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The Cottage At Glass Beach
Married to the youngest attorney general in Massachusetts State history, Nora Cunningham is a picture-perfect political wife and doting mother. But her carefully constructed life falls to pieces when she, along with the rest of the world, learns of the infidelity of her husband, Malcolm.
Humiliated and hounded by the press, Nora packs up her daughters -- Annie, seven; and Ella, twelve -- and takes refuge on Burke's Island, a craggy spit of land off the coast of Maine. Settled by Irish immigrants, the island is a place where superstition and magic are carried on the ocean winds, and wishes and dreams wash ashore with the changing tides.
Nora spent her first five years on the island but has not been back to the remote community for decades --- not since that long-ago summer when her mother disappeared at sea. One night while sitting alone on Glass Beach below the cottage where she spent her childhood, Nora succumbs to grief, her tears flowing into the ocean. Days later she finds an enigmatic fisherman named Owen Kavanagh shipwrecked on the rocks nearby. Is he, as her aunt's friend Polly suggests, a selkie -- a mythical being of island legend --- summoned by her heartbreak, or simply someone who, like Nora, is trying to find his way in the wake of his own personal struggles?
Just as she begins to regain her balance, her daughters embark on a reckless odyssey of their own --- a journey that will force Nora to find the courage to chart her own course and finally face the truth about her marriage, her mother, and her long-buried past.
Heather Barbieri follows her acclaimed Gaelic-tinged drama The Lace Makers of Glenmara with the resonant tale of a woman who, in the wake of scandal, flees to a remote Maine island to reconnect with her past—and to come to terms with the childhood tragedy that has haunted her for a lifetime.
Set on the rugged New England coast, Barbieri’s The Cottage at Glass Beach strikes the perfect balance between high lit and mainstream women’s fiction, infusing a potent and unforgettable love story with unforgettable characters that will remain with you long after the final chapter. Richly evocative, Barbieri’s narrative of intimacy, struggle, and redemption will call out to readers of Joanne Harris, Alice Hoffman, and other modern masters of drama.
Humiliated and hounded by the press, Nora packs up her daughters -- Annie, seven; and Ella, twelve -- and takes refuge on Burke's Island, a craggy spit of land off the coast of Maine. Settled by Irish immigrants, the island is a place where superstition and magic are carried on the ocean winds, and wishes and dreams wash ashore with the changing tides.
Nora spent her first five years on the island but has not been back to the remote community for decades --- not since that long-ago summer when her mother disappeared at sea. One night while sitting alone on Glass Beach below the cottage where she spent her childhood, Nora succumbs to grief, her tears flowing into the ocean. Days later she finds an enigmatic fisherman named Owen Kavanagh shipwrecked on the rocks nearby. Is he, as her aunt's friend Polly suggests, a selkie -- a mythical being of island legend --- summoned by her heartbreak, or simply someone who, like Nora, is trying to find his way in the wake of his own personal struggles?
Just as she begins to regain her balance, her daughters embark on a reckless odyssey of their own --- a journey that will force Nora to find the courage to chart her own course and finally face the truth about her marriage, her mother, and her long-buried past.
Heather Barbieri follows her acclaimed Gaelic-tinged drama The Lace Makers of Glenmara with the resonant tale of a woman who, in the wake of scandal, flees to a remote Maine island to reconnect with her past—and to come to terms with the childhood tragedy that has haunted her for a lifetime.
Set on the rugged New England coast, Barbieri’s The Cottage at Glass Beach strikes the perfect balance between high lit and mainstream women’s fiction, infusing a potent and unforgettable love story with unforgettable characters that will remain with you long after the final chapter. Richly evocative, Barbieri’s narrative of intimacy, struggle, and redemption will call out to readers of Joanne Harris, Alice Hoffman, and other modern masters of drama.
302 pages, Hardcover
First published May 15, 2012
182 people are currently reading
1973 people want to read
About the author
Heather Barbieri
7 books107 followersThe author of three novels, The Cottage at Glass Beach (Harper, 2012), The Lace Makers of Glenmara (Harper, 2009) and Snow in July (Soho, 2004), Heather Barbieri has been awarded fellowships and international prizes for her short stories. Before turning to fiction full time, she was a magazine editor, journalist, and film critic.
Heather is half Irish. Her paternal ancestors left counties Donegal and Tipperary after surviving The Great Famine; they worked in the coal mines of Eastern Pennsylvania before settling in Butte, Montana, a rugged town in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains, which, though having nary a hint of green in its landscape, once boasted the largest gaelic-speaking population outside of Ireland.
Heather was born and raised in the Pacific Northwest. She lives in Seattle with her family.
Heather is half Irish. Her paternal ancestors left counties Donegal and Tipperary after surviving The Great Famine; they worked in the coal mines of Eastern Pennsylvania before settling in Butte, Montana, a rugged town in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains, which, though having nary a hint of green in its landscape, once boasted the largest gaelic-speaking population outside of Ireland.
Heather was born and raised in the Pacific Northwest. She lives in Seattle with her family.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 433 reviews
May 16, 2019
I wanted to like this book more than I actually did. It felt very unfinished at the end, and I admit that might be because I like things tied up neatly. But it's not so much all of the threads left hanging, it felt like the entire story was left hanging. And it's not the type of book for a sequel.
Barbieri has the bones of a good story, but in the end everything is left incomplete and the storyline feels unfinished. Character development is a bit lacking and the critical events leading up to the main plot are only vaguely referred to, yet are important to the big picture. Threads of magical realism throughout the book are quite appealing, and the seaside setting is enchanting.
SUMMARY: After the discovery of her prominent husband's longtime affair, Nora Keane flees the Boston scandal to return to Burke's Island, the seaside place where she grew up. Her seven and twelve-year-old daughters struggle with the change and missing their father, as Nora sets out to reconnect with her elderly aunt. Nora has always been haunted by the mysterious disappearance of her mother many years ago, and must come to peace with her past in order to deal with her present situation.
Barbieri has the bones of a good story, but in the end everything is left incomplete and the storyline feels unfinished. Character development is a bit lacking and the critical events leading up to the main plot are only vaguely referred to, yet are important to the big picture. Threads of magical realism throughout the book are quite appealing, and the seaside setting is enchanting.
SUMMARY: After the discovery of her prominent husband's longtime affair, Nora Keane flees the Boston scandal to return to Burke's Island, the seaside place where she grew up. Her seven and twelve-year-old daughters struggle with the change and missing their father, as Nora sets out to reconnect with her elderly aunt. Nora has always been haunted by the mysterious disappearance of her mother many years ago, and must come to peace with her past in order to deal with her present situation.
