Lauren Groff

FROM THE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF FATES AND FURIES Willie Cooper arrives on the doorstep of her ancestral home in Templeton, New York in the wake of a disastrous affair with her much older, married archaeology professor. That same day, the discovery of a prehistoric monster in the lake brings a media frenzy to the quiet, picture-perfect town her ancestors founded. Smarting from a broken heart, Willie then learns that the story her mother had always told her about her father has all been a lie. He wasn't the one-night stand Vi had led her to imagine, but someone else entirely. As Willie puts her archaeological skills to work digging for the truth about her lineage, a chorus of voices from the town's past rise up around her to tell their sides of the story. Dark secrets come to light, past and present blur, old mysteries are finally put to rest, and the surprising truth about more than one monster is revealed.

The Monsters of Templeton

"Lauren Groff's debut novel, The Monsters of Templeton, is everything a reader might have expected from this gifted writer, and more . . . There are monsters, murders, bastards, and ne'er-do-wells almost without number. I was sorry to see this rich and wonderful novel come to an end." --Stephen King "Lauren Groff hits a home run in her first at-bat, with a novel that is intriguingly constructed and compulsively readable." --Denver Post "Groff's multilayered saga both thrills and delights with poignant, breathtaking prose." --Entertainment Weekly (A) "The Monsters of Templeton, a fascinating first novel by Lauren Groff, is a book with joy in its marrow--fabulous." --San Francisco Chronicle In the wake of a wildly disastrous affair with her married archaeology professor, Willie Upton arrives on the doorstep of her ancestral home in storybook Templeton, New York, looking to hide in the one place to which she swore she'd never come back. As soon as she arrives, though, a prehistoric monster surfaces in Lake Glimmerglass, changing the very fabric of the town. What's more, Willie's hippie-turned-born-again-Baptist mother, Vi, tells her a secret she's been hiding for nearly thirty years: that Willie's father wasn't the random man from a free-love commune that Vi had led her to imagine, but someone else entirely. Someone from this very town. As Willie puts her archaeological skills to work digging for the truth about her lineage, she discovers that the secrets of her family run deep when past and present blur, dark mysteries come to light, and the shocking truth about more than one monster is revealed.

Daryl Houston

The way the author tied things up at the end was a little weird, but I really liked the way this book unfolded in general. The collage of narration and documentation was nice, and I liked the mingling of things that were realistic and things that were fantastic. I'll read more by Groff.

The day I returned to Templeton, steeped in disgrace, the fifty-foot corpse of a monster surfaced in Lake Glimmerglassao So begins this spellbinding debut novel: part a contemporary story of a girl's search for her father, part historical novel, and part ghost story, at its core it is a story of how one town holds the secrets of a family. In The Monsters of Templeton, Lauren Groff blazes onto the scene with a work that is a combination of brilliant storytelling, inventive writing, and huge vision. Temperamental but lovable Willie (nee Wilhelmina) Cooper arrives on the doorstep of her ancestral home in Templeton, NY where her hippie-turned-born-again Christian mom, Vi, still lives in the wake of a disastrous affair with her much older, married archaeology professor. That same day, the discovery of a prehistoric monster in the lake brings a feeding frenzy to the quiet, picture-perfect town her ancestors founded. Smarting from a broken heart, Willie then learns that the story her mother had always told her about her father has all been a lie. He wasn't the one-night stand Vi had led her to imagine, but someone else entirely. Someone from this very town. As Willie puts her archaeological skills to work digging for the truth about her lineage, a chorus of voices from the town's past both sinister and disturbing rise up around her to tell their sides of the story. Willie discovers the curse of the Temple family runs deep, and even her beloved town is no longer a respite from her own demons. In the end, dark secrets come to light, past and present blur, old mysteries are finally put to rest, and the surprising truth about more than one monster is revealed.

Sonia Grgas

Nora 

Emily

Jessica Ford

Camilla Woodhouse

Ryan Hagerty

Kathy Rodger 

Richard Binder

Jennifer A.

Jamie Mitchell

Corey White

Stevie Blundell

Moray Lyle McIntosh

Judy McClure

Samantha Ridge

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER -- the debut novel by the acclaimed author of Fates and Furies. "The day I returned to Templeton steeped in disgrace, the fifty-foot corpse of a monster surfaced in Lake Glimmerglass." So begins The Monsters of Templeton, a novel spanning two centuries: part contemporary story of a girl's search for her father; part historical novel; and part ghost story. In the wake of a disastrous love affair with her older, married archaeology professor at Stanford, brilliant Wilhelmina Cooper arrives back at the doorstep of her hippie mother-turned-born-again-Christian's house in Templeton, NY, a storybook town her ancestors founded that sits on the shores of Lake Glimmerglass. Upon her arrival, a prehistoric monster surfaces in the lake bringing a feeding frenzy to the quiet town, and Willie learns she has a mystery father, one her mother kept secret Willie's entire life. The beautiful, broody Willie is told that the key to her biological father's identity lies somewhere in her family's history, so she buries herself in the research of her twisted family tree and finds more than she bargained for as a chorus of voices from the town's past--some sinister, all fascinating--rise up around her to tell their side of the story. In the end, dark secrets come to light, past and present day are blurred, and old mysteries are finally put to rest. The Monsters of Templeton is a fresh, virtuoso performance that has placed Lauren Groff among the best writers of today.

A Novel

Raymie Smith

The Monsters of Templeton

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