Little Island

by Katharine Britton

FROM THE AUTHOR OF HER SISTER'S SHADOW

Grace
Flowers
By the water
Have fun!

These are Joy’s grandmother’s last words—left behind on a note. A note that Joy’s mother, Grace, has interpreted as instructions for her memorial service. And so, the far-flung clan will gather at their inn on Little Island, Maine, to honor her.

Joy can’t help dreading the weekend. Twenty years ago, a tragedy nearly destroyed the family—and still defines them. Joy, Grace, her father Gar, and twins Roger and Tamar all have their parts to play. And now Joy, facing an empty nest and a nebulous future, feels more vulnerable than ever to the dangerous currents running through her family.

But this time, Joy will discover that there is more than pain and heartbreak that binds them together, when a few simple words lift the fog and reveal what truly matters…

 

Genres: Fiction, Chick Lit, Adult, Womens Fiction, Contemporary

320 pages, Paperback

First published September 3, 2013

About the author

Katharine is the author of three novels: HER SISTER'S SHADOW, LITTLE ISLAND, and VANISHING TIME (2016).

She has a Master's degree in Creative Writing from Dartmouth College. Her screenplay, Goodbye Don't Mean Gone, on which VANISHING TIME was based, was a Moondance Film Festival winner and a finalist in the New England Women in Film and Television contest.

When not at her desk, Katharine can be found working with raptors at a local nature center or in her Norwich garden, waging a non-toxic war against the slugs, snails, deer, woodchucks, chipmunks, moles, voles, and beetles with whom she shares her yard. Katharine's defense consists mainly of hand wringing, after the fact.

Reviews

[Margitte · Rating 5 out of 5]

Little Island - by Katharine Britton
LITTLE ISLAND, will be available on September 3, 2013.

"When you build a house, one wrong measurement can send the whole thing slightly off. It will stand okay, but doorjambs and walls aren't even, so doors don't stay shut, and pictures never hang straight."

There was so much blood the day of the accident in which Abigail and Bonnie died. Enough of it to flow for years in the memories of everyone who wanted to be loved, accepted and protected in the Little family. The accident impacted tragically on everyone's life. The shocking secrets would slowly drain the life out of them until only emotional apathy and expressionless, lifeless souls would remain.

The misunderstandings and hurt flowing from the secrets would leave every member of the family stranded on their own emotional islands. Lonely, uninhabited places. Some would feel trapped, others would feel protected and safe. It all depended on how each member was able to process the truth.

Every first weekend after Labor Day, this event would be commemorated. However, this year, the twentieth anniversary, would be different. It would also be the memorial service of grandma Joan. Her last note to her daughter stated :"Grace, flowers, by the water, have fun!"

The true meaning of those words would only become clear when the family gathered at their family Inn on Little island, Maine for the weekend. Nobody was looking forward to spend time together. They all dreaded each other's company.

"Grace's children were like boxers, she thought, dancing around the ring, taking swings, dodging, tantalizing the crowd. Eventually someone would land a blow. Grace wanted peace tonight, harmony, fun!"

...

"Grace felt the familiar pressure building inside her little family, but, just as when she heard a storm warning, she could gather candles and kerosene, lanterns, fill jugs and bathtubs with water, secure windows and lawn furniture. She could do nothing to prevent the coming storm."

The story had me hooked from the beginning. It did not take long to witness the skill the author used to link the past to the present and build the future in the same narrative through different voices without confusing the living daylights out of the reader. All the different types of mothers in the family were introduced and highlighted. The relationship between fathers and sons would be dissected to the bare bones. The siblings, Joy, Tamar and Roger(twins), would finally acknowledge the person they see in their own mirrors.

Isn't it true that we all determine the fate of our children by what we do, not by what we say? However, It would take two unknown aunts to finally explain to Grace and her family, what Joan meant by her last note. But a thunderstorm first had to unleash itself over the family before the true meaning of family, honor, love, protection and commitment could be revealed. The events are fast-moving. Every single word in the book plays a pivotal role in leading up to the dramatic conclusion.

The book resonated so deeply in my own life, it is difficult to compact the impact into a few words on paper. At times it was difficult to continue reading. I was emotionally ripped apart.

The plot was brilliantly constructed. The message strong. Their own little islands would be forced to release them through the final events. One by one they would find their way back to the only sanctuary they ever loved. Little island will once again become home. The family finally could burst out in laughter when a bear, a table filled with food, drenched guests on overturned chairs, and a thunderstorm, splashed grand finale all over the lonely memories of the accident, as well as honor grandmother Jane's legacy of 'Grace, flowers, by the water, have fun!". The laughter brought the healing.

I absolutely and highly recommend this book to everyone. Excellent in every literary way possible! It is not a gut-destroying, dark book at all. It is also not a book to be easily forgotten.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Little Island

Katharine Britton


LITTLE ISLAND is the story of the Little family.  They own an inn in Maine and the family's getting together for their grandmother's  memorial service.  Grace was very very close to her mother and wonders if she will be able to give her mother the memorial service she deserves. Graces's children Joy, Tamar and Tamar's twin Roger will all be coming. 