March 6, 2012
The Cottage at Glass Beach got off to a very promising start. Fleeing scandal, Nora heads for Glass Beach, where she grew up before her mother's mysterious disappearance. There was a lot of meat to the basic setup of this book: the scorned wife struggling to learn how to make sense of her husband's betrayal, the troubled daughter lashing out at her mother, the remote and atmospheric island with its secrets. Unfortunately, the narrative falls apart about three quarters of the way through the book. Some spoilers will follow.
My first criticism of the book is with the character of Nora. She just feels so inconsistent and wishy washy at times, particularly when it came to her encounters with her cheating husband and with her insolent daughter, Ella. I just found these passages patently impossible to believe. Though she's seething with anger at her husband, their exchanges are, for the most part, very civil. There are a few fights between them, but I just couldn't buy that all that seething anger, hurt, and resentment she was feeling didn't come boiling up, especially because the man had pretty much made a public mockery of her. Likewise, her actions are equally difficult to believe when it comes to her interactions with Ella. Ella says some really awful, hurtful things to her mother and Nora more or less lets her do it. I just could not believe the failure of any spark to ignite in this aspect of the story. Ella says unspeakable things and Nora simply stands there and lets her say them. I understand that the idea was that Nora was trying to keep her opinions about Malcolm's actions to herself, but it seemed to me that it would take a saint to put up with what Nora puts up with. In the end, it just made her character seem too ambivalent. It's as if she spends the entire novel hemming and hawing about everything.
I also have to call this book out for using one of the most tired plot twists in literature: the hero swooping in to rescue the heroine from a threat of sexual assault. I was all but rolling my eyes when I read this portion of the books, because as soon as Nora parked her car in that dark alley before heading into the pub, I knew exactly what was going to follow. I would really like to see this tired trope laid to rest in favor of a more creative method of showing the worth of the potential love interest. Then again, Owen is little more than a character sketch, so I'm not really sure what could have been done with him.
The hints of magical realism also fell flat to me. I don't mind a book with a touch of magic, and have read several that have been well done. However, with this book, there are hints of magic...and that's about it. I don't need everything explicitly spelled out, but more detail was necessary to prod me to suspend my disbelief. Instead, the magical aspects of this book felt woefully underdeveloped and, ultimately, pretty much unnecessary to the plot. This is especially obvious with regard to Ronan. His role seems to serve little purpose other than to give Annie a gift that miraculously saves her from disaster, and also to drop a major bomb about Owen that is then left unresolved. Not to mention that a major plot bomb about Nora's mother is dropped right at the end of the book that I found very confusing rather than clarifying. Everything about this particular aspect of the book just felt half-hearted to me.
Also problematic is Maire and her relationship with her niece and great nieces. They've all effectively known each other for little more than a couple of months before a huge tragedy befalls them. It's not that I think anyone would be indifferent, given the circumstances, but it just did not seem to me that their relationships were developed enough for the tragedy to have the kind of emotional impact it should have had. Instead, it feels like yet another plot device.
It's a shame that things deteriorate as they do. The beginning of the book is lovely, with lots of evocative passages about the island and the ways in which Nora's emotions seem almost in sync with the island's character. Barbieri's writing is quite lovely, but it's not enough to carry the book when stacked against its shortcomings.
My first criticism of the book is with the character of Nora. She just feels so inconsistent and wishy washy at times, particularly when it came to her encounters with her cheating husband and with her insolent daughter, Ella. I just found these passages patently impossible to believe. Though she's seething with anger at her husband, their exchanges are, for the most part, very civil. There are a few fights between them, but I just couldn't buy that all that seething anger, hurt, and resentment she was feeling didn't come boiling up, especially because the man had pretty much made a public mockery of her. Likewise, her actions are equally difficult to believe when it comes to her interactions with Ella. Ella says some really awful, hurtful things to her mother and Nora more or less lets her do it. I just could not believe the failure of any spark to ignite in this aspect of the story. Ella says unspeakable things and Nora simply stands there and lets her say them. I understand that the idea was that Nora was trying to keep her opinions about Malcolm's actions to herself, but it seemed to me that it would take a saint to put up with what Nora puts up with. In the end, it just made her character seem too ambivalent. It's as if she spends the entire novel hemming and hawing about everything.
I also have to call this book out for using one of the most tired plot twists in literature: the hero swooping in to rescue the heroine from a threat of sexual assault. I was all but rolling my eyes when I read this portion of the books, because as soon as Nora parked her car in that dark alley before heading into the pub, I knew exactly what was going to follow. I would really like to see this tired trope laid to rest in favor of a more creative method of showing the worth of the potential love interest. Then again, Owen is little more than a character sketch, so I'm not really sure what could have been done with him.
The hints of magical realism also fell flat to me. I don't mind a book with a touch of magic, and have read several that have been well done. However, with this book, there are hints of magic...and that's about it. I don't need everything explicitly spelled out, but more detail was necessary to prod me to suspend my disbelief. Instead, the magical aspects of this book felt woefully underdeveloped and, ultimately, pretty much unnecessary to the plot. This is especially obvious with regard to Ronan. His role seems to serve little purpose other than to give Annie a gift that miraculously saves her from disaster, and also to drop a major bomb about Owen that is then left unresolved. Not to mention that a major plot bomb about Nora's mother is dropped right at the end of the book that I found very confusing rather than clarifying. Everything about this particular aspect of the book just felt half-hearted to me.
Also problematic is Maire and her relationship with her niece and great nieces. They've all effectively known each other for little more than a couple of months before a huge tragedy befalls them. It's not that I think anyone would be indifferent, given the circumstances, but it just did not seem to me that their relationships were developed enough for the tragedy to have the kind of emotional impact it should have had. Instead, it feels like yet another plot device.
It's a shame that things deteriorate as they do. The beginning of the book is lovely, with lots of evocative passages about the island and the ways in which Nora's emotions seem almost in sync with the island's character. Barbieri's writing is quite lovely, but it's not enough to carry the book when stacked against its shortcomings.
June 10, 2012
4 Stars for Chapters 1-23
2 Stars for Chapter 24
I really wanted to like this book, however, the ending was a huge disappointment.
I appreciated that the storyline had twists and turns and was not predictable. I enjoyed all of the main characters. Certain elements were too drawn out and then other elements left unanswered completely.
