As an avid fan of historical fiction I was intrigued by the premise of this book.
Pearl Harbour has been bombed, and America has joined the war. The CIA have arrived at Avallon, an upmarket hotel in the Appalachian Mountains, where they confront June, a local mountain woman who runs the hotel as if the staff and guests are her family. The hotel is to be cleared of regular guests and diplomats from Japan and Nazi Germany will reside there until they can be repatriated. But not everyone is who they first appear to be and there are secrets to be unveiled.
This is where the novel shifts genre, from what I thought was to be historical fiction, to taking on a more mystical flair.
The Avallon Hotel & Spa and surrounding areas are intrinsically linked to the sweetwater creeks. The Listeners now focused on the mystical affect the sweetwater had on the CIA staff and guests.
I felt June’s struggles between loyalty to her job and losing herself along the way, as well as the struggle of personal and professional viewpoints during war time.
The mystical elements to The Listeners felt vague or under-developed, and this ambiguity left me trying to piece together the mystery of the sweetwater. For me, the author’s intended thoughts and themes aren’t clear, so it left me a little confused.
Overall, I feel that the potential of this novel isn’t reached. But having said that, June is a wonderful character and is the heart of this novel.
Reviewed by Nicola Skinstad
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
I am Maggie Stiefvater. I write books. Some of them are funny, ha-ha, and some of them are funny, strange. Several of them are #1 NYT Bestsellers.
I play several musical instruments (most infamously, the bagpipes) and make art in several media (most typically, colored pencils).
Currently I live in Virginia with my husband, my two children, seven dogs, and a very growly tuner car.
I like things that go.
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