  The Littles lives were changed twenty years ago when the twins were involved in a car accident that killed a family friend.  This family is so dysfunctional and has so many secrets.  As the story goes on, you learn some of them and how they have effected everyone! I loved LITTLE ISLAND and once I got into it and gave it the time it deserved I couldn't stop turning the pages.  This story has it all, love, jealousy, hate, lots of secrets and wonderful characters.

[Naomi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read my full review: http://bit.ly/1d93Ufd

My opinion: Unlike author's first book, Her Sister's Shadow, this book didn't grab me right away. It took me a good 100 pages to warm up to the story. Once I got past those 100 pages, the story took off and I found it a bit more difficult to put down.

Little Island is a story told not only from different POV but also 2 different periods of time which didn't help with the "grasping". There were periods where it almost became difficult to follow and I felt myself needing to pay closer attention.

I found that I really couldn't find one character to latch onto that I liked. However, with the storyline, I am not shocked by this. I can't go deeper; otherwise, we would be heading into Spoilerland.

[Melissa (Always Behind) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Solid women's fiction, if not terribly memorable.
The author does a good job at portraying emotion and bringing the reader into the story, although I didn't really connect with any of the characters in a real way. It's still worth reading if you like family stories.

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy .

[Lyn (Readinghearts) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Joy Little's life is changing. Her only child has just left for college, but instead of going with him on dorm move-in weekend, she is headed to her childhood home, Little Island, to attend her grandmother's memorial service. Although she loved her grandmother, spending the weekend on the Island with her parents and her twin siblings, Roger and Tamar, is not something she is looking forward to. Given their family history, family get-togethers for the Little family are tumultuous at best and Joy just does not know if she is up for the challenge.

Although basically Contemporary Fiction, Little Island falls into a class of books that I call "family drama" books. You know the type, books where we get a glimpse of a family that is struggling due to a past or present crisis. For me, enjoyment of books of this type hinge two things; how well the author handles the family's various crises, and how the author builds the characters and their relationships. I am happy to say, Katharine Britton did a great job of both in this book.

The characters in this book spoke to me right off the bat. The oldest sister, Joy, is going through empty nest syndrome, exhibiting feelings I am very familiar with since I have two sons in college. As the oldest sibling, then as a mom, her whole life has been about taking care of people. What is she supposed to do now? On the flip side, her sister Tamar is the youngest, and the one they "almost lost". As such, the other family members have danced around her all of her life. Now she finds herself as a wife and the mother of twins with no idea how to put anyone else first. Finally there is Roger, the one that was always in trouble, the cause of the families biggest crisis, a crisis that still defines them, and the one thing that has always defined his life. I though that the author did a wonderful job of developing these and other characters in the book, giving them the right mix of traits to allow me to empathize with them at times, and want to smack them at others., but always hoping they were able to break past the roles that defined them. Thus it was the characters in the book, especially the Little siblings, which allowed a predictable story line to become unpredictable.
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Another thing that I liked about the book was the way the author told the family's story. While the bulk of the story took place during the weekend of the memorial service, part of it flashed back to 20 years prior, the time surrounding the crisis that defined the family. In addition, different chapters focused on the thoughts and feelings of different family members, giving each of them a chance to "tell their side of the story" so to speak. It was a method of telling the story that really worked for me.

Almost exactly two years ago, I read Katharine Britton's first book, Her Sister's Shadow, which I also rated 4 stars. As with that book, I enjoyed this book's interplay between the family members. What set this book apart and elevated it to that next level, for me, were the characters. I am glad to see that Katharine Britton has not lost her touch with story telling, and that her characters have even more personality than before. I would highly recommend this book to those who like books centered around families and drama.

Many thanks to Katharine Britton and The Sisterhood of the Traveling Book for allowing me to read this book in exchange for a review.

[Gabby · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the story of the Little family. The parents, Grace and Gar own a resort on Little Island, but for the weekend described in the book, no guests will be staying there. Instead, Grace will be hosting her daughters, Joy and Tamar, and her son Roger, Tamar's twin brother. The occasion is to honor Grace's mother with a memorial service. Her recent death leaves Grace feeling unsettled because she and her mother were very close, and she's unsure she will give her mother the kind of service she would have wanted. She has a short list of what she believes are instructions on what to do, but the list is somewhat ambiguous.

This story is told by Joy, whose thoughts and revelations are told in the first person. Everyone else's story is told in the third person. It becomes obvious early on that the Little family is burdened by the memory of an accident that occurred years before. Roger, Tamar, and Joy's best friend were all involved in the accident, and the repercussions the whole family carries with them has made it difficult for the family to ever be really close to one another again. As the story develops, it is revealed that secrets are being kept from certain members of the family, and it is Joy who at first seems to be most strongly affected by what is being kept under wraps. Everyone seems to be trying to get through the weekend without any kind of quarrel except for Tamar, who has to be one of the most unlikeable women in fiction.

Joy and Tamar are both married, but their spouses have not been included in the plans for the weekend. Joy's husband is busy taking their son off to begin his first year of college. Tamar's husband seems to be nothing more than an inconvenience to her; she brings her young twin daughters with her in an effort to improve her mothering skills even though she doesn't have much in the way of maternal affection to pass along to them. Roger has no spouse, and he seems the most at loose ends. He has substance abuse problems which prevent him from being successful at any of the vocations he's tried.

