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Leeway Cottage
In this beautifully written tour de force of a novel, Beth Gutcheon takes readers back to the coastal village of Dundee, Maine. There, in a Victorian summer house called Leeway Cottage, we witness the scenes of a long 20th century marriage.
In April of 1940, a rich girl of the Dundee summer colony named Sydney Brant marries a gifted Danish pianist, Laurus Moss. But almost at once, their views of the world and their marriage begin to diverge. When Laurus chooses to leave Sydney in the fall of 1941 to help build a Danish Resistance from London, Sydney is dismayed. By the time they are reunited four years later, Laurus's family and the reader have been through one of the most stirring stories of the war, Denmark's courageous grass-roots rescue of virtually all 7000 of the country's Jews.
In the decades to come, many people, especially their three grown children, will wonder if these two very different people understand each other at all. If they do, how do they stay together? Laurus likes to claim that in heaven you get to see the movie of your life, with all the blanks filled in. In their old age Sydney fears what he might see and why he wants to know; their children fear he'll die and there won't be any movie.
But there will be.
Performed by Elizabeth Marvel
In April of 1940, a rich girl of the Dundee summer colony named Sydney Brant marries a gifted Danish pianist, Laurus Moss. But almost at once, their views of the world and their marriage begin to diverge. When Laurus chooses to leave Sydney in the fall of 1941 to help build a Danish Resistance from London, Sydney is dismayed. By the time they are reunited four years later, Laurus's family and the reader have been through one of the most stirring stories of the war, Denmark's courageous grass-roots rescue of virtually all 7000 of the country's Jews.
In the decades to come, many people, especially their three grown children, will wonder if these two very different people understand each other at all. If they do, how do they stay together? Laurus likes to claim that in heaven you get to see the movie of your life, with all the blanks filled in. In their old age Sydney fears what he might see and why he wants to know; their children fear he'll die and there won't be any movie.
But there will be.
Performed by Elizabeth Marvel
Audiobook
First published May 1, 2005
117 people are currently reading
874 people want to read
About the author
Beth Gutcheon
30 books249 followersBeth Gutcheon grew up in western Pennsylvania. She was educated at Harvard where she took an honors BA in English literature. She has spent most of her adult life in New York City, except for sojourns in San Francisco and on the coast of Maine. In 1978, she wrote the narration for a feature-length documentary on the Kirov ballet school, The Children of Theatre Street, which was nominated for an Academy Award, and she has made her living fulltime as a storyteller (novelist and sometime screenwriter) since then. Her novels have been translated into fourteen languages, if you count the pirate Chinese edition of Still Missing, plus large print and audio format. Still Missing was made into a feature film called Without a Trace, and also published in a Reader’s Digest Condensed version which particularly pleased her mother. Several of her novels have been national bestsellers, including the most recent, Leeway Cottage. All of the novels are available in new uniform paperback editions from HarperPerennial.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 277 reviews
January 2, 2008
I have mixed feelings about this book. I enjoyed the beginning, reading about Sydney's unhappy childhood. She desperately wanted to be loved and approved of, especially by her stepmother Candace. She finally had enough and was strong enough to take her chances and pursue her dreams in New York. I also enjoyed the middle of the book about what it was like in Denmark during WWII. I don't know much about Danish history during the war. The stories of the Allies and Danish attempts to transport the Danish Jews and Resistant forces was inspiring. Reading what Nina went through in the camps was so heartbreaking.
What I did not enjoy was the last half of the book after the end of the war. The book jumped around too much about Sydney & Laurus's complex relationship and the lives of their children and Laurus's family. I was disappointed that Sydney, who once seemed strong and independent enough to leave her home and seek New York, who took up carpentry and painting their new home, ended up turning into this neurotic person. I felt the author did not explain this change enough in the book. Laurus remained devoted to Sydney but I was left wondering why? Guilt perhaps? The children were one dimensional and the book jumped from their childhood to their marriage, and then their own children too quickly.
What I did not enjoy was the last half of the book after the end of the war. The book jumped around too much about Sydney & Laurus's complex relationship and the lives of their children and Laurus's family. I was disappointed that Sydney, who once seemed strong and independent enough to leave her home and seek New York, who took up carpentry and painting their new home, ended up turning into this neurotic person. I felt the author did not explain this change enough in the book. Laurus remained devoted to Sydney but I was left wondering why? Guilt perhaps? The children were one dimensional and the book jumped from their childhood to their marriage, and then their own children too quickly.