In summary, the ending left me feeling like I was supposed to understand everything, but I did not.
Leaving the reader with lingering thoughts is ideal for me. Leaving the reader with numerous unanswered questions is lazy writing to me. I enjoy mythology, however, I felt like it was an excuse to end the book without some closure.
I checked out the reviews on the author's other two books and I am not impressed. My life is too short to read "so-so" books. With that being said, I would not recommend this book to anyone. I feel really bad to give such a negative review when I really enjoyed the book except for the last chapter.
2 Stars for Chapter 24
I really wanted to like this book, however, the ending was a huge disappointment.
I appreciated that the storyline had twists and turns and was not predictable. I enjoyed all of the main characters. Certain elements were too drawn out and then other elements left unanswered completely.
In summary, the ending left me feeling like I was supposed to understand everything, but I did not.
Leaving the reader with lingering thoughts is ideal for me. Leaving the reader with numerous unanswered questions is lazy writing to me. I enjoy mythology, however, I felt like it was an excuse to end the book without some closure.
I checked out the reviews on the author's other two books and I am not impressed. My life is too short to read "so-so" books. With that being said, I would not recommend this book to anyone. I feel really bad to give such a negative review when I really enjoyed the book except for the last chapter.
September 17, 2012
I wanted to love this book, because I chose it on the title alone. I have a thing about sea glass...
The story started out strong. The main character Nora, goes to a remote island to get away from her cheating high profile husband. Her goal is to get her girls away, and enjoy the summer in peace. There she meets her Aunt, whom she has not seen, for reasons she doens't know, since she was about 5 years old.
Once there, a mysterious stranger 'washes' up on shore. From here on in, I found the story a bit silly. Very few people in the town like her, a number of them feel she has no place there. One town lady is just down right creepy... Her eldest daughter, Ella is nearly unmanageable... I didn't like how it kept drawing out, and how Ella daughter kept trying to convince her mother she needed to return home, to her husband [who didn't want anything to do with being a family, it would seem] And then suddenly, the story was over... And to be honest, I'm not completely sure what happened...
The story started out strong. The main character Nora, goes to a remote island to get away from her cheating high profile husband. Her goal is to get her girls away, and enjoy the summer in peace. There she meets her Aunt, whom she has not seen, for reasons she doens't know, since she was about 5 years old.
Once there, a mysterious stranger 'washes' up on shore. From here on in, I found the story a bit silly. Very few people in the town like her, a number of them feel she has no place there. One town lady is just down right creepy... Her eldest daughter, Ella is nearly unmanageable... I didn't like how it kept drawing out, and how Ella daughter kept trying to convince her mother she needed to return home, to her husband [who didn't want anything to do with being a family, it would seem] And then suddenly, the story was over... And to be honest, I'm not completely sure what happened...
May 16, 2012
GENRE: Fiction
THEME: Myths/Family Drama
RECEIVED: Received for Review from HarperCollins
BLOG: http://seeingnight.blogspot.com/
3.5 stars
REVIEW:
The cottage at Glass Beach was a little out of my norm of genres, but it had that kick of mythology and romance that I absolutely love. The major premises of this novel are really about family and healing from the heartbreak in the families past and present. This was my first novel by Heather Barbieri and definitely not my last.
Nora Cunningham has just been dealt with a major blow, her husband a well-known political figure has cheated on her. It’s been all over the news and she just has to get away. Taking her two daughters to the island where she was born, just trying to make it through the summer to heal and maybe mend her relationship. But the past of her mother’s disappearance and a man, who washes in with a storm, brings a whole lot more drama into Nora and her daughter’s lives.
Nora is a very strong woman whom is devoted to making sure her daughters don’t see what there father has done. But sadly has to deal with one daughter in particular who thinks her mother is at fault. I felt so bad for Nora; she has a good heart and really loves her daughters. Her husband is a selfish and horrible man, who really only thinks of what he wants and not his family. She slowly uncovers her mothers past and what kind of woman she really was.
Owen is a man who is all about mystery, washing up from a ship wreak and taking in my Nora’s aunt. He becomes someone who helps heal not only Nora, but also her Aunt whom is damaged a bit from her sister’s disappearance. He is kind and really tries to connect and help Nora. I absolutely loved his character and his connection to the myths of the island.
My only issues were that Nora didn’t explain more to her daughters. She was the victim and her daughters kept asking for their father who hurt their mother. Ella, Nora’s eldest daughter was cruel and extremely hurtful to her mother, I really didn’t like her at all and she pretty much angered me through the whole book. Also the ending fell flat and felt unfinished for me, in some ways people who see it as finished but for me I wanted more explanation. The readers do get a hint about Owen and what happened to Nora’s mother, but for me more would of been better.
Overall I enjoyed the mystery and the myth behind Nora’s family, both Owen and Nora’s aunt really pulled the story along and kept me reading. This is a story about a family that needs to heal and is trying to find that strength to help each other. This is the perfect summer read that you’d be able to relax and dig into a story, really making you pull for these characters to find that piece that’s missing in their lives.
RECOMMENDATION:
This is an adult book that’s a perfect summer read, the island details make you wish you were there with the characters. Fans of Nancy Thayer of Heat Wave and Mary Alice Monroe of The Beach House will enjoy The Cottage at Glass Beach.
THEME: Myths/Family Drama
RECEIVED: Received for Review from HarperCollins
BLOG: http://seeingnight.blogspot.com/
3.5 stars
REVIEW:
The cottage at Glass Beach was a little out of my norm of genres, but it had that kick of mythology and romance that I absolutely love. The major premises of this novel are really about family and healing from the heartbreak in the families past and present. This was my first novel by Heather Barbieri and definitely not my last.
Nora Cunningham has just been dealt with a major blow, her husband a well-known political figure has cheated on her. It’s been all over the news and she just has to get away. Taking her two daughters to the island where she was born, just trying to make it through the summer to heal and maybe mend her relationship. But the past of her mother’s disappearance and a man, who washes in with a storm, brings a whole lot more drama into Nora and her daughter’s lives.
Nora is a very strong woman whom is devoted to making sure her daughters don’t see what there father has done. But sadly has to deal with one daughter in particular who thinks her mother is at fault. I felt so bad for Nora; she has a good heart and really loves her daughters. Her husband is a selfish and horrible man, who really only thinks of what he wants and not his family. She slowly uncovers her mothers past and what kind of woman she really was.
