jennifersbrown 's review for:

Little Great Island: A Novel by Kate Woodworth

5.0

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This is a lovely book in which the setting is as much of a character as the people in the novel. A few chapters are written in an omniscient form, as if from the island's POV (trust me it works). Mari and her six-year-old son are fleeing her husband and the cult they've been living in. Mari returns to her home in Maine, Little Great Island. The island is suffering both environmentally and economically as the area is being overfished, causing many fishermen/women and lobster men/women to lose their only source of income. People are divided as to whether an outside corporation should be allowed to develop on the island. Will they bring more business to the locals or will the locals be chased off because of rising prices.

Lots of threads--how climate is changing people's livelihoods; sustainable farming; romance; caring for aging folks; and much more--and it all comes together beautifully and satisfyingly in the end. Enjoyed this book immensely.