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From Away
"Oh my God," I whimpered. "Oh my God, I've been shot."
Marion Mackenzie's dream of solitude in Lupin's Point is shattered when Schooner Button spots her near his fishing boat and pegs her as a lobster thief. Clinging to the timbers beneath the dock, Marion realizes this is not the sleepy cove she imagined.
With people like Alice Lupin, Schooner Button and Crazy Hal, life in quirky Lupin's Point promises to be anything but quiet. Amid the chaos of feuding neighbors and a vigilante posse bent on scaring off drug dealers, Marion finds an ally in Donny Kennedy. A bridge between the cove's past and the present, Donny may prove to be the biggest challenge of all.
Marion Mackenzie's dream of solitude in Lupin's Point is shattered when Schooner Button spots her near his fishing boat and pegs her as a lobster thief. Clinging to the timbers beneath the dock, Marion realizes this is not the sleepy cove she imagined.
With people like Alice Lupin, Schooner Button and Crazy Hal, life in quirky Lupin's Point promises to be anything but quiet. Amid the chaos of feuding neighbors and a vigilante posse bent on scaring off drug dealers, Marion finds an ally in Donny Kennedy. A bridge between the cove's past and the present, Donny may prove to be the biggest challenge of all.
270 pages, Paperback
First published September 6, 2011
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
November 3, 2011
This is my first novel and the reviews coming in are positively outstanding! Order your book from Chapters/Indigo online or direct from Borealis Press. Check out my website for more on the book and how to order at www.michelleferguson.ca Thank you to whoever uploaded the cover! Looking forward to connecting with readers!
March 12, 2014
I didn't realize that this was a romance, or I wouldn't have read it. And here I am giving it four stars!
It's been a while since I heartily laughed out loud. There were some very funny moments in this story. I like the setting (Nova Scotia) and the quirky characters. It was simply a quick, fun, and light read.
It's been a while since I heartily laughed out loud. There were some very funny moments in this story. I like the setting (Nova Scotia) and the quirky characters. It was simply a quick, fun, and light read.
May 7, 2012
As seen on: Bookosaur
Marion Mackenzie arrives in Lupin's Point, a fictional community located on the coast of Nova Scotia, hoping to spend a quiet summer figuring out her life, without distraction and, most of all, without complication. At 28 years old, Marion is a perpetual student who jumps from major to major like a fish out of water. Though Marion was born and raised in Alberta, she has always felt more connected to the East Coast than the West, having spent a large portion of her childhood in Halifax. With the only discernible direction in her life pointing East, Marion returns to the one place where she feels truly content and settles in for a summer of relaxation and reflection.
Marion is welcomed to Lupin's Point with a bang - literally. Upon arriving at the seemingly sleepy cove, Marion is mistaken for a lobster thief and is shot at by Schooner Button. When Marion meets the other locals and they dub her as being "from away" - a label indicating she is not a local - she quickly realizes that her summer is going to be about as relaxing as a fisherman caught at sea in a thunderstorm. Indeed, from Crazy Hal's antics, to boats lost at sea, to living in a town where everyone knows your business, life on the Point promises to be anything but what Marion expects - though, in the end, it may turn out to be exactly what she needs.
From Away is the debut novel by Canadian author Michelle Ferguson and I have to admit this book came as a total surprise to me. I didn't have any expectations when I started this novel and, truthfully, as I read the first couple of chapters I wasn't entirely convinced this was one I'd enjoy. After the introductory chapter, From Away gets off to a slow start, and I was a little taken aback with some of the language choices (for example: terms like "snack attack" and "parental units" made Marion come across as a 40-year-old mom trying to sound "hip and happening"). Also, at first I was kind of put off by Marion, but I think I was hard on her because I'm in the same situation as her. Not only am I 28 years old, like Marion, but I've also struggled in figuring out my life's purpose. I went to school and completed my BA (changed majors twice), went into college for a paralegal program and graduated top of class, and now am gradually taking publishing courses. In almost all respects, I'm exactly like Marion. The difference is: my parents stopped providing for me a long time ago. Admittedly, I'm still nowhere near where I want to be in terms of my career, but I'm working in a job I don't necessary love at the same time as figuring it out. Marion gets to figure out her life in the coastal town of Lupin's Point, all expenses paid. I guess because I related to Marion so much, I just expected a little more from her.
