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Returning to Shore
Her mother's third marriage is only hours old when all hope for Clare's fifteenth summer fades. Before she knows it, Clare is whisked away to some ancient cottage on a tiny marsh island on Cape Cod to spend the summer with her father—a man she hasn't seen since she was three. Clare's biological father barely talks, and when he does, he obsesses about endangered turtles. The first teenager Clare meets on the Cape confirms that her father is known as the town crazy person. But there's something undeniably magical about the marsh and the island—a connection to Clare’s past that runs deeper than memory. Even her father's beloved turtles hold unexpected surprises. As Clare's father begins to reveal more about himself and his own struggle, Clare's summer becomes less of an exile and more of a return.
212 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 1, 2014
2 people are currently reading
1092 people want to read
About the author
Corinne Demas
53 books99 followersCorinne Demas is the award-winning author of thirty-nine books, including six novels (Daughters, The Road Towards Home, The Writing Circle), two short story collections, a memoir (Eleven Stories High, Growing Up in Stuyvesant Town, 1948--1968), a poetry chapbook, and numerous books for children (The Littlest Matryoshka, Saying Goodbye to Lulu, The Disappearing Island, The Perfect Tree). She is a Professor Emerita of English at Mount Holyoke College and a Fiction Editor of The Massachusetts Review. Along with her family, two donkeys, and a precocious puppy, she divides her time between Western Massachusetts and Cape Cod, two settings that have inspired her books.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 54 reviews
June 28, 2021
Excellent story about a teenage girl reconnecting with her father and learning the reasons behind their many years of separation.
January 20, 2014
Great book! Very current, and looks at LGBTQ topics through a unique lens. Highly recommend!
April 17, 2014
Surprise gem.
Review originally posted on Rather Be Reading Blog
There was something so quiet about Returning to Shore. Not many action packed scenes, instead the distant lap of the tide in the background as a father unsteadily attempted to bridge a gap with his estranged daughter, teaching her the routines of the sea turtles and hence, his research in the small town he grew up in.
Clare was already filled with emotions on her way to Cape Cod. Not only was she not entirely thrilled with her mom’s new pick for a husband but she was also mourning the loss of a yet another person in her life. Someone her mom chose to leave; someone Clare wished to be a “real” daughter to. Even though there was a lot of feeling to go around at the start of Returning to Shore, Corinne Demas gave us a character wading through her all this change and uncertainly in a thoughtful, calmly-paced manner.
Even when Clare was suddenly in a car with her father, Richard, and living in his home for the summer, the situation was never highly dramatic. Instead the two danced around one another, slowly getting to know who the other had become. The bond between them was gradual and almost so silent, you had to really pay attention to see that it was happening. Clare was super insightful and also very careful but I also applauded her when she openly asked for honesty from Richard. She didn’t go into a summer with him thinking there would be a happily ever after, but she wasn’t against having a relationship with him either.
Returning to Shore explored acceptance, rediscovering connections, and love in this vividly painted portrait of a summer between two people who are essentially strangers, learning to be a father and a daughter. I’m not sure if this book would be everyone’s cup of tea but it felt like a surprise gem in my pile of books. So much observation and feeling packed into a short novel laced with purposeful scenes and lots to learn about the wonderful sea turtle (and how their behaviors can sometimes parallel our own).
There was one thing I was left
Review originally posted on Rather Be Reading Blog
There was something so quiet about Returning to Shore. Not many action packed scenes, instead the distant lap of the tide in the background as a father unsteadily attempted to bridge a gap with his estranged daughter, teaching her the routines of the sea turtles and hence, his research in the small town he grew up in.
Clare was already filled with emotions on her way to Cape Cod. Not only was she not entirely thrilled with her mom’s new pick for a husband but she was also mourning the loss of a yet another person in her life. Someone her mom chose to leave; someone Clare wished to be a “real” daughter to. Even though there was a lot of feeling to go around at the start of Returning to Shore, Corinne Demas gave us a character wading through her all this change and uncertainly in a thoughtful, calmly-paced manner.
Even when Clare was suddenly in a car with her father, Richard, and living in his home for the summer, the situation was never highly dramatic. Instead the two danced around one another, slowly getting to know who the other had become. The bond between them was gradual and almost so silent, you had to really pay attention to see that it was happening. Clare was super insightful and also very careful but I also applauded her when she openly asked for honesty from Richard. She didn’t go into a summer with him thinking there would be a happily ever after, but she wasn’t against having a relationship with him either.
Returning to Shore explored acceptance, rediscovering connections, and love in this vividly painted portrait of a summer between two people who are essentially strangers, learning to be a father and a daughter. I’m not sure if this book would be everyone’s cup of tea but it felt like a surprise gem in my pile of books. So much observation and feeling packed into a short novel laced with purposeful scenes and lots to learn about the wonderful sea turtle (and how their behaviors can sometimes parallel our own).
There was one thing I was left
December 15, 2013
I was really looking forward to this one. But I was disappointed. I wasn't connected to any of the characters (maybe it was the length of the book?) and I couldn't relate to them. I felt like the same thing was happening over and over again when Clare and Richard went out to find the terrapins. It was a quick read which was good. I wish I liked this one! :(
February 17, 2014
Clare's reunion with her father after many years is surprising and poignant. Written in Demas's usual lyrical style, the book captures the magic of Cape Cod in the summertime, especially for this girl who barely remembers that it's her real home. Lovely.
August 11, 2024
A nice short story, and the language is artful at times. The beauty of Cape Cod without the commercialism. That said, I’m not sure if the issue was specifically in the ebook, but the significant proofreading misses are distracting.
