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canadianbookaddict's review
3.0
I liked this book but it isn't one I would read again.
It is well written and liked the storyline. It is a great book to read at the beach or just lounging in the backyard.
It is well written and liked the storyline. It is a great book to read at the beach or just lounging in the backyard.
earlyandalone's review
5.0
A heart-warming and light-filled debut about life in a small Maine town. It reminded me of Fannie Flagg in all of the best ways.
kjbrown92's review
3.0
A little reminiscent of The Outsiders (especially the ending). I really wanted to like Leah, but her character just couldn't redeem herself (way too narcissistic). Otherwise, the characters were pretty well rounded, and I liked the intricacies of the relationships. Just couldn't get past Leah's faults. She needed to become something at the end of the novel, and she didn't. Everyone else grew around her. Disappointed.
allisonm's review
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
ntab's review
adventurous
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
Absolutely loved some passages. Overall wish it was more character driven as the stakes of the plot were not super compelling to me.
beckylej's review
3.0
Leah and Quinn might seem like an unlikely pair - Leah a recently married New Yorker hoping to live the storied life her husband wooed her with and Quinn searching out her absent father in the wake of her mother's death - but the two "from-aways" soon become fast friends. Leah gave up her career as a journalist in the city to move to her husband's tiny hometown. Her sister-in-law, who holds a grudge as yet unknown to Leah, agrees to hire her on at the local paper where newcomer and former obit writer Quinn has recently been hired as well. As the tiny town of Menamon begins to feel like home to them both, they become united in an effort to preserve pieces of the local history under threat by rich newcomers. But their efforts put Leah in direct opposition of her husband, opening her eyes to the possibility that perhaps she doesn't know him as well as she'd thought.
It took some time for me to warm up to this story. From the first page, CJ Hauser had a very distinct style - quirky and a little snarky - that I quite enjoyed. I was charmed by the idea of the small town setting and the locals, all of whom were engaging and well thought out.
It was Leah and Quinn, however, that I had a hard time with. I didn't have any particular issue with either of them as individual characters, but together I found that they both sounded too similar. The chapters alternate between the two women as narrators and it was difficult for me to tell which one I was reading (barring the header at the beginning of each chapter and the circumstances singular to each of them). They simply sounded too much alike in my opinion.
Don't get me wrong, this wasn't a deal breaker by any means but it did mean something of a slow start for me. By the end of the story I was so completely wrapped up in the Menamon issue as well as Leah and Quinn's stories that I didn't care quite as much.
And the town of Menamon itself is a big draw. The issues that come into play are issues that a lot of small towns face - new vs old, expansion and industry, and the unfortunate trend of pricing out locals in their own hometown. The balance is a hard one to strike and you see the issue most clearly between Leah and her husband.
The seasons do change in Menamon but this felt like a summer book all the way through. And while it didn't leave me all that sympathetic to the plight of lobsters (I prefer crawfish, but I don't really feel sorry for them either) it did leave me with a craving for a seafront vacation and a boating weekend that will likely not be staunched any time soon.
It took some time for me to warm up to this story. From the first page, CJ Hauser had a very distinct style - quirky and a little snarky - that I quite enjoyed. I was charmed by the idea of the small town setting and the locals, all of whom were engaging and well thought out.
It was Leah and Quinn, however, that I had a hard time with. I didn't have any particular issue with either of them as individual characters, but together I found that they both sounded too similar. The chapters alternate between the two women as narrators and it was difficult for me to tell which one I was reading (barring the header at the beginning of each chapter and the circumstances singular to each of them). They simply sounded too much alike in my opinion.
Don't get me wrong, this wasn't a deal breaker by any means but it did mean something of a slow start for me. By the end of the story I was so completely wrapped up in the Menamon issue as well as Leah and Quinn's stories that I didn't care quite as much.
And the town of Menamon itself is a big draw. The issues that come into play are issues that a lot of small towns face - new vs old, expansion and industry, and the unfortunate trend of pricing out locals in their own hometown. The balance is a hard one to strike and you see the issue most clearly between Leah and her husband.
The seasons do change in Menamon but this felt like a summer book all the way through. And while it didn't leave me all that sympathetic to the plight of lobsters (I prefer crawfish, but I don't really feel sorry for them either) it did leave me with a craving for a seafront vacation and a boating weekend that will likely not be staunched any time soon.
yojkd's review
4.0
Pleasantly surprised by this book considering I've been reading whatever is under 5$ at the bookstore lately. Yes, it's another idyllic Maine village story but it has its share of whimsy and tragedy which makes it worth reading. I never felt completely invested in the characters though and didn't understand all the choices but one of the better books from the sale section
anji87's review
2.0
Based on the cover and the first page, I thought that I was going to like this book a lot. Thought, is the operative word here. Told in two different points of view, both of which are 1st person in alternating chapters, "The From Aways" is a a story of two women and the seaside town that they call home. One is newly married Leah, the other is motherless Quinn. They settle in Menamon, Maine and their paths cross at the local paper where they have both been hired as journalists. They have to work together to discover the secrets of their fishing town, and in doing so they set a series of events in motion that changes everyone and everything.
The only good thing that I can say about this book is that the two POV's are very distinct. Leah, coming from a wealthy family in NYC speaks as though she is used to life going easy to her while Quinn, who has had it rough, curses a lot and is very blunt.
Other than the two POV's, the meandering plot takes too long to get going, and when it should finally come to a climax, it fizzles out, leaving an open ended finish which may be realistic, but not what I would call a good ending for a work of fiction.
2.5 stars, bumped down to 2 because of the lack of resolution for the characters in the end.
The only good thing that I can say about this book is that the two POV's are very distinct. Leah, coming from a wealthy family in NYC speaks as though she is used to life going easy to her while Quinn, who has had it rough, curses a lot and is very blunt.
Other than the two POV's, the meandering plot takes too long to get going, and when it should finally come to a climax, it fizzles out, leaving an open ended finish which may be realistic, but not what I would call a good ending for a work of fiction.
2.5 stars, bumped down to 2 because of the lack of resolution for the characters in the end.
kglattstein's review
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
The premise of the story was interesting and relatable. Someone moving and trying to integrate into her husband’s small town that is itself changing around them. The relationships the developed during the story were interesting, but I never was fully invested in their storylines. Good alternative for a light read that isn’t a typical romance trope. Enjoyed the Maine setting.
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