If ever there was a dysfunctional family caught right in the middle of their most unsettled moments, it is this family. As the weekend progresses, tensions become stronger, and it's apparent something is going to spark a further rift in the family.

I've read several books lately in which the author has attempted to give more than one character a voice as narrator for his or her part of the story. That's an ambitious undertaking, in my view, and I've never read anyone who brings this technique off as well as Susan Howatch. I don't think Katherine Britton did a bad job of trying this way of telling her story, but I do think she skipped around her subjects far to much to make this a cohesive book. I thought the characters were well developed, but there were too many breaks from one person right into another without there being any one subject to hold them all together.

I received my copy of this book from Net Galley in return for an honest review. I would recommend Little Island to those who enjoy stories about families and how each member contributes both good and bad into the dynamics of it.

[Viviane Crystal · Rating 5 out of 5]

Joy, Tamar and Roger, as well as other family and friends, arrive at the inn on Little Island, Maine for a memorial service for their late grandmother, who left very specific instructions for their part in the service, “Grace. Flowers. By the water. Have fun!” Their mother, Grace, and father, Gar know that this seems like an impossible series of requests, in fact nothing short of a miracle. For this family are all bearing a terrible grief over an accident that took one of their own years ago. Roger has his own added grief to add to the stockpile. But they aren’t morose characters at all; in fact they are like sparks of electricity that flash on each other. Grace wonders whether it will all implode or explode over this family gathering! Her efforts are noble and delicate throughout the entire family journey from the past to the present.
Joy’s son has just gone off to college and she’s got a hefty case of “empty nest syndrome” that brings her back to a very unstable part of her life. She wonders if she will revert to those behaviors or if she can find herself and a future. Tamar is a professional working woman whose husband is really the parent in control of raising their gorgeous, bubbly, imaginative twin daughters. Rather than being grateful, Tamar is riddled with guilt over her lack of maternal instinct and skills in caring for her lovely children. Roger’s got lots of spunk and one never knows what he will dream up next. But he’s unreliable and a former addict. Grace and Joy wonder if the clan being together will free him from his addictions or draw him deeper, especially since they find out that a long lost love of his is now divorced and free again.
Each segment of this visit brings new challenges and minor arguments; however, the marvelous part of this is that it’s not just barbs and battles but each character has a unique ability to reflect on what’s occurring externally and internally. That is the miracle that develops this story into an engaging, realistic and beautifully healing story. A secret will eventually be revealed and once it is, then honesty issues from everyone and the healing can truly begin. For guilt and blame lurk behind the battles until acceptance of each other’s role in the past gets aired. Forgive and forget? One can never forget but can learn to accept one’s truest self.
Each will realize they must dare to do one particular act or say one particular thing that will free not only the other person but the one doing the acting or speaking. Gar and Grace have raised terrific children who show their strengths and foibles endearing readers to recognize and perhaps identify with in similar or different ways!
Add to the story glorious descriptions of this island, the inn, favorite spots to picnic or swim, magnificent views and a lovely home crafted to welcome not only friends but tourists, and you have one delightful, memorable and well-crafted work of fiction which this reviewer highly recommends!

[Margaret · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sixty-four year old Grace Little is planning a memorial service for her mother to be held at the family inn on Little Island in Maine. Having found a note after her mother's death that had few words, but a meaningful message, Grace is doing her best to give her mother the tribute she deserves. The words were "flowers", "by the water", and "have fun". So far it is not going well. The recently sodded lawn is soft and squishy, the flowers too contrived, and the service is being held on the twentieth anniversary of the crash that changed her family's lives and the neighbors living on the island.

Forty-one year old Joy is not looking forward to her grandmother's memorial. She is mourning her son--her son's departure for college. Defined by being a mother and a wife, Joy is questioning who she is and what she will do without her son to nurture.

Thirty-eight year old Tam, Joy's sister, is out to prove something by attending her grandmother's service. Traveling alone with her eight year old twin daughters, she doesn't want her husband along. Although she has pretty much turned the role of parenting over to him in favor of her eighty-plus hour work week at a law firm, she is avoiding the fact that she and her husband "need to talk". She is determined to show him that she can handle being a mother for the three days they will be spending on the island.

Thirty-eight year old Roger, Tam's twin brother, is a drifter. In and out of trouble more times than can be counted, he can't find his place in the world. His former use of drugs and his still present drinking problem haven't helped.

Gar Little, husband of Grace and father of the three children, is getting forgetful. He misplaces things and loses things. He never had a real bonding with his son and is wistfully hoping that this reunion might make that happen, but he has become used to bailing his son out of so much trouble in the past, that that isn't likely.

The story is a slow reveal of the lives of the Little family. Hidden secrets, resentments, fears, pain, and heartache slowly come to light through Britton's sensitive words as the family comes together. And as harsh words are spoken and thoughtless and sometimes dangerous acts are committed, everything comes to a head. And, just when it seems that Grace's determination to give her mother everything she wanted for a memorial service is impossible, it all comes together just as a rainbow appears after a heavy rain.