August 20, 2012
This book was very readable--it only took me a day and a half to finish it--but it was frustrating in its inconsistency. The WWII/Danish Resistance/Concentration camp stuff was certainly interesting reading and compelling, but it felt like a completely different novel than the domestic/comical rest of the book. Jumping back and forth between these stories made very little sense to me as a reader. I also really didn't understand why the character of Sydney was changed midway through the story from someone very sympathetic to this horrible, society-minded twit that no one could stand. I kept waiting for something redeeming about her character to be shown, but it never happened. There just wasn't any logic to this and I found myself by the end wondering why the novel was focused on her life if she was painted as so silly and obnoxious, especially in contrast the the perfect, serious Europeans. Why not drop the Sydney character entirely and just write the novel about the Danish resistance and life in the camps in WWII? None of these choices made by the author made any sense to me.
January 6, 2015
A Victorian summer house – Leeway Cottage – is the one constant in the life of Annabee Sydney Brant Moss. Covering the time period from 1924 to 1993, this book explores the relationship between two people who are very different. Annabee grows up the privileged only child of a father who dotes on her and a mother who seems to resent her. They live in Ohio but have a summer home on the coast of Maine. Laurus is a Dane, a musician who left Europe for New York, but who has a strong sense of responsibility towards his family and his countrymen.
In general I like character-driven novels, and I really enjoyed this look at a marriage through the eyes of two very different people. Sydney had my full sympathies when she was still a child called Annabee. But as she matured I liked her less and less. It was interesting to see the great influence her mother had on her despite her efforts to distance herself from Candace. Laurus was more of an enigma. A musician and a patriot, he chafed under the restraints imposed by the war, but still felt a patriotic duty to serve. His facility with languages and deep knowledge of Europe made him valuable to the Allied forces, but his fame meant he had to remain at a distance. That forced restraint seems to have never left him, however.
I’m struggling with how to describe the book because I really don’t want to give an entire synopsis, and there is much that happens. The story covers several decades, after all, though much of the action is concentrated during the World War II era. I found the scenes dealing with Laurus’ family back in Denmark during the war particularly compelling, and I definitely wanted more of this story. But Gutcheon uses multiple points of view and moves back and forth in time as people remember past events, so I’m left feeling as if I’ve only scratched the surface.
I am reminded that there are many stories in the people around me; that what we see of a person – even one we think we know well - may be only the tip of the iceberg.
In general I like character-driven novels, and I really enjoyed this look at a marriage through the eyes of two very different people. Sydney had my full sympathies when she was still a child called Annabee. But as she matured I liked her less and less. It was interesting to see the great influence her mother had on her despite her efforts to distance herself from Candace. Laurus was more of an enigma. A musician and a patriot, he chafed under the restraints imposed by the war, but still felt a patriotic duty to serve. His facility with languages and deep knowledge of Europe made him valuable to the Allied forces, but his fame meant he had to remain at a distance. That forced restraint seems to have never left him, however.
I’m struggling with how to describe the book because I really don’t want to give an entire synopsis, and there is much that happens. The story covers several decades, after all, though much of the action is concentrated during the World War II era. I found the scenes dealing with Laurus’ family back in Denmark during the war particularly compelling, and I definitely wanted more of this story. But Gutcheon uses multiple points of view and moves back and forth in time as people remember past events, so I’m left feeling as if I’ve only scratched the surface.
I am reminded that there are many stories in the people around me; that what we see of a person – even one we think we know well - may be only the tip of the iceberg.
July 17, 2020
Leeway Cottage was everything that I need in a book-multi-generational, family-centered, history based on fact-and a fact that I had been ignorant to somehow-characters who fall down, hurt each other, misunderstand each other, but through it all keep on loving..and there is a "sequel"- as well as a previous novel based in the same small summer community of Dundee, Maine! Although there has been much talk about this being a "Holocaust book", it honestly is more than this- it touches on so much more down through the years, beginning in the late 1800's and working forward to the last few decades.
January 25, 2019
This book, published in 2005, feels patently, urgently relevant. The story of a marriage spanning much of the 20th century, it transports the reader to a small community on the Maine coast, then Europe during World War II, then back to suburban Connecticut in the determinedly hedonistic, WASPy 60's, then a final flashback to the German concentration camp at Ravensbruck that re-casts the entire story in a devastating light.
I was profoundly moved by the part of the story that dealt with a mother's hatred of her daughter, and how the daughter's stunted emotional growth painfully affects her own husband and children.