Owen is a man who is all about mystery, washing up from a ship wreak and taking in my Nora’s aunt. He becomes someone who helps heal not only Nora, but also her Aunt whom is damaged a bit from her sister’s disappearance. He is kind and really tries to connect and help Nora. I absolutely loved his character and his connection to the myths of the island.
My only issues were that Nora didn’t explain more to her daughters. She was the victim and her daughters kept asking for their father who hurt their mother. Ella, Nora’s eldest daughter was cruel and extremely hurtful to her mother, I really didn’t like her at all and she pretty much angered me through the whole book. Also the ending fell flat and felt unfinished for me, in some ways people who see it as finished but for me I wanted more explanation. The readers do get a hint about Owen and what happened to Nora’s mother, but for me more would of been better.
Overall I enjoyed the mystery and the myth behind Nora’s family, both Owen and Nora’s aunt really pulled the story along and kept me reading. This is a story about a family that needs to heal and is trying to find that strength to help each other. This is the perfect summer read that you’d be able to relax and dig into a story, really making you pull for these characters to find that piece that’s missing in their lives.
RECOMMENDATION:
This is an adult book that’s a perfect summer read, the island details make you wish you were there with the characters. Fans of Nancy Thayer of Heat Wave and Mary Alice Monroe of The Beach House will enjoy The Cottage at Glass Beach.
January 4, 2014
Heather Barbieri's writing is lovely and evocative, especially as she describes the sea and the island setting off of Massachusetts. However, her storytelling does not equal her lyricism. Many of the characters held promise, and Barbieri does a good job of distinguishing each. Nora, the main character, has accepted an invitation to visit her aunt Maire on a small island off of Boston to escape the scandal of her politician husband's exposed affair and shield their two daughters from the repercussions. Wallowing in self-pity and anger at her unfaithful husband, and feeling 'at sea' about the course of their future, Nora succumbs to feelings of abandonment, as her husband's betrayal brings back haunting memories of her mother's disappearance from the island. The mystery of her mother Maeve's disappearance when Nora was five lingers in the background. The islanders still remember her charismatic mother, but not all that kindly. Perhaps Maeve's sister Maire, whom Nora hasn't seen since she was a child, can shed some light on the past. Nora has her own maternal struggles as her children deal with their parents' separation. The seven-year-old daughter Annie is a delight, but the twelve-year-old Ella is unbearable, siding with her father and blaming her mother. And Nora allows her bad behavior because she understands how Ella adores and misses her father. I just wanted Nora to get a grip and send Ella off to her father and let him handle her and his mistress. I got rather tired of Nora's indecisiveness. That's OK to set the stage but the character needs to progress towards a resolution. However, what little plot there was just dragged. I would have liked a little more of the story of Nora's aunt Maire, who had lived her whole life on the island. Perhaps she could have breathed some life into the Irish myths that are part of the island's tradition, but only briefly alluded to. Nora's new love interest was hardly developed, and then there was the whole selkie story. The magical realism in some books seems so natural that the reader easily buys into it. Here it seems strained, and the 'realities' don't meld. If someone didn't know the selkie myth, they would never have 'gotten' this novel at all. The author hardly explains it. And practical former lawyer Nora apparently is willing to consider a changeling story about her mother? Huh? Though this is a novel of two worlds colliding - one of the every day reality of the wife of a philandering Boston politician who retreats with her daughters to the island of her birth; the other 'peopled' by characters from mystical Irish folklore - they are as disparate as it sounds. Barbieri can't seem to bridge that gap. The ending offers little resolution or explanation. And one mysterious selkie would have been enough, but here we have three. This book is a good effort, but fails in execution. Sadly, I could never really feel the magic.
July 29, 2016
The 3 and 4 star reviewers must either be drunk, or paid by the publisher. The story was trite and the characters predictable. I only stuck with it to see how it all wrapped up, just to find out it didn't! Who was Ronan? Who was Owen? Did she just get to her # of words, like I did when writing an essay in elementary school, and just quit?
I also have to revisit the triteness of the plot. How many wealthy women meander off to a beach house/country house/horse farm/mountain cabin, with or without kids, to lick the wounds of a philandering husband/gay husband/dead husband? No need to worry about a job, even though you're highly educated and gave up a great career to be a stay-at-home mom. No need to worry about money. And there is always, ALWAYS a good-looking dude ready to show your what your dead/philandering/gay husband didn't really know about sex.
You know where most women would be in this circumstance? Mom's spare room, a homeless shelter or a van down by the river.
Seriously authors and publishers; just stop.
I also have to revisit the triteness of the plot. How many wealthy women meander off to a beach house/country house/horse farm/mountain cabin, with or without kids, to lick the wounds of a philandering husband/gay husband/dead husband? No need to worry about a job, even though you're highly educated and gave up a great career to be a stay-at-home mom. No need to worry about money. And there is always, ALWAYS a good-looking dude ready to show your what your dead/philandering/gay husband didn't really know about sex.
You know where most women would be in this circumstance? Mom's spare room, a homeless shelter or a van down by the river.
Seriously authors and publishers; just stop.
June 15, 2012
What drew me to this book originally was that it was reviewed by an author I really like. It isn't what kept me there though. I found this book to be cookie cutter and boring. This book is the epitome of what is put out by big house publishers that is pure vanilla with the same old storyline regurgitated into yet another book. I recently read a blog post by an author I follow on twitter that asks if there are really any other "original" story lines left. If this book was an indication, I would say "NO!"
I actually found myself skimming over parts of the book because it was so predictable in spots that I really just wanted it to end and it was a fairly short book.
I actually found myself skimming over parts of the book because it was so predictable in spots that I really just wanted it to end and it was a fairly short book.
January 22, 2013
It was the title and then the cover that drew me to this book. Those are two very powerful attributes! When I looked at the author's name, I realized that I had read something else by her but couldn't remember what. At the bottom of the cover I saw the name of her previous novel The Lace Makers of Glenmara which was the one that I had read.
This is a story of a mother and her two daughters. Nora is married to the youngest Attorney General in Massachusetts and lives the life of a politician's wife having abandoned her own law career. She has received a note from her aunt inviting her to come home to Burke Island, where she was born and initially raised until her mom passed away and her dad took her back to the mainland. Burke is a small, unknown place that tourists do not haunt. She has just suffered the bitter humiliation of her husband's affair and she is not sure where to go in life from here. Her aunt's invitation seems heaven sent. It is a chance to get out of the spotlight and make some decisions about what she will do with not only her marriage but her life in general.