The characters were real, the pain of each one felt real. The scenery was so descriptive that at times I felt as though I, too, was on that small island. The undercurrent of "the crash" was intriguing. And the ending was one that I did not see coming. Britton kept my interest throughout the entire book and never allowed me to drift off into my own thoughts while I was reading her every word.

[Michele · Rating 5 out of 5]

The members of the Little family are dreading the weekend that brings them all together without spouses or outside influences to alter the family dynamics. Twenty years ago, the family is nearly combusted by an awful accident that continues to impact their lives and their relationships. During their reunion they are all laid bare and secrets emerge like one, two punches that will leave the reader breathless and wanting more. A study in family, love, hate, jealousy and all the emotions that play a real part in family interactions.

When I normally read a book I never envision a movie as I almost always prefer the book to the movie. While reading LITTLE ISLAND I kept envisioning scenes from the movie playing in my head. Perhaps it was the author's evocative descriptions of Little Island which had me wishing I was there or her detailed character study which made me want to visit Little Island in the company of the Littles. I wanted to explore the island, sit in an Adirondack chair and read but mostly I just wanted to breathe the salted air and watch the boats.

This book resonates with Motherhood, Joan, Grace, Joy and Tamar, all trying to tackle the job of motherhood, all in different ways, all failing and succeeding along the way. If you have ever been responsible for a child you will find yourself in one of these women, in all of these woman. I loved all of these women including Tamar who at many times was quite unloveable.
Once I picked this book up I could not put it down. I wanted to spend my weekend with the Little family. Roger and Joy were very relatable to me and I know I will think of them for weeks to come, though I also was amused by Grace trying to treat her adult children as adults, I mean do we really still reprimand a 40 year old? I don't know and neither did Grace.

All that being said I was occasionally uncomfortable with the relationship between Tamar and Roger. I don't have a twin so I cannot be sure but there were parts of the book where I felt their closeness was contrived and over stated.

A great, could not put down read that I will recommend to anyone that will listen. Already compiling a list of people I will send this book to. This is one of those books that when I finish it I don't want to start another because I am not ready to leave the characters behind and I feel nothing else will measure up but I will keep reading til I find the next gem, that's what keeps me reading.

[Romancing the Book · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reviewed by Robin
Book provided by the publisher for review
Review originally posted at Romancing the Book

Ms. Britton writes a good story using the dynamics of a dysfunctional family. I think just about every family anymore has some bit of dysfunction within them. Whether this generation or the past we all can relate in some way to this topic, it may even be a friend that we know of. We have all seen how as adults some people run from the past, the pain, the old life they used to live while hiding in the shadows trying to escape. As we all know you can only escape for a while because things tend to catch up with us after a while. Good or bad we have to face the past sometimes.

That is just what happens for this family. Joy’s son is leaving for college (empty nest syndrome…been there). She feels lost…with no purpose in life. She is also a cutter. Which I found interesting as I have dealt with this in teenager but it isn’t spoken about in adults. Well, written making you think what was so awful to make her choose to do this to herself. Tamar and Roger are twins…Tamar is married with twins of her own whom she hasn’t/doesn’t want to bond with. To her being a lawyer consumes her life. Roger her twin has never married escaping life with his addiction to pain killers and alcohol.

While reading this story we find that everything goes back 20 years to a tragic car accident. Brought together for a family burial…the shocking truth comes out. As they each confront the other the weights on their shoulders fall and healing can start.

Ms. Britton wrote a very insightful story dealing with the hurt and pain that we sometimes tend to hide within the shadows of our lives. The hidden messages sometimes made you stop to re-examine your own life showing us that we all go through crisis’ which are best to deal with at the time then to let grow causing more problems over time. I loved the descriptions of Maine and the ‘Isle Au Haut’. Just absolutely beautiful helping to make the suspense, pain and secrets of the past seem a little less daunting.

Not a book for the beach or if you want something on the lighter side. This is about a real family with real issues. It will make you laugh, cry and want to look at your life to change things.

[Judy Croome · Rating 3 out of 5]

*Mild Spoilers*

A pleasant holiday read about the Little family and the dynamics of their family, which change dramatically with the revelation of secrets over the course of a family gathering for the memorial service of the grandmother.

An enjoyable read, with some lovely lines offering enough depth to keep one interested, such as this scene: "He began to tease the strands apart, careful to avoid the hooks on the shiny jigs. One was always tempted to tug, but he knew to push gently. It took patience, but eventually, almost miraculously, space began to open up and the knot released." A gentle life lesson in that scene, and in others.

The book was somewhat spoilt by the memorial service scene which descended into inappropriate farce around food and a bear - while the reason was clear (to give Joan the fun she had not had in life and to remind Grace to "have fun"), the earlier skinny dipping scene was far more poignant and in keeping with the rest of the tone of the book.

Britton has a wonderful way with characterisations - Joy, Roger and Grace were particularly well drawn, and the way all the characters grew throughout the book was believable.

