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The Cliffs
A novel of family, secrets, ghosts, and homecoming set on the seaside cliffs of Maine, by the New York Times best-selling author of Friends and Strangers.
On a secluded bluff overlooking the ocean sits a Victorian house, lavender with gingerbread trim, a home that contains a century’s worth of secrets. By the time Jane Flanagan discovers the house as a teenager, it has long been abandoned. The place is an irresistible mystery to Jane. There are still clothes in the closets, marbles rolling across the floors, and dishes in the cupboards, even though no one has set foot there in decades. The house becomes a hideaway for Jane, a place to escape her volatile mother.
Twenty years later, now a Harvard archivist, she returns home to Maine following a terrible mistake that threatens both her career and her marriage. Jane is horrified to find the Victorian is now barely recognizable. The new owner, Genevieve, a summer person from Beacon Hill, has gutted it, transforming the house into a glossy white monstrosity straight out of a shelter magazine. Strangely, Genevieve is convinced that the house is haunted—perhaps the product of something troubling Genevieve herself has done. She hires Jane to research the history of the place and the women who lived there. The story Jane uncovers—of lovers lost at sea, romantic longing, shattering loss, artistic awakening, historical artifacts stolen and sold, and the long shadow of colonialism—is even older than Maine itself.
Enthralling, richly imagined, filled with psychic mediums and charlatans, spirits and past lives, mothers, marriage, and the legacy of alcoholism, this is a deeply moving novel about the land we inhabit, the women who came before us, and the ways in which none of us will ever truly leave this earth.
On a secluded bluff overlooking the ocean sits a Victorian house, lavender with gingerbread trim, a home that contains a century’s worth of secrets. By the time Jane Flanagan discovers the house as a teenager, it has long been abandoned. The place is an irresistible mystery to Jane. There are still clothes in the closets, marbles rolling across the floors, and dishes in the cupboards, even though no one has set foot there in decades. The house becomes a hideaway for Jane, a place to escape her volatile mother.
Twenty years later, now a Harvard archivist, she returns home to Maine following a terrible mistake that threatens both her career and her marriage. Jane is horrified to find the Victorian is now barely recognizable. The new owner, Genevieve, a summer person from Beacon Hill, has gutted it, transforming the house into a glossy white monstrosity straight out of a shelter magazine. Strangely, Genevieve is convinced that the house is haunted—perhaps the product of something troubling Genevieve herself has done. She hires Jane to research the history of the place and the women who lived there. The story Jane uncovers—of lovers lost at sea, romantic longing, shattering loss, artistic awakening, historical artifacts stolen and sold, and the long shadow of colonialism—is even older than Maine itself.
Enthralling, richly imagined, filled with psychic mediums and charlatans, spirits and past lives, mothers, marriage, and the legacy of alcoholism, this is a deeply moving novel about the land we inhabit, the women who came before us, and the ways in which none of us will ever truly leave this earth.
610 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 2, 2024
5135 people are currently reading
91598 people want to read
About the author
J. Courtney Sullivan
16 books3,148 followersJ. Courtney Sullivan is the New York Times bestselling author of the novels Commencement, Maine, The Engagements, and Saints For All Occasions. Maine was named a Best Book of the Year by Time magazine, and a Washington Post Notable Book for 2011. The Engagements was one of People Magazine’s Top Ten Books of 2013 and an Irish Times Best Book of the Year. It is soon to be a major motion picture produced by Reese Witherspoon and distributed by Fox 2000, and it will be translated into 17 languages. Saints For All Occasions, was named one of the ten best books of the year by the Washington Post, a New York Times Critic’s Pick for 2017, and a New England Book Award nominee. Her fifth novel, Friends and Strangers, will be published in June 2020. Courtney’s writing has also appeared in The New York Times Book Review, The Chicago Tribune, New York magazine, Elle, Glamour, Allure, Real Simple, and O: The Oprah Magazine, among many others. She is a co-editor, with Courtney Martin, of the essay anthology Click: When We Knew We Were Feminists. In 2017, she wrote the forewords to new editions of two of her favorite children’s books: Anne of Green Gables and Little Women. A Massachusetts native, Courtney now lives in Brooklyn, New York with her husband and two children.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 4,373 reviews
June 3, 2024
I was very into Jane and her personal struggles but then at 35% the plot meanders along into various tangents that felt like preaching and read like a textbook.
The MC calls people “dumb” but then says that was harsh, it was probably due to their education. She, however, went to Wesleyan where her classes focused on marginalized voices and talked about reparation, allyship, and gender fluidity twenty years ago so now she has a lens through which to see the world.
Unlike us plebeians, she’s so much better and more enlightened than the rest of us.
Sorry but this book is boring and reads like a lecture.
* I received a digital copy for review via NetGalley. All opinions are my own (obviously).
The MC calls people “dumb” but then says that was harsh, it was probably due to their education. She, however, went to Wesleyan where her classes focused on marginalized voices and talked about reparation, allyship, and gender fluidity twenty years ago so now she has a lens through which to see the world.
Unlike us plebeians, she’s so much better and more enlightened than the rest of us.
Sorry but this book is boring and reads like a lecture.
* I received a digital copy for review via NetGalley. All opinions are my own (obviously).
November 22, 2023
Yikes. This book was not for me. It started out great. An abandoned house, a little boy seeing a ghost, secrets, & house with history that has been forgotten. However, for a lot of it I felt like I was being lectured. A history lesson of the Shakers & Indigenous people. Indians being mistreated. A woman dealing with alcoholism & a contentious relationship with her family. The chapters were incredibly long. One was over an hour long. When you feel like you’re being lectured, well, my eyes were getting glazed over. This felt all over the place. I enjoyed the house & wanted more from that & the ghost angle. Unfortunately, by 80% I was ready for it to be done. I personally felt like this story didn’t have the flow that made me want to keep reading.
July 13, 2024
4.5⭐
Jane Flanagan grew up in the small coastal town of Awadapquit, Maine. Her home life wasn’t a happy one, being raised by an alcoholic mother and Jane’s sister getting into enough trouble on her own. Jane’s safe place was a deserted old Victorian house situated on a cliff, where she would spend her free time. Jane eventually moves away to college and goes on to become an archivist at Harvard. Over twenty years later, after her mother’s death triggers a downward spiral with Jane indulging in destructive old habits that jeopardize her marriage and her career, Jane returns to her hometown. As she clears her mother’s house before putting it up for sale, she struggles to get a grip on her life. Coincidentally, she meets Genevieve Richards, the wealthy woman whose family has purchased the house on the cliff and is in the process of giving it a massive makeover. A few strange occurrences lead Genevieve to believe that the house might be haunted and she requests Jane to research the history of the house. As Jane embarks on her quest to unearth the history of the house and the land on which it rests, she discovers much more than she had expected - the legacy of tragedy, loss, and heartbreak that upended the lives of its previous owners - compelling her to take stock of her own life and confront her own painful past.