March 7, 2014
RETURNING TO SHORE is a brief book, not particularly fast paced but a quick read by virtue of its brevity. It's cover is bleak, but the book is anything but. It's a simple tale, enlivened with a touch of quirk and symbolism.
Clare has lived with her mother since her parent's divorce. She loved her stepfather, and still misses him, even as her mother is marrying for the third time. But she doesn't have much time to contemplate her dislike of her new stepfather before she's swept off to a small Cape Cod island to live with her father while her mother honeymoons. Her father knows absolutely nothing about raising a teenager, and he's distracted by his work with turtles (terrapins, to be more specific). It's egg-laying season, and he intends to make sure that those eggs survive.
Seriously, it's a book about a daughter and father finding each other and themselves, and the father is obsessed with turtles and ensuring that their offspring survive. It's kind of absurd and obvious and it works. It's partially because turtle conservation is a real, serious thing. But it's more because the characters are richly drawn and their development is subtle.
In a novel as short and simple as RETURNING TO SHORE, everything hangs on the protagonist. I think I was first drawn to the clear gulf between what Clare knows and what the narrative insinuates that she doesn't. That her mother's relationships, particularly that with her first stepfather, are more complicated than she's been led to believe. Then there's her father, who knows quite a bit that he holds too tightly - knowledge that he should tell his daughter, at least if they're going to have a real relationship.
There's also a small subplot about Clare making friends of necessity with the other teen girl who lives on the island. There is, of course, inherent friction in the relationship made more out of proximity than true interest in what the other has to offer. At the same time, it's not like it's two people hanging out who secretly hate each other. Then, as Clare learns more about her friend, it conflicts with the things she's learned about her dad. And it's more than just differing environmental views.
RETURNING TO SHORE is a novel that doesn't rely on romance to deliver deeply felt emotion. It's a wonderful coming of age story, with a picturesque setting and a strong environmental message lurking not-far-back in the background. Is it strange to say that this is a book for Studio Ghibli fans? Because it is.
Clare has lived with her mother since her parent's divorce. She loved her stepfather, and still misses him, even as her mother is marrying for the third time. But she doesn't have much time to contemplate her dislike of her new stepfather before she's swept off to a small Cape Cod island to live with her father while her mother honeymoons. Her father knows absolutely nothing about raising a teenager, and he's distracted by his work with turtles (terrapins, to be more specific). It's egg-laying season, and he intends to make sure that those eggs survive.
Seriously, it's a book about a daughter and father finding each other and themselves, and the father is obsessed with turtles and ensuring that their offspring survive. It's kind of absurd and obvious and it works. It's partially because turtle conservation is a real, serious thing. But it's more because the characters are richly drawn and their development is subtle.
In a novel as short and simple as RETURNING TO SHORE, everything hangs on the protagonist. I think I was first drawn to the clear gulf between what Clare knows and what the narrative insinuates that she doesn't. That her mother's relationships, particularly that with her first stepfather, are more complicated than she's been led to believe. Then there's her father, who knows quite a bit that he holds too tightly - knowledge that he should tell his daughter, at least if they're going to have a real relationship.
There's also a small subplot about Clare making friends of necessity with the other teen girl who lives on the island. There is, of course, inherent friction in the relationship made more out of proximity than true interest in what the other has to offer. At the same time, it's not like it's two people hanging out who secretly hate each other. Then, as Clare learns more about her friend, it conflicts with the things she's learned about her dad. And it's more than just differing environmental views.
RETURNING TO SHORE is a novel that doesn't rely on romance to deliver deeply felt emotion. It's a wonderful coming of age story, with a picturesque setting and a strong environmental message lurking not-far-back in the background. Is it strange to say that this is a book for Studio Ghibli fans? Because it is.
August 6, 2016
Originally Posted at: RJ Does Books!
'Returning to Shore' is a coming of age story that follows Clare going to stay with a father she hasn't really known after her mother remarries. At first Clare is hesitant, reserved and cautious to warm up to him. She doesn't know this man, and he isn't exactly the most communicative of personalities to mesh with, with ease. But soon his story begins to unravel allowing Clare to see another side to this man beyond his bashful nature and intense passion for sea turtles. She sees a man much different than what the locals in town imagined him to be.
Corrine Demas does a fantastic job with creating authentic teen angst and detailing a well-painted setting. The tension, the tenderness, it was all executed well and built on a solid story with well-defined characters. While it was a little difficult to adjust to Clare's strong personality at first, things settled later on. Maybe she was a little bratty at first, then again what teen isn't!
Returning to Shore makes for a quick, contemporary read with a central focus on a realistic father-daughter-reconnecting relationship and sea turtle preservation than anything else. I would have liked a tad more of Clare sticking up for her father, and an ending that was wrapped up a little more, however it was still a touching, sweet read.
I would like to thank the author for sending me an eARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review!
'Returning to Shore' is a coming of age story that follows Clare going to stay with a father she hasn't really known after her mother remarries. At first Clare is hesitant, reserved and cautious to warm up to him. She doesn't know this man, and he isn't exactly the most communicative of personalities to mesh with, with ease. But soon his story begins to unravel allowing Clare to see another side to this man beyond his bashful nature and intense passion for sea turtles. She sees a man much different than what the locals in town imagined him to be.
Corrine Demas does a fantastic job with creating authentic teen angst and detailing a well-painted setting. The tension, the tenderness, it was all executed well and built on a solid story with well-defined characters. While it was a little difficult to adjust to Clare's strong personality at first, things settled later on. Maybe she was a little bratty at first, then again what teen isn't!