But, BUT, most affecting in this book is the story of the Danish resistance in WWII, how the better part of an entire country reacted as one to resist the xenophobic and anti-Semitic German occupation. Danes smuggled Jews from house to house and to the coast, onto boats bound for Sweden, where they were welcomed and protected. Why were these people so moved to endanger themselves and their families? At the time that I'm reading this, the U.S. government is separating families and caging children at our borders. What makes people refuse complicity with such cruelty?
One character explains it thus:
"Danes love peace. And they love comfort, and they'll sacrifice a lot for them. But they cannot enjoy peace and comfort while behaving badly. Also, they have great respect for each other. They trust each other to behave. So when they saw that they had to, they all reacted the same way out of simple pride, and assumed their fellow Danes would do the same."
Perhaps Americans in 2018 aren't grateful enough for peace, and for comfort. Perhaps we neglect to cherish these things, while we're always scanning the Internet for the next sale or trend or object of desire. If we can abide in simple gratitude for what we have, we can realize that we wish the same for all people, for all creatures. Peace and comfort. A longer table. No walls.
Beth Gutcheon is a deceptively accessible writer. Her books are engrossing, hard to put down, her characters so vivid that they melt into the reader's imagination and memory. In Leeway Cottage, she makes history come alive by peopling it with characters so real they're palpable. Like Kate Atkinson (Life After Life), she makes me feel as if I lived through WWII, can no longer take for granted my relatively peaceful, prosperous existence. I feel more alive, more engaged and purposeful, for having read this book. And yet it's an entirely gripping, enjoyable, page-turningly suspenseful experience. Beautifully written. I'm so sad it ended.
I was profoundly moved by the part of the story that dealt with a mother's hatred of her daughter, and how the daughter's stunted emotional growth painfully affects her own husband and children.
But, BUT, most affecting in this book is the story of the Danish resistance in WWII, how the better part of an entire country reacted as one to resist the xenophobic and anti-Semitic German occupation. Danes smuggled Jews from house to house and to the coast, onto boats bound for Sweden, where they were welcomed and protected. Why were these people so moved to endanger themselves and their families? At the time that I'm reading this, the U.S. government is separating families and caging children at our borders. What makes people refuse complicity with such cruelty?
One character explains it thus:
"Danes love peace. And they love comfort, and they'll sacrifice a lot for them. But they cannot enjoy peace and comfort while behaving badly. Also, they have great respect for each other. They trust each other to behave. So when they saw that they had to, they all reacted the same way out of simple pride, and assumed their fellow Danes would do the same."
Perhaps Americans in 2018 aren't grateful enough for peace, and for comfort. Perhaps we neglect to cherish these things, while we're always scanning the Internet for the next sale or trend or object of desire. If we can abide in simple gratitude for what we have, we can realize that we wish the same for all people, for all creatures. Peace and comfort. A longer table. No walls.
Beth Gutcheon is a deceptively accessible writer. Her books are engrossing, hard to put down, her characters so vivid that they melt into the reader's imagination and memory. In Leeway Cottage, she makes history come alive by peopling it with characters so real they're palpable. Like Kate Atkinson (Life After Life), she makes me feel as if I lived through WWII, can no longer take for granted my relatively peaceful, prosperous existence. I feel more alive, more engaged and purposeful, for having read this book. And yet it's an entirely gripping, enjoyable, page-turningly suspenseful experience. Beautifully written. I'm so sad it ended.
February 2, 2011
Very depressing and I don't know if I would want to read it again, but I'm giving it four stars because I think they're well-deserved. I read some reviews on here and I can see that people are disappointed/annoyed that Sydney wound up being much like her own detestable mother. My own mother is a difficult woman and I wonder if perhaps the majority of people that did not grow up with mothers like Candace aren't really capable of understanding why Sydney turned out the way she did. I disagree that Sydney showed a lack of character development. In an ideal world children would learn from their parents' mistakes and do things completely differently, but Beth Gutcheon was not writing with the intention of reflecting an ideal situation. The fact that Sydney was disappointing and alienated herself from readers' sympathies is no accident: she is intended to be a tragic character. I disliked her in the novel's second half but at the same time, my heart broke for her. I wonder if the general ratings on this book are so low on Goodreads because people (understandably) have trouble accepting a fictional story that is truly as bleak and without redemption as many real people's lives are. Overall, I found the book well-written and engaging. The choppy style of the later chapters did not personally bother me. It's a serious read and I wouldn't recommend it to anyone who prefers happy endings.
