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The Bar Harbor Retirement Home for Famous Writers
A whimsical, moving novel about a retirement home for literary legends who spar, conjure up new stories, and almost magically change the lives of the people around them.
Alfonse Carducci was a literary giant who lived his life to excess—lovers, alcohol, parties, and literary rivalries. But now he's come to the Bar Harbor Home for the Elderly to spend the remainder of his days among kindred spirits: the publishing industry's nearly gone but never forgotten greats. Only now, at the end of his life, does he comprehend the price of appeasing every desire, and the consequences of forsaking love to pursue greatness. For Alfonse has an unshakeable case of writer's block that distresses him much more than his precarious health.
Set on the water in one of New England's most beautiful locales, the Bar Harbor Home was established specifically for elderly writers needing a place to live out their golden years—or final days—in understated luxury and surrounded by congenial literary company. A faithful staff of nurses and orderlies surround the writers, and are drawn into their orbit, as they are forced to reckon with their own life stories. Among them are Cecibel Bringer, a young woman who knows first-hand the cost of chasing excess. A terrible accident destroyed her face and her sister in a split-second decision that Cecibel can never forgive, though she has tried to forget. Living quietly as an orderly, refusing to risk again the cost of love, Cecibel never anticipated the impact of meeting her favorite writer, Alfonse Carducci—or the effect he would have on her existence. In Cecibel, Alfonse finds a muse who returns him to the passion he thought he lost. As the words flow from him, weaving a tale taken up by the other residents of the Pen, Cecibel is reawakened to the idea of love and forgiveness.
As the edges between story and reality blur, a world within a world is created. It’s a place where the old are made young, the damaged are made whole, and anything is possible…
Alfonse Carducci was a literary giant who lived his life to excess—lovers, alcohol, parties, and literary rivalries. But now he's come to the Bar Harbor Home for the Elderly to spend the remainder of his days among kindred spirits: the publishing industry's nearly gone but never forgotten greats. Only now, at the end of his life, does he comprehend the price of appeasing every desire, and the consequences of forsaking love to pursue greatness. For Alfonse has an unshakeable case of writer's block that distresses him much more than his precarious health.
Set on the water in one of New England's most beautiful locales, the Bar Harbor Home was established specifically for elderly writers needing a place to live out their golden years—or final days—in understated luxury and surrounded by congenial literary company. A faithful staff of nurses and orderlies surround the writers, and are drawn into their orbit, as they are forced to reckon with their own life stories. Among them are Cecibel Bringer, a young woman who knows first-hand the cost of chasing excess. A terrible accident destroyed her face and her sister in a split-second decision that Cecibel can never forgive, though she has tried to forget. Living quietly as an orderly, refusing to risk again the cost of love, Cecibel never anticipated the impact of meeting her favorite writer, Alfonse Carducci—or the effect he would have on her existence. In Cecibel, Alfonse finds a muse who returns him to the passion he thought he lost. As the words flow from him, weaving a tale taken up by the other residents of the Pen, Cecibel is reawakened to the idea of love and forgiveness.
As the edges between story and reality blur, a world within a world is created. It’s a place where the old are made young, the damaged are made whole, and anything is possible…
336 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 12, 2018
1457 people are currently reading
6112 people want to read
About the author
Terri-Lynne DeFino
12 books315 followersTerri-Lynne DeFino was born and raised in New Jersey but escaped to the wilds of Connecticut back in the nineties when her kids were babies and everyone wore flannel. She is the second of four children born to a homemaker and a then-fledgling attorney, in a Paterson, NJ household that included two grandparents and the occasional uncle, where Sunday dinner was a given and the noise level often required earplugs. According to her mother, she started writing stories at the age of seven, and learned to cook at any elbow she could wedge herself under. These days, her famiglia is larger, and louder, which might explain why she's still in Connecticut, but if you knock on her door, she'll invite you in and feed you, because you can take the Italian girl out of Jersey, but you can't take the Jersey Italian out of the girl.
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June 24, 2020I'm pretty sure I'm not supposed to review my own book, but Goodreads keeps asking me to. So, yeah, pretty good book, if I do say so myself.
February 26, 2018
DeFino's latest novel chronicles the final days of Alfonse Carducci, literary great who joins old friends and colleagues at the Bar Harbor Retirement Home for Famous Writers. The idea alone would be enough to carry this novel, but DeFino gives us so much more. While Alfonse fancies himself center stage, it is his caretaker Cecibel who captures our hearts, leading the reader through an unforgettable journey of healing and redemption. There is so much to love about this book, I can't possibly cover it all here. The story is tender, moving, inspiring, and heartbreaking; DeFino digs deep into the most difficult period of every life: the time when we face our own mortality - and the meaning of love in the face of that unflinching truth. One of a handful of books that has my highest recommendation, and DeFino's finest accomplishment to date.
November 5, 2018
A book about books and authors tick
about the elderly tick
a story within a story tick
a story about aceptence no matter what you look like on the outside tick
a bit of same love sure
a love story in its many forms tick
I really enjoyed this story.
about the elderly tick
a story within a story tick
a story about aceptence no matter what you look like on the outside tick
a bit of same love sure
a love story in its many forms tick
I really enjoyed this story.
May 11, 2020
2 1/2 stars
I caution you not to start reading this book. It is just good enough to suck you in and keep you reading all the way to the disappointing, insufficient, unsatisfying and crappy end.
