Dream Country [Mass Market Paperback]

It is no surprise to friends from online book groups or readers of my reviews for Luanne Rice's books, that this talented writer is one of my favorite authors. I buy all of her books as soon as they are published and place them on my keeper shelves after I read them. As much as I would like to save her new books for rainy days, I find myself gulping each book down too quickly, always regretting when the book is finished. For some reason, though, I never read Dream Country and found it calling out to me recently saying, "Read me, read me!" While I may never regard this book as one of my very favorite Rice read, I do think that any any Rice book is worhtwhile and this is no exception. And like most of Luanne Rice's books, Dream Country, is filled with a haunting tragedy, regrets for past actions but most of all the abiding love of parents for their children.

Daisy, a jeweler lives in Connecticut with her 16 old daughter, Sage. While she is content with her life and the freidnship and deotion of her sister, there is a deep void in her life which she can never replace. As Daisy create one of a likd pices of art which represnte the strenght of realtionships, she remembers back to the raly days when she visited Wyoming. Seeking the solitude and speactacular sights of thsi arewa, Daisy founds herself meeting and then marrying James Tucker, a rancher with a passion for the land that rivals Daisys. family. The beautiful Wyoming land is also wonderful for Daisy's artistice bent while her love for James has few limits. In time Daisy and James are blessed with twins, Sage and Jake. But then tragedy strikes when the twins are 3 and while James turned his back for a fwe minutes, Jake is nowhere to be seen. And while search parties and family and friends combed the area for months, nwo 13 years later he has never been seen or found dead. Grief stricken Daisy eventually leaves James and the ranch with Sage for her roots on the Connecticut shore. And it is to this area that she continues living, working and raising Sage alone.

Time has passed and Sage is a bright girl who feels as though she is only half of a whole. Although quite young when her brother was found missing and then lost, she still remember the feeling of a family sand a sibling. She also misses her father who refuses to leave the ranch even for a visit with Sage in case Jake is found. Then tragdy strikes again when Daisy finds that Sage has run away from home. Wondering how she could bear it if something happened to Sage, Daisy is besides herself. But It doesn't ake too long before she realizes that Sage is with her boyfriend and most likely they are making their way to her Wyoming and her father. Unfortunately, though, Daisy doesn't know all there is to know about Sage and when her boyfriend returns and Sage continues alone, Daisy knows its time for her to stay at the ranch and wait for her arrival. Daisy's reunion with James, his family and finally Sage and a stanger who picked Sage up on the road will forever change their family and begin healing their difficult past. While the book is rather straight forward there is one element of surprise which even if you figure it out while reading, still has you cheering for these people at the end.

While most of Rice's books are set in the East, this area was a new place for her and I found some of her descriptions intersting. I also know that some reviewers complained that she didn't get things right about ranch life or Wyoming but I am in no position to comment about this since I knwo very little about either. I do know that I really enjoy when her books are set on the Connecticut shore which feels liek home to me too. And I also know that I continue to enjoy Luanne Rice's characters, wisdom and the satisfying resolutions of their lives at the end of her novels.

I continue to look forward to this author's new books as well as rereading favorites like Blue Moon, Home Fires, the Firefly Beach trilogy and The Perfect Summer. This is one reader who has and will always be a most devoted fan of Luanne Rice.

I liked Dream Country. It's a pretty intense and emotional rollercoaster ride that hinges on some fairly unique plot points and takes some interesting side roads along the way. For that alone, I give Ms. Rice credit. I've read lots of books, and this particular plot is a new one to me.

It isn' t the best book I've ever read, and I enjoyed Firefly Beach (the other Luanne Rice novel I've read) more, but there was something almost hypnotic about the way this story unfolded that kept me riveted right from the beginning.

The main characters in this novel are very well developed, and the constantly changing POV is interesting, if a little over-used. I agree with some other reviewers that said the mystery wasn't much of a mystery, but I think that was the point. I think we were supposed to figure it out before the characters did and wait with bated breath to see how it would unfold. I certainly did.

I was a little disappointed with the ending, which felt rushed and didn't do justice to the well-drawn characters we'd spent so much time getting to know. I was rooting for Daisy and James, and for Sage and David, so it was a bummer to not see more of them together in the end.

If you're in the market for a dense, well-written novel that has an "epic" feel to it, then give this a try. If you're looking for something light to pass the hours, this will not suit.

I've read Luanne Rice's last two books (Cloud Nine & Follow the Stars Home) so I anxiously awaited the release of Ms. Rice's newest novel. I heard about it back in October, and as the day got closer, I began to get excited. Boy, was I disappointed. The story carries a bit of a mystery (which I'm not a huge fan of any way), but believe me when I tell you - NO SUSPENSE WHATSOEVER!!!! I figured out the ending less than 100 pages into the story. I only continued reading because I was curious how long it would take the characters to figure out what I already knew - It took until about the last 2-3 chapters - then the story was rushed forward to wrap it up nicely leaving no loose ends whatsoever. She took all this time dragging out the story - following the characters around & basically getting to know them (which was one of the pluses of this book & why I gave it three stars - good character development), only to have the ending rushed through way too quickly. I also found it senseless to have new characters, never mentioned at all earlier, introduceed in the final chapters of the book. They made brief appearances apparently in an effort to fill up pages - How else can it be explained? I don't want to give it away - there may be others who find this story interesting & would like to figure it out for themselves, I just felt totally let down and disappointed way before I finished reading this book, and for once, was glad when I finished reading it so I could go on to my next book!