Returning to Shore makes for a quick, contemporary read with a central focus on a realistic father-daughter-reconnecting relationship and sea turtle preservation than anything else. I would have liked a tad more of Clare sticking up for her father, and an ending that was wrapped up a little more, however it was still a touching, sweet read.
I would like to thank the author for sending me an eARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review!
July 19, 2015
This is one of those YA novels that I think I should rate differently based on the fact that it is YA and I am not (a) YA but whatever. There is exceptional literature out there with the YA designation and I'm going to stick to my old lady standards when I rate YA.
Rant aside, this is a quiet story that doesn't really offend or impress. Demas' Clare is almost translucent as a character for all the color and depth we get from her. Perhaps this is a good trick for YA since it forces readers to either identify or disregard the main character but for me, it foretold a fairly blah reading experience. Since Clare wasn't fully formed, I didn't give two shits about her story, which was fine: girl visits estranged dad on Cape Cod, realizes BIG things, resolves BIG things, etc.
Do I expect too much of YA? Perhaps. But I'd rather overestimate the YA reading population and rate this as a solid "meh" rather than pretend it had a depth it did not.
Rant aside, this is a quiet story that doesn't really offend or impress. Demas' Clare is almost translucent as a character for all the color and depth we get from her. Perhaps this is a good trick for YA since it forces readers to either identify or disregard the main character but for me, it foretold a fairly blah reading experience. Since Clare wasn't fully formed, I didn't give two shits about her story, which was fine: girl visits estranged dad on Cape Cod, realizes BIG things, resolves BIG things, etc.
Do I expect too much of YA? Perhaps. But I'd rather overestimate the YA reading population and rate this as a solid "meh" rather than pretend it had a depth it did not.
September 3, 2016
Returning to Shore explores the deep waters of the reuniting of a daughter and her father after many years of separation. It's beautifully written and keenly observed -- a real gem with a lovely ending that stays with you long after the book is closed.
February 16, 2014
Quiet and introspective.
September 24, 2017
This is a lovely little Y/A book. Clare is a young teen. She has had no contact with her father since she was three except for phone calls at Christmas. Her mother is now entering her third marriage, and Clare is about to spend three weeks with her father who has returned from CA and has taken on the task of protecting endangered turtles on Cape Cod. Clare is not excited to go but finds she learns a lot from the experience.
April 17, 2020
2.5 ⭐️
A short, introspective read, but missing something. Not life changing, but still impactful.
A short, introspective read, but missing something. Not life changing, but still impactful.
December 23, 2017
Very good, also touching.
March 24, 2014
I received an advanced reader copy of this novel from the publisher. Demas has published a wide range of novels - from adult literary to children's picture books. I have read one of her previous novels, The Writer's Circle, but this is the first of her YA novels that I've read.
In Corinne Demas's new novel, Returning to Shore (2014), fifteen-year-old Clare is sent to Blackfish Island for the summer when her mother remarries. She stays with her father, a man she has not seen since she was three and only speaks to once a year. While she wants to make the most of her exile and reconnect with her father, he seems more interested in protecting terrapin turtles - an endangered species that inhabits the island. However, as the summer wears on, Clare discovers there is more to the island - and her father - than she first thought.
After the first couple of chapters, I was sure I had this novel pegged: a teenage girl reconnects with her long lost father over a summer at his beach house while also finding true love. I couldn't have been more wrong as there wasn't a cliché in sight in this mainstream YA novel.
Clare and her father, Richard, are the main characters. The central drama revolves around Clare as she tries to discover what kind of person her father is, an oddball recluse who she barely knows. Though he has supported her financially her whole childhood, he has never wanted to be more than a shadow in her life and she feels abandoned by him. However, as Clare discovers, he had reasons for keeping distant. Through the intensity of her observations and thoughts, the reader sees - and feels - what Clare does as she learns about her father and herself.
Clare is the heart of this brief novel and she carries the weight with ease. I was impressed by the complexity and authenticity of her interiority. Her thoughts felt organic, not just showing the reader how she feels but adding backstory and developing her character in a deeply interesting way. Here's a passage of when Clare first meets her father:
"What did she know about him? Very little. On her birthdays he sent her cards that said, 'Now you are _' for whatever age she was, and inside he'd Scotch-tape some money. When she was younger it was a ten-dollar bill, later a twenty. Last year it had been a fifty. He taped it carefully so that most of the tape was on the card, and only a little of it on the money, and so she could peel it away easily. She looked at his hands on the steering wheel now. His fingers were callused, the nails cracked. It was hard to imagine those rough hands selecting a birthday card, taping the money inside it."
Eventually, Clare becomes aware that her father is hiding something - something she may not want to know. She evades the subtext, rationalizing this way:
"If you didn't want to know things, you didn't have to know them. Things didn't become facts until someone actually spoke them. Until then, you could just go on acting just the way you have been acting and even if you suspected there was something that would change everything, you didn't have to acknowledge it; you didn't have to let it in."
Ignorance is bliss. Or at least it can be for a while. However, Clare discovers - as most of us do - that we can't keep fooling ourselves. I found her grappling with these heavy topics intriguing and convincing.
This book is meditative with a beautifully written protagonist. I would highly recommend to adult readers of YA fiction as well as teens bored with predictable vampire novels. I hope to see this novel make its way on to school reading lists this summer. Returning to Shore is a quiet novel with a lot to say.
In Corinne Demas's new novel, Returning to Shore (2014), fifteen-year-old Clare is sent to Blackfish Island for the summer when her mother remarries. She stays with her father, a man she has not seen since she was three and only speaks to once a year. While she wants to make the most of her exile and reconnect with her father, he seems more interested in protecting terrapin turtles - an endangered species that inhabits the island. However, as the summer wears on, Clare discovers there is more to the island - and her father - than she first thought.