August 20, 2008
I only finished this book because, every time I said a few more pages and I was going to give up, it would go a few pages completely enchanting and interesting. The book itself though, I didn't enjoy, for 1 a lot of it was like reading a history book, with pages and pages of no story, but just stating history of the times. I don't mind learning history through fictional books, but I don't want to read a "history book" when I am reading for pleasure.
also the book was choppy, one minute the girl would be newborn and then the next section she would be grown up etc, the segeway between the growing up wasn't very good..
also, I started out liking Sydney, but toward the end of the book I didn't like her, and I didn't like how she treated her husband...she turned into her mother, and I would have liked her staying different from her mother.
also the book was choppy, one minute the girl would be newborn and then the next section she would be grown up etc, the segeway between the growing up wasn't very good..
also, I started out liking Sydney, but toward the end of the book I didn't like her, and I didn't like how she treated her husband...she turned into her mother, and I would have liked her staying different from her mother.
August 26, 2014
What a contradiction this book is! There are basically three stories written here. The first part is somewhat entertaining as a family relationship builds. The center part about the Danish involvement in World War II is utterly fascinating and could have been extended into a novel by itself. The last part is a completely boring pedestrian mess! It's as if the writer just gave up after a tremendous exertion and forced herself to just keep writing about family members, basically listing many things that happened without any interest in the characters themselves. Then the last three chapters, which are completely out of sync with the storyline, are just thrown in...attempting to explain a few bland statements made throughout the book.
August 1, 2009
I don't know how I feel about this one. I can't say that I enjoyed it. And I can't say that I particularly liked any of the characters either. I thought the story about the Danish resistance during World War II was interesting but I felt like that took you out of the story of the marriage of Laurus and Sydney and then you instantly dropped back into it without any transition. I guess this is what World War II did to most couples but it was still jarring. The author spent half the book on the war years and spent the other half of the book rushing through 50 years of marital history. It was too much and not enough all at the same time.
June 15, 2009
I loved this book. No one else I know seems to have been as take with it as I was, but I was enthralled from beginning to end. I do tend to like character-driven novels more than plot-driven novels, and those that include a bit of history always intrigue me. Still, I sent this novel to all the people I know who might have liked it, but none were as fond of it as I.
Her sequel, Goodbye and Amen, I also loved, though it was not as fine as Leeway Cottage in my mind.
I've read everything Beth Gutcheon has written, and I love her work.
Her sequel, Goodbye and Amen, I also loved, though it was not as fine as Leeway Cottage in my mind.
I've read everything Beth Gutcheon has written, and I love her work.
December 2, 2008
This book started with a typical premise.... We start getting to know the main characters as children(one rich and one poor) and end up following them though their lives. Half of the story takes place in the United States and the other takes place in Norway. It ended up being a very deep, thought provoking book that I think will stay with me for a long time. I have had dreams about it since.
November 28, 2014
This story combined the lives and relationships of the Brant and Moss families with the story of the Danish resistance to the Nazis invasion and the rescue of Danish Jews. At times the story line seemed a bit disjointed. However, it was packed with a great deal of history which I found well presented, and the main characters were well developed. I found it difficult to put down.
June 6, 2020
This was an interesting story about a family who was impacted by World War Two. Parts of it were told as if it was a History book and parts were told from certain characters points of view. It was almost as if there were two or three different authors. I really liked some parts of it, and not so much the others.
September 19, 2018
This book left me with many questions. There were a lot of holes in the story. Characters appeared and disappeared in the same paragraph only to reappear in the final pages of the book. I think we as readers were expected to make a lot of assumptions. I loved the story line (most of the time) but often had to re-read sections to see what I missed only to find myself even more confused. The historical portion of the book was interesting as I did not know the history of Denmark during WWII.
November 14, 2022
I enjoyed this family saga. My only complaint is several times in the book the author mentions a character that was not introduced. Example: Who was Lorma? You find out a few pages later.
August 19, 2015
I chose to read this book based on a friend's review. I enjoyed it very much. I gave it only 3 stars because I felt there were too many unanswered questions in the novel.
Like many readers, I liked Annabee at the beginning of the novel. She had a miserable childhood with a mother who seemed to dislike her and a father who doted on her. Suddenly, the father seemed not to care about her anymore. Annabee appeared to have some musical talent and when she moved to New York, I thought she was going to develop her talent. I was disappointed that she did not. I thought the shift from sweet, headstrong girl to a total bitch like her mother was too sudden and unexplained.
One reader commented that Candace was her stepmother and I thought that was where the book was headed, but apparently Candace was her mother. I didn't understand Berthe's purpose in the novel. She's a main character one minute and the next minute she is dead and her husband is remarried to a woman he doesn't like much. How did they meet and why did her marry her? This is the first book I have read by this author and I wondered if this was the sequel to a previous book where all of this was explained.
