While this wasn't universally loved amongst our book group, the story created great conversation. First of all, why is this book considered a mystery when the mystery is never solved? In fact, we had more differences of opinion and perspectives than answers. Why is the symbol of the fish so important? Why the title, "Swimming Lessons?" Who is learning to swim?

An utterly boring book. The plot goes at a snail's pace. Loaded with irrelevant but heavily described details. I painfully carried on till the end just to see what happened with the main character but the end was also disappointing, almost forced.

Interesting well rounded characters, and a good summer read.

A missing mother, dying father and two very different daughters fill the pages of this family story. Fuller writes the family’s backstory by letters wife Ingrid has written to her husband Gil and left in books he prodigiously collects. Inventive.

Great summer read that takes place at the family’s beach home off the coast of Hampshire in England. Great cast of quirky characters and a bit of mystery. Loved it.

Couldn't get into it.

Beautiful and heartbreaking at the same time. I enjoyed it very much.

I'm afraid this just didn't work for me. I was interested enough to keep reading but it was so untidy in its delivery, I was all over the place with it.

A quick and compelling read. Fuller's portrayals of the characters are true to life and very convincing. I loved the ending, but felt it could have done without the epilogue.

An interesting book that kept me turning the pages, although I did foresee a couple of the 'surprises' before they occurred. Gil is a university professor, and Ingrid his student. Their lives together seem pretty muddled to me, and ultimately they're both to blame to some degree for the mess, however their children are who finally bear the parents' emotional burdens. The author's use of letters from Ingrid hidden in used books was a really interesting and nice touch and gave the book something unique in the plot-line. Ultimately the ending is one of those obscure ones that leave the reader guessing, at least up to a point and it wasn't entirely satisfactory in my opinion, but I'd still look for more from this author.

This was an interesting read, and well written. However, the ending was weak. It could have ended so many ways, but the way it ended just left me flat.