After the first couple of chapters, I was sure I had this novel pegged: a teenage girl reconnects with her long lost father over a summer at his beach house while also finding true love. I couldn't have been more wrong as there wasn't a cliché in sight in this mainstream YA novel.
Clare and her father, Richard, are the main characters. The central drama revolves around Clare as she tries to discover what kind of person her father is, an oddball recluse who she barely knows. Though he has supported her financially her whole childhood, he has never wanted to be more than a shadow in her life and she feels abandoned by him. However, as Clare discovers, he had reasons for keeping distant. Through the intensity of her observations and thoughts, the reader sees - and feels - what Clare does as she learns about her father and herself.
Clare is the heart of this brief novel and she carries the weight with ease. I was impressed by the complexity and authenticity of her interiority. Her thoughts felt organic, not just showing the reader how she feels but adding backstory and developing her character in a deeply interesting way. Here's a passage of when Clare first meets her father:
"What did she know about him? Very little. On her birthdays he sent her cards that said, 'Now you are _' for whatever age she was, and inside he'd Scotch-tape some money. When she was younger it was a ten-dollar bill, later a twenty. Last year it had been a fifty. He taped it carefully so that most of the tape was on the card, and only a little of it on the money, and so she could peel it away easily. She looked at his hands on the steering wheel now. His fingers were callused, the nails cracked. It was hard to imagine those rough hands selecting a birthday card, taping the money inside it."
Eventually, Clare becomes aware that her father is hiding something - something she may not want to know. She evades the subtext, rationalizing this way:
"If you didn't want to know things, you didn't have to know them. Things didn't become facts until someone actually spoke them. Until then, you could just go on acting just the way you have been acting and even if you suspected there was something that would change everything, you didn't have to acknowledge it; you didn't have to let it in."
Ignorance is bliss. Or at least it can be for a while. However, Clare discovers - as most of us do - that we can't keep fooling ourselves. I found her grappling with these heavy topics intriguing and convincing.
This book is meditative with a beautifully written protagonist. I would highly recommend to adult readers of YA fiction as well as teens bored with predictable vampire novels. I hope to see this novel make its way on to school reading lists this summer. Returning to Shore is a quiet novel with a lot to say.
February 26, 2014
I was very excited to get a chance to read and review this book. I read Everything I Was a while back and really enjoyed it, so I jumped at the chance to get my hands on this one as well. I had mixed thoughts on this one. I really, really loved it for approximately 99% of the story. The characters are great, the main character Clare is just the perfect mix of stubborn independence and wanting to still be a kid. I hearing her thoughts on her mom and new husband, as well as her first reactions to moving to a really tiny town in Cape Cod and her father, a man she hasn't seen in years.
I really liked some of the little turns that the story took. Since this book isn't out yet I hesitate to give anything away, but suffice it to say that everything Clare believe's about her father and why he left (and stayed away) is up for reconsideration. He's not the man Clare thought he was, and she finally as a chance to both get to know him and find a little bit of herself away from her mother.
Beyond being a coming of age story for Clare, we also get some local issues sprinkled in as we learn about the terrapins who nest on the beaches. Clare's father works tirelessly to save the terrapins and their habitat, which is being encroached on by the people who are building up the land attached to the beach. While living with her Father Clare is introduced to a whole different way of life, and finds herself caring about more then just herself.
And here's the 1% of the book that I didn't like. The ending was very abrupt. The writing was great and I was invested in Clare and her father and even in the terrapins, but then the story seemed to just end, and I'll admit I was disappointed. I wanted to know more. Did Clare end up staying with her father? Did Eleanor (the terrapin Clare saw and named) survive? Did her eggs hatch and make it back to the ocean? Did Clare find the inner strength to stand up to some of the rude kids in town? In essence, what happened next?? I found myself scrolling back and forth to make sure that I really was at the end of the book and that I didn't miss anything. I just wasn't ready to be done with this story yet. Which, on one hand isn't a horrible problem, you want readers to be attached and to want more. However, on the other hand, I don't like closing a book feeling disappointed.
Overall this book was great. I loved the story and the characters, but at the end of the day I wanted more resolution to the story lines. I'm kind of hoping that there is more to come about Clare and her father and their work with the terrapins! This was a lovely story about family and finding yourself, and I think many people will be able to see themselves in the pages of the book. So while I'm hoping for more, I am able to set this book down satisfied that Clare is okay and that she has many great adventures in front of her!
I really liked some of the little turns that the story took. Since this book isn't out yet I hesitate to give anything away, but suffice it to say that everything Clare believe's about her father and why he left (and stayed away) is up for reconsideration. He's not the man Clare thought he was, and she finally as a chance to both get to know him and find a little bit of herself away from her mother.
Beyond being a coming of age story for Clare, we also get some local issues sprinkled in as we learn about the terrapins who nest on the beaches. Clare's father works tirelessly to save the terrapins and their habitat, which is being encroached on by the people who are building up the land attached to the beach. While living with her Father Clare is introduced to a whole different way of life, and finds herself caring about more then just herself.
And here's the 1% of the book that I didn't like. The ending was very abrupt. The writing was great and I was invested in Clare and her father and even in the terrapins, but then the story seemed to just end, and I'll admit I was disappointed. I wanted to know more. Did Clare end up staying with her father? Did Eleanor (the terrapin Clare saw and named) survive? Did her eggs hatch and make it back to the ocean? Did Clare find the inner strength to stand up to some of the rude kids in town? In essence, what happened next?? I found myself scrolling back and forth to make sure that I really was at the end of the book and that I didn't miss anything. I just wasn't ready to be done with this story yet. Which, on one hand isn't a horrible problem, you want readers to be attached and to want more. However, on the other hand, I don't like closing a book feeling disappointed.