Everyone seems to feel that Laurus and Sydney (Annabee) were a mismatched couple. I don't agree with that. Laurus is a talented, well-known musician in Denmark. He moves to New York and where he is a struggling artist. He gives music lessons to make ends meet. He meets Sydney when he gives her music lessons and they fall in love and marry. Sydney is wealthy and he never HAS to work again. He dabbles in performing when he feels like it and has a few music students while living a luxurious lifestyle. He doesn't seem to be one of those men who has scruples about living off his wife's money. Even though they have different personalities, I felt that they really loved each other, particularly at the end.
Normally, I am a big fan of books about WWII and have read about it from almost every possible angle, but this was my first book that had info about Denmark's role in the war. I guess I have read so much about the Nazi torture that I didn't find those chapters as interesting as the chapters the family at Leeway Cottage.
My friend listens to many of her books on audio. When I saw that my library had an audio copy, I decided to listen to it. I often listen to books on long car trips. I listened to the first two chapters, but felt it was too disjointed because I was in and out of the car. When I sat down and just tried to listen, I couldn't follow it, even though the narrator did a good job with the different voices. I finally returned the audio book and got a printed copy. When I finished reading the book, I went back and read the first chapter again.
Although this is my first book by this author, I am definitely going to look for her other books. I love finding a new author to read!
Like many readers, I liked Annabee at the beginning of the novel. She had a miserable childhood with a mother who seemed to dislike her and a father who doted on her. Suddenly, the father seemed not to care about her anymore. Annabee appeared to have some musical talent and when she moved to New York, I thought she was going to develop her talent. I was disappointed that she did not. I thought the shift from sweet, headstrong girl to a total bitch like her mother was too sudden and unexplained.
One reader commented that Candace was her stepmother and I thought that was where the book was headed, but apparently Candace was her mother. I didn't understand Berthe's purpose in the novel. She's a main character one minute and the next minute she is dead and her husband is remarried to a woman he doesn't like much. How did they meet and why did her marry her? This is the first book I have read by this author and I wondered if this was the sequel to a previous book where all of this was explained.
Everyone seems to feel that Laurus and Sydney (Annabee) were a mismatched couple. I don't agree with that. Laurus is a talented, well-known musician in Denmark. He moves to New York and where he is a struggling artist. He gives music lessons to make ends meet. He meets Sydney when he gives her music lessons and they fall in love and marry. Sydney is wealthy and he never HAS to work again. He dabbles in performing when he feels like it and has a few music students while living a luxurious lifestyle. He doesn't seem to be one of those men who has scruples about living off his wife's money. Even though they have different personalities, I felt that they really loved each other, particularly at the end.
Normally, I am a big fan of books about WWII and have read about it from almost every possible angle, but this was my first book that had info about Denmark's role in the war. I guess I have read so much about the Nazi torture that I didn't find those chapters as interesting as the chapters the family at Leeway Cottage.
My friend listens to many of her books on audio. When I saw that my library had an audio copy, I decided to listen to it. I often listen to books on long car trips. I listened to the first two chapters, but felt it was too disjointed because I was in and out of the car. When I sat down and just tried to listen, I couldn't follow it, even though the narrator did a good job with the different voices. I finally returned the audio book and got a printed copy. When I finished reading the book, I went back and read the first chapter again.
Although this is my first book by this author, I am definitely going to look for her other books. I love finding a new author to read!
July 13, 2010
I went through a huge Beth Gutcheon phase in grad school and read everything of hers I could get my hands on, which did not include this book--it wasn't published yet. I know I've read it before, though. Don't know why I feel like reading it again, but I do.
...
Wow, I had remembered this as a light-hearted book about spoiled people hanging out by the lake. There is some of that, but a big chunk of the middle is the Danish resistance in WWII and how they worked and managed to save nearly all of their Jewish countrymen from the Nazis. Interesting and good, but not what I was expecting at all. I'm kind of surprised at myself for forgetting that part.
What I did remember correctly is that the main character, Annabee/Sydney, is a dear child but grows up to be more and more like her mother: entitled, selfish, and bitchy. That is what happens in real life more often than not, but not what I hope for in reality or fiction.
Now I'm puzzled: was the sequel the fun one, or what? 'Cause this one sure wasn't. It's well written and pretty engaging, but mostly unpleasant. There's the mostly unhappy childhood, then the tension of the war years and trying to smuggle everyone out of Denmark before they get killed or taken to concentration camps, then there's Laurus's sister Nina's time in the camps, and what a relief when the war ends and his whole family is still alive! But even after that, basically the rest of the book is about Sydney being a big spoiled bitch. I thought I remembered liking this book, but now I don't know why. I still give it three stars for being well written, though.
