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3.68 AVERAGE
3.68 AVERAGE
This was pretty good. 3.5 rounded up to 4 for GoodReads.
I loved the descriptions of the old Gordon house in Wellfleet and the Outer Cape in general.
I did put the book down for a while about 1/4 in when the event that implodes the family is about to happen. Because I was annoyed at these two characters for being so naive, stubborn, and unwilling to communicate at ALL with anyone. Granted one conversation would have eliminated the entire reason for the book but I was still reluctant to continue with these characters knowing there was still so much book left.
Fortunately, shortly after that, the book zooms back into 2016 and we're back to the house on the Cape.
The ending is very rushed and wraps up too neatly in 2 pages. It really felt lacking. There was so much detail and minutae in the first half of the book. Then the second half of the book really jumps around as much. Things happen off the page and the reader just gets a mention.
Now as I write my review perhaps it should be 3.5 rounded to 3 for Good Reads because as I type this out I realize that the book left me wanting more - especially in the second half. These characters still don't talk about ANYTHING. They went from being estranged for reasons they didn't talk about or question and then they are reconnected and still don't really talk or resolve things.
But if you want to get lost in the Cape and some regular people's lives, this is a good book to pick up.
I loved the descriptions of the old Gordon house in Wellfleet and the Outer Cape in general.
I did put the book down for a while about 1/4 in when the event that implodes the family is about to happen. Because I was annoyed at these two characters for being so naive, stubborn, and unwilling to communicate at ALL with anyone. Granted one conversation would have eliminated the entire reason for the book but I was still reluctant to continue with these characters knowing there was still so much book left.
Fortunately, shortly after that, the book zooms back into 2016 and we're back to the house on the Cape.
The ending is very rushed and wraps up too neatly in 2 pages. It really felt lacking. There was so much detail and minutae in the first half of the book. Then the second half of the book really jumps around as much. Things happen off the page and the reader just gets a mention.
Now as I write my review perhaps it should be 3.5 rounded to 3 for Good Reads because as I type this out I realize that the book left me wanting more - especially in the second half. These characters still don't talk about ANYTHING. They went from being estranged for reasons they didn't talk about or question and then they are reconnected and still don't really talk or resolve things.
But if you want to get lost in the Cape and some regular people's lives, this is a good book to pick up.
We received this book as a #GalleyMatch and read it with book club. It was a fast read as long as you skimmed part one.
I didn't like any characters nor enjoy most parts of the plot. What really turned me off was the heavy handed insinuation that rape can be a blessing.
I didn't like any characters nor enjoy most parts of the plot. What really turned me off was the heavy handed insinuation that rape can be a blessing.
Thanks to St.Martin's Press and to NetGalley for the preview copy.
I wasn't sure about this novel, at first it seemed like a very typical family drama, chick-lit type of book. After the first half of the book, I couldn't wait to find out what happened next.
Being from Massachusetts, the setting was familiar. The family dynamics of a hippie style set of parents and 3 very different children worked well. The problems that arose were somewhat predictable, but the outcomes were done in a very different manner than expected. You ended up rooting for almost every character.
Recommended for a relaxing, enjoyable read.
I wasn't sure about this novel, at first it seemed like a very typical family drama, chick-lit type of book. After the first half of the book, I couldn't wait to find out what happened next.
Being from Massachusetts, the setting was familiar. The family dynamics of a hippie style set of parents and 3 very different children worked well. The problems that arose were somewhat predictable, but the outcomes were done in a very different manner than expected. You ended up rooting for almost every character.
Recommended for a relaxing, enjoyable read.
Family relationships and conflicts are at the heart of this well written story of a family from Minnesota, spending summers in Cape Cod. The Cape Cod house was the scene of a secret that Ann kept, causing a rift between her and her sister Poppy, and adopted brother, Michael. Aging hippies, their parents were teachers who gave room to their kids to become themselves, and learn who they were. I enjoyed the story, felt it was hard to put down. Thanks to Edelweiss for the ARC.