Overall this book was great. I loved the story and the characters, but at the end of the day I wanted more resolution to the story lines. I'm kind of hoping that there is more to come about Clare and her father and their work with the terrapins! This was a lovely story about family and finding yourself, and I think many people will be able to see themselves in the pages of the book. So while I'm hoping for more, I am able to set this book down satisfied that Clare is okay and that she has many great adventures in front of her!
March 22, 2014
Teenagers are intense and vulnerable—and their lives are seldom easy. Corinne Demas has created a realistic, touching tale of teenage angst and growth in “Returning to Shore.”
Clare dreads the upcoming summer. Her mother is leaving the country to honeymoon with husband number three, and the 15 year old is about to be exiled to Cape Cod to spend a few weeks with Richard, the father she hasn’t seen since she was three. She feels resentful and ill at ease.
When Clare meets her father he looks significantly older than he did in the photographs that constitute her only memory of him. He reveals little about himself. She learns that he has retired early from his job to devote his time to the protection of endangered turtles—a passion she doesn’t at first understand.
Nevertheless, from their initial encounter it is clear to the reader, if not to Clare, that she has more in common with Richard than she realizes. Almost without words they begin to negotiate the terms of their relationship.
Clare is a beautifully drawn character. Like most girls her age she is simultaneously sophisticated and simple, mature and childish. As she discovers more about her father’s past and comes to understand his reasons for keeping his distance over the years, she begins to grow up—and to help her father find peace.
Corinne Demas makes Clare and her father easy to identify with and care about. Clare’s language, clothing, and habits will ring true to anyone who deals with teenagers on a regular basis. She is her own person, however, not just a stereotype. She is smart, she is eager to love, and she is surprisingly subtle.
The novel itself is also subtle. The reader learns about endangered turtles and about Richard as Clare does, gradually and by interpreting images and verbal cues. As a result, when Clare and Richard finally make an emotional breakthrough the reader is fully invested in their relationship.
That emotional breakthrough is sweet—but the book balances sweet and savory beautifully, mostly by making Clare and her situation real and important to the reader. “Returning to Shore” is as smart as its heroine, and Clare’s story will move readers of any age.
Clare dreads the upcoming summer. Her mother is leaving the country to honeymoon with husband number three, and the 15 year old is about to be exiled to Cape Cod to spend a few weeks with Richard, the father she hasn’t seen since she was three. She feels resentful and ill at ease.
When Clare meets her father he looks significantly older than he did in the photographs that constitute her only memory of him. He reveals little about himself. She learns that he has retired early from his job to devote his time to the protection of endangered turtles—a passion she doesn’t at first understand.
Nevertheless, from their initial encounter it is clear to the reader, if not to Clare, that she has more in common with Richard than she realizes. Almost without words they begin to negotiate the terms of their relationship.
Clare is a beautifully drawn character. Like most girls her age she is simultaneously sophisticated and simple, mature and childish. As she discovers more about her father’s past and comes to understand his reasons for keeping his distance over the years, she begins to grow up—and to help her father find peace.
Corinne Demas makes Clare and her father easy to identify with and care about. Clare’s language, clothing, and habits will ring true to anyone who deals with teenagers on a regular basis. She is her own person, however, not just a stereotype. She is smart, she is eager to love, and she is surprisingly subtle.
The novel itself is also subtle. The reader learns about endangered turtles and about Richard as Clare does, gradually and by interpreting images and verbal cues. As a result, when Clare and Richard finally make an emotional breakthrough the reader is fully invested in their relationship.
That emotional breakthrough is sweet—but the book balances sweet and savory beautifully, mostly by making Clare and her situation real and important to the reader. “Returning to Shore” is as smart as its heroine, and Clare’s story will move readers of any age.
March 31, 2014
Fifteen year old Clare is watching her mother get married for the third time as the story opens. In addition to being cynical about the durability of this union, she's still hurting from the loss of the stepfather who said he'd be there for her forever. Now he's just some guy living with another woman and out of her life. If that wasn't difficult enough to deal with, her mother nixes her plan to go to Colorado with her best friend for the summer. Instead, her aunt takes her out on Cape Cod to meet and stay with her biological father, Richard.
Clare hasn't seen him since she was three and her parents split up. He calls on Christmas and sends a birthday card with money in it every year, but she's never felt any real connection.
After her aunt drops her off at a rest area, she has a hard time figuring out what to say to her dad. He doesn't really help with his reticence. When they stop on the wooden bridge leading to the old house he lives in, they admire the sunset over the marsh and he begins to talk about his work studying and trying to protect an endangered species of sea turtle.
Over the next three weeks, Clare and her dad start to learn about each other. At first, it's a halting and painful process, but after a while, she starts being more interested in helping him find caches of turtle eggs and erecting wire cages to protect them until they hatch. After one particularly emotional conversation, Clare realizes something very important about her father, something that helps a lot of puzzle pieces connect. When she sees how bigoted and shallow the three teens she tries to be friends with really are, it helps her to understand her dad even further as well as herself.
This is a sweet and easy to read story about a girl and her long absent dad finding themselves and each other in time to have a really good father-daughter relationship. Set against an emotional environmental issue in a really nice location, it will appeal to nature loving tweens and teens as well as those who like a happy ending, or have experienced some sort of parental loss.