No real surprises in the book but it was an easy and satisfying read.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this book and definitely recommend it! This story takes us to a lovely inn in Main run by the Littles. The setting was idyllic and I connected with it personally because it made me think of my family's vacation home. I could picture myself sitting on the Adirondack chairs and enjoying the breeze coming of the water. While the setting is ideal, the Littles' lives and history are not. The Littles' lives changed 20 years ago when the twins were in a car accident that killed a family friend. This event sent their lives spiraling into different directions and Little Island allows us to see how this event affected the family 20 years later. As the story progresses, little secrets (no pun intended) are slowly revealed, which change the view of the past greatly. I enjoyed hearing how each family member saw and interpreted things differently and how it affected them in their own ways. I loved the ending and the hope it signified for future changes as well as the possibility for mending broken hearts and relationships. If you are looking for a good book with some interesting turns, I would recommend checking out Katharine Britton's Little Island. p.310

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I struggled a bit to keep interest in the first chapter or so, but I am so glad I stuck with it. Absolutely loved it!

[Mary Jensen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was afraid this book would be a bit depressing, one of those where family secrets spiral downward into increasing dysfunction and fragmentation. However, revelations about the family tragedy of a car crash and the years of emotional fallout proved to be liberating and a blessing for the family, finally allowing them to let go of the damage from so many years. In the end, it was hopeful and positive as the different family members began to move on with their lives.
While of no consequence at all, it amused me that one of the characters has the same name as an uncle and cousin of mine!

[Kay Deluca · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just finished this wonderful book and can’t recommend it more highly. The storylines were interesting and the characters were so well-drawn that I felt I knew them. I don’t give 5 stars on Goodreads very often. I read this during the pandemic and felt a great deal of hope after pondering the ways uncomfortable or even tragic circumstances were realistically resolved. I’m looking forward to reading this author’s other works.

[Darlene Otet · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very touching book. A family gathering where family members have to come to terms with changes in their lives, Families always have issues to work through and this family had more than their share. I enjoyed the story, and felt for the family members as they sorted through past and present crises.

[Willa H · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars.

[Katie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good beach read

[Susan Roberts · Rating 3 out of 5]

Started a bit slow. All came together at the end

[Cay · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not the best novel out there, cliched characters and situations, but it was fun to come across the references to Vinalhaven places and names.

[Julia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I just finished this book and thoroughly enjoyed it.
Katharine is a great story teller making you never to want the book to come to an end.
Definitely worth a read!

[Court · Rating 4 out of 5]

I reviewed this book at MustReadBooksOrDie with my friend Shelley.

Shel: I really enjoyed this novel. It's not full of fireworks or smut or crazy angst; instead it's full of tiny little revelations. Revelations that many of us can take to heart.

Court: Right? I really like these stories that are a chronicle of a dysfunctional family, because who doesn't relate to that. We also discussed the melancholy feeling that was a major undertone from the beginning, and I was glad that this was not a deterrent to how much I enjoyed the story.
Shel: The story encompasses the story of the Littles and how one tragic accident emotionally stunted the siblings and damaged trust with their parents.It's also the story of the matriarch and her struggles to come to terms with the life and death of her mother on the weekend of her memorial service.

Court: At first it was hard to get to know these people. The girls were in seeming competition for their brother and parent's attention, with Joy usually on the losing end. I loved the aspect of all of the twins in the family. Each generation had a set, and it seemed like a major theme in how we relate to one another. The twin relationship had a profound effect on Tamar and every choice she ever made so it is interesting to think about!
Shel: Our two main narrators, Joy and Grace, tell us most of the story but Tamar and Roger and Gar pop in to give us their POV's too. Joy is struggling with her newly empty nest, Tamar is coping with a failing marriage, Roger is trying to overcome decades of being blamed for the accident, and Grace and Gar are learning how to live the last parts of their lives. It's told in a series of flashbacks and present tense to help us understand how we got to where we are on this particular weekend. Each of these characters offers insights and frustrations and hope and by the end of the novel they each have grown and had their own epiphanies about how things could move forward for them.
Court: I felt connected to Joy and Grace the most, and now that you mention it, they do narrate the story the most. It took me a little while to get used to having five narrators, but without it the story would not have been as rich. Understanding the motivations behind all of their decisions was definitely a huge part of how I felt by the end. The things they realized at the end of this weekend spent together that they hadn't been able to discuss for twenty years was incredible. I wish they had spoke sooner, but everyone was intent on not rocking the boat and disturbing their messed up existance in fear of making things worse.

Shel: As a mother and a daughter I had appreciation for the feelings of guilt, frustration, and love that each of these women felt. I loved that by the end of the novel the steps to healing and bonding were being made and that even though there were still many things to be resolved each of our characters seemed to be in a better place, mentally, than they were when they started.
Court: I share your feelings about how much of a great mother/daughter book this is! I'm not a mother, but I have great yet different relationships with my mother and grandmothers (and with a step family..I have a lot of grandmothers!). I took away from this how glad I am that I have pretty great communication with my family..and well since we're all pretty opinionated not much goes unsaid...Another thought I always have is how much of our parents lives before ours do we not know? This is a theme for each generation here, and something Joy and Grace really struggled with.