The Cliffs by J. Courtney Sullivan is an exceptionally well-written novel that blends family drama, historical fiction, gothic elements, spiritualism and an element of mystery into an immersive narrative shared from multiple perspectives across multiple timelines spanning centuries and featuring a cast of strong female characters.
Each of the characters is well fleshed out and what connects their stories is the house and the land on which it rests. The novel revolves around themes of generational trauma, alcoholism, family secrets, motherhood, loss, grief and healing, as well as Native American history and colonialism. With so many perspectives and themes, it is to be expected that some threads of the narrative are more deeply explored than others. Though I could sympathize with Jane and her struggles, I did question her choices and thought that occasionally her behavior was a tad immature for a thirty-nine-year-old. However, I appreciated how she was inspired to effect change in her life.
The novel emphasizes the importance of history and legacy and how crucial it is to preserve the stories of those who came before us. I loved the rich history of the house and wish that we had spent more time in the past timelines. The stories of the women who lived in the house were in turn inspiring, poignant and heartbreaking. The author incorporates in-depth segments on Native American culture and repatriation, the history of settler colonialism in Maine and the Wabanaki Nations, and the Shaker movement into the narrative. I found these sections extremely informative and I commend the author for the meticulous research that went into crafting this novel. I should mention that the inclusion of these segments did render the novel a tad lengthy and disjointed and slowed down the pace of the narrative, but this did not detract from my overall reading experience.
This is a complex novel meant to be read with time and patience. Overall, I found it to be a rewarding read and well worth the time and effort.
This was my first time reading J. Courtney Sullivan and I’m eager to explore more of the author’s work.
Many thanks to Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor for the digital review copy via NetGalley. All opinions expressed in this review are my own. This novel was published on July 2, 2024.
Connect with me! ✏ Instagram ✏ My Blog ✏ The StoryGraph
Jane Flanagan grew up in the small coastal town of Awadapquit, Maine. Her home life wasn’t a happy one, being raised by an alcoholic mother and Jane’s sister getting into enough trouble on her own. Jane’s safe place was a deserted old Victorian house situated on a cliff, where she would spend her free time. Jane eventually moves away to college and goes on to become an archivist at Harvard. Over twenty years later, after her mother’s death triggers a downward spiral with Jane indulging in destructive old habits that jeopardize her marriage and her career, Jane returns to her hometown. As she clears her mother’s house before putting it up for sale, she struggles to get a grip on her life. Coincidentally, she meets Genevieve Richards, the wealthy woman whose family has purchased the house on the cliff and is in the process of giving it a massive makeover. A few strange occurrences lead Genevieve to believe that the house might be haunted and she requests Jane to research the history of the house. As Jane embarks on her quest to unearth the history of the house and the land on which it rests, she discovers much more than she had expected - the legacy of tragedy, loss, and heartbreak that upended the lives of its previous owners - compelling her to take stock of her own life and confront her own painful past.
The Cliffs by J. Courtney Sullivan is an exceptionally well-written novel that blends family drama, historical fiction, gothic elements, spiritualism and an element of mystery into an immersive narrative shared from multiple perspectives across multiple timelines spanning centuries and featuring a cast of strong female characters.
Each of the characters is well fleshed out and what connects their stories is the house and the land on which it rests. The novel revolves around themes of generational trauma, alcoholism, family secrets, motherhood, loss, grief and healing, as well as Native American history and colonialism. With so many perspectives and themes, it is to be expected that some threads of the narrative are more deeply explored than others. Though I could sympathize with Jane and her struggles, I did question her choices and thought that occasionally her behavior was a tad immature for a thirty-nine-year-old. However, I appreciated how she was inspired to effect change in her life.
The novel emphasizes the importance of history and legacy and how crucial it is to preserve the stories of those who came before us. I loved the rich history of the house and wish that we had spent more time in the past timelines. The stories of the women who lived in the house were in turn inspiring, poignant and heartbreaking. The author incorporates in-depth segments on Native American culture and repatriation, the history of settler colonialism in Maine and the Wabanaki Nations, and the Shaker movement into the narrative. I found these sections extremely informative and I commend the author for the meticulous research that went into crafting this novel. I should mention that the inclusion of these segments did render the novel a tad lengthy and disjointed and slowed down the pace of the narrative, but this did not detract from my overall reading experience.
This is a complex novel meant to be read with time and patience. Overall, I found it to be a rewarding read and well worth the time and effort.
This was my first time reading J. Courtney Sullivan and I’m eager to explore more of the author’s work.
Many thanks to Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor for the digital review copy via NetGalley. All opinions expressed in this review are my own. This novel was published on July 2, 2024.
Connect with me! ✏ Instagram ✏ My Blog ✏ The StoryGraph
July 30, 2024
I'm a huge fan of J. Courtney Sullivan, but I was still unprepared for the way I would devour her new novel. Imagine -- I am not kidding -- the brilliant ghost story, POLTERGEIST, meets Daniel Mason's brilliant novel, NORTH WOODS. Sullivan's latest, THE CLIFFS, is a sweeping tale of a woman trying to claw her way back from the alcoholic sinkhole of her life in a coastal Maine town. Her research into the abandoned house she adored as a teen, which has now become a gentrified McMansion, turns up the ghosts of Shakers, indigenous people ensnared and enslaved by the European settlers, a horrifying shipwreck within sight of land, adulterous trysts, and a dead girl who wants her mother to know her corpse has been moved. And it works, every page. Every single page. Another treasure from Sullivan.
March 15, 2024
A very interesting read, albeit quite long and meandering at times
In the world of thrillers and viral hits, THE CLIFFS is not that book. It's a slow burner that takes its time to delve into its characters and their history, looking deep into the people associated with one particular home and the nearby area. You will not fly through its pages (though it's compelling) or have any big shocking twists (though there are certainly surprises), but if you keep with the story, you will be rewarded with a complex and rich narrative that spans centuries, connecting our characters in fascinating ways and exploring the complicated facets of how the past influences the present.
There are parts of THE CLIFFS that feel too long, as if a history lesson has lasted into another class period, and it can be hard to warm up to Jane, the main protagonist. The story is told from the point of view of various female characters, jumping around in time, but Jane gets the most screen time. They are all tied together by the house and land, but at times, I found myself wishing for more time with our characters older (in time period, not age) than Jane or other modern narratives. Jane's treatment of those around her--even with her alcoholism--was tough to stomach. A female-centric story that still focused so much on Jane pining for her estranged husband was difficult, as well.
There are so many interconnected stories here and the exploration of indigenous people and history is excellent. Sullivan does a great job of exploring motherhood and the idea if one can feel whole without being a mother. The themes of loss and grief run deeply in this story. While I wished there were a few more ghosts in this book (we get one early appearance!) and it felt long at times, it's beautifully written and a wonderful examination of legacies and the passing down of histories and secrets.
