“The Ophelia Girls”
By: Jane Healey

Life Imitates Art in this Transient Drama

Wow! I am overwhelmed in so many ways by Jane Healey’s, “The Ophelia Girls.”

As a Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood Art Movement (“Ophelia,” by John Everett Millais) aficionado—oh my goodness yes, yes, yes—as well as a huge Shakespeare (“Hamlet,” William Shakespeare) admirer—Jane Healey’s, “The Ophelia Girls,” resounds with artistic elegance from the very being of this dual timeline novel until it's heart-pounding, arrhythmia causing conclusion that I definitely did not see coming.

This is a dual timeline dramatic mystery that emotionally explores the scopes and boundaries tested by a group of young adolescent friends on the cusp of their adulthood one special summer.

Keeping tension tight and the story well-paced, Healey throughout the narrative and action-driven text compares and contrasts how the incidents that occurred over that vacation affected the adult lives and emotional natures of those who took part in the events.

“The Ophelia Girls” is not always a comfortable read, nor one that perhaps grabs one's attention from the first page. However, stick with it because the novel's revelations are unexpected and worthy of deep reader analysis and reflection.

If the movie rights to “The Ophelia Girls” haven't already been purchased, I would be shocked because this story is a perfect psychological mind trip to engage both readers, and ultimately future viewers, with it's powerful twists and turns, as well as lush visual descriptions.

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The Book Maven’s Journal—Reviews for Word Connoisseurs

REVIEWER: J.Hunt
STAR RATING ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

“The Ophelia Girls”
Author: Jane Healey
Genre: General Fiction (Adult)
Publication Date: 10 August 2021
Publisher: Mariner Books, formerly HMH Books

With Sincerest Appreciation to NetGalley, Author Jane Healey and Publisher
Mariner Books (formerly HMH Books) Providing this Advance Reader’s Copy for Review.

The Ophelia Gris by Jane Healey, alternates between two summers that have deeply impacted Ruth and her friends. One summer these girls are in the prime of their youth and it’s summer and they have absolutely no obligations. During the summer of 1973 these fiends love pre-Raphaelite paintings. They are a little obsessed with each other too. The girls spend their summer days, down by the river and rein-act the drowning of Ophelia. The days are spent together and for most of the summer all is well, until it’s not.
Twenty Four years later, Ruth moved back to her house. The grand house is stuffy and kind of shabby. She is with her twins and her 17 year old daughter. Maeve is i. Remission and they are supposed to be at the house for rest and recuperating. All is well until a friend from her past comes and over stays his welcome. Maeve is figuring her place in life and Ruth is looking back in her life. As the story goes back and forth between these two fateful summers.. we see how mothers and daughters are so similar and different. That most women want attention and love and they want to be wanted. This is a very interesting read. It is well written and I really enjoyed it. Things can be so simple and yet so hard. Nothing is like it seems. This was a four start read for me.. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

The Ophelia Girls is a story of both the past and presence and how they connect. Of messy promises and girls having to grow up too fast. Of secrets and little stolen moments of time. It’s achingly beautiful in its writing.

We follow the perspective of Ruth, both in the past as her teenage self and in the presence, mother of Maeve. And we follow Maeve, battling her new life after being in remission, not knowing how to feel, finally free of the illness that plagued her for so much time. She is lost in the new environment and there is a disconnect between mother and daughter. Neither of them really knowing how to talk to each other now.

I love how real and messy all the characters are. How every one of them but especially Maeve and Ruth both have the feeling of being lost, of wanting attention but not getting any or the right kind of attention. Of everything being about other people, everyone is concerned and overwhelmed with their own battles and unable to connect with each other.

I’m deliberately not talking about any of the other characters because I think it’s best to meet them for yourself. Get to know them, page by page.

While I love the characters, messy, flawed and unique; loved the plot slowly unravelling throughout the book and connecting past and presence; the thing I loved most was the writing. It immediately grabbed me, from the very first sentence. It perfectly captures this heavy inertia, lethargy or drowsiness of a long late summer day.
This feels like august, the end of summer, of the carefree vacation time, the melancholy of soaking up the last few moments, sun rays and knowing what's to come. Illustrated or underlined by sentences that create this tension, trepidation and foreboding:

„We returned to the river, the cold lick of water on our skin like an oath, unaware that his rule, this promise, would be broken before the end of the summer on the same night our world splintered and fell apart.“

The writing style perfectly matched the tone of the story and both the tragic beauty behind Ophelia and the photos the girls recreated. I've always loved Ophelia, the paintings of her, it always touched a certain part of my soul and I ache for the summer Ruth had, even though I know that something bad happened at the end of it.
Her teenage chapters were probably my favourites.

The memories of how she spent the summer with four other girls and the photos they took. How they created artful shots, how much fun they had during that summer. All the stolen moments and secrets that bonded them. And reading all that with the underlying tragedy that we know to come even though we don’t know exactly what happened. Only that Ruth never speaks about that fateful summer.

This book will forever be in my heart!

I also really appreciated the ending (even though I wanted this book to go for forever) because it fit. It wasn't sugary sweet or overly optimistic but realistic and hopeful.

I definitely picked this one for the cover. And it let me down.

It made me extremely uncomfortable. I had a big problem that it basically being smut depicting a 17 year old girl and a 30ish year old man. She’s first described as being so innocent bc of an illness that made her miss out on a lot of her teenhood, but then (I guess because she's going through puberty?) she's BEYOND flirtatious with this WAY older man after having just basically come out of childhood. It wasn’t realistic. And it almost made me feel like the author wanted us to believe she was “asking for” abuse which is soooooo not how it works. This was not a comfortable read for me.