3.5 stars - rounding up to 4 for a good debut novel. I enjoyed this family drama from Christina Clancy. It was well written and the characters were interesting. I did find it a little hard to believe that Poppy and Ann or even Ed and Connie wouldn't have looked a little harder for Michael or even that Michael wouldn't have reached out to Ed. And it was a little strange to me that he felt such deep ties to them when he had only lived with them for 2 years. But overall I enjoyed the story and the setting on Cape Cod. Thanks to NetGalley for the digital ARC.
Didn’t think I’d end up liking this as much as I did. By the end I found myself missing the characters and wishing there were a second book! Interesting spin on a story about love and family. Took some turns I really didn’t expect, and I enjoyed the journey of the story.
Damn.
At about the 1/3 mark of this book, I had to skip ahead to the end to make sure everything would be okay. Because that was the only way I could bring myself to continue reading such a beautifully sad story.
It IS sad - melancholy and infuriating and you will never hate a character as much as you’ll hate one of the characters here - but god it’s gorgeous. There’s so much pain in this family story, and yet there’s this poignant beauty.
Secrets and lasting grievances and what it means to be a family are not new ideas. It’s not like Christina Clancy has cornered a new market. And yet I haven’t been this swept up by a novel in a long long time.
Damn damn damn.
At about the 1/3 mark of this book, I had to skip ahead to the end to make sure everything would be okay. Because that was the only way I could bring myself to continue reading such a beautifully sad story.
It IS sad - melancholy and infuriating and you will never hate a character as much as you’ll hate one of the characters here - but god it’s gorgeous. There’s so much pain in this family story, and yet there’s this poignant beauty.
Secrets and lasting grievances and what it means to be a family are not new ideas. It’s not like Christina Clancy has cornered a new market. And yet I haven’t been this swept up by a novel in a long long time.
Damn damn damn.
Each summer, the Gordon family packs up the car and heads from Wisconsin to an old family home on the Cape. But one summer changes everything. Sisters Ann and Poppy grow apart as Ann becomes closer with the family for whom she is a babysitter. Poppy falls in with a new group of friends (for better or worse). And their newly adopted brother Michael is just struggling to figure out where he fits in -- especially with his "sister" Ann.
That summer leads to more than 15 years of secrets, lies, and festering resentment.
Circumstances force these siblings -- now strangers -- back together to reconsider that summer and their feelings about each other and their second home.
The story had a couple twists that kept me interested and separated it a bit from all the other books about houses on the Cape (of which there are many). I wanted to keep reading to see how it all worked out. It was fairly fast-paced and had a few rather poignant moments, particularly those moments that included siblings' parents, Ed and Connie.
There also were frustrating moments. This was another book where I felt like screaming, "Just talk to each other!" When resolution comes, it was almost too quick and felt lacking. There was a lot of angst, some of it understandable, but some of it was a tad over the top. Also, because of how time passes in this book, I feel like I missed seeing some of the character growth.
I would recommend this book for anyone looking for a beach read and anyone interested in family dynamics.
That summer leads to more than 15 years of secrets, lies, and festering resentment.
Circumstances force these siblings -- now strangers -- back together to reconsider that summer and their feelings about each other and their second home.
The story had a couple twists that kept me interested and separated it a bit from all the other books about houses on the Cape (of which there are many). I wanted to keep reading to see how it all worked out. It was fairly fast-paced and had a few rather poignant moments, particularly those moments that included siblings' parents, Ed and Connie.
There also were frustrating moments. This was another book where I felt like screaming, "Just talk to each other!" When resolution comes, it was almost too quick and felt lacking. There was a lot of angst, some of it understandable, but some of it was a tad over the top. Also, because of how time passes in this book, I feel like I missed seeing some of the character growth.
I would recommend this book for anyone looking for a beach read and anyone interested in family dynamics.