I started reading The Shore several months ago. Reading the first chapter, I didn't feel very intrigued. Then I read the last sentence, and BAM! I thought it was going to be a great read. Then it took me almost two weeks to get through two more chapters. Eventually, I left the book on the shelf, and forgot about it.

I started a reading challenge for myself this year, and I decided I wanted to try to finish the book. I struggled through several more chapters, then read about three more chapters within an hour or so.

The novel was difficult, I will say that. Each chapter focused on a different character, in a different year. The book, as a whole, spanned over a few hundred years (1800s-2100s). The chapters focusing on the 1980s-2010s were the easiest to read, because they seemed to make sense and sucked me in. Other chapters I just couldn't get into, and those ruined the entire book for me.

Additionally, since there were so many characters, who were connected in one way or the other, I had to flip to the family tree in the front of the book several times a chapter (and sometimes, several times a page). While I'm glad the family tree existed for reference, the abundance of characters and plot lines were very confusing to me. This is not to say Taylor is not a great writer; I have the same difficulties reading authors like Charles Dickens.

There were some nice twists and turns and shocking revelations, but overall, I just could not enjoy most of the book. If the book took only the chapters from the 1980s-2010s, then put them in sequence, it would have been a much easier read.

For more information on this book and the author, please visit here.