Unreadable disappointment from my favorite author...
I was thrilled to start The Gate House, especially since Nelson DeMille is my favorite author and I got the opportunity to meet him and have him sign my copy of the book (at the Huntington, NY "Book Revue" - an incredible book store on Long Island)- what a treat! However, the book was so disappointing that I finally had to give up (which I very rarely do!) around page 300 or so for it was simply unreadable.
First, I can't understand why Mr. DeMille would have chosen to write a sequel to The Gold Coast, since it was pretty close to perfection on its own, too many years had passed, and sequels hardly ever bode well (even when greatly anticipated).
Second, the entire concept behind the plot (John and Susan reuniting on their former grounds for the inevitable death of a former servant, while Bellarosa's son still living next door wants revenge for his father's homicide) seemed way too trite for DeMille, whose story lines I typically find much more sophisticated and relevant.
Finally, as much as I love the way Mr. DeMille writes, there was so much regurgitation of the same idea over and over again (summing up the past) and such poor dialogue and timing that I can't believe it was actually written by DeMille himself. By the time John and Susan finally encountered one another, it felt so unrealistic and laugh-out-loud silly that I threw in the towel.
As much as I would love to tell other readers to avoid this novel at all costs, I know many will want to read it for themselves nonetheless (just as I did), simply because of DeMille's incredible reputation and fabulous body of work. So the best I can do is warn not to go into it with high (or any) expectations and hope others like it better than I.
