The Vanishing Point: A Novel

This is a tale of two sisters. One treats her sexuality as any man of any time would do: openly and without restraint of regard for social constructs. Her name is May, and this same sexual behavior has her unmarrigable in England and setting sail for Maryland to marry the son of her father's cousin. She regards this as an adventure though they have never met, and she is four years older than her soon to be husband Gabriel Washbrook. May has a younger sister, Hannah, who also does not fit into society because of the extensive medical education her physician father gave her. She stays in England to care for her aging father, but when he dies she heads off to join her sister in Maryland.Only Hannah finds that upon reaching her sisters plantation that not only was the family's prosperity mentioned in her cousins letters false, but her sister is dead. Only Gabriel is left on the plantation, and he is half mad from grief, anger, and being totally isolated. Like Gabriel, Hannah is a born loner and her grief for her sister soon turns into love for her sister's widow. But still she has not received a satisfactory answer as to what happened to May. This is a very well written book. The author has a lovely voice in her writing style. It is kind of a small, story and plot oriented novel, which was a relief after all the historical fiction novels I've read that tell people's whole life story with no desirable plot.Chapters alternate as to the narrator (though it's all in third person except for the second to last chapter) which allows the story to unfold, and the mystery of May's death to be told in a very suspenseful manner. You won't find out what happened `till the end. I also quite liked the way the book was laid out-going back and forward in time from Hannah or Gabriel when they were together in 1692-1695 or May, Gabriel and Adele (the maidservant) when they were in 1689-1691.I also liked, how for all their unusual (for the time) traits, Hannah and May pretty much were still stuck with what society excepted of them. There was no amazing feminist attitudes (which did not exists in this time) cropping up as in some other books with a strong female lead who turns into a crusader for women's rights. These were all normal people, and they fit into society as the time period dictated. They did deviate a little from the normal women of their time (adventures in the wilderness, wandering around woods on their own, dressing like boys), but in the end they still were women of the time.Really the only things I didn't like about this book was that the devotion between Hannah and May was never really shown or explained, it was just implied that you would except it. I did feel that Hannah and May's feelings about the new world weren't as significant of a presence as they should have been, considering that they were in a totally new, very rough and mostly uninhabited world. Also I felt the love between Hannah and Gabriel was quite rushed at first and didn't develop to its full potential.Other than that, it's a very good book. I recommend it to historical fiction fans.Four point five stars.For other reading on the early colonial days of North America check out "A Place Called Freedom" by Ken Follett, "Virgin Earth" by Philippa Gregory ("Earthly Joys" for the back story on that) and "Now Face to Face" by Karleen Koen (though you should read "Through a Glass Darkly first for the back story.)

I honestly can't say that I enjoyed this book, but at the same time I just couldn't walk away from it. The journey to the New World lured me in. When Hannah crosses the ocean to find that her sister May is dead, she has no idea what she is going to do. She gets little information from May's widower so she searches for answers on her own. Then, (suddenly it seems to me), she finds herself falling in love with the odd young man and decides to stay. At times Hannah's story is being told and at times, May's story is being told. I really didn't care for May, even though I did have some sympathy for her. The only character that really touched my heart was Gabriel...and he was the one who was most wronged by everyone.

Mary Sharratt's "The Vanishing Point" is an easy, fast and mostly enjoyable read (the Publishers Weekly review listed on this website describes the weaknesses in the book). The title of this review reflects the fast pace with which it was read...A dark sense of forboding haunts the reader as the stories of Hannah Powers, May Powers and Gabriel Washbrook unfold. The story is a bit of a tease ... a sense of dread is introduced when we meet May in England and learn of her penchant for sex (she's an unwed teen in England during the 17th Century - nothing good can come of that!). After May is shipped off to wed a younger and distant cousin in America, poor Hannah is left behind - lonely, over educated, and with the threat of a stigma that would ruin her as surely as if she were the sister with her skirts up. After her father dies, Hannah takes ship for America to live with her sister.Though the situation she finds upon her arrival is devastating - she arrives only to be told her sister is dead - she unexpectedly comes into great love and happiness. You beam along with her and feel lucky to have found a book that shifts from dark to light and seems to hold promise of being a bit of a love story set among an incredible backdrop - untouched Maryland wilderness at the beginning of the colonies. But creepy neighbors and snippets of May's brief life with the Washbrooks build a growing sense of trepidation which taints the glow of young love. This flip-flopping between fear, suspicion and hope continues for some time until the reader is abruptly brought to the unexpected close of the story when we suddenly meet Hannah in her final years and the end of the tale is spilled out in just a few pages.The strength of this book is that the flow of the story keeps your attention and moves so quickly that you pass right over the obvious flaws in the writing & construction of the story. These shortcomings stand out far more greatly once you've closed the final page and reflect on the book. The Vanishing Point is an enjoyable fast summer read.

When I read the sample pages to the story it was interesting enough. I didn’t plan on purchasing anything, just enjoy the moments of going on the journey. A few days later the story kept popping into my thoughts, which for me meant its deserved another chance. I went back to read it again, then knew I wanted to know more about May and the rest you’ll need to journey with her to discover. Well worth it…

Set in 17th century England and the New World 'the Vanishing Point'is a good novel that will give readers many pleasurable hours of reading. Young May and Hannah are a physician's daughters in 17th century Gloucestershire. While beautiful May cannot resist the pleasures of the flesh, her much younger sister is intellectually inclined and becomes her father's student and little helper. Because May has erred too much and has no reputation left she sails for the new world to be married to a planter's son. After their father dies Hannah sails to Maryland to rejoin her sister. But what she will find there she could never have expected...The novel's strength lies in the care whith which the author recreates people and places, making them live under our eyes and rendering her tale totally convincing. Whether it be life in an English village or in the wilderness of the New World she successfully conjures up all the hardships, the hard work necessary to remain alive. She has a gift to make us care for her characters and to flesh them up so that we may think them real. If I don't give the fifth star it is because the plot towards the end is slightly too convoluted and not entirely convincing. Why Hannah should have been so hard on Gabriel if we take into account her personality and gentle nature is somewhat out of character. Of course it can be argued that the life she led changed her and made her harder but I think that her nagging of him served the novel's plot more than it served the characters 's true selves and gave a Mills and Boons 's flavour to the book that would have been better avoided. This however is just one flaw in a novel that engrosses the reader and that simply cannot be overlooked.

The Vanishing PointA story of two sisters in colonial Maryland. May, a buxom lass of carnal appetites is sent off to the colonies to an arranged marriage after her reputation at home is damaged beyond salvage. Her sister Hannah goes out to join her, but finds on arriving that May had died in childbirth and the widower is living alone with his dogs. Hannah joins him on his lands, but as the days pass and the attraction grows between them, she starts to question what really happened to her sister.This is a beautifully written page turner with plenty of suspenseful twists to keep you guessing. The characters are all finely drawn and believable and the novel evokes a strong sense of time and place. Being a true romantic at heart I particularly fell for Gabriel and was a little wistful about the ending - but it suited the story and I'm not complaining. In style and content I was a little reminded of Sara Donati. Readers of her novels will probably enjoy The Vanishing Point very much. I look forward to reading more of Mary Sharratt's work.

It is definately a used book, but in passable condition.No notes or ears on the pages, I'm happy with it!...and the price was right!