I received a copy of this book from Netgalley and Knopf in return for an unbiased review. Look for THE CLIFFS on 07/16/2024!
In the world of thrillers and viral hits, THE CLIFFS is not that book. It's a slow burner that takes its time to delve into its characters and their history, looking deep into the people associated with one particular home and the nearby area. You will not fly through its pages (though it's compelling) or have any big shocking twists (though there are certainly surprises), but if you keep with the story, you will be rewarded with a complex and rich narrative that spans centuries, connecting our characters in fascinating ways and exploring the complicated facets of how the past influences the present.
There are parts of THE CLIFFS that feel too long, as if a history lesson has lasted into another class period, and it can be hard to warm up to Jane, the main protagonist. The story is told from the point of view of various female characters, jumping around in time, but Jane gets the most screen time. They are all tied together by the house and land, but at times, I found myself wishing for more time with our characters older (in time period, not age) than Jane or other modern narratives. Jane's treatment of those around her--even with her alcoholism--was tough to stomach. A female-centric story that still focused so much on Jane pining for her estranged husband was difficult, as well.
There are so many interconnected stories here and the exploration of indigenous people and history is excellent. Sullivan does a great job of exploring motherhood and the idea if one can feel whole without being a mother. The themes of loss and grief run deeply in this story. While I wished there were a few more ghosts in this book (we get one early appearance!) and it felt long at times, it's beautifully written and a wonderful examination of legacies and the passing down of histories and secrets.
I received a copy of this book from Netgalley and Knopf in return for an unbiased review. Look for THE CLIFFS on 07/16/2024!
June 20, 2024
I struggled with this one. When I started, I thought it might be a story about a family and their drama. Then a mystery was introduced and I thought it might concentrate on that. But the story did neither.
It seemed to focus more on Jane and her story - but there are multiple POV with full storylines with their own characters and timeline. It was jarring, confusing and bogged the story down. I kept wondering what would come next because the story didn't focus all the time on the house or secrets. The chapters are long and their focus isn't always Jane and her current crisis.
I wish I'd liked this one more but I found it just wasn't for me.
A huge thank you to the author and publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.
It seemed to focus more on Jane and her story - but there are multiple POV with full storylines with their own characters and timeline. It was jarring, confusing and bogged the story down. I kept wondering what would come next because the story didn't focus all the time on the house or secrets. The chapters are long and their focus isn't always Jane and her current crisis.
I wish I'd liked this one more but I found it just wasn't for me.
A huge thank you to the author and publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.
July 21, 2025
Lately, I have been reading stories that I am not putting on my ‘currently reading’ shelf here at Goodreads. As a moody reader, I am not always sure I will want to continue a book if it does not appeal to me in the moment I begin it. And, in these situations it seems easier to just keep the book to myself until I am ready to post my review. Especially when I have decided to read it. That happened with this book donation to my Little Free Library Shed.
To me, one of the most favorable reading experiences are the connections readers make to the characters. Whether we love or hate them, our reactions tell us that they were believable to us. And, maybe even relatable. Mostly, for me, I want to care about them and their journey. Because in some ways, when I step in to a story, I want to feel as if I am actually there, as well. Or, hiding out in a safe place (especially with mysteries and thrillers). I know, maybe I am projecting myself too much into the experience, but usually it is what tells me that I am truly in for the reading journey.
And, sometimes the most unlikely character is a house. Like with this story. An abandoned house that happens to be painted purple, overlooking the sea in Awadapquit, Maine. (The fictional location for Ogunquit.)
Jane, one of our main protagonists, first spotted the house as a teenage tour guide on a lobster boat in the 1990’s. She decides to explore the house with her best friend, Allison, whose family gives Jane warmth and a sense of belonging. Something dearly missing in her own home life.
But life goes on. And, it isn’t until she is 30, that she explores the house again with her boyfriend, David. But on this one visit, fear enveloped her. And readers get the message…
“a fear tugged at Jane’s pocket, whispering that she had only wandered temporarily into somebody else’s lovely life.”
What could that foretelling be?
Readers wouldn’t get that answer until about 10 years later, when Jane is once again called back to home, and is hired by the present owner of the purple house, Genevieve, who asks her to look into its history, and possible ghost.
Ghost?
Jane’s research takes her into adventures of discovery along with Genevieve and Allison. Where readers also experience Jane’s growth.
Overall readers will be thrust into an interesting mystery, with well-defined, yet flawed and complicated characters. None of whom I could relate to, but I could still appreciate their complex journey. Especially inviting is the scenic history that the author writes to give this read credible credence. There is much to appreciate about the land, old houses and people who came before us.
Trigger: alcoholism
To me, one of the most favorable reading experiences are the connections readers make to the characters. Whether we love or hate them, our reactions tell us that they were believable to us. And, maybe even relatable. Mostly, for me, I want to care about them and their journey. Because in some ways, when I step in to a story, I want to feel as if I am actually there, as well. Or, hiding out in a safe place (especially with mysteries and thrillers). I know, maybe I am projecting myself too much into the experience, but usually it is what tells me that I am truly in for the reading journey.
And, sometimes the most unlikely character is a house. Like with this story. An abandoned house that happens to be painted purple, overlooking the sea in Awadapquit, Maine. (The fictional location for Ogunquit.)
Jane, one of our main protagonists, first spotted the house as a teenage tour guide on a lobster boat in the 1990’s. She decides to explore the house with her best friend, Allison, whose family gives Jane warmth and a sense of belonging. Something dearly missing in her own home life.
But life goes on. And, it isn’t until she is 30, that she explores the house again with her boyfriend, David. But on this one visit, fear enveloped her. And readers get the message…
“a fear tugged at Jane’s pocket, whispering that she had only wandered temporarily into somebody else’s lovely life.”
What could that foretelling be?
Readers wouldn’t get that answer until about 10 years later, when Jane is once again called back to home, and is hired by the present owner of the purple house, Genevieve, who asks her to look into its history, and possible ghost.
Ghost?
Jane’s research takes her into adventures of discovery along with Genevieve and Allison. Where readers also experience Jane’s growth.
Overall readers will be thrust into an interesting mystery, with well-defined, yet flawed and complicated characters. None of whom I could relate to, but I could still appreciate their complex journey. Especially inviting is the scenic history that the author writes to give this read credible credence. There is much to appreciate about the land, old houses and people who came before us.
Trigger: alcoholism
July 23, 2024
This book is an interesting read, but for me not a captivating read. The basic storyline itself about the historical history of this house on a cliff and how multiple generations tie to it is intriguing. This is not a fast read, this story takes time, patience and your ability to catalog and weave a large amount of history together. While I love learning new historical facts in books (even fiction ones), the amount of history in this one was overwhelming and very disjointed. It does all come together in the end, I just felt exhausted getting there.
Overall, it is a good book, not a great book I couldn't out down. It's worth the read from a historical aspect and if you have the patience to hold on to get to thr how, it is interesting how the different generations and families tie together.