This aside, I'm happy to say that this was a book that only got stronger as it went on. Before I realized it, I was turning the pages faster and faster because I was so invested in the characters' lives and I felt just as much a part of Lupin's Point as the locals. Ferguson paints a vivid picture of Nova Scotia and, in particular, the fictional cove of Lupin's Point. I could practically feel the summer breeze coming off of the ocean, could just about hear the waves crashing on the rocks and the sound of the boats chiming in the harbour, and I was almost convinced that if I licked my lips there would be a lingering taste of salt. At the end of June, I'm moving from British Columbia back home to Ontario, but Ferguson's portrayal of life in Lupin's Point just about convinced me to drive right past Ontario and straight on to Nova Scotia instead. (Ms. Ferguson, you may have to answer to my mother if this ends up happening.)
My desire to move to Nova Scotia aside, for me, the strongest part of this novel is the characters. I grew up in a small rural community and Ferguson's portrayal of small-time life is pretty accurate.
The characters all but jump off the page and it's like I have known them all my life. Like Marion, I was instantly drawn to the interesting people of Lupin's Point and I genuinely started to care for them, despite my own "from away" status. Overall, From Away is a very well-written story of life on coastal Nova Scotia and, like Brie from Eat Books suggests, is best enjoyed with a cup of hot tea. I would definitely return to Lupin's Point to check in on its residents again, but, at the risk of being shot at by Schooner Button, I think I'll make sure to call ahead first.
This book was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
Marion Mackenzie arrives in Lupin's Point, a fictional community located on the coast of Nova Scotia, hoping to spend a quiet summer figuring out her life, without distraction and, most of all, without complication. At 28 years old, Marion is a perpetual student who jumps from major to major like a fish out of water. Though Marion was born and raised in Alberta, she has always felt more connected to the East Coast than the West, having spent a large portion of her childhood in Halifax. With the only discernible direction in her life pointing East, Marion returns to the one place where she feels truly content and settles in for a summer of relaxation and reflection.
Marion is welcomed to Lupin's Point with a bang - literally. Upon arriving at the seemingly sleepy cove, Marion is mistaken for a lobster thief and is shot at by Schooner Button. When Marion meets the other locals and they dub her as being "from away" - a label indicating she is not a local - she quickly realizes that her summer is going to be about as relaxing as a fisherman caught at sea in a thunderstorm. Indeed, from Crazy Hal's antics, to boats lost at sea, to living in a town where everyone knows your business, life on the Point promises to be anything but what Marion expects - though, in the end, it may turn out to be exactly what she needs.
From Away is the debut novel by Canadian author Michelle Ferguson and I have to admit this book came as a total surprise to me. I didn't have any expectations when I started this novel and, truthfully, as I read the first couple of chapters I wasn't entirely convinced this was one I'd enjoy. After the introductory chapter, From Away gets off to a slow start, and I was a little taken aback with some of the language choices (for example: terms like "snack attack" and "parental units" made Marion come across as a 40-year-old mom trying to sound "hip and happening"). Also, at first I was kind of put off by Marion, but I think I was hard on her because I'm in the same situation as her. Not only am I 28 years old, like Marion, but I've also struggled in figuring out my life's purpose. I went to school and completed my BA (changed majors twice), went into college for a paralegal program and graduated top of class, and now am gradually taking publishing courses. In almost all respects, I'm exactly like Marion. The difference is: my parents stopped providing for me a long time ago. Admittedly, I'm still nowhere near where I want to be in terms of my career, but I'm working in a job I don't necessary love at the same time as figuring it out. Marion gets to figure out her life in the coastal town of Lupin's Point, all expenses paid. I guess because I related to Marion so much, I just expected a little more from her.