Shel: This was a sweet novel; a nice time out from the angsty crazy stuff we read on a weekly basis.
Court: The meaning behind the flowers, by the water, have fun brought tears to my eyes...so I am really, really glad to have read this book. It hit the mark!

Shelley: 4 1/2 Stars
Courtney: 4 Stars

[Marlene · Rating 4 out of 5]

Originally published at Reading Reality

Little Island is a story about the corrosiveness of family secrets and the lies that people tell themselves (and each other) in order to hide their truth from the world, or from themselves.

The Little family seems like a happy family, at least on the surface. Grace and Gar have a solid marriage and a good life running a B&B on Little Island in Maine. Both their daughters are married, and have kids of their own. The younger daughter, Tamar, is a successful lawyer. But son Roger has always been the scapegrace of the family. He drinks too much, he does prescription drugs, and 20 years ago he killed a girl while drunk driving.

So maybe not quite an ideal family, but not too bad. They’ve all moved past Roger’s accident; he did his time long ago.

All is not as it seems. Their older daughter, Joy, has just sent her son off to college and can’t see a future for herself or her marriage without her son as the glue. Tamar’s marriage is falling apart, because she’s been too busy working (and micro-judging everyone in her path) to maintain a bond with her husband or have much knowledge of her twin daughters. Gar is starting to forget things. And Grace’s mother just died, and in the wake of that event, her long-lost aunts got in touch with her. Grace didn’t even know her mother had sisters. Or a family.

And Roger is continuing to slide slowly downward, a little bit at a time.

But as the story unfolds, the perspective switches from Joy and Grace in the present to Joy and Tamar 20 years ago, the time of Roger’s terrible accident. As the past unravels, the family discovers that a lot more died on that awful night than one young woman. And the present holds more joy and hope than anyone first thought.

Salmon-picnicking bears are a great way to liven up a memorial service.

Escape Rating B: OK, that last sentence in the review was kind of a spoiler--but you have to read the book to get the joke. And it’s worth it.

Little Island is a story about family dynamics, particularly about the way that one single event, one secret, can echo down through the years and fracture the foundation. It’s not that they are all unhappy, in the sense of the quote about happy and unhappy families, it’s that they are all lost.

The relationship that is the most damaged, and gets the most attention in the story, is the relationship among the siblings, Joy, Roger and Tamar. Roger and Tamar are twins, and shared everything together, until they suddenly didn’t. But neither of them could quite move on from that one secret, and they were so dependent on each other that they couldn’t break away, either.

Joy, the older sister, was always left out of the twins tight little twosome. And Tamar was frequently cruel about making sure that she stayed out.

So it’s Joy’s perspective that we follow most in the story, because she’s always been an observer. She’s even on the outside of her own life, because she’s so conditioned to waiting in the wings.

The story starts out slowly, but picks up speed as more of the past is revealed, and we can see how that past continues to impact the present. There is also a thread about the impact of stories, particular the stories that families tell about themselves and each other, and the way that the expectations those narratives create continue to ripple throughout our lives.

[Darlene · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love those books that you hate to put down; those that keep you up late at night because you just have to try to finish it. Well that’s exactly the kind of read Little Island by Katharine Britton was for me. I loved it! This is the second book of hers that I’ve read having read Her Sister’s Shadow a few years ago and loving it as well. I had hoped that this book would be as good for me and I wasn’t disappointed in the least. Little Island is a story of love, family, deeply buried secrets, and above all hope.

When she passed Grace’s mother wanted a memorial that celebrated her life so this weekend the family will gather to do just that at their inn on Little Island, Maine. However with Grace and her husband Gar along with their grown children Joy and the twins Roger and Tamar, a get together is usually anything but smooth. Why you ask? Well twenty years ago a tragedy occurred that the family has never been able to get past. It changed their lives then and has continued to do so in their adult lives. Can this weekend change anything for them?

Joy, the eldest of the kids has always felt that she was the third wheel with the twins Roger and Tamar being so close. Now with her son Rex heading off to college Joy is at a crossroads and not knowing what she wants from her life or her marriage. Not to mention that secret that has been eating away at her for years. As for Roger well he has a drinking problem that he can’t seem to shake and Tamar spends more time on her career than her family. Needless to say she doesn’t have a clue who her own young twin girls are and she’s hoping this weekend will rectify that. As for Grace and Gar time has taken its toll and Grace is reeling from the loss of her mother. She seems to have lost the joy she used to find in the simplest things and she wants to find it again. For this family this get together will finally be the reunion that will not only heal their family, but their very souls.

What an excellent novel! Katharine Britton has a way of weaving a story that so fully draws you into her character’s lives and their stories. I could feel the pain that this family was feeling, has felt, and hopes to move on from in all of their relationships. Joy was an easy character to like. Her son has grown up and moved on and she isn’t sure she has a life without him. Roger seems to be a good guy despite his drinking problem but Tamar is the one that you love to hate in the story and you hope that she will see the error of her ways. Ultimately I loved this family and the time I spent with them. I highly recommend Little Island for those that like stories centering around a family drama as well as those who enjoy books taking place on the Maine coast which sounded extra heavenly to me and I still wish I was there with them…

[OpenBookSociety.com · Rating 4 out of 5]

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Brought to you by OBS reviewer Dawn

The story begins with Joy. Her son Rex is going off to college. The empty-nest-syndrome is hitting hard.