My thanks to J. Courtney Sullivan, Knopf, and NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Overall, it is a good book, not a great book I couldn't out down. It's worth the read from a historical aspect and if you have the patience to hold on to get to thr how, it is interesting how the different generations and families tie together.
My thanks to J. Courtney Sullivan, Knopf, and NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
July 9, 2024
I absolutely loved Commencement, Maine and The Engagements and was really looking forward to The Cliffs. Unfortunately, The Cliffs was not a winner for me the way some of Sullivan's previous works were. With information overload that felt all too textbook and dual storylines that felt disjointed, this was a struggle for me. I hope Sullivan's next book is a better fit for me.
Thank you to Knopf for an advanced copy. All opinions are my own.
Thank you to Knopf for an advanced copy. All opinions are my own.
August 23, 2024
Didn't like it past the first couple of chapters. If I want a lecture I'll audit a college course and if I want to be judged I'll call my Sister.
March 18, 2024
4.5 stars
I really enjoyed this story that blended so many elements, from the past and the present and covered cultures like the Shakers, the Native Americans who lived in the northern portion of Maine, and the intertwining of a house and its occupants over the years.
Culture blends with lives affected by their heritage and the land they occupy. For those who love the concept of a haunted house, this book provides mysticism, spiritualism, and history. This made this well researched story quite satisfying.
However, there were a number of side stories that at times did interfere with the main telling. All in all, it was time well spent reading this book.
Thanks go to J. Courtney Sullivan, Knopf, and NetGalley for an early copy of this story due out in July of 2024.
I really enjoyed this story that blended so many elements, from the past and the present and covered cultures like the Shakers, the Native Americans who lived in the northern portion of Maine, and the intertwining of a house and its occupants over the years.
Culture blends with lives affected by their heritage and the land they occupy. For those who love the concept of a haunted house, this book provides mysticism, spiritualism, and history. This made this well researched story quite satisfying.
However, there were a number of side stories that at times did interfere with the main telling. All in all, it was time well spent reading this book.
Thanks go to J. Courtney Sullivan, Knopf, and NetGalley for an early copy of this story due out in July of 2024.
July 24, 2024
A Victorian house, painted lavender with gingerbread trim, sits abandoned on a cliff in Maine, overlooking the ocean. When Jane discovers the property as a teenager, she’s drawn to its mystery and finds comfort in it as an escape from her home life.
20 years later, when Jane returns to Maine following a mistake that threatens her marriage and career, she is disappointed to learn the house’s new owner, Genevieve, has remodeled. The house is now white, not lavender, and very little of its charm remains. Genevieve is convinced the house is haunted and she hires Jane to research its history.
There are several interconnected stories in The Cliffs, all tying back to women who spent time in the Victorian home. While I didn’t always agree with Jane’s decisions, I was rooting for her and enjoyed her story the most. I liked that the house was such an integral part of the story and in a way, a character itself.
J. Courtney Sullivan is my favorite author and liked how The Cliffs combined history, a little mystery, family drama, and contemporary life.
20 years later, when Jane returns to Maine following a mistake that threatens her marriage and career, she is disappointed to learn the house’s new owner, Genevieve, has remodeled. The house is now white, not lavender, and very little of its charm remains. Genevieve is convinced the house is haunted and she hires Jane to research its history.
There are several interconnected stories in The Cliffs, all tying back to women who spent time in the Victorian home. While I didn’t always agree with Jane’s decisions, I was rooting for her and enjoyed her story the most. I liked that the house was such an integral part of the story and in a way, a character itself.
J. Courtney Sullivan is my favorite author and liked how The Cliffs combined history, a little mystery, family drama, and contemporary life.
August 11, 2024
"The Cliffs" is about protagonist Jane Flanagan. While experiencing a separation from her husband, 39 year old Jane returns home to a small town in Maine. Her alcoholic mother recently died. Jane is cleaning out her home and getting it ready to sell. She is grieving her mother (although they weren't close) and is in a tailspin about the state of her marriage. To make matters worse, Jane's job as an archivist at Harvard is in jeopardy. We soon learn that Jane is an alcoholic like her mother - it's her behavior that has hurt both her marriage and her job.
It is against this framework, that author (J. Courtney Sullivan) paints a layered mural of so many interesting related stories. Jane's home-town is a vacation town, located in a scenic area on the sea coast. There is a focus on a historic home built by the town's founder. It was recently bought by a wealthy woman, Genevieve, from out of town. Genevieve hires Jane to research the house's previous occupants, as she is convinced that one of them is haunting the house. Her young son has seen and talked with a ghost there (a young girl).
Jane's research introduces the reader to such varied subjects as: Spiritualism, the Shakers, and Native Americans. She stresses the importance of preserving the stories and language that make up the fabric of a culture.
I especially enjoyed the section on Spiritualism. Jane visits a Spiritualist camp where mediums contact the spirits for inquiring people (clients). Jane veers between believing that this is possible, while also worrying that the clients (who are grieving for loved ones who died) are being taken advantage of. The author modeled this section of the book on a Spiritualist camp that she herself visited.
The author did extensive research while writing the book and it shows. Sullivan writes about the books she read and the places she visited in her Acknowledgements section.
This is a novel that I found hard to put down.
Here is an interview with the author. https://www.google.com/search?client=...
It is against this framework, that author (J. Courtney Sullivan) paints a layered mural of so many interesting related stories. Jane's home-town is a vacation town, located in a scenic area on the sea coast. There is a focus on a historic home built by the town's founder. It was recently bought by a wealthy woman, Genevieve, from out of town. Genevieve hires Jane to research the house's previous occupants, as she is convinced that one of them is haunting the house. Her young son has seen and talked with a ghost there (a young girl).
Jane's research introduces the reader to such varied subjects as: Spiritualism, the Shakers, and Native Americans. She stresses the importance of preserving the stories and language that make up the fabric of a culture.
I especially enjoyed the section on Spiritualism. Jane visits a Spiritualist camp where mediums contact the spirits for inquiring people (clients). Jane veers between believing that this is possible, while also worrying that the clients (who are grieving for loved ones who died) are being taken advantage of. The author modeled this section of the book on a Spiritualist camp that she herself visited.
The author did extensive research while writing the book and it shows. Sullivan writes about the books she read and the places she visited in her Acknowledgements section.
This is a novel that I found hard to put down.
Here is an interview with the author. https://www.google.com/search?client=...
July 18, 2024
3.5
there's a lot going on here and it feels disjointed. I liked it quite a bit despite the semi-chaotic story. Alcoholism is covered in what I believe a realistic way. All of the present and past stories were worth telling I just wanted them to be more connected and relevant to each other.
there's a lot going on here and it feels disjointed. I liked it quite a bit despite the semi-chaotic story. Alcoholism is covered in what I believe a realistic way. All of the present and past stories were worth telling I just wanted them to be more connected and relevant to each other.