We do get a taste of the Celtic in this novel even though it wasn't set in Ireland like the previous one that I read. Barbieri has woven in some of the folklore of the "Silkies" or the seals that are part human and part seal. Although I enjoyed the story and there was some excitement building in those pages, it seemed as though the ending came too suddenly and didn't tie it all up but quickly tried to throw in some of the meaning of life. The ending is what kept the book from earning four stars.
This is a story of a mother and her two daughters. Nora is married to the youngest Attorney General in Massachusetts and lives the life of a politician's wife having abandoned her own law career. She has received a note from her aunt inviting her to come home to Burke Island, where she was born and initially raised until her mom passed away and her dad took her back to the mainland. Burke is a small, unknown place that tourists do not haunt. She has just suffered the bitter humiliation of her husband's affair and she is not sure where to go in life from here. Her aunt's invitation seems heaven sent. It is a chance to get out of the spotlight and make some decisions about what she will do with not only her marriage but her life in general.
We do get a taste of the Celtic in this novel even though it wasn't set in Ireland like the previous one that I read. Barbieri has woven in some of the folklore of the "Silkies" or the seals that are part human and part seal. Although I enjoyed the story and there was some excitement building in those pages, it seemed as though the ending came too suddenly and didn't tie it all up but quickly tried to throw in some of the meaning of life. The ending is what kept the book from earning four stars.
September 28, 2012
Can we talk about how much the ending of this book sucks? Like a few other readers, I was ready to slap 4 stars on this novel, but that last chapter really soured quickly. 2 stars is being generous for that last chapter. When I closed the book, I nearly stomped off, saying WTFF?! Second "F" intended...
The majority of the book is great but damn if I didn't wanna slap Ella. She had promise but sometimes a mother has to explain things, even if the daughter is still angry. Loved Aunt Maire, Polly, and sweet Annie. But the end? So her mom became a seal/was a selkie? She was there on Little Burke? Someone else said the last chapter made her think she was supposed to understand everything when she didn't. I even went BACK to previous chapters trying to find conversations or explanations that I thought maybe I had missed. Nope, just weird as hell.
Sorry Heather, better luck next time.
The majority of the book is great but damn if I didn't wanna slap Ella. She had promise but sometimes a mother has to explain things, even if the daughter is still angry. Loved Aunt Maire, Polly, and sweet Annie. But the end? So her mom became a seal/was a selkie? She was there on Little Burke? Someone else said the last chapter made her think she was supposed to understand everything when she didn't. I even went BACK to previous chapters trying to find conversations or explanations that I thought maybe I had missed. Nope, just weird as hell.
Sorry Heather, better luck next time.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 8, 2012
Fairy tales meet reality in Heather Barbieri's novel, The Cottage at Glass Beach.
In The Cottage at Glass Beach, with a hazy past and an uncertain future, Nora is a woman facing major life changes. Her husband has been aught cheating and Nora has retreated to the small island home of her late mother. With two daughters in tow, Nora must figure out how to move forward with her life and gain clarity for her life. With the help of her aunt and a mysterious shipwrecked man, Nora begins to find peace.
There are definite highs and lows to The Cottage at Glass Beach. It was easy to sympathize with all the characters. Nora's husband is a selfish, clueless man who moved on from Nora, his "starter" wife. Nora is crushed, confused, and at a loss at where to go from there. I really like Nora's character, she is a wonderful mother, dedicated to her girls. However, somewhere along the way, she lost her sense of self. She became a politician's wife and the more engrossed she became in being a wife and mother, the farther away from her true self she became. When she returns to the cottage where she lived with her mother, her childhood memories and her past remind her of what she loves, the sea, art, and a peaceful life. Nora's daughters each have their own quirks and emotions. The older daughter is confused and places blame in the wrong places. The younger daughter is constantly searching for the silver lining and for adventure. The realities of this families situation were quite believable and worked for the story.
Heather Barbieri created a beautiful setting, a small island town filled with caring people and magic in the air. I loved the setting and envisioning the beach was easy to do. The magic and mythology hinted at through the story was quite intriguing. There is a fairy tale like quality to the book that kept me reading and guessing as to the families origins.
While I thoroughly enjoyed much of the book, I did have some problems in a few areas. I was often frustrated with the oldest daughter, Ella. Ella, in typical 12 year old fashion, had a major attitude throughout the book. This is to be expected, however, the problem was that she was never corrected, she was allowed to think the wrong thing and to place blame on her mother. Nora never really sat her down and explained the situation to her daughters, she just let them work it out themselves, and that just didn't sit well with me. The relationships overall in The Cottage at Glass Beach are not fully developed. The romance and relationship between Owen and Nora is slow and unclear. Many of the relationships are never resolved by the end of the book.
While I loved the hints of magic and mythology throughout the book, the hints were just not enough. I kept waiting for the magic to play a more central role and be clarified. I was disappointed that I was confused and left to come to my own conclusions on this front, the magic could have benefitted from better development through the story. This all culminates with the ending. I was less than satisfied with the ending, I felt that the story was left open. Nora's next steps are not explained, her relationship with Owen is not explained, her relationship with her daughters is still unclear, and overall, I was not pleased.
The Cottage at Glass Beach is a beautiful book, but with a lack of clarity and an unsatisfying ending, this book missed the bar for me. I enjoyed the book enough that I would read more by Heather Barbieri in the future, and I think that The Cottage at Glass Beach would make for a good, relaxing summer read.
*I received this book for review*
In The Cottage at Glass Beach, with a hazy past and an uncertain future, Nora is a woman facing major life changes. Her husband has been aught cheating and Nora has retreated to the small island home of her late mother. With two daughters in tow, Nora must figure out how to move forward with her life and gain clarity for her life. With the help of her aunt and a mysterious shipwrecked man, Nora begins to find peace.
There are definite highs and lows to The Cottage at Glass Beach. It was easy to sympathize with all the characters. Nora's husband is a selfish, clueless man who moved on from Nora, his "starter" wife. Nora is crushed, confused, and at a loss at where to go from there. I really like Nora's character, she is a wonderful mother, dedicated to her girls. However, somewhere along the way, she lost her sense of self. She became a politician's wife and the more engrossed she became in being a wife and mother, the farther away from her true self she became. When she returns to the cottage where she lived with her mother, her childhood memories and her past remind her of what she loves, the sea, art, and a peaceful life. Nora's daughters each have their own quirks and emotions. The older daughter is confused and places blame in the wrong places. The younger daughter is constantly searching for the silver lining and for adventure. The realities of this families situation were quite believable and worked for the story.
