very well done and well narrated though, and the story stayed with me a long time.

The Sisters Mortland is the story of, what else, three sisters, living in an abandoned English abbey. There is Julia, the gorgeous, sexy eldest daughter with a wild streak; Finn, the bookish middle sister with the most level personality and mind; and Maisie, the youngest, who is quiet, has a mild mental disorder from a childhood accident, and can see the ghosts of the nuns who still haunt the abbey.

The story builds slowly, twining from one perspective to another as months and years pass. Along the way, the three sisters have a constantly show more shifting relationship, and they interact with each other in amazingly subtle, complex, and real ways. And then there are the men of their lives, growing with them from teens to adulthood; Lucas, the handsome and experienced artist; Daniel, the soft-spoken son of gypsies who has known each sister since childhood; and Daniel's friend Nick, a studying medical student. All of them, along with many others, are connected by strings both thin and thick, bonds of friendship, family, betrayal, love, and heritage. The story spans years, and it's amazing to watch each character grow and change so fully over that time.

The relationships are probably the best part, although by no means are they warm and fuzzy. That's just it; they're painfully, beautifully real. My perception of almost all the characters changed; it's unlikely that the characters you choose as favorites at the beginning will still be favorites at the end, and vice versa (except Daniel, that's all I'm saying.) All in all, it was a powerful novel, definitely not for those who want things light. But it was well worth reading in the end. show less

This is a well written but very sad story told mostly in retrospect. The entire story is told in first person but in three different voices. It's the story of three sisters and how one tragic moment changes all of their lives forever. Beginning in the summer of 1967 and finally ending in spring of 1991. The setting is an ancient abbey in English countryside and London. It's an easy read once you adjust to the separate voices. I was hooked at the first page and had a difficult time putting it down.

This book is so very sad in places, it was quite emotionally draining to read. It was really well written though, and the details of the tragic story revealed one by one in a way that made it impossible to stop reading. I enjoyed the beginning of book more than the end, Maisie was easier to like than any of the characters who have a turn narrating later on. Julia and Finn in particular made some infuriating decisions. I liked Daniel and sympathised with him but he does spend way too much time feeling sorry for himself...

I would recommend reading this book to anyone, as long as you have plenty of tissues to hand!

Family mysteries told in tantalising layers. The book became more compelling as the story progressed. I found the male characters easier to understand than the sisters but this was the only element that made me hesitate to give it the four stars it might have deserved.

Better than I expected it to be. Daniel's story in the middle was the best part (and had some great writing). Weakened by Maisie's and Julia's stories at the beginning and end.

What a good read! The processes of becoming acquainted with the characters and working out what happened was well maintained to the end of the book.

OK. It's very readable and it's hard to put your finger on what it is that makes this so clearly a romantic not a literary novel. The people aren't unexpected, I suppose.