...
Wow, I had remembered this as a light-hearted book about spoiled people hanging out by the lake. There is some of that, but a big chunk of the middle is the Danish resistance in WWII and how they worked and managed to save nearly all of their Jewish countrymen from the Nazis. Interesting and good, but not what I was expecting at all. I'm kind of surprised at myself for forgetting that part.
What I did remember correctly is that the main character, Annabee/Sydney, is a dear child but grows up to be more and more like her mother: entitled, selfish, and bitchy. That is what happens in real life more often than not, but not what I hope for in reality or fiction.
Now I'm puzzled: was the sequel the fun one, or what? 'Cause this one sure wasn't. It's well written and pretty engaging, but mostly unpleasant. There's the mostly unhappy childhood, then the tension of the war years and trying to smuggle everyone out of Denmark before they get killed or taken to concentration camps, then there's Laurus's sister Nina's time in the camps, and what a relief when the war ends and his whole family is still alive! But even after that, basically the rest of the book is about Sydney being a big spoiled bitch. I thought I remembered liking this book, but now I don't know why. I still give it three stars for being well written, though.
March 19, 2013
“They have decided that each of them will take home one thing from Leeway for the winter, for comfort. They are going through the house somberly, saying their goodbyes in their different ways, each looking for one object that will keep the dead alive and close a little longer.”
It is interesting that I read this book right after reading The End of the Point. Both books center around oceanfront cottages and the families that inhabit them, but the books couldn’t be more different. Leeway Cottage is a more traditional family saga. The house by the sea setting is less integral to the story here, but it provides the foundation or backdrop for the story.
Gutcheon is a wonderful storyteller, from the family history of the owners of the Elms and Leeway Cottage, to the children with their dreams and how their families affect them. There’s really two stories here, that intertwine as families are joined. Sydney Brandt rebels against her mother and moves to New York City, determined to be independent and follow a career in music. There she meets Laurus Moss, famed pianist and Danish ex-pat. They fall in love and marry, but World War II casts a dark shadow over their marriage as Moss’s Jewish family is threatened when the Germans occupy Denmark. Story one is the struggle between Sydney and her mother and her desire to become her own woman. Story two is the struggle of Moss’s family (and Denmark) to achieve independence from Nazi tyranny. In the midst of both are the ties that bind Sydney and Laurus to their families and their homes.
I loved the history and Gutcheon’s excellent story-telling. This was a wonderful novel.
It is interesting that I read this book right after reading The End of the Point. Both books center around oceanfront cottages and the families that inhabit them, but the books couldn’t be more different. Leeway Cottage is a more traditional family saga. The house by the sea setting is less integral to the story here, but it provides the foundation or backdrop for the story.
Gutcheon is a wonderful storyteller, from the family history of the owners of the Elms and Leeway Cottage, to the children with their dreams and how their families affect them. There’s really two stories here, that intertwine as families are joined. Sydney Brandt rebels against her mother and moves to New York City, determined to be independent and follow a career in music. There she meets Laurus Moss, famed pianist and Danish ex-pat. They fall in love and marry, but World War II casts a dark shadow over their marriage as Moss’s Jewish family is threatened when the Germans occupy Denmark. Story one is the struggle between Sydney and her mother and her desire to become her own woman. Story two is the struggle of Moss’s family (and Denmark) to achieve independence from Nazi tyranny. In the midst of both are the ties that bind Sydney and Laurus to their families and their homes.
I loved the history and Gutcheon’s excellent story-telling. This was a wonderful novel.
May 17, 2017
A well written book in spite of the choppiness of the narrative line.
I found the story of the Danish resistance during the Second World War very informative - I had no idea just how admirably the Danish citizens acted and was not aware of Sweden's role in sheltering Danish refugees.
The characters were quite interesting, especially in that so many of them were so dislikable - unusual in that one was the main protagonist. I found the story of Sydney and Laurus' marriage very believable.
Having just this morning finished reading the book, I am mostly feeling very disturbed by Nina's back story.
What I really liked was Leeway Cottage itself. I could really imagine myself there...
I found the story of the Danish resistance during the Second World War very informative - I had no idea just how admirably the Danish citizens acted and was not aware of Sweden's role in sheltering Danish refugees.
The characters were quite interesting, especially in that so many of them were so dislikable - unusual in that one was the main protagonist. I found the story of Sydney and Laurus' marriage very believable.