Heather Barbieri created a beautiful setting, a small island town filled with caring people and magic in the air. I loved the setting and envisioning the beach was easy to do. The magic and mythology hinted at through the story was quite intriguing. There is a fairy tale like quality to the book that kept me reading and guessing as to the families origins.
While I thoroughly enjoyed much of the book, I did have some problems in a few areas. I was often frustrated with the oldest daughter, Ella. Ella, in typical 12 year old fashion, had a major attitude throughout the book. This is to be expected, however, the problem was that she was never corrected, she was allowed to think the wrong thing and to place blame on her mother. Nora never really sat her down and explained the situation to her daughters, she just let them work it out themselves, and that just didn't sit well with me. The relationships overall in The Cottage at Glass Beach are not fully developed. The romance and relationship between Owen and Nora is slow and unclear. Many of the relationships are never resolved by the end of the book.
While I loved the hints of magic and mythology throughout the book, the hints were just not enough. I kept waiting for the magic to play a more central role and be clarified. I was disappointed that I was confused and left to come to my own conclusions on this front, the magic could have benefitted from better development through the story. This all culminates with the ending. I was less than satisfied with the ending, I felt that the story was left open. Nora's next steps are not explained, her relationship with Owen is not explained, her relationship with her daughters is still unclear, and overall, I was not pleased.
The Cottage at Glass Beach is a beautiful book, but with a lack of clarity and an unsatisfying ending, this book missed the bar for me. I enjoyed the book enough that I would read more by Heather Barbieri in the future, and I think that The Cottage at Glass Beach would make for a good, relaxing summer read.
*I received this book for review*
May 14, 2013
The Cottage at Glass Beach was a very pleasant read. It has a soft, quiet quality to it and from the start gives you a hint of magical realism. Burke's Island is rich in history, and I found the numerous characters to be all equally intriguing; as Nora, Ella and Annie (Nora's daughters) meet them, I wanted to know more about them and their life on the island.
There's also a beautiful mix of styles; the book isn't straight romance, and in fact I would say it mostly isn't about the romance. There's the mystery of Nora's mother's disappearance, the story of Maire (the aunt they are living with), the family aspects, the mystery of Owen, etc. While the book isn't a mystery novel, there are enough unanswered questions to keep you guessing all along.
While I loved the setting and enjoyed the story, there were two aspects that kept me from truly loving the book. The first was my inability to connect to Nora. I felt for her, sure, but I was unable to reach over that wall that exists between reader and character and really understand her. That was a bit unfortunate since she was the main character, and I am not sure where the fault is since I actually liked the author's writing, which I found to be poetic in places. The second point was Nora's daughters. Again, I understood they were going through a lot, but I had a hard time sympathizing with them, especially Ella. Also, I found their conversations to be a bit too adult-like, and until I went back, confused, to reread the first few pages, I actually thought they were both teenagers.
This being said, I mostly enjoyed the book. I went through it quite quickly and its dreamy, mysterious atmosphere stayed with me thorough the days. It reminded me how much I love magical realism, and it was nicely done here. The story gave me a taste of summer and made me wish I could go hang on the beach, too!
In the end, while it wasn't a perfect read, I closed the book feeling satisfied. I would definitely read more of this author - which is great since I already have one of her books on my ereader!
There's also a beautiful mix of styles; the book isn't straight romance, and in fact I would say it mostly isn't about the romance. There's the mystery of Nora's mother's disappearance, the story of Maire (the aunt they are living with), the family aspects, the mystery of Owen, etc. While the book isn't a mystery novel, there are enough unanswered questions to keep you guessing all along.
While I loved the setting and enjoyed the story, there were two aspects that kept me from truly loving the book. The first was my inability to connect to Nora. I felt for her, sure, but I was unable to reach over that wall that exists between reader and character and really understand her. That was a bit unfortunate since she was the main character, and I am not sure where the fault is since I actually liked the author's writing, which I found to be poetic in places. The second point was Nora's daughters. Again, I understood they were going through a lot, but I had a hard time sympathizing with them, especially Ella. Also, I found their conversations to be a bit too adult-like, and until I went back, confused, to reread the first few pages, I actually thought they were both teenagers.
This being said, I mostly enjoyed the book. I went through it quite quickly and its dreamy, mysterious atmosphere stayed with me thorough the days. It reminded me how much I love magical realism, and it was nicely done here. The story gave me a taste of summer and made me wish I could go hang on the beach, too!
In the end, while it wasn't a perfect read, I closed the book feeling satisfied. I would definitely read more of this author - which is great since I already have one of her books on my ereader!
May 15, 2012
I was immediately intrigued by the premise of The Cottage At Glass Beach, particularly because it hints at mystery and magical realism. It's a combination of elements that I delight in and are guaranteed to attract my interest. Unfortunately, I was left distinctly underwhelmed by this novel, which couldn't quite resolve into the enchanting read I hoped it would be.
While I quite liked the storyline, which is accurately described in the blurb, little was actually resolved by the end of the novel. The larger questions are left unanswered and I think some readers may dislike the ambiguity of those answers that are provided.
I found I wasn't really able to really identify with Nora, whose passivity was draining. She rarely initiated anything despite expressing the desire to deal with her husband, and solve the mystery of her mother's disappearance and her air of detachment from everything going on around her is something that I found off putting. While I really liked the way Barbieri portrayed the sibling relationship between Ella and Annie, individually they were just a touch too precocious, though Annie is sweet and Ella plays the part of a stroppy preteen well. Aunt Maire was my favourite character, her warmth, her regrets, her memories served to create a well rounded character that gave depth to the absent character of Norah mother, Maeve. Surprisingly Owen barely registers, he is absent from much of the story both physically and emotionally.
What I mostly struggled with while reading, was the overly formal tone of the novel. There were instances of lyrical, evocative phrasing, particularly in the descriptions of the island landscape, but the author was unable to sustain this through the book. The dialogue was often stilted, and overall The Cottage At Glass Beach just never seems to quite find its rhythm.
March 17, 2012
From the first few pages of The Cottage at Glass Beach I felt absolutely entranced. Just like the little island off the coast of Maine that this book is set in there is something magical about this story, an intriguing mystery that made me want to sit and read until I was done with the very last page. It is the story of a wife and mother of two young girls whose life has been turned upside down by her husband's affair. When Nora and her daughters arrive on the island she is quickly reminded of a mystery that began long ago, a mystery that in it's own way has shaped her entire life. Her mother has been missing since she was a young girl and her dissapearance has never been solved. Will the island, and it's people offer more questions than answers? Or will the wind and the sea be enough to guide Nora through these changes in her life?I felt like the final pages of this book left me to come to my own conclusion. These characters and their stories will stay with me for awhile. I'm hoping there may be a sequal in the works!