She has lost herself over the years. She has no purpose. Joy holds in some serious emotional issues that result in her cutting. I was glad the author weaved this into the story because we often hear of younger people cutting but we rarely hear about a woman with a grown child doing it. The cutting spurred my interest. Why would she do that to herself? What happened in her past?

Britton takes us on a journey of discovery. She tells us a bit about each member of Little family. Grace and Gar have 3 adult children: Joy, Tamar and Roger. Roger is single, never married. Tamar is married to Daniel and they have twin daughters. Each member of the Little family is deeply flawed; it is what makes them memorable.

Grace and Gar has been married a long time. They run the Inn but they are getting older. They had hoped Roger would step into the roll but he has been a disappointment to them. Grace has called everyone home for a memorial service for her mother. It has been a long time since they were all together.

Tamar is a lawyer who has never truly bonded with her children. I initially thought Tamar was a cruel woman. She taunts her siblings; she seems lazy as well as unconcerned about how she effects others. By the end of the book I understood her much better but it does not excuse her behavior.

Roger is the only son. He is a fraternal twin to Tamar. They have always shared a unique bond. Roger is an alcoholic as well as addicted to pain killers. I think he uses them to escape his life.

There was a horrific incident 20 years ago. It deeply effected each one of the Little family in a different way. It has torn them apart but it not what it seems. As the information is revealed, it is shocking.

I connected most with Joy. I was really proud of her for confronting Tamar. It was a pleasure to see Roger grow as well. He deserves better. He has had such a weight on his shoulder for 20 years. It was very satisfying to see him rise above it as the truth comes out.

My only complaint with Little Island is its a bit too descriptive. The daily minutia is difficult to trudge through. That said, it is a well written book with memorable characters.

Little Island is not a quick read. You will need to immerse yourself in the book. I recommend the book to men and women but not young adults. I think there are too many adult situations for YA.

[Kathryn Laceby · Rating 3 out of 5]

Originally reviewed at Novel Escapes

Little Island is a finely weaved but thoroughly complicated set of layered emotions. I found it initially difficult to get attached to any member of the Little family, which was unfortunate, because the story held so much promise. The delay in attachment was probably because they were all introduced a little bit at a time I didn’t immediately find any of them interesting so I was worried about the rest of the novel. However, I pushed myself to keep reading and discovered that Britton had indeed written a novel with depth of character and a very intriguing plot.

The Little family is so consumed by the tragedies of the past that they’re carrying around a load of baggage, it was hard to feel like there would ever be a light hearted moment and yet we were encouraged to believe that there used to be family warmth between them. The easiest character for me to relate to was the mother, Grace, as she was obviously grieving the death of her own mother and clearly needed time and space to process her loss and try to envision the next stage of her life without her support system- Britton’s development of Grace was the most understandable for me, and I really liked her husband too.

The children- Joy, Roger and Tamar are all very tough to love though. Joy is lost as her only child is leaving for college and she can’t fathom what to now do with her life. Roger is getting over several addictions it seems and can’t stay on track and Tamar is just completely self-absorbed. I was so angry reading Tamar’s portions of the novel that I started skimming her sections. Her poor daughters were literally abandoned repeatedly and I just couldn’t take it. I wish her husband had been given more of a voice in the novel- perhaps it would have explained more about Tamar’s lack of interest in her twins?
Had I been given each person’s introduction more concisely from the start I’d probably rate this one a 4 star just because the story was well told (if a little drawn out) but the characters were, on the whole, not very likeable so I just couldn’t warm to them as much as I would have liked.

I wish the family secret had been let out earlier in the story, the Little’s could then have had a chance to put themselves back together and I would have had time to love them.

Thank you to Berkeley Trade for our review copy. All opinions are our own.

[kim · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a hard one for me to rate because my opinion changed significantly as I read further into the book. This story takes place on Little Island, named not because it is a small island, but because the Little family lives on the Island. The Little family is gathering for a memorial service being held to honor the recently passed grandmother, Joan. As the family gathered and I met each character, I didn’t find a likeable one in the entire family, although the parents, Grace and Gar, were tolerable. But Joy, the oldest, was a whiner; Roger, one of the grown twins, was immature and irresponsible, and Tamar, in the words of her twin brother, was “”! If I’d finished the book feeling this way, giving 2 stars would have been generous.

Luckily for me, as I got to know the background story, my opinion of the characters changed. I found out I had misjudged some of the characters (Roger) and others showed quite a bit of growth (Tamar, I’m talking to you!). In the end, I did like the book quite a bit. It is a story of growth and family dynamics, and shows how a secret can affect these dynamics.

There were a couple of things in the story that I didn’t like; in fact, they really annoyed me! There were two little girls in the family, the eight year old twins of Tamar, and five adults….and NO ONE was aware of where these kids were or what they were doing at times! It was part of the story and part of who these adults were, so this isn’t a criticism of the book; it is just one more reason why I found it so hard to like these characters. Another thing that left me wondering is that Joy’s older son left for college the SAME DAY she drove up for a memorial service for his great-grandmother! I guess I’m not understanding why he couldn’t have attended the memorial and THEN gone on to college. But this is a minor detail and didn’t affect the story.