Having just this morning finished reading the book, I am mostly feeling very disturbed by Nina's back story.
What I really liked was Leeway Cottage itself. I could really imagine myself there...
November 7, 2009
This book was very readable, but ultimately unsatisfying for me because I never could figure out what it was about. Was it about Nina or was it about Sydney & Laurus' marriage or about how Sydney's childhood affected her later behavior towards her family? If it was really about Sydney then the Nina story was way to heavy to be a subplot. If the intent was to contrast Sydney & Nina, then I think the plot needed to be structured differently or something. I kept wanting them to come into conflict more or ... I don't know. Something. Maybe it just didn't work for me that you didn't find out until the very end what happened to Nina at Ravensbruck.
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February 27, 2017Actually 3.5...
The "other" Beth is a lovely writer, and this is one of three of her books I have just completed. This is the earliest written of the 3. This is a multi generational epic of sorts, with WWII in the middle, and a Danish main character, allowing me to learn much more about Denmark and the Danish than I had ever known. That was a plus! The characters lead me on a roller coaster of their lives.
The "other" Beth is a lovely writer, and this is one of three of her books I have just completed. This is the earliest written of the 3. This is a multi generational epic of sorts, with WWII in the middle, and a Danish main character, allowing me to learn much more about Denmark and the Danish than I had ever known. That was a plus! The characters lead me on a roller coaster of their lives.
February 23, 2009
I thought this book had great sections, but couldn't quite figure out what it wanted to be. The story of several generations of an American family, or the tale of how World War II affected a Danish family? The protagonist changed from one minute to the next and towards the end the story line became inexplicably choppy. It could have been great, but needed more editing and a better overall plan.
January 3, 2008
This novel grew on me tremendously as I read. It's elegantly written, and what you think will be a small story about a particular family and place grows into something much bigger and weightier. Made me want to read more of Gutcheon's writing.
March 9, 2013
I love fiction that surprises me, and this is a novel, that like life, takes you in places you don't expect to go, showing things that you didn't expect to see. It's astonishing. A subtle, thoughtful, mind-bending tour de force.
November 12, 2015
Various characters are followed during the course of WWII both in the U.S. and Denark. I didn't know about resistance in Denmark. interesting to see the attitudes of Europeans coming to America after the war.
July 13, 2017
I really liked parts of this book and I really hated other parts. The Danish resistance efforts in WWII were especially compelling and I want to learn more.
April 23, 2025
I read several reviews before I started this book. Now I understand what readers were complaining about.
For me, the book just had a lot of holes. But, it could also be, the author planned it this way, as some often do.
I thought the story of brother Jimmy was unfulfilled. He was a troubled child. Was kicked out of schools. A rebel to the core. And the fact his girlfriend’s mother just shows up to introduce herself? I thought for sure she came to tell the family her daughter was pregnant or something tragic has happened to Jimmy. But no. That was it. And time fast forwarded to when Jimmy was an adult and seemed to get his act together. But you never find out how.
I am not sure what was going on with Sydney. Was it truly a dementia like illness? Or was she mentally ill? This was a character I started to like. Wanted to like. But couldn’t.
I didn’t understand her jealousy. Her moodiness. Why she was so difficult all the time.
I actually loved the history of what role Denmark and her people played in the war. It was fascinating to me. As some reviews suggest, this part seemed like a story all in itself that could have really been another book. To me, it was a bit disjointed from the plot, but still interesting.
I thought ending the book with Nina’s story was very appropriate and probably made me like the book much better. I was wondering when we were going to learn what happened to Nina when she was taken away and why she was so troubled the rest of her life.
I think this book was full of subtle revelations that I probably completely missed. I am very literal and expect the same from the books I read. I am not good at thinking outside the box. A skill I think I needed as a reader of this book. Overall I gave it a 3 because I didn’t feel entirely satisfied that everything was resolved. AND I don’t ever feel comfortable if I have to resolve some of the conflicts on my own because the author planned it that way.
For me, the book just had a lot of holes. But, it could also be, the author planned it this way, as some often do.
I thought the story of brother Jimmy was unfulfilled. He was a troubled child. Was kicked out of schools. A rebel to the core. And the fact his girlfriend’s mother just shows up to introduce herself? I thought for sure she came to tell the family her daughter was pregnant or something tragic has happened to Jimmy. But no. That was it. And time fast forwarded to when Jimmy was an adult and seemed to get his act together. But you never find out how.
I am not sure what was going on with Sydney. Was it truly a dementia like illness? Or was she mentally ill? This was a character I started to like. Wanted to like. But couldn’t.