July 17, 2024
Preachy. Entitlement. Rich people problems. Would have dnf'd, but I'm on a mission from God to read all the Reese picks this year.
October 19, 2024
I can't figure out what I just read. It was a convoluted mess. If the author would have stayed the course with the initial ghost story, there may have been hope for it. But no, she veered off into numerous rambling lectures about indigenous people, Shakers, spiritualism, alcoholism, and her own woke agendas. If that wasn't bad enough, Jane just might be the most unlikable main character ever. When she wasn't rolling her eyes or struggling to hold her tongue, she was judgmental, high and mighty, and downright mean and nasty. Sadly, I was looking forward to this book because I've enjoyed others by Ms. Sullivan. But this was a disaster. DISASTER.
July 6, 2024
This is a hard review to write because I have liked books by this author in the past but I really can’t recommend The Cliffs, her latest novel, due to be published on July 6, 2024. I received this ARC thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Random House.
The problem with this story was that the author got too caught up in teaching about so many varied things that it became tedious and confusing so that I often lost track of the story of the main characters. Her “lessons” included the history of the Native American Indians of northern New Hampshire and southern Maine, the horrible way they were treated and the theft of their artifacts, culture and traditions and their eventual forced migration to Canada by the whites; the history of the white explorers and settlers to the region; the Shaker community and its history; spiritualism and the spirits of the dead who “live on” in their former homes; and finally the effects of alcoholism, not only on the alcoholic but on family, friends, and even future generations. It took me a long time to read this because all the didactic lessons got boring and I would put it down. As I said, I can’t recommend this book.
The problem with this story was that the author got too caught up in teaching about so many varied things that it became tedious and confusing so that I often lost track of the story of the main characters. Her “lessons” included the history of the Native American Indians of northern New Hampshire and southern Maine, the horrible way they were treated and the theft of their artifacts, culture and traditions and their eventual forced migration to Canada by the whites; the history of the white explorers and settlers to the region; the Shaker community and its history; spiritualism and the spirits of the dead who “live on” in their former homes; and finally the effects of alcoholism, not only on the alcoholic but on family, friends, and even future generations. It took me a long time to read this because all the didactic lessons got boring and I would put it down. As I said, I can’t recommend this book.
September 27, 2024
This is a well-written, entertaining, historical fiction novel. It has sympathetic and engaging female protagonists, mystery, family and relationship drama, and vividly described settings and Native American and Shaker cultural and historical lore. The lives of several woman who are connected by the cliffs of Maine and a historical house are depicted in this novel. I listened to the audio book, and the narrators, Kimberly Farr, Tanis Parenteau, Emily Lawrence, Brittany Pressley and Cassandra Campbell do an excellent job portraying the characters.
November 21, 2024
This is a story that got lost. The premise intrigued me--A young girl growing up on the coast of Maine becomes infatuated with an old abandoned house. She roams the grounds (a beautiful cliff that juts out into the ocean) explores its rooms and is continually drawn to be there as a place of refuge from her crazy home life. She leaves Maine, goes to college becomes an archivist and eventually ends up back in her hometown (due to events and consequences of her own bad behavior and personal tragedy) and her involvement with the same house deepens.
But that ends up being the merest thread of the story. The author finds many many themes she wants to write about and spends lots of pages and time going in depth and incorporating these themes into the original good story. A few of these themes are: the age of spiritualism in colonial times, myths, history, and current day representation of Indigenous tribes in the area, alcoholism and AA, history of the Shakers just to name a few. (in truth I found a few of these well done and quite interesting but a little teachery and took me away from the story).
The author does manage to incorporate all of these into the story but it often feels like she has a check list in hand and one by one she is checking them off as she finds a place to squeeze then in. She even uses a few short stories like chapters tossed into to clarify a character's backhistory. For this reader it made it feel a real jumble of a story.
Yet, I did like it quite a bit up to about half way. Then it just got exhausting and about 3/4 in I started to skim--never a good sign.
So the first 1/3 was 4 star
the second 1/3-3 star
and the last 1/3 1 star
So 3.5 . Better than average but tried to do too much. rounded up as I find I am still thinking about it.
But that ends up being the merest thread of the story. The author finds many many themes she wants to write about and spends lots of pages and time going in depth and incorporating these themes into the original good story. A few of these themes are: the age of spiritualism in colonial times, myths, history, and current day representation of Indigenous tribes in the area, alcoholism and AA, history of the Shakers just to name a few. (in truth I found a few of these well done and quite interesting but a little teachery and took me away from the story).
The author does manage to incorporate all of these into the story but it often feels like she has a check list in hand and one by one she is checking them off as she finds a place to squeeze then in. She even uses a few short stories like chapters tossed into to clarify a character's backhistory. For this reader it made it feel a real jumble of a story.
Yet, I did like it quite a bit up to about half way. Then it just got exhausting and about 3/4 in I started to skim--never a good sign.
So the first 1/3 was 4 star
the second 1/3-3 star
and the last 1/3 1 star
So 3.5 . Better than average but tried to do too much. rounded up as I find I am still thinking about it.
October 17, 2024
A novel of family, secrets, ghosts, and homecoming set on the seaside cliffs of Maine, by the New York Times best-selling author of Friends and Strangers (which I loved).
The Cliffs hold a house; a violet-colored house; and many have lived there. The view of the ocean is spectacular.
The story is told from the POV of five people.
Jane Flanagan, attending Bates College as a high school senior, studies near the house. The house is empty. After years of college study, she becomes an archivist at the Schlesinger Library at Harvard. She leads a troubled life, but I want her to overcome her difficulties and succeed.
Genevieve and her husband buy and renovate the house. She installs a reflection pool in a place where the Littleton Family Graveyard resides. The graveyard is removed. Ghosts start visiting. Not much of a fan of Genevieve. In MHO, she pales next to Jane.
Jane and Genevieve connect. Jane does research about those who lived in the house before.
Original Owners- the Littletons. They have a tragic story.
Next to inhabit - the Troy sisters, Ethel and Honey. They run a boardinghouse. They die within 2 weeks of each other and leave the house to a nephew in CA. He sells to---
Marilyn and her husband Herbert. They have a daughter named Daisy. Marilyn is a painter and when we meet her, she is 91. She is an interesting character too.
Another voice is Eliza. Her grave was in the original cemetery and her stone said “Sister Eliza”. Her voice touched me in a special way.
The last unique voice to be heard is Naomi. She is a Penobscot woman. She has been fighting for tribal sovereignty for decades and is responsible for the Maine State Law that says that public schools must include indigenous history and culture in the curriculum.
This story is compelling because it retraces the inhabitants of the house and their lives. The book also emphasizes the story of Native Americans and how they have been marginalized through the years. Jane is very savvy about this and I love her all the more because she cares.
Highly recommend.
5 stars
.
The Cliffs hold a house; a violet-colored house; and many have lived there. The view of the ocean is spectacular.
