More than You Know

In the coastal town of Dundee, Maine, an elderly lady begins telling her story: "Somebody said 'true love is like ghosts, which everyone talks about and few have seen.' I've seen both and I don't know how to tell you which is worse." Although her children cannot understand why she insists on traveling back to Dundee, Maine every winter, Hannah Gray nevertheless finds herself drawn back to the place where her heart has always been. So, as she reaches the twilight of her life, Hannah decides, finally, to leave a record of the long-ago Dundee summer when she first met Conary Crocker.

Although the tale that she recounts is definitely not one which she wishes to tell in darkness, Hannah feels infinitely better telling such a story in the town show more of Dundee - the town where so many of her memories of Con Crocker remain. Con Crocker is the local 'bad boy' of Dundee, and he quickly becomes the love of young Hannah's life. Her story tells of the passionate and anguished summer when Conary's fate and her own became intertwined for all time.

Hannah and Conary's anguished teenage love story intersects with another intense love story - the love story of Claris Osgood and Danial Haskell. As a matter of fact, this spare, piercing, and unforgettable novel spans two centuries, as Hannah's and Conary's fates become intertwined with the story of a complicated, yet undying romance - that of Danial and Claris - and interwoven with the tale of a marriage that took place in Dundee a hundred years earlier.

I must say that I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. Although I initially found the time jumps between eras somewhat confusing, I was soon caught up in the plot and ensnared by both stories. The stories may have been separated by centuries, but each one resonated with the other fairly perfectly.

I appreciated how each separate love story ran parallel to each other, yet complemented each other so well. I also thought that the addition of the ghost in Hannah's story enhanced the level of eeriness of her story; there was a subtle increase to the tension within the story, and I appreciated that the creepiness wasn't necessarily always 'in your face' shocking. I will definitely be putting Beth Gutcheon's name at the top of my wish list, and give this book an A+! show less

"Somebody once said, 'True love is like ghosts, which everybody talks about and few have seen.' I've seen both, and I don't know how to tell which is worse."

This is the opening statement in the best book I've read all year. More Than You Know by Beth Gutcheon is a captivating and altogether different sort of story. It is a novel of alternating narratives, set a century apart, raising the level of suspense as the characters in each period approach monumental turning points in their lives, in parallel events which will define the future for all.

The novel is essentially two stories of doomed love and its consequences for future generations. Narrator Hannah Gray is an elderly widow when she relates the circumstances of the summer when she show more fell in love with Conary Crocker, a charming young man from a poor family in Dundee on the coast of Maine. Brought to Dundee from Boston during the Depression by her abusive stepmother, Hannah learns about the fate of distant ancestral relatives of hers and Conary's, who lived on now-deserted Beal Island in the mid 1800s.

The reader learns the horrifying details in the same small increments that Hannah does, via the alternating point of view of Claris Osgood, who in 1858 defies her parents and marries taciturn Danial Haskell, moving with him to the island where, too late, she discovers her new husband's narrow-minded religious fundamentalism and mean-spirited personality. Their marriage, which produces two children, becomes increasingly rancorous and will end in murder. Meanwhile, in her own time, Hannah is terrified by the appearances of a wildly sobbing ghost with "gruesome burning eyes," who exudes an almost palpable hatred. Tantalizing clues about the identity of the macabre specter, and the eventual tragedy it causes, hum through the narrative like a racing pulse.

Gutcheon adds depth and texture through lovely descriptions of the Maine coast and the authentic vernacular of its residents, whom she depicts with real knowledge of life in a seacoast community. Her vivid descriptions did for me what all good books should do for the reader: they swept me away, and made me anxious to visit.

I adore books about small town life. Gutcheon introduced me to her characters and throughout her stories, I grew to know them and truly fell in love. They are intelligently depicted and appealing and I loved the names: Conary Crocker, Bowdoin Leach, Nella B., Claris Osgood, Mercy Chatto, Miss. Leaf, Kermit Horton - such wonderful names!

Did you ever have the feeling after reading a book, that it was following you everywhere you went? I have not been able to stop thinking about the characters of More Than You Know since I finished it. I continue even now to think of the different pieces of the story, and to make new connections between them.

This book has it all: love, hate, murder, hauntings, adventure, history - it was dramatic and chilling, a true modern Gothic classic. Once began, I could not put it down, and I recommend it highly to anyone. show less

This was my first (or at least the fist I can recall) venture into Beth Gutcheron's writing. I found the flow and pacing fit my mood exactly. The interweaving of two back-stories with present day was a nice touch, though I must admit, it took me a bit to realize there were different typefaces for the stories. I was too absorbed in the tale to notice those niceties. I haven't been to the Maine coastline since I was a girl, but Gutcheon carried me there in the descriptions. Somehow I get the feeling that more of her books may be set in the area, too. Will keep my eyes open for other titles by her.

Ms. Gutcheon's books are all so different and this is no exception. It's a great ghost story as well as an interesting examination of a family that isn't working. Also interesting is how people's personalities change and harden as they become adults. Children and teens who are appealing in their search to find out who they are, become ugly and even ill as they move into adulthood. How does that happen? Ms. Gutcheon gives some well written portraits of just that process. Definitely enjoyed the book

No clue where I heard about this one but I really enjoyed the juxtaposition of two romances, 100 years apart. Each young love story one goes wrong in very different way. a perfect quick, easy engrossing read.

Hannah Gray has been in love and seen ghosts and she doesn't know which is worse. On the coast of Maine, a small town and an even smaller island are the setting for two stories - that of the Haskells and that of Hannah. Which story is more tragic? It's all in what you believe...

I was not loving this for the first 75 pages or so. I thought it was kind of boring and not as interesting as the description had me believe. However, the story (or stories, if you will) picked up after that and it became quite the compelling read. Hannah was a great narrator though sometimes bogged down in details. Both narratives were intriguing and mysterious and I was eager to see them to their conclusions. Very satisfying ending. I will definitely read show more others by Beth Gutcheon. show less

The writing is different and when I first started it I didn't get into it. I set it aside and tried again later. I'm so glad I did!
It's a fast read and a very well written story.
Two stories based in Maine that involve a ghost and first love.