Clare hasn't seen him since she was three and her parents split up. He calls on Christmas and sends a birthday card with money in it every year, but she's never felt any real connection.
After her aunt drops her off at a rest area, she has a hard time figuring out what to say to her dad. He doesn't really help with his reticence. When they stop on the wooden bridge leading to the old house he lives in, they admire the sunset over the marsh and he begins to talk about his work studying and trying to protect an endangered species of sea turtle.
Over the next three weeks, Clare and her dad start to learn about each other. At first, it's a halting and painful process, but after a while, she starts being more interested in helping him find caches of turtle eggs and erecting wire cages to protect them until they hatch. After one particularly emotional conversation, Clare realizes something very important about her father, something that helps a lot of puzzle pieces connect. When she sees how bigoted and shallow the three teens she tries to be friends with really are, it helps her to understand her dad even further as well as herself.
This is a sweet and easy to read story about a girl and her long absent dad finding themselves and each other in time to have a really good father-daughter relationship. Set against an emotional environmental issue in a really nice location, it will appeal to nature loving tweens and teens as well as those who like a happy ending, or have experienced some sort of parental loss.
January 11, 2015
Demas's previous book, Everything I Was, featured a nearly lone main character, Irene, who finds an alternate, voluminous, all-encompassing new family up the road when her own family doesn’t seem to have much interest in her. I felt deeply for her. Here, too, the main character, Clare, finds herself shunted off so that her thrice-married mother can go on her honeymoon for three weeks. That her destination is her father’s ancestral cottage, where she has neither been nor set eyes on him in a decade, only heightens her initial misery and sense of abandonment.
My favorite parts of the book so far, hands down, are the setting and the cover. “Blackfish Island” on Cape Cod sounds like somewhere I would like to move—immediately, if possible. Demas evokes the sights and sounds and smells beautifully. Clare’s father’s quest to preserve the habitat of the native terrapin turtles holds a place in my heart and makes quick inroads into Clare’s as well. Clare herself, she embodies the teenage, only-child quandary, knowing too much and too little about most things. As for the cover, rarely does one tell nearly the whole story right there and yet draw you into the story at the same time. The front matter’s layout, dark and mysterious, enthralled me as well. Clare’s story, while small, has large ripples, just as does the turtles’ place in the evolutionary march and the food chain. I hope the best for her, and for them, as they make their way.
My rating reflects my final views on this novel.
My favorite parts of the book so far, hands down, are the setting and the cover. “Blackfish Island” on Cape Cod sounds like somewhere I would like to move—immediately, if possible. Demas evokes the sights and sounds and smells beautifully. Clare’s father’s quest to preserve the habitat of the native terrapin turtles holds a place in my heart and makes quick inroads into Clare’s as well. Clare herself, she embodies the teenage, only-child quandary, knowing too much and too little about most things. As for the cover, rarely does one tell nearly the whole story right there and yet draw you into the story at the same time. The front matter’s layout, dark and mysterious, enthralled me as well. Clare’s story, while small, has large ripples, just as does the turtles’ place in the evolutionary march and the food chain. I hope the best for her, and for them, as they make their way.
My rating reflects my final views on this novel.
March 13, 2014
Returning to Shore was a nice, quiet, introspective and slow little novel that I read more or less in one sitting. I can honestly say I haven't come across another YA contemporary novel quite like it. It focuses on the main character and her relationship with her father, and there's no romance involved at all.
I might have liked a bit more development and closure on Clare's relationship with her mother, but the relationship with her father made up for any lack on that part. And it seemed like Clare was mostly static throughout the novel; I don't remember thinking she really grew or changed much by the end of the story.
I will say, though, I was rather irritated by how the point of Clare's father being gay was dealt with. A big deal is made out about how he married her mother and had her, and then realized he was gay. It's a rather stereotypical story, and furthermore, it completely erases the existence of bisexuality. He could have been married to her mother and still liked men and been with one after they divorced. It wouldn't have changed much.
Still, that huge flaw aside, I liked it well enough. I'm glad I read it.
(A copy of this novel was provided by the author and publisher through NetGalley for an honest review.)
I might have liked a bit more development and closure on Clare's relationship with her mother, but the relationship with her father made up for any lack on that part. And it seemed like Clare was mostly static throughout the novel; I don't remember thinking she really grew or changed much by the end of the story.
I will say, though, I was rather irritated by how the point of Clare's father being gay was dealt with. A big deal is made out about how he married her mother and had her, and then realized he was gay. It's a rather stereotypical story, and furthermore, it completely erases the existence of bisexuality. He could have been married to her mother and still liked men and been with one after they divorced. It wouldn't have changed much.
Still, that huge flaw aside, I liked it well enough. I'm glad I read it.
(A copy of this novel was provided by the author and publisher through NetGalley for an honest review.)
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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August 10, 2016This book is a pretty quick read, though not fast paced. Clare is swept off to visit with her biological father right after her mother walks down the aisle for the third time. Clare misses her first step-father more than words can say and she is completely uneasy with seeing her Dad again for the first time in forever.
Clare goes through some typical teenage moments during her stay on the island, like being slightly embarrassed about who her father is, falling to a bit of peer pressure (but also knowing when to stand up for herself) and finally acceptance of her parents choices.
There is one moment when she is with some local kids and they are saying some completely inappropriate and rude things about people that she does not find amusing, but she is afraid to say anything against them. She keeps quiet while inside she is screaming that they are rude and hurtful. It means so much more to her that people be more accepting of others since her father confides some very personal struggles with her that he has been holding in for so long.