The story is told from the POV of five people.
Jane Flanagan, attending Bates College as a high school senior, studies near the house. The house is empty. After years of college study, she becomes an archivist at the Schlesinger Library at Harvard. She leads a troubled life, but I want her to overcome her difficulties and succeed.
Genevieve and her husband buy and renovate the house. She installs a reflection pool in a place where the Littleton Family Graveyard resides. The graveyard is removed. Ghosts start visiting. Not much of a fan of Genevieve. In MHO, she pales next to Jane.
Jane and Genevieve connect. Jane does research about those who lived in the house before.
Original Owners- the Littletons. They have a tragic story.
Next to inhabit - the Troy sisters, Ethel and Honey. They run a boardinghouse. They die within 2 weeks of each other and leave the house to a nephew in CA. He sells to---
Marilyn and her husband Herbert. They have a daughter named Daisy. Marilyn is a painter and when we meet her, she is 91. She is an interesting character too.
Another voice is Eliza. Her grave was in the original cemetery and her stone said “Sister Eliza”. Her voice touched me in a special way.
The last unique voice to be heard is Naomi. She is a Penobscot woman. She has been fighting for tribal sovereignty for decades and is responsible for the Maine State Law that says that public schools must include indigenous history and culture in the curriculum.
This story is compelling because it retraces the inhabitants of the house and their lives. The book also emphasizes the story of Native Americans and how they have been marginalized through the years. Jane is very savvy about this and I love her all the more because she cares.
Highly recommend.
5 stars
.
December 14, 2025
The heart of the book are a few little mysteries around something that’s happened in a historic home in Maine. Multiple people are connected to this home through time for various reasons, and each of their POVs through many timelines are the crux of the story. It was an enthralling read!
I love books that are much more than just the blurb; and this book will have you learning so much more of American history in the end. The way Sullivan researched and wrote Indigenous and Native history of Maine and our country in general was absolutely amazing. It left such a profound impression on me, for after all American history is Indigenous history.
There were also many lighter notes on how some aspects of the paranormal and the spirit world played into it. The audiobook narrators were incredible, and made the many mammoth hour long chapters fly by.
This book was a surprise; I went in skeptical but I’m so glad I got to read it!
5 stars 🌟
I love books that are much more than just the blurb; and this book will have you learning so much more of American history in the end. The way Sullivan researched and wrote Indigenous and Native history of Maine and our country in general was absolutely amazing. It left such a profound impression on me, for after all American history is Indigenous history.
There were also many lighter notes on how some aspects of the paranormal and the spirit world played into it. The audiobook narrators were incredible, and made the many mammoth hour long chapters fly by.
This book was a surprise; I went in skeptical but I’m so glad I got to read it!
5 stars 🌟
June 1, 2024
I find myself really savoring and enjoying every book that I pick up from this author. I saw this on an email from Netgalley and I was like "about an purple Victorian house..." sign me up!
I thoroughly enjoyed the writing, and the themes just kept evolving, I think that's the only thing that kept me from giving this book a higher rating. A few too many threads going on in this one, some relevant, and interesting and others just felt too bloated. I can clearly see how much research Sullivan did on the topic of Indigenous repatriation, and I just wish some of the fluffiness of the house and the psychic stuff and the familial issues with alcoholism was cut out. All of these are important topics but were so heavy that it made it a tiny bit hard to focus with so many different threads.
I really loved the psychic medium parts - Clementine (can we take a second for such a great name?) was a delight and I loved the whole idea of Camp Mira - a spiritual campground of sorts. I loved all the pieces of the house coming through. Ultimately, I really enjoyed this novel but just know it's a bit a grab bag of topics going in. This just reminds me that I really need to read her other novels.
Thank you to Netgalley and Knopf for an advanced copy of this novel in exchange for my honest review.
I thoroughly enjoyed the writing, and the themes just kept evolving, I think that's the only thing that kept me from giving this book a higher rating. A few too many threads going on in this one, some relevant, and interesting and others just felt too bloated. I can clearly see how much research Sullivan did on the topic of Indigenous repatriation, and I just wish some of the fluffiness of the house and the psychic stuff and the familial issues with alcoholism was cut out. All of these are important topics but were so heavy that it made it a tiny bit hard to focus with so many different threads.
I really loved the psychic medium parts - Clementine (can we take a second for such a great name?) was a delight and I loved the whole idea of Camp Mira - a spiritual campground of sorts. I loved all the pieces of the house coming through. Ultimately, I really enjoyed this novel but just know it's a bit a grab bag of topics going in. This just reminds me that I really need to read her other novels.
Thank you to Netgalley and Knopf for an advanced copy of this novel in exchange for my honest review.
June 23, 2024
Jane Flanagan returns to Maine twenty years later after separating from her husband. The decrepit abandoned house she visited as a teenager has been renovated and is rumored to be haunted. Genevieve, the woman who bought the house hires Jane to look into the history of the house.
This was a good story that goes back and forth between past and present.
Thanks NetGalley and Knopf for this eARC that will be released July 2, 2024!
This was a good story that goes back and forth between past and present.
Thanks NetGalley and Knopf for this eARC that will be released July 2, 2024!
July 20, 2024
Fun story. Bittersweet ending. Loved these quotes”There were versions of death that existed inside of life. Like drunken blackouts, that time unaccounted for, the state patients were in almost the opposite of being ghosts , s body with no awareness, no memory; shadows of past lives all around in graveyards, in old house, in work, in stories”. “ She had the locust of starting again. Even though, she had no idea what that meant. The not knowing felt terrifying. But, she was certain any one of the Lao would trade places with her. “
August 25, 2024
„Die Frauen von Maine“ hat mich gedanklich an einen Ort zurückkehren lassen, den ich physisch zuletzt 2013 besuchte. Mit dem schönen Stäatchen Maine verbinde ich nur positive Erinnerungen - wundervolle Tage am Meer an der atemberaubenden schönen Küste mit abendlichen Hummer-Dinners.
J. Courtney Sullivan hat mich nun wieder die Koffer packen lassen und ich durfte Urlaub in Maine machen in der kleinen Küstenstadt Awadapquit. Ein verlassenes, altes viktorianischen Haus auf einer Klippe stellte den Zufluchtsort für die Figur Jane dar - in den sie sich vor ihrem Zuhause flüchtete, das für sie kein glücklicher Ort war. Aufgezogen von einer alkoholkranken Mutter, machte zudem noch ihre Schwester Probleme.