This aside, I'm happy to say that this was a book that only got stronger as it went on. Before I realized it, I was turning the pages faster and faster because I was so invested in the characters' lives and I felt just as much a part of Lupin's Point as the locals. Ferguson paints a vivid picture of Nova Scotia and, in particular, the fictional cove of Lupin's Point. I could practically feel the summer breeze coming off of the ocean, could just about hear the waves crashing on the rocks and the sound of the boats chiming in the harbour, and I was almost convinced that if I licked my lips there would be a lingering taste of salt. At the end of June, I'm moving from British Columbia back home to Ontario, but Ferguson's portrayal of life in Lupin's Point just about convinced me to drive right past Ontario and straight on to Nova Scotia instead. (Ms. Ferguson, you may have to answer to my mother if this ends up happening.)
My desire to move to Nova Scotia aside, for me, the strongest part of this novel is the characters. I grew up in a small rural community and Ferguson's portrayal of small-time life is pretty accurate.
The characters all but jump off the page and it's like I have known them all my life. Like Marion, I was instantly drawn to the interesting people of Lupin's Point and I genuinely started to care for them, despite my own "from away" status. Overall, From Away is a very well-written story of life on coastal Nova Scotia and, like Brie from Eat Books suggests, is best enjoyed with a cup of hot tea. I would definitely return to Lupin's Point to check in on its residents again, but, at the risk of being shot at by Schooner Button, I think I'll make sure to call ahead first.
This book was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
December 24, 2015
In From Away, we are whisked into the close-knit community of Lupin’s Point, where 28 year old Marion has chosen to spend her summer at her uncle’s abandoned summer home. Here she plans to take time to reflect on her life and figure out the age-old question: where should she go from here? But peace and quiet are far from what Marion encounters. Instead, Marion meets busy-body Alice Lupin, who befriends Marion instantly, while also making it her mission to “figure out” Marion’s true intentions; Schooner, who tries to shoot Marion when he thinks she’s a lobster thief; 'Crazy' Hal, who maybe isn't so crazy after all, and then of course there’s Donny, the handsome, well-mannered man Marion insists on being “just friends” with.
Marion soon finds out that you can’t really mind your own business in Lupin’s Point; your business is everyone’s business. And it doesn’t take long for Marion to become just as interested in the people of Lupin’s Point as they are in her. But will they ever fully accept her as one of them? Can Marion break through her label of being “from away”, even though her own father is from Nova Scotia? And lastly, will Marion allow herself to find love?
This book makes a great book club pick as it appeals to all readers, young and old :) And if you're not part of a book club, then I recommend enjoying it curled up with a soft blanket and a warm cup of tea :)
Full review and a Q&A with the author at http://letseatbooks.blogspot.ca/2012/...
Marion soon finds out that you can’t really mind your own business in Lupin’s Point; your business is everyone’s business. And it doesn’t take long for Marion to become just as interested in the people of Lupin’s Point as they are in her. But will they ever fully accept her as one of them? Can Marion break through her label of being “from away”, even though her own father is from Nova Scotia? And lastly, will Marion allow herself to find love?
This book makes a great book club pick as it appeals to all readers, young and old :) And if you're not part of a book club, then I recommend enjoying it curled up with a soft blanket and a warm cup of tea :)
Full review and a Q&A with the author at http://letseatbooks.blogspot.ca/2012/...
October 23, 2012
This author lives in our area - she is currently set to release another book in the Spring! We should have her come out to one of our book club nights
August 5, 2017
Nice read especially to hear more about the Maritimes and references to places that we have visited.
December 5, 2012
I don't usually read general fiction, but this caught my eye, and was an enjoyable read.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews