Family Ties That Strangle

Expected Publication: January 24th, 2012
The Legacy of Eden
By: Nelle Davy
MIRABooks
ISBN-13: 9780778329558



For generations, Aurelia was the crowning glory of more than three thousand acres of Iowa farmland and golden cornfields. The estate was a monument to matriarch Lavinia Hathaway's dream to elevate the family name—no matter what relative or stranger she had to destroy in the process. It was a desperation that wrought the downfall of the Hathaways—and the once-prosperous farm.
Now the last inhabitant of the decaying old home has died—alone. None of the surviving members of the Hathaway family want anything to do with the farm, the land or the memories.
Especially Meredith Pincetti. Now living in New York City, for seventeen years Lavinia's youngest grandchild has tried to forget everything about her family and her past. But with the receipt of a pleading letter, Meredith is again thrust into conflict with the legacy that destroyed her family's once-great name.
Back at Aurelia, Meredith must confront the rise and fall of the Hathaway family…and her own part in their mottled history.

Review

   Meredith Pincetti (it used to be Hathaway, but she took her Mother's maiden name) thought she was done with Aurelia for the rest of her lifetime.  She has managed to push down into oblivion the mostly disturbing memories of her time there.  But now that Cal Jr. her oldest cousin is dead, the farm is without an owner and in serious disrepair.  Either Meredith or one of her older sisters must return to take care of matters and choose what they want from the house before it's sold.  But it means reliving all of the memories that have haunted her for almost twenty years.  This book was an interesting family chronicle that spent much more time in the past than the present.  Most of the story is Meredith being told things by her Grandmother Lavinia, who is a very twisted and manipulative woman.  The family has had it's share of troubles and nasty conflicts over three generations.  All of these things have shaped a bitter relationship between Meredith and her sisters, Ava and Claudia.  I liked the backstory, but I felt like the ending was very anti-climactic for the way the build-up progressed.  I was disappointed, because I had been truly engrossed and couldn't wait to see what happens.  But I feel like I went to the end for nothing.  I would recommend this to avid readers of depressing adult fiction who don't mind ambiguous endings.

VERDICT: 3/5  Stars

*I received an Advanced Reading E-book Copy from the publisher, via NetGalley. No money was exchanged for this review. The expected publication of this book is January 24th, 2012.*