This would made a great book club selection! There are discussion questions included in the book, but I really think a book club will find plenty to discuss here even without these questions. (Like why a kid doesn’t attend his great-grandmother’s memorial service!)

★★★1/2
3-1/2 Stars

This book review is included in a tour by TLC Book Tours. I received a copy of the book in return for an honest review.

[Ashley Farley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Little Island is a hidden gem, a diamond in the rough, with all the potential to top the bestseller lists.

Discovering a good book is like making a new friend. Or a whole host of new friends. Unlike in real life, however, our relationships with these new friends transform from newly-acquainted to BFF in the span of a chapter. Little Island is a novel about familial relationships, but mostly it’s a novel about motherhood.

Joan who recently passed away after a lifetime of hiding to protect her daughter from her abusive husband.
Grace, Joan’s daughter and loving mother to Joy, Tamar, and Roger. Grace is still mourning the death of her infant daughter, Abigail, who died in infancy.
Joy struggling to cope with her empty nest after her only son leaves for college.
And Tamar, my least favorite, self-absorbed, career woman who hasn’t a clue how to raise her young twin daughters.

The Little children return to their family homestead, the inn in Maine where they grew up, for their grandmother’s memorial service, bringing with them twenty years worth of baggage, which must get sorted out over the course of a chaotic weekend. Katharine Britton reveals layer after layer of their personal lives, including the drama of two decades ago, which will keep you enthralled until the end.
I applaud the author her bold move of writing Joy’s point of view in first person while the other characters are written in third. This technique sets Joy apart from the rest, appropriately so since the story predominately belongs to her.

I also congratulate Britton on her superb use of setting. She brings Little Island to life, a character in and of itself, the wildlife and surroundings an important part of their lives.

If I had to find fault with this novel, I’d say the author didn’t dig deep enough into the past events that shaped these characters lives. That said, Little Island left me thoroughly satisfied. I enjoyed every minute.

For more of my reviews, visit my website at www.chroniclesofavidreader.com

[Simone · Rating 5 out of 5]

Grace Little is planning a memorial service for her mother, where she will meet her aunts for the first time. As if that isn't stressful enough, she has her annual family gathering with her husband and children the same weekend. Joy is Grace' s oldest living child, I say this because all of the children, although they never knew Abigail, lived in the shadow of her memory. Joy' s son, Rex, and husband, Stuart, have headed off to move Rex into his dorm. As she's packing for her trip to Little Island she becomes overwhelmed with the thought of an empty nest, what will she do with herself? How will she cope? Tamar, the youngest of the twins, is a successful attorney and brilliant businesswoman. Because of this, she has wonderful twin girls that she barely knows. Her husband Daniel has been raising them. This weekend, she'll be taking them to Little Island alone. Roger, the older twin, is the family troublemaker. Ever since childhood he's gotten into some sort of trouble. His worst being that fateful night twenty years ago this weekend. Now he battles drug and alcohol addiction, and memories of a lost love. Will Grace manage to pull off a fun weekend and memorial service? Will Joy be able to figure out what she really wants and return to her empty nest? Will Tamar learn what is most important in her life before it's too late? Will Roger be able to finally stop feeling like a disappointment to his father?

This book was so moving. There is some portion of each character you can easily relate to. Little Island sounds like a beautiful island to live on, where you could just be left to find yourself. The character I most related to was Joy. She was always treated like a third wheel when with her twin siblings, but when there was trouble, she was the one they turned to. The end of the book was so funny, I laughed until I cried. This was a wonderful book I'm sure everyone will enjoy.

[Paula · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received this book from netgalley.com in exchange for an honest review and I am excited to have had the opportunity. I'm rating the book a 3 out of 5 stars.

This story is about a family coming together for a funeral and coming to terms with their past and their present lives to hopefully move on to a better future. Grace is trying to plan a funeral for her mother (Joan) after finding a note that she believes contains her mother's wishes for the ceremony. Joy and her twin siblings, Tamar and Roger, join together on Little Island for the funeral. All of the characters come to the island carrying the burden of past hardships. The siblings are trying to come to terms with the events following a horrible accident that happened in their teen years. Everything isn't quite as it seems. Secrets are uncovered, lives are changed, and perspectives will be forever altered.

In general, I really liked this story. I enjoyed the emotional journey and growth of the characters. However, throughout most of the story, I felt disconnected with them. I'm honestly not sure why this is. Perhaps the writing style didn't quite draw me in enough or maybe the story was a bit drawn out (in my opinion). The relationship between Tamar and Roger also left me feeling a bit uncomfortable at times. The fog scene, which was a turning point for Tamar (and Grace), resolved too quickly. There was a lot of building tension and then a sudden conclusion. I also didn't really like how quickly Joy revealed her lifelong secret. She held it in all those years and then just suddenly blurted it out. I think the truth would have caused much more turmoil in real life than it did in this story. It was a BIG secret that changed lives forever! Overall, I think I just yearned for more depth in the story.

Being that I did enjoy the book, I would recommend this author in the future.