Over the course of the story Clare and her father have this awkward friendship that slowly blooms into an amazingly sweet father-daughter story. It's definitely worth the read.
Clare goes through some typical teenage moments during her stay on the island, like being slightly embarrassed about who her father is, falling to a bit of peer pressure (but also knowing when to stand up for herself) and finally acceptance of her parents choices.
There is one moment when she is with some local kids and they are saying some completely inappropriate and rude things about people that she does not find amusing, but she is afraid to say anything against them. She keeps quiet while inside she is screaming that they are rude and hurtful. It means so much more to her that people be more accepting of others since her father confides some very personal struggles with her that he has been holding in for so long.
Over the course of the story Clare and her father have this awkward friendship that slowly blooms into an amazingly sweet father-daughter story. It's definitely worth the read.
June 16, 2014
This book follows Clare, a young teen meeting her biological father for the first time since she was 3, and her journey to accepting him for who he is.
To be honest, I had to choke down the first few chapters. The writing seemed clunky and the main character so overdone - I mean really, a disenchanted, headstrong, angsty teenage girl? How many of those have been in literature lately?
But either the book got better or I opened my mind to it, because by the end I realized that it really was unique. It wasn't like a lot of nature-y self-discovery books that I've read in the past. While there is a lot of symbolism in the book, it's very grounded.
Some of the more minor characters are a bit cliche, but Clare and Richard, her father, are very interesting. Richard especially was refreshingly different from anything I've ever read. I really liked him.
Like I said, the beginning was rough, but it got a lot better. This is definitely going into my 'give to my sister when she's about 13' pile. As much as I liked it now, I wish I had read it in Middle School. A book like this would have done me good.
*I won this book through Goodreads Firstreads*
To be honest, I had to choke down the first few chapters. The writing seemed clunky and the main character so overdone - I mean really, a disenchanted, headstrong, angsty teenage girl? How many of those have been in literature lately?
But either the book got better or I opened my mind to it, because by the end I realized that it really was unique. It wasn't like a lot of nature-y self-discovery books that I've read in the past. While there is a lot of symbolism in the book, it's very grounded.
Some of the more minor characters are a bit cliche, but Clare and Richard, her father, are very interesting. Richard especially was refreshingly different from anything I've ever read. I really liked him.
Like I said, the beginning was rough, but it got a lot better. This is definitely going into my 'give to my sister when she's about 13' pile. As much as I liked it now, I wish I had read it in Middle School. A book like this would have done me good.
*I won this book through Goodreads Firstreads*
September 2, 2014
I liked it because it was different.
It has a summery waves lapping against the shore feel to it rather than a big bold beach party feel. At first I put it down because it was in 3rd person. But short of anything else to read, I gave it another try and was drawn into Clare's world. There is a nice father/daughter dance going on with Clare telling us about her 2nd father and then moving on to tell us about her birth father.
The thing I like most is that Clare finds the courage to make a wise decision that shows she is truly growing up. She follows her gut and decides for herself what is right. There aren't enough books that show teen girls doing this. Instead of a horrible thing happening because someone bowed to peer pressure we see a girl who decides to go her own way. This is important because Clare sounds timid throughout the book. She makes few demands and often gives an agreeable, 'okay' when asked to do something. It is obvious she is always under the shadow of a mother with a bold personality.
The ending is very sweet. My heart really went out to Clare. I felt that her visit with her birth father was a wonderful turning point in both of their lives.
It has a summery waves lapping against the shore feel to it rather than a big bold beach party feel. At first I put it down because it was in 3rd person. But short of anything else to read, I gave it another try and was drawn into Clare's world. There is a nice father/daughter dance going on with Clare telling us about her 2nd father and then moving on to tell us about her birth father.
The thing I like most is that Clare finds the courage to make a wise decision that shows she is truly growing up. She follows her gut and decides for herself what is right. There aren't enough books that show teen girls doing this. Instead of a horrible thing happening because someone bowed to peer pressure we see a girl who decides to go her own way. This is important because Clare sounds timid throughout the book. She makes few demands and often gives an agreeable, 'okay' when asked to do something. It is obvious she is always under the shadow of a mother with a bold personality.
The ending is very sweet. My heart really went out to Clare. I felt that her visit with her birth father was a wonderful turning point in both of their lives.
February 8, 2014
To see my full review:
http://wp.me/p1jhaj-49T
This is a very short read--I think it took me about two hours to devour, and I liked it, but truth be told, I don't really feel one way or another about it. The storyline is well written, the characters are believable, and it's a cute coming of age story, but overall, there just isn't a whole lot to it. Our main character, Clare, is finding herself while at the same time finding her father, a main she doesn’t remember and doesn’t really know, and in a way, I felt like this aspect of the novel was more so trying to make a statement about homosexuality than anything else. I felt like this part was a little forced, but it worked with the plot and kind of was, just there. I don't mind it one way or another, but it almost felt like there was an agenda to be had here.
Regardless, it's a cute enough story and is short enough it can be read in one sitting, though I won't say I really connected with any of the characters, or turtles. If you’re looking for a shorter read or love animals, then this is the novel for you.
http://wp.me/p1jhaj-49T
This is a very short read--I think it took me about two hours to devour, and I liked it, but truth be told, I don't really feel one way or another about it. The storyline is well written, the characters are believable, and it's a cute coming of age story, but overall, there just isn't a whole lot to it. Our main character, Clare, is finding herself while at the same time finding her father, a main she doesn’t remember and doesn’t really know, and in a way, I felt like this aspect of the novel was more so trying to make a statement about homosexuality than anything else. I felt like this part was a little forced, but it worked with the plot and kind of was, just there. I don't mind it one way or another, but it almost felt like there was an agenda to be had here.