April 9, 2015
Nora and her daughters move to a family cottage on a small Maine island after a scandal with Nora's husband, who is an overall DB. I liked Nora's character; Ella, the 12-year old daughter is a smartmouth but what 12-year isn't?; Annie is a sweet 7-year old who is in touch with much of the magic that surrounds Burke's Island. Owen may or not be a selkie, but he is an enjoyable character.
I would give 4* to The Cottage At Glass Beach, but the ending was not even a complete cliffhanger. It just ended with way more questions than even The Giver. Where did Nora's mother go? Was Owen a selkie? What was the deal with the answering machine at Maire's home?
I would give 4* to The Cottage At Glass Beach, but the ending was not even a complete cliffhanger. It just ended with way more questions than even The Giver. Where did Nora's mother go? Was Owen a selkie? What was the deal with the answering machine at Maire's home?
July 7, 2015
So much promise in the premise of this book and there were glimpses of a gripping story in a few chapters and with certain characters. But damn if the ending is one of the biggest disappointments I've ever read. Unresolved doesn't even begin to describe what this book lacks. NOTHING is explained. There was lots of potential with characters, with the exception of the annoying pre-teen daughter character and the wimpy mother Nora. An island mystery, the Irish legend of selkies, ship wrecks, a possible ghost and a supernatural romance were all hinted at, but then nothing. Waste.Of.Time.
April 23, 2015
The plot and the characters never came together for me. I liked the location of the book, however, since I'm a sucker for anything that takes place on the beach.
June 9, 2024
2.5 stars rounded down.
I wanted to like this book more, but it did not give me any reason to.
Most of the characters were very flat, especially Owen. Nora, for all that she is supposed to be over controlling, is extremely passive. She lets her daughter Ella and her estranged husband Malcolm just walk all over her. Although I understand that Ella is upset by the family’s new circumstances, she is an absolute brat to everyone and Nora lets her get away with it every time.
The story builds up to a supposedly climactic ending and then just falls flat. So many storylines are left hanging, especially who Owen and Ronan really are. (There is a saying in the theater that if you show a gun in the first act, you’d better fire it in the second act. In this case, the gun disappears.)
There are touches of magical realism that are really nicely done, and the prose is lovely if a bit rambling at times. The author develops a nice sense of place, but it’s too bad that she didn’t develop her characters as well, since this was such a character driven story .
I wanted to like this book more, but it did not give me any reason to.
Most of the characters were very flat, especially Owen. Nora, for all that she is supposed to be over controlling, is extremely passive. She lets her daughter Ella and her estranged husband Malcolm just walk all over her. Although I understand that Ella is upset by the family’s new circumstances, she is an absolute brat to everyone and Nora lets her get away with it every time.
The story builds up to a supposedly climactic ending and then just falls flat. So many storylines are left hanging, especially who Owen and Ronan really are. (There is a saying in the theater that if you show a gun in the first act, you’d better fire it in the second act. In this case, the gun disappears.)
There are touches of magical realism that are really nicely done, and the prose is lovely if a bit rambling at times. The author develops a nice sense of place, but it’s too bad that she didn’t develop her characters as well, since this was such a character driven story .
April 28, 2018
Summer romp at the beach, infidelity, family history, death and a new beginning.
May 11, 2022
really good book, loved the story , the characters and the ending
August 19, 2024
I wanted more of the myths and fairy tales so the ending made more sense. More of Maire’s story. Who the heck was Ronan? It could have been so good if it wasn’t so incomplete.
June 14, 2012
MY THOUGHTS
LOVED IT
Nora has taken her two girls and takes refuge on an island off the Massachusetts' coast in her aunt's cottage after she reads about her politician husband's infidelities in the paper. Her mother's disappearance years ago left a rift between her and her aunt that she is now trying to mend. The two girls find magic at the beach even though they don't fully understand what exactly happened between their parents. When she meets Owen, a fisherman who has apparently survived a ship wreck, she find a bit of comfort in this man's sudden appearance. There are rumors that he is a Selkie, summoned by her tears of grief. This paranormal element gives a new twist to my favorite genre of beach reads which is perfect for this time of year.
My heart broke for Nora, seeing how her life is all wrapped up in grief with her mother's disappearance and her husband's indiscretions. I somewhat guessed where all this would take her and her daughters but the journey of words was well worth the trip. I love books with a little bit of a magical element that can keep you guessing all the way until the end, but there were a few strings left untied here. I hope that this opens the way for a follow up to find out exactly the mystery behind her mother's disappearance. Annie and Ella brought a true bit of whimsy with their story with how kids believe so truly in the mystical. If you enjoy Cathy Lamb or Sarah Addison Allen, you will be sure to enjoy this one.
LOVED IT
Nora has taken her two girls and takes refuge on an island off the Massachusetts' coast in her aunt's cottage after she reads about her politician husband's infidelities in the paper. Her mother's disappearance years ago left a rift between her and her aunt that she is now trying to mend. The two girls find magic at the beach even though they don't fully understand what exactly happened between their parents. When she meets Owen, a fisherman who has apparently survived a ship wreck, she find a bit of comfort in this man's sudden appearance. There are rumors that he is a Selkie, summoned by her tears of grief. This paranormal element gives a new twist to my favorite genre of beach reads which is perfect for this time of year.
My heart broke for Nora, seeing how her life is all wrapped up in grief with her mother's disappearance and her husband's indiscretions. I somewhat guessed where all this would take her and her daughters but the journey of words was well worth the trip. I love books with a little bit of a magical element that can keep you guessing all the way until the end, but there were a few strings left untied here. I hope that this opens the way for a follow up to find out exactly the mystery behind her mother's disappearance. Annie and Ella brought a true bit of whimsy with their story with how kids believe so truly in the mystical. If you enjoy Cathy Lamb or Sarah Addison Allen, you will be sure to enjoy this one.
May 14, 2012
Nora and her two daughters, Ella and Annie leave for Burke's Island in Maine. Nora used to live here when she was younger. Lately Nora has been feeling a powerful pull to return. Nora and her daughters are staying just for the summer. It is not long before the threee women have a man wash up into their lives...literally. His name is Owen. There is something mysterious about Owen. This will be the summer that Nora and her girls will never forget.