I didn’t understand her jealousy. Her moodiness. Why she was so difficult all the time.
I actually loved the history of what role Denmark and her people played in the war. It was fascinating to me. As some reviews suggest, this part seemed like a story all in itself that could have really been another book. To me, it was a bit disjointed from the plot, but still interesting.
I thought ending the book with Nina’s story was very appropriate and probably made me like the book much better. I was wondering when we were going to learn what happened to Nina when she was taken away and why she was so troubled the rest of her life.
I think this book was full of subtle revelations that I probably completely missed. I am very literal and expect the same from the books I read. I am not good at thinking outside the box. A skill I think I needed as a reader of this book. Overall I gave it a 3 because I didn’t feel entirely satisfied that everything was resolved. AND I don’t ever feel comfortable if I have to resolve some of the conflicts on my own because the author planned it that way.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 16, 2019
This book started out with Sydney Brant growing up after the death of her father with whom she’d been so close. Sydney showed strength of character & gumption as she navigated childhood with her mother who was difficult at the very least. The reader is proud and happy for Sydney as she leaves home for New York City in her late teens, finds love, and marries renown pianist Laurus Moss.
As World War ll begins the story follows Laurus Moss, Sydney’s jewish husband from Denmark as he leaves his pregnant wife to join the Danish resistance working in London. The story of the resistance and of Laurus’ s family in Denmark is well developed so that the reader now feels the love, national pride, pain & horrors experienced. The story of Laurus’ sister Nina is particularly heartbreaking.
After the war when Laurus return to his wife & young daughter, the book falters and never recovers. The family goes on with life but many of the characters change. There has been a terrible war and separation but the author never really flushes out why the changes. Why does Sydney become so cold and shallow? Why do her children dislike her? Why does Sydney’s mother now seem to be almost nurturing? Why does Laurus stay devoted?
It was a terrible time with many horrors & separations. Of course the war had lasting effects and changed many people. As a reader, I think there were too many threads traveling simultaneously for the author to fully go into each. Unless this book had been three times as long, my question of “Why did these characters change in the ways they did?” could not be answered in LEEWAY COTTAGE.
As World War ll begins the story follows Laurus Moss, Sydney’s jewish husband from Denmark as he leaves his pregnant wife to join the Danish resistance working in London. The story of the resistance and of Laurus’ s family in Denmark is well developed so that the reader now feels the love, national pride, pain & horrors experienced. The story of Laurus’ sister Nina is particularly heartbreaking.
After the war when Laurus return to his wife & young daughter, the book falters and never recovers. The family goes on with life but many of the characters change. There has been a terrible war and separation but the author never really flushes out why the changes. Why does Sydney become so cold and shallow? Why do her children dislike her? Why does Sydney’s mother now seem to be almost nurturing? Why does Laurus stay devoted?
It was a terrible time with many horrors & separations. Of course the war had lasting effects and changed many people. As a reader, I think there were too many threads traveling simultaneously for the author to fully go into each. Unless this book had been three times as long, my question of “Why did these characters change in the ways they did?” could not be answered in LEEWAY COTTAGE.
February 27, 2017
Monet, Renoir and Degas, to name a few, were Impressionist painters. If there was a way to be an Impressionist book, Leeway Cottage would be in that category. In many instances in the book, there was an impression that something had happened or some one had done something, but it wasn't exactly stated. This novel is not a mystery by the way. In some areas of the story, great detail was written about a music piece or the parts of boat or how to sail a boat, but whether the main female character, Sydney, had had an illicit affair with the husband of her best friend was obscure. In the novel's end, the main male character's sister's life, during WWII in Denmark, received in-depth description when it really was a moot point and had little meaning because it couldn't help those remaining to understand her personality or idiosyncrasies after her death. Insight and research divulged and those on the fringe of that demeaning destructive time was enlightening.
July 7, 2018
This book was very uneven. There were characters to dislike, characters to like for a while and then dislike as they changed into their mothers (seriously) who you already disliked, characters who were misunderstood because nobody knew the horrible lives they'd had and didn't want to talk about....but mostly it bounced back and forth between some awful upper class snobs worrying about decorating their summer home and hiring kitchen help they could feel superior to or whatever, to people living thru horrid, life and death circumstances during World War II. And then back again. I liked the very beginning until it got to be too much, then the middle was so-so, and the end was very interesting but also totally depressing. And then it suddenly ended, back where it had started. Can't really recommend. Picked it up for free in my dentist's office "free books" bin, and maybe shoulda left it there. I'm being generous with 3 stars.
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