For example:
"Hmm,” she says, narrowing her eyes playfully. 'I think you know something. Just you wait, I’ll wear you down.” “I bet you wíll,' he says, head tipped to the side.

oof. this book. it is dark and painful and raw. the subject matter is awful and complex, which makes it hard to say i loved it, but i did. i loved it. the depth of character was immersive and compelling and the writing is incredible. I'm glad i get to look forward to reading jane healey's debut from last year.

I enjoyed this book immensley, and I intend to purchase it for myself as well as recommend it for my library. It was suspenseful, and the dual narratives between the mother and daughter during different timelines was intriguing. I enjoy fiction that explores maternal narratives and themes that women will understand viscerally.

This book has a timeline of past and present. 1973-1998. Its a book about mother / daughter relationships. I have to admit the cover grabbed my attention in the first place but the book left me a bit disappointed. I loved the era it was set in but it just didnt do it for me.

First and foremost, thank you to NetGalley and Mariner Books for an e-galley of The Ophelia Girls.

This book was the perfect amount of mystery and suspense as I tried to put the puzzle pieces together. Flashing back between the summer of '73 and present day, a mother/daughter duo are both haunted by aspects of their lives. One seeing the ghosts of her past and the other trying to shake off lingering concerns from her parents. Tying the two together is Stuart - Ruth's childhood friend and Maeve's new crush. As the summer unfolds, both Ruth and Maeve are dealing with the ghosts in their lives.

From start to finish, I was drawn into Ruth and Maeve's struggles to reconcile with the difficulties in their lives. The summer cottage setting combined with a reluctant teenager, were the perfect setting for teenage angst.

this was a really suspenseful read, I enjoyed the plot of the book and going through this read. I enjoyed the mother & daughter plot going on this was a really well done read.

So many secrets from that summer long ago. Have they followed us? The writing of this story is beautiful ad atmospheric. The words flow from one page to the next and captivate the reader.
Many thanks to Mariner Books and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

It would be great if you read others reviews of this book. Whilst I finished this highly descriptive story. It was not for me and so prefer not to say more, as so many others really enjoyed the book.

DNF @50%

I tried, I really did, but life is too short to continue reading a book that feels like it is a slog to get through. I found this story to be SO slow and boring. 🤷🏻‍♀️ I'm just one reviewer in a sea of many though, so look read other people's reviews before writing this one off!

**ARC Via NetGalley**

An incredibly gripping read, with complex characters and a suspenseful story line.
Very well written, with lots of quotes just waiting to be highlighted .

I voluntarily read and reviewed this book, all thoughts and opinions are my own.

This book takes place in two timelines. The present and the past. I kept wondering what direction this story was going in. What the main themes are? Was it about friendships in the past? Was is about young girls becoming women? Is it about relationships? But then when the present story takes a turn with Maeve, the daughter and Stuart, the mother's friend, I felt it going into themes of predatory behavior. I didn't know who to root for and how the story was going to end up. I guess, the story keeps you guessing. And you really feel the teenage angst here. You can feel the need for attention for young women. It's palpable how coming of age is a difficult time in one's life.

I felt it was a slow start, then the middle got really good and the end felt like a bit of a let down. Everything rushed together to make an end. I wish the author would have taken more time there.

If you liked My Dark Vanessa, you may like this book, but this book covers a lot more themes.

This book was gripping. I was sucked in and could not put it down! The concept was so unique, I loved this book.

The Ophelia Girls is a beautiful generational story of young women.

In 1973, Ruth and her friends are staying in her country home obsessing about the Pre-Raphaelites which results in a tragedy. And in 1979 when Ruth returns to the house after her father's death, together with her three children, including daughter Maeve, who is in remission from cancer. Stuart, a photographer friend, joins them and asks Maeve to model for him. Maeve is thrilled with the attention Stuart pays her and develops feelings for him.

The prose is intoxicating with its symbolic decadence, teenage desire, and description of the somewhat gothic home. Highly recommended.

Captivating, sensual and beautifully written, Jane Healey took me on a unique journey of the perils and tribulations of young women in 1973.

With an engrossing storyline of obsession, tragedy and secrets unravelled this novel lures you in and doesn't leg go to the very last page.

Powerful, haunting and filled with emotion. Jane Healey has penned a novel that's simply unputdownable. I'm looking forward to reading it again.

Slow hard to get into. I wasn't really able to follow the story. Might try again later if I get the chance.

While the book’s concept is intriguing, something about Jane Healey’s doesn’t do it for me. I didn’t particularly enjoy “The Animals of Lockwood Manor,” but, as a huge fan of Ophelia, I tried to give Healey another shot. Did not finish, but recommend for those who enjoy suspense & mother/daughter-centered mysteries.

This was very heady and bleak and melancholy, but I really enjoyed it. It was gorgeously written; I didn't mind the languid pacing because I enjoyed the writing so much. I had two issues that prevented this from being more than a 3.5 stars.

My first issue was with the framing device, the POV switch between mother and daughter and present/past and present, but I understand why it was necessary and I think the author handled it as smoothly as she could have, but I'm just not sure it worked as well as it could have had the mother's POV perspective been only in the past. My second issue was that the novel was sometimes very heavy-handed with its ~feminist~ themes; there were a lot of instances where the narrative explicitly said something that really did not need to be said, only intuited.

But otherwise I really, really liked this; it's such an easy, quick read (if a depressing one), brimming with complex and unlikable characters and fascinating thematic allusions to classics and mythology. I also really enjoyed the theme of flowers that emerged in both POVs.