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gleefulreader 's review for:
Maine
by J. Courtney Sullivan
This was truly one of the best books I've read recently. That's not to say it's easy, or an uplifting read. However, the dynamics of the family - with all the hurtful, damaging ways that we can treat those who are supposed to be closest to us, rang so true that there were points I had to walk away from the book. Ultimately, it centers around the women in one family. The matriarch (oh, how I hate that word, but it is the best descriptor in this case) Alice is a hard woman for her family. By turns charming with those outside, she reserves her most cutting self for her family. I had a Nana like this and reading Alice's portion of the book was like being in the same room with her all over again. The other women (Kathleen, her daughter, Ann Marie, her daughter in law and Maggie, her granddaughter) all react to Alice's venom and capriciousness in various ways - from fleeing to trying to court her approval.
The book essentially takes place over one summer and centers on the summer home on the coast of Maine, but there is plenty of flashbacks and really this is not a plot driven story as a character study. If you need an ending that is tied up in a nice neat bow, this is probably not the book for you. But if you are looking for a character examination, then this is a great read.
The book essentially takes place over one summer and centers on the summer home on the coast of Maine, but there is plenty of flashbacks and really this is not a plot driven story as a character study. If you need an ending that is tied up in a nice neat bow, this is probably not the book for you. But if you are looking for a character examination, then this is a great read.