Blameless

by Lisa Reardon

Book Overview

Mary Culpepper is a strong woman, fearless & independent to a fault. But when she discovers the body of a child in her small northern Michigan town, she suffers a breakdown that has her family &... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0375504052
• ISBN13: 9780375504051
• Release Date: April 2000
• Publisher: Random House (NY)
• Length: 319 Pages
• Weight: 0.55 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 6.5" x 9.6"

Customer Reviews

Responsible Relationships

I loved this book! Mary is a 34-year old divorcee, strong, athletic, living in the same small town where she grew up, driving the school bus, and having Sunday dinners (every Sunday night!) with her Mom and sisters. And is now anxiously awaiting the upcoming trial of Jen Colby's mother when she must testify to finding the little girl's dead boy in a closet. Mary cannot recall seeing any signs of abuse of Jen, the six-year-old who rode her bus, yet the "Night Visitor" shows up and greatly disturbs her sleep. Reardon's writing is compelling as Mary's story unfolds, revealing other issues she has suppressed in her life. I came to love Mary and feel her story ends on a huge note of hope. She has shown us that our friendships and relationships require attention and responsibility and can survive the truth.

Excellent

Again, Ms. Reardon has given us a thought provoking read in her new book Blameless. She makes you feel as if you are living the lives of her characters. I could not put the book down until the end, then wanted more. An excellent writer.

A real American woman

Reardon's latest work is an excelent representation of the hunter / gatherer mistique of small town rural america. Under the apple pie and quaint county fair, there is always a story that every one knows but nobody talks about. Mary Culpepper makes her own decisions, for the right reasons or the wrong; at least they are hers. Mary is in the middle of her life, living with her past and excepting her future. Reardon's portrayal of a real woman is excelent. I felt for Mary but its hard to have pitty on a woman who you know will survive.

A compelling read

As with Billy Dead, I again found myself wholly captured by Lisa Reardon's new novel. The story of Blameless concerns Mary Culpepper's attempts to come to terms with her past, both with her family and with her best friend, who is married to Mary's ex-husband. Each scene crackles with a tension and intensity that is both captivating and completely believable. The book creates a world that is as compelling as it is real.

Complex simplicity

A recent review of Blameless said it was complex in its simplicity. How true. Lisa takes seemingly simple people, in seemingly simple settings and through her masterful use of language and storytelling ability, reveals all the complexity of the human experience. She has created characters so real you know them, whether you live in a small town in northern Michigan or a Los Angela suburb. We recognize these people; we identify with them, we root for them, and ultimately learn from them. I loved this book; and like other well loved story's I didn't want it to end. I wanted to stick around Kassauaga and find out what happens to Mary and Julianna and all the rest. I look forward to more of Reardon's haunting, funny, heartbreaking, compelling prose.