Regardless, it's a cute enough story and is short enough it can be read in one sitting, though I won't say I really connected with any of the characters, or turtles. If you’re looking for a shorter read or love animals, then this is the novel for you.
January 20, 2015
I did have a couple of problems...none of which made it a bad book. Just not a great book either.
With a book this short, by using the third person, the author made it really hard to connect to the characters, especially given some of the big issues in the book. As a reader, I felt distanced from the characters, never getting to know enough about them.
Also, the short sentences at times made the narrative a bit choppy; at times (but not throughout the book), there was a lot of telling not showing. "They went to Richard's study...They entered all the information...They checked #721...They...They...Richard did...Clare did..."
Overall, it wasn't bad, and there are teens that will really like it...I think many readers will just want more. More about the characters, the effects decisions/actions of others had on them, the aftermath of the big reveal...it at felt a bit superficial, and I enjoyed the premise so much I wanted more.
With a book this short, by using the third person, the author made it really hard to connect to the characters, especially given some of the big issues in the book. As a reader, I felt distanced from the characters, never getting to know enough about them.
Also, the short sentences at times made the narrative a bit choppy; at times (but not throughout the book), there was a lot of telling not showing. "They went to Richard's study...They entered all the information...They checked #721...They...They...Richard did...Clare did..."
Overall, it wasn't bad, and there are teens that will really like it...I think many readers will just want more. More about the characters, the effects decisions/actions of others had on them, the aftermath of the big reveal...it at felt a bit superficial, and I enjoyed the premise so much I wanted more.
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July 26, 20164 out of 5 stars
This is a very quick read (it's a very short book) but manages to pack quite a story into its brevity. Clare's mother got married for the 3rd time and Clare is adjusting to life without her beloved stepfather (mom's 2nd husband). She's sent to spend a few weeks with her biological father in Cape Cod while mom's on her honeymoon. Clare doesn't remember her father and wants to know why he stayed out of her life. The book revolves around Clare and her father getting to know each other and Clare learning to help her father with the turtle research that he's been conducting. Clare was a very likable character and the only complaint that I have with this book is that it seems to end abruptly, I wanted the story to keep going.
Recommended: Grades 7 and up
-Brenna (RPL)
This is a very quick read (it's a very short book) but manages to pack quite a story into its brevity. Clare's mother got married for the 3rd time and Clare is adjusting to life without her beloved stepfather (mom's 2nd husband). She's sent to spend a few weeks with her biological father in Cape Cod while mom's on her honeymoon. Clare doesn't remember her father and wants to know why he stayed out of her life. The book revolves around Clare and her father getting to know each other and Clare learning to help her father with the turtle research that he's been conducting. Clare was a very likable character and the only complaint that I have with this book is that it seems to end abruptly, I wanted the story to keep going.
Recommended: Grades 7 and up
-Brenna (RPL)
March 30, 2014
Here is an excerpt from my review: "I really liked this book. It deals with some deep stuff but in a not-too-complicated way. It's nice to see Clare evolve not only in her relationship with her father but also in her understanding of herself. In the beginning, Clare isn't really sure who she is and who her family is. The only father she's truly known is her first stepfather, and she's a little devastated that he's no longer married to her mom and confused about what to do now that he's not. Is he still her dad? And in terms of her real dad, well, he doesn't feel like a real dad because Clare hardly knows him."
You can read my full review here: http://cookscrapcraft.blogspot.com/20...
You can read my full review here: http://cookscrapcraft.blogspot.com/20...
August 28, 2016
This is a very quick read (it's a very short book) but manages to pack quite a story into its brevity. Clare's mother got married for the 3rd time and Clare is adjusting to life without her beloved stepfather (mom's 2nd husband). She's sent to spend a few weeks with her biological father in Cape Cod while mom's on her honeymoon. Clare doesn't remember her father and wants to know why he stayed out of her life. The book revolves around Clare and her father getting to know each other and Clare learning to help her father with the turtle research that he's been conducting. Clare was a very likable character and the only complaint that I have with this book is that it seems to end abruptly, I wanted the story to keep going.
February 8, 2014
I was caught up in this story of 15-year old Clare who spends the summer on Cape Cod with her father whom she hasn't seen since she was three.
She gets caught up in a dangerous boat ride with boys who are drinking. She learns about her Dad's passion for saving endangered animals and also learns information about him which forever changes Irene's opinion of him.
I loved how Demas shows understanding evolving between Irene and her father. Must admit I cried a bit!
saving endangered animals and also
information about himself which forever changes Irene's opinion of him.
I loved how Demas shows love and understanding evolving between Irene and her ather. Must admit I cried a bit!
She gets caught up in a dangerous boat ride with boys who are drinking. She learns about her Dad's passion for saving endangered animals and also learns information about him which forever changes Irene's opinion of him.
I loved how Demas shows understanding evolving between Irene and her father. Must admit I cried a bit!
saving endangered animals and also
information about himself which forever changes Irene's opinion of him.
I loved how Demas shows love and understanding evolving between Irene and her ather. Must admit I cried a bit!
November 13, 2015
This is a lovely story about 15 year old Clare. After her mother gets married for the third time, she sends Clare, who is pining for her stepfather, her mother's second husband, off to visit her father, whom she has not seen since she was too young to remember him. On an island with a virtual stranger, Clare discovers who her father is and what his secrets are. It takes some time, but they forge a relationship as they care for the terrapins that her father catalogues and tries to save even as nature and washashores thwart them. The story is a quick read, and I enjoyed it very much. I received this book free to review from Netgalley.
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