Zwanzig Jahre später kehrt sie nun an den Ort zurück nach dem Tod ihrer Mutter und einigen Struggles in ihrem Leben. Ihre Ehe kippelt und ihre Karriere ebenso - sie versucht sich beim Entrümpeln des Hauses ihrer Mutter ins Leben zurückzukämpfen. Arbeitet sie heute als Archivarin an der Harvard Universität, trifft sie während ihres Heimatbesuches auf Genevieve Richards, eine wohlhabende Dame, deren Familie ihren alten Zufluchtsort, das viktorianische Haus auf der Klippe käuflich erworben hat und nun aufwendig renoviert. Selbige bittet sie um Recherchearbeit zwecks der Historie des Hauses, da sie meint Spuk dort zu vernehmen. Ihre Recherchen lassen sie auf mehr stoßen, als sie zunächst ahnte - und stellen einiges in Janes Leben auf den Kopf und bringen sie zum Grübeln über ihr eigenes Leben und ihre Vergangenheit, so viel soll gesagt sein.
Ich war absolut fasziniert über die reichhaltigen Themen, die J. Courtney Sullivan in diese Geschichte integriert hat - von detaillierten Passagen über die Kultur der amerikanischen Ureinwohner, über die Geschichte des Kolonialismus in Maine, die Shaker-Bewegung und die Wabanaki-Nationen, hat sie alle gekonnt verwoben in „Die Frauen von Maine“.
Aus mehreren Perspektiven erzählt sie eine Geschichte, die starke weibliche Charaktere zum Zentrum macht und über einige Jahrhunderte reicht. Sie sind verbunden, durch das alte viktorianische Haus auf der Klippe und Sullivan hat jeden einzelnen Charakter exorbitant gut gezeichnet. Doch einige Verknüpfungen nimmt sie mehr unter die Lupe als andere, was auch den zahlreichen Perspektiven geschuldet sein kann. Mit dem einen oder anderen Schlüsselmoment und Entscheidung in Janes Leben ging ich nicht konform - wenn ich auch die Inspiration der Autorin zu schätzen weiß, die Thematik der Motivation Veränderung im Leben herbeizuführen, in den Mittelpunkt zu stellen.
Es ist die perfekte Lektüre für alle Leser*innen, die auch mal ein langsameres Erzähltempo zu schätzen wissen. Ihr außerordentliche Recherchearbeit nimmt Raum ein in dem Roman und ließ Momente der Länge und Zusammenhangslosigkeit auftreten, was meinem Leseerlebnis insgesamt aber keinen Abbruch getan hat.
Tiefgreifende Themen scheinen ihr Steckenpferd zu sein - so erzählt sie sowohl über Alkoholismus, Verlust, Mutterschaft, Kolonialismus, amerikanische Ureinwohner, als auch über Generationentraumata.
Zusammengefasst ein Familiendrama, das historische Fiktion gespickt mit Spiritualismus und gotischen Elementen zu einer packenden Mysterygeschichte verbindet.
Die verschiedenen Schicksale der Frauen in unterschiedlichen Zeitebenen waren für mich emotional rührend und teils herzzerreißend, ich hätte gerne noch mehr Zeit mit ihnen verbracht. J. Courtney Sullivan hat mein Augenmerk auf die Wichtigkeit der Bewahrung der Vergangenheit derer gelegt, die vor uns kamen.
Es ist definitiv keine leichte Sommerlektüre, aber die, die sich die Zeit und Ruhe für diesen komplexen Roman nehmen, werden überaus belohnt. Eine große Leseempfehlung für alle Liebhaber*innen von Familiengeheimnissen, die historisch aufgearbeitet (akribisch recherchiert! Großes Kompliment an die Autorin!) werden und die sich mit starken weiblichen Charakteren identifizieren können.
J. Courtney Sullivan hat mich nun wieder die Koffer packen lassen und ich durfte Urlaub in Maine machen in der kleinen Küstenstadt Awadapquit. Ein verlassenes, altes viktorianischen Haus auf einer Klippe stellte den Zufluchtsort für die Figur Jane dar - in den sie sich vor ihrem Zuhause flüchtete, das für sie kein glücklicher Ort war. Aufgezogen von einer alkoholkranken Mutter, machte zudem noch ihre Schwester Probleme.
Zwanzig Jahre später kehrt sie nun an den Ort zurück nach dem Tod ihrer Mutter und einigen Struggles in ihrem Leben. Ihre Ehe kippelt und ihre Karriere ebenso - sie versucht sich beim Entrümpeln des Hauses ihrer Mutter ins Leben zurückzukämpfen. Arbeitet sie heute als Archivarin an der Harvard Universität, trifft sie während ihres Heimatbesuches auf Genevieve Richards, eine wohlhabende Dame, deren Familie ihren alten Zufluchtsort, das viktorianische Haus auf der Klippe käuflich erworben hat und nun aufwendig renoviert. Selbige bittet sie um Recherchearbeit zwecks der Historie des Hauses, da sie meint Spuk dort zu vernehmen. Ihre Recherchen lassen sie auf mehr stoßen, als sie zunächst ahnte - und stellen einiges in Janes Leben auf den Kopf und bringen sie zum Grübeln über ihr eigenes Leben und ihre Vergangenheit, so viel soll gesagt sein.
Ich war absolut fasziniert über die reichhaltigen Themen, die J. Courtney Sullivan in diese Geschichte integriert hat - von detaillierten Passagen über die Kultur der amerikanischen Ureinwohner, über die Geschichte des Kolonialismus in Maine, die Shaker-Bewegung und die Wabanaki-Nationen, hat sie alle gekonnt verwoben in „Die Frauen von Maine“.
Aus mehreren Perspektiven erzählt sie eine Geschichte, die starke weibliche Charaktere zum Zentrum macht und über einige Jahrhunderte reicht. Sie sind verbunden, durch das alte viktorianische Haus auf der Klippe und Sullivan hat jeden einzelnen Charakter exorbitant gut gezeichnet. Doch einige Verknüpfungen nimmt sie mehr unter die Lupe als andere, was auch den zahlreichen Perspektiven geschuldet sein kann. Mit dem einen oder anderen Schlüsselmoment und Entscheidung in Janes Leben ging ich nicht konform - wenn ich auch die Inspiration der Autorin zu schätzen weiß, die Thematik der Motivation Veränderung im Leben herbeizuführen, in den Mittelpunkt zu stellen.
Es ist die perfekte Lektüre für alle Leser*innen, die auch mal ein langsameres Erzähltempo zu schätzen wissen. Ihr außerordentliche Recherchearbeit nimmt Raum ein in dem Roman und ließ Momente der Länge und Zusammenhangslosigkeit auftreten, was meinem Leseerlebnis insgesamt aber keinen Abbruch getan hat.
Tiefgreifende Themen scheinen ihr Steckenpferd zu sein - so erzählt sie sowohl über Alkoholismus, Verlust, Mutterschaft, Kolonialismus, amerikanische Ureinwohner, als auch über Generationentraumata.
Zusammengefasst ein Familiendrama, das historische Fiktion gespickt mit Spiritualismus und gotischen Elementen zu einer packenden Mysterygeschichte verbindet.
