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3.32 AVERAGE
3.32 AVERAGE
J. Courtney Sullivan's books remind me of so many people I know - my own family, my friends and others I've met since moving to Chicago 20+ years ago. Her descriptions of Irish Catholic families and "their ways," as well as the ways of the younger generations and how they differ, is unbelievably accurate. Can't wait to read more from her.
To me, this was a story about perception, and how each person perceives life in such totally different ways. How you can't know a book from its cover, so to speak. How judgements about people can be dangerous, and how our prejudices influence how we see the world around us.
The references in this book hit particularly close to home, as I was staying at my family's beach house in Ogunquit while I was reading. Because of this, some of the references seemed overly done- Shop & Save (which is now Hannaford, but everyone still calls it S&S) is referenced about a half dozen times, the Cove Cafe is eaten at more than once, etc. Not only that, but other things that I consider ubiquitous (the Molly Trollies, for example) were never mentioned once. I have to question myself though- is my perception of Ogunquit clouding my vision of the book? Do other books name drop their settings as much as this does, I just don't realize it because I've never been to those places? It made me question myself, which is sometimes the highest praise you can give to a book.
I think this would be a great book club read, because I feel like everyone can find a character they identify with, and everyone knows people in their lives that resemble each character.
I gave this 3*, but really I wanted to give it 3.5. Also, can I request a follow-up? I so want to find out what happens with Maggie and the baby! Does she break down and go back to Gabe? Does Kathleen move back to NY? I would love to know!
The references in this book hit particularly close to home, as I was staying at my family's beach house in Ogunquit while I was reading. Because of this, some of the references seemed overly done- Shop & Save (which is now Hannaford, but everyone still calls it S&S) is referenced about a half dozen times, the Cove Cafe is eaten at more than once, etc. Not only that, but other things that I consider ubiquitous (the Molly Trollies, for example) were never mentioned once. I have to question myself though- is my perception of Ogunquit clouding my vision of the book? Do other books name drop their settings as much as this does, I just don't realize it because I've never been to those places? It made me question myself, which is sometimes the highest praise you can give to a book.
I think this would be a great book club read, because I feel like everyone can find a character they identify with, and everyone knows people in their lives that resemble each character.
I gave this 3*, but really I wanted to give it 3.5. Also, can I request a follow-up? I so want to find out what happens with Maggie and the baby! Does she break down and go back to Gabe? Does Kathleen move back to NY? I would love to know!
It was hard to read about the glories of having a summer home on a crustacean rich area of the coast while being shuttled to and from work on a train. But there is no other season for this book -- it's a beach read through and through. You are allowed to be languid with each character for their chapter, sipping wine with them or gluing dollhouse furniture or trying to compose an e-mail.
I came across a really great quote that pinned down exactly how I felt after reading.
“We have an idea of a “summer book”. To be read on a beach, or in a hammock, or amid long grass. It promises pleasure and total immersion: if every few minutes you find yourself laying it flat upon your chest and wondering about lunch then it is probably not a summer book.”
- Zadie Smith
There is a sense of total immersion in this story because you are hearing the same stories from so many perspectives in that language that family stories (and unknown family secrets) are told. I picked this book up because I saw a woman so totally engrossed it in on the train and hope that someone else will do the same.
I came across a really great quote that pinned down exactly how I felt after reading.
“We have an idea of a “summer book”. To be read on a beach, or in a hammock, or amid long grass. It promises pleasure and total immersion: if every few minutes you find yourself laying it flat upon your chest and wondering about lunch then it is probably not a summer book.”
- Zadie Smith
There is a sense of total immersion in this story because you are hearing the same stories from so many perspectives in that language that family stories (and unknown family secrets) are told. I picked this book up because I saw a woman so totally engrossed it in on the train and hope that someone else will do the same.
Probably could be four stars. Everything I like in a novel - family strife, relationship issues, addiction, not a lot of action, not wrapped up TOO neatly at the end.
I found I could not thoroughly enjoy this book because all the characters were entirely too petty and self-absorbed (or, like Maggie, ignorant and rather innocent). I did enjoy reading the story from the perspectives of the different women- it made the story move smoothly and gave adequate background information for the audience to really understand each character. Ann-Marie and Kathleen were nowhere near perfect, but they each had their redeeming qualities, even if neither of them could see it in each other. I simply couldn't stand Alice. She rubbed me completely the wrong way as of those "Christians" who thinks that by going to church, that it makes them a good person. She treated her family like garbage and the priest of the local church like her own son. She gave away the family house to the church to try and erase her sins. Hate to break it to you lady, it doesn't work that way. The book ended suddenly in the middle of the story action. We are led down a certain path to believe we know what happens to the characters, but there's no solid finish to the story. It just sort of....ends. It's like someone's in the middle of a discussion and just walks away.
This book is proof that novels don't have to have happy characters to be a good read.
A great portrait of how complex family can be. This novel focused on a few women in one family, but through them the reader is shown the layers, lies and secrets that build a family unit and keep it together over generations.
#54 Book Read in 2012
Maine by J. Courtney Sullivan
A beach cottage in Maine is the setting for a family full of issues. Alice is the matriarch who lives at the beach cottage. Every summer her children and grandchildren come out for a month (rotating the time through each child and family) to spend time at the beach house. Alice is a hard woman for them to feel connected to and she is not really enamored with how her children and grandchildren turned out. The fur really begins to fly when the children find out that Alice has agreed to donate the cottage and land to her church after her death. Alice's children are devastated; they assumed they would inherit the place and that their children could continue to spend time there in the summer.
But this book is more about a beach house. This book details the complicated relationships among family members. Alice's daughter Kathleen is a recovering alcoholic. She has not come to the beach house for years. She does this summer after learning that her own daughter, Maggie, is pregnant and no longer with the father of the baby. Ann Marie, Alice's daughter-in-law, is not happy in her marriage. She feels taken for granted by her husband and by Alice, as Ann Marie is the one who does the bulk of the domestic matters.
The characters in this book are complicated and sometimes hard to like but they are interesting to read about and to follow. The description of the setting is well written. I enjoyed this book.
http://melissasbookpicks.blogspot.com
Maine by J. Courtney Sullivan
A beach cottage in Maine is the setting for a family full of issues. Alice is the matriarch who lives at the beach cottage. Every summer her children and grandchildren come out for a month (rotating the time through each child and family) to spend time at the beach house. Alice is a hard woman for them to feel connected to and she is not really enamored with how her children and grandchildren turned out. The fur really begins to fly when the children find out that Alice has agreed to donate the cottage and land to her church after her death. Alice's children are devastated; they assumed they would inherit the place and that their children could continue to spend time there in the summer.
But this book is more about a beach house. This book details the complicated relationships among family members. Alice's daughter Kathleen is a recovering alcoholic. She has not come to the beach house for years. She does this summer after learning that her own daughter, Maggie, is pregnant and no longer with the father of the baby. Ann Marie, Alice's daughter-in-law, is not happy in her marriage. She feels taken for granted by her husband and by Alice, as Ann Marie is the one who does the bulk of the domestic matters.
The characters in this book are complicated and sometimes hard to like but they are interesting to read about and to follow. The description of the setting is well written. I enjoyed this book.
http://melissasbookpicks.blogspot.com
I don’t know how I ended up with so many depressing books in my TBR pile at the end of the year, but this is another one. I enjoyed it, though. While the characters weren’t particularly likeable, they were all interesting, and the writing was good and fast-paced.
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Absolutely loved! I loved this book, the character development and connections between generations made this a great page turner for me