This book was way better than I could have imagine it to be. It had some aire of mystery surrounding it with the characters. While, I figured out where the story was leading pretty early on, I still kept reading and waiting to see how the big reveal would take place. Nora, I was unsure of in the beginning. I was not sure if she could hold her own but she did. She did it in a quiet way. Annie was a doll. She was just like any little seven year old girl...full of wonder, adventure and wise beyond her years. Ella, I could even forgive as well for being a brat. She did it because she was mad at her father but she was still a good sister to Annie.
I love to swim. So if I ever had to become a magical sea creature, I would want to be what was featured in this book. I don't want to saw, as I don't want to give anything away. You will just have to pick up a copy of this book to see if yourself. The Cottage at Glass Beach is a must summer read!
This book was way better than I could have imagine it to be. It had some aire of mystery surrounding it with the characters. While, I figured out where the story was leading pretty early on, I still kept reading and waiting to see how the big reveal would take place. Nora, I was unsure of in the beginning. I was not sure if she could hold her own but she did. She did it in a quiet way. Annie was a doll. She was just like any little seven year old girl...full of wonder, adventure and wise beyond her years. Ella, I could even forgive as well for being a brat. She did it because she was mad at her father but she was still a good sister to Annie.
I love to swim. So if I ever had to become a magical sea creature, I would want to be what was featured in this book. I don't want to saw, as I don't want to give anything away. You will just have to pick up a copy of this book to see if yourself. The Cottage at Glass Beach is a must summer read!
March 20, 2013
I was hoping this would be kind of like In The Country of The Young by Lisa Carey, but alas! This book wanted to be The Mermaid Chair by Sue Monk Kidd, which I absolutely hated. Everything in this book is vague, except the main characters' daughters. Everyone is so precious all the time, and then...
This took me two weeks to read. I expected it to take an afternoon, and only picked it because it was there and looked like an easy way to up my book count for the year. Now I've lost most of the lead I had because I could only read about 20 pages at a time before getting so bored I had to put it down.
Just say no.
This took me two weeks to read. I expected it to take an afternoon, and only picked it because it was there and looked like an easy way to up my book count for the year. Now I've lost most of the lead I had because I could only read about 20 pages at a time before getting so bored I had to put it down.
Just say no.
May 12, 2019
Puzzled by the ending
The ending was not what I expected. Daughter, Ella’s attitude really got on my nerves. If I had sassed my Mother the way she did and did the things she did, I would have been severely punished. This book seemed full of characters who did their own thing and damn the consequences. The ending left a lot of questions unanswered, such as who was Owen, who was the lady in the shack, and what really happened to Maeve. The beginning started out with Nora hiding and the tide keeping her from escaping. How did a 4 year old get free and why did her mother abandon her on a remote island? What was in the package wrapped in oilcloth? Too many unanswered questions for me. Not that I expect an ending that is all wrapped up with a bow, but why mention these things in a story if you are not going to mention them again?
The ending was not what I expected. Daughter, Ella’s attitude really got on my nerves. If I had sassed my Mother the way she did and did the things she did, I would have been severely punished. This book seemed full of characters who did their own thing and damn the consequences. The ending left a lot of questions unanswered, such as who was Owen, who was the lady in the shack, and what really happened to Maeve. The beginning started out with Nora hiding and the tide keeping her from escaping. How did a 4 year old get free and why did her mother abandon her on a remote island? What was in the package wrapped in oilcloth? Too many unanswered questions for me. Not that I expect an ending that is all wrapped up with a bow, but why mention these things in a story if you are not going to mention them again?
July 10, 2012
I couldn't get into this -- not really my type of prose, which is my fault, not the author's. Main character Nora goes to a remote Maine island with her two daughters after her husband's infidelity. She tries to piece back together her life... She finds someone -- there's Irish lore mixed in -- blah, blah... I'm sketchy on the details because I stopped reading.
The prose was just too gentle, and had almost no impact on me. They didn't read like real people; no angst, no edge. Everything was just -- gentle. I don't know how else to explain in than that, so there it is.
The prose was just too gentle, and had almost no impact on me. They didn't read like real people; no angst, no edge. Everything was just -- gentle. I don't know how else to explain in than that, so there it is.
February 18, 2013
Took two tries but I finally finished this, another take on the cheated-on-wife-goes-back-to-her-roots-to-reassess. The location is beautiful (New England island), I enjoy the writing style, and some of the characters (Aunt Maire, Allison, and Annie in particular) are engaging. My real hang up is the fantasy aspect. I can handle magical realism in fiction but I want my fantasy in Fantasy. I can't even classify it a Romance because I was just left thinking, "Huh?" and I got no real emotion or zing from the writing. Suitable for a beach read (might even get you in the water!).
March 15, 2013
The Cottage At Glass Beach was an interesting story that fell flat or blundered to a disappointing ending leaving lots of unanswered questions.
It was as if the author, Heather Barbieri, had a great idea but did not express it as to be fully understood. She is, however, a good writer setting moods and offering insights like:
"You're like a dark cloud that rains on everything."
"Rain's good. It's cleansing. It makes things grow," Ella replied.
"Not the hard kind. The kind that makes mud and floods. The kind that beats things down and drowns people."
It was as if the author, Heather Barbieri, had a great idea but did not express it as to be fully understood. She is, however, a good writer setting moods and offering insights like:
"You're like a dark cloud that rains on everything."
"Rain's good. It's cleansing. It makes things grow," Ella replied.
"Not the hard kind. The kind that makes mud and floods. The kind that beats things down and drowns people."
August 21, 2021
Had to check to see if I had an abridged version. It felt like major sections were left out. The story started out well and then, bam, it was finished - the book that is. For me, the story was left unfinished. The characters’ circumstances were all left unresolved. Clues to the past were unexplained. Hopes for the future were left dangling in the sea breeze. Maybe the author reached her page limit and needed to move on to her next task. Just disappointed at the abrupt ending after a promising beginning.
May 2, 2020
Nora returns to her childhood summer home with her two girls to avoid the scandal of her husband's affair. She reconnects with her aunt and learns more about her parents.
Struggling with her own feelings and those of Ella and Annie, Nora swims, gardens and reconnects with the beach.
I can't decide if I really love this book or not. The ending is either too far fetched or magical.
Struggling with her own feelings and those of Ella and Annie, Nora swims, gardens and reconnects with the beach.
I can't decide if I really love this book or not. The ending is either too far fetched or magical.
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