Fiction
2021 Harper Audio
Narrated by Marin Ireland
Finished June 18, 2022
Rating: 2/5 (Fair)
Publisher's Blurb:
Teenage Eulabee and her magnetic best friend, Maria Fabiola, own the streets of Sea Cliff, their foggy oceanside San Francisco neighborhood. They know Sea Cliff’s homes and beaches, its hidden corners and eccentric characters—as well as the upscale all-girls’ school they attend. One day, walking to school with friends, they witness a horrible act—or do they? Eulabee and Maria Fabiola vehemently disagree on what happened, and their rupture is followed by Maria Fabiola’s sudden disappearance—a potential kidnapping that shakes the quiet community and threatens to expose unspoken truths.
Suspenseful and poignant, We Run the Tides is Vendela Vida’s masterful portrait of an inimitable place on the brink of radical transformation. Pre–tech boom San Francisco finds its mirror in the changing lives of the teenage girls at the center of this story of innocence lost, the pain of too much freedom, and the struggle to find one’s authentic self. Told with a gimlet eye and great warmth, We Run the Tides is both a gripping mystery and a tribute to the wonders of youth, in all its beauty and confusion.
Growing up in both Central and Southern California, the setting for this coming-of-age story appealed to me, and after reading a few reviews by fellow bloggers, I decided to try the audio version. Sadly, I was underwhelmed. Why did I continue to listen? Two reasons: Marin Ireland is a favorite audiobook narrator, and I had questions about Maria Fabiola's disappearance, curious to learn the truth about her suspicious abduction. Eulabee is a likeable character, but she and her friends come across much older than thirteen. Other than Eulabee, the characters are underdeveloped and unrelatable. We Run the Tides will appeal to those who enjoy a nostalgic tale, transporting them back to their junior high school days (particularly during the early 1980s), but there was not enough depth to either the story or the characters to maintain my interest.
I think I rated this 4/5 stars but I liked the setting and time period. I don't recall that I thought the girls seemed older than 13 though??
ReplyDeleteDiane, I need to re-read your review. Glad it was a winner for you!
DeleteI am impressed that you finished the book. If a book doesn't work for me by about page 80, I abandon it for better prospects.
ReplyDeleteHelen, I usually do that with print books, but this was an audio and I wanted to find out how it ended.
DeleteI got this book as part of my Shelf Subscription from The Bookshelf in Thomasville, GA last year and remember enjoying the story, time period, and coming-of-age aspect... couldn't decide between a 3.5 and 4 rating, but am pretty sure I went with 4. Sorry it wasn't a winner for you... at least you got to spend time listening to Marin Ireland. She's one of my favorites. too.
ReplyDeleteJoAnn, I almost gave it a 3, but decided that increase would be for the narration and not the book, so I left it at 2. Glad you (and others) enjoyed it better than I did.
DeleteI think I gave it 3.5 stars. It's a bit uneven but I liked some of Eulabee's coming of age aspects and the setting. Sorry it didn't work for you.
ReplyDeleteSusan, I was disappointed that I didn't love it as others have. Oh, well.
Delete