Die verschiedenen Schicksale der Frauen in unterschiedlichen Zeitebenen waren für mich emotional rührend und teils herzzerreißend, ich hätte gerne noch mehr Zeit mit ihnen verbracht. J. Courtney Sullivan hat mein Augenmerk auf die Wichtigkeit der Bewahrung der Vergangenheit derer gelegt, die vor uns kamen.
Es ist definitiv keine leichte Sommerlektüre, aber die, die sich die Zeit und Ruhe für diesen komplexen Roman nehmen, werden überaus belohnt. Eine große Leseempfehlung für alle Liebhaber*innen von Familiengeheimnissen, die historisch aufgearbeitet (akribisch recherchiert! Großes Kompliment an die Autorin!) werden und die sich mit starken weiblichen Charakteren identifizieren können.
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January 11, 2025Although this book had an intriguing central story line, the author took multiple, distracting paths with additional story lines full of every example of “woke culture” possible. Instead of telling a great story, it became a boring, didactic slog.
April 24, 2025
3.5 stars The Cliffs is a novel that takes place on the cliffs of Maine and centers around Jane Flanagan, who grew up in a rural seaside town. She was always fascinated by a large historic house on The Cliffs that was left abandoned while she was a teenager. She becomes an archivist, and after being forced to take a leave from her job at Harvard, she returns home reluctantly.
The book explores themes of addiction, Native American and Shaker history, family secrets, climate change, marriage, family relationships, ghosts, and fortune tellers. Sullivan's writing is exceptional, and her research was extensive, but I feel that what could have been a 5 star book got bogged down by trying to be too many things and take on too many topics. I'm not sure I could pick out what the main point of the book was that she wanted readers to take away. In addition, the main character isn't that likable, although I generally don't mind that. I liked the book but thought I would love it based on the description. If you're a fan of the author, you should definitely read this one.
The book explores themes of addiction, Native American and Shaker history, family secrets, climate change, marriage, family relationships, ghosts, and fortune tellers. Sullivan's writing is exceptional, and her research was extensive, but I feel that what could have been a 5 star book got bogged down by trying to be too many things and take on too many topics. I'm not sure I could pick out what the main point of the book was that she wanted readers to take away. In addition, the main character isn't that likable, although I generally don't mind that. I liked the book but thought I would love it based on the description. If you're a fan of the author, you should definitely read this one.
August 3, 2024
This book took on a lot, mostly successfully. I really like J. Courtney Sullivan, and I’ve read most of her books. She can do it all: historical fiction, the coming of age novel, family sagas. This one is her most ambitious by far and combines a number of those different genres while following the history of a coastal Maine house and the various families who inhabited it (or originally inhabited the land on which it stands), and the surrounding small town community, alongside the intertwined personal and family history of a disgraced, fallen-on-hard-times woman who grew up in the town, recently returned there, and has been kind of obsessed with the house since she was a girl.
This seems like a very New England kind of novel with lots of things like extended detours into Shaker history and semi-Moby Dick-style existential yet relevant tangents on topics such as, say, early American spiritualist communities and their ties to feminism and suffrage? I’m not quite sure if the sum total of everything comes together fully or not - sometimes you’re just left wondering, why did we learn so much about this person or that person when they eventually just sort of fade away into the background, and there is also a whole struggling with alcohol abuse plot that I did not expect to be so much of a major part of the book going in - but I think it all ties together at least enough, and you do really get the sense of passion, effort, and care that the author put into telling the story.
The protagonist is - or was, before her downfall - an archivist of women’s historical ephemera, so the overall theme is that of using artifacts and stories to piece together past bits of history, especially that of marginal and untold figures including women and indigenous people. That process, more than any final end product that packs some big whallop, seems to me to be the primary focus of the book. But more ghosts next time, please!
This seems like a very New England kind of novel with lots of things like extended detours into Shaker history and semi-Moby Dick-style existential yet relevant tangents on topics such as, say, early American spiritualist communities and their ties to feminism and suffrage? I’m not quite sure if the sum total of everything comes together fully or not - sometimes you’re just left wondering, why did we learn so much about this person or that person when they eventually just sort of fade away into the background, and there is also a whole struggling with alcohol abuse plot that I did not expect to be so much of a major part of the book going in - but I think it all ties together at least enough, and you do really get the sense of passion, effort, and care that the author put into telling the story.
The protagonist is - or was, before her downfall - an archivist of women’s historical ephemera, so the overall theme is that of using artifacts and stories to piece together past bits of history, especially that of marginal and untold figures including women and indigenous people. That process, more than any final end product that packs some big whallop, seems to me to be the primary focus of the book. But more ghosts next time, please!
April 21, 2024
Thanks to NetGalley and Knopf for an eARC of this book!
This book started off great, but after about 40% I started getting kinda bored. The beginning sets you up with an old mansion on the cliffs of the coast of Maine in our main character, Jane’s, hometown. Jane works in the Harvard library archives, but is on temporary leave because of inappropriate behavior at a work event—caused by her long-time struggle with alcoholism. She’s living in her childhood home, cleaning it out and prepping it for selling after her mother’s death. There’s not a lot going for Jane, she’s clearly having a rough time.
Then, Jane runs into a woman named Genevieve who invites her to do research on the history of her new home because her son saw and spoke with a ghost there—the same mansion we’re introduced to in the beginning of the novel. However, after this, the novel starts losing steam. The author gives us what I would consider to be too much backstory.
Eliza lived in the home when it was first built. Her story was interesting, but there was so much information given through it that didn’t feel necessary and left me trying to figure out where the story was going. Same goes for Naomi, who we get introduced to in the second to last chapter. In my opinion, neither of their stories required so much time. I think if the author had focused more on one set of characters and one timeline this novel would have been far better. There was just too much going on. I loved the way she wrote, her prose was great, so I plan to try again with another book someday.
This book started off great, but after about 40% I started getting kinda bored. The beginning sets you up with an old mansion on the cliffs of the coast of Maine in our main character, Jane’s, hometown. Jane works in the Harvard library archives, but is on temporary leave because of inappropriate behavior at a work event—caused by her long-time struggle with alcoholism. She’s living in her childhood home, cleaning it out and prepping it for selling after her mother’s death. There’s not a lot going for Jane, she’s clearly having a rough time.
Then, Jane runs into a woman named Genevieve who invites her to do research on the history of her new home because her son saw and spoke with a ghost there—the same mansion we’re introduced to in the beginning of the novel. However, after this, the novel starts losing steam. The author gives us what I would consider to be too much backstory.
Eliza lived in the home when it was first built. Her story was interesting, but there was so much information given through it that didn’t feel necessary and left me trying to figure out where the story was going. Same goes for Naomi, who we get introduced to in the second to last chapter. In my opinion, neither of their stories required so much time. I think if the author had focused more on one set of characters and one timeline this novel would have been far better. There was just too much going on. I loved the way she wrote, her prose was great, so I plan to try again with another book someday.
May 14, 2024
Other loyal J. Courtney Sullivan fans will likely love her latest, but too many POVs made for a complex story I just couldn't get into.
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