I caution you not to start reading this book. It is just good enough to suck you in and keep you reading all the way to the disappointing, insufficient, unsatisfying and crappy end.
June 13, 2018
Thanks to TLC Book Tours for this free review copy!
This one took a bit for me to get into, but once I got sucked in, I was IN. The story within a story was fascinating to me, and I got majorly invested in the embedded drama/romance the group of retired writers were working on together. And then I got super interested in whether the story would ever get finished and if it would ever get published......and so on and so forth. Probably the part I was least invested in was that of the employees of the PEN, but I still enjoyed that storyline as well, much more toward the end than at the beginning. All in all, a very satisfying read for people interested in the literary world and historical fiction - this one goes back and forth between 1999 (the writers) and the 1950s (the story they are writing).
This one took a bit for me to get into, but once I got sucked in, I was IN. The story within a story was fascinating to me, and I got majorly invested in the embedded drama/romance the group of retired writers were working on together. And then I got super interested in whether the story would ever get finished and if it would ever get published......and so on and so forth. Probably the part I was least invested in was that of the employees of the PEN, but I still enjoyed that storyline as well, much more toward the end than at the beginning. All in all, a very satisfying read for people interested in the literary world and historical fiction - this one goes back and forth between 1999 (the writers) and the 1950s (the story they are writing).
May 28, 2019
Not a page turner for me. As I writer, I thought I might gain some insight into great writing minds and techniques, but when I got to Chapter 7, I was still not sure what the story was.
I often read on my, "bike to nowhere." I need a book that calls me back so I don't procrastinate aerobic exercise. Plus, the last time I was reading, I found myself skipping over profanity and sexual TMI. Not for me, but fans of detailed sexual intimacy may enjoy this novel.
I often read on my, "bike to nowhere." I need a book that calls me back so I don't procrastinate aerobic exercise. Plus, the last time I was reading, I found myself skipping over profanity and sexual TMI. Not for me, but fans of detailed sexual intimacy may enjoy this novel.
July 23, 2018
If, as the book asserts, the retired authors are truly literary giants on par with Hemingway, Steinbeck, and Twain, would they really collaborate to create what amounts to a soap opera plot?
October 31, 2022
This one gave me many fits and starts. First, for whatever reason, I thought, from a brief glance at the blurb coupled with the title and cover, this was going to be light, a bit humorous, maybe have some mystery to it, and remind me of my recent trip to Maine. I was pretty much completely wrong.
Literary giant and enfant terrible, Alphonse Carducci arrives at the Pen, the nickname given to the Bar Harbor Retirement Home for Famous Writers that he helped establish in his youth with the deceased great literary agent Cornelius Traeger. In fact, Traeger left him his suite and his ownership interest. Alphonse, like others he knows living there - Olivia, Switch, Judith -- has not written or worked at their art in years, decades. Now, Alphonse is living on borrowed time as his heart and lungs give out, so sure there is no more writing in him. Then he meets Cecibel, one of the orderlies with horrific scarring on the outside and inside, and he finds words and a story rising within him. As he renews his friendship with Olivia and the others, and becomes closer to Cecibel who becomes closer to all and opens up, his words lead to new words on the page for first Olivia, then Switch, as a story evolves through collaboration - the final words all will write. What also happens is Cecibel and other staff experience their own healing and growth through the contact with these reunited friends as they write.
I found this so sad a story when I first started reading, one that was totally not what I was expecting. It languished, reading was slow, disappointment mounting. But there were moments of brilliance and light that kept me going, some really beautiful passages, amusing moments here and there (how can you not find Olivia and her pot smoking amusing?), even a welcome surprise or two. The events at the Pen primarily take place in the year 1999. Oh, and we won't discuss how long it took me to realize that when the residents refer to the home as the Pen, they are using a play on words -- Pen as instrument for writing vs. a prison. I'm a little slow to catch on some times.
What's also told, in chapters here and there, is the actual book (novella really) that's being written by these great writers in their final years. It's a romance set in the 1950s and Patterson, NJ (a much more incorporated geographic location than Bar Harbor Maine), each taking a different character POV, alternating chapters, no plotting, no discussing just picking up where the prior chapter ended. I've mixed feelings about this ploy. At times the story was more compelling than the main story, at others very weak. I have serious reservations as to whether it adds more than a diversion to the book as a whole. I really never had any curiousity to know what they each were writing until the story was 3/4 told.
Another major complaint I had was there was absolutely nothing in the book that spoke of Bar Harbor or even Maine - so why set it there? By the end I just found it a rather confusing mess. I did like the characters, I'm glad we learned the secrets that formed them and that we saw Cecibel and the other orderlies move on from the past that was trapping them. I'm even glad we ultimately find out what happens with the novella written by these famous writers. I also enjoyed the quirky aphorisms credited to the fictional Cornelius Traeger that start each chapter at the Pen. But I can't recommend the story.
There are the bones of a really great novel here. It needs a lot more rewrites and a much sharper tougher editor.
Literary giant and enfant terrible, Alphonse Carducci arrives at the Pen, the nickname given to the Bar Harbor Retirement Home for Famous Writers that he helped establish in his youth with the deceased great literary agent Cornelius Traeger. In fact, Traeger left him his suite and his ownership interest. Alphonse, like others he knows living there - Olivia, Switch, Judith -- has not written or worked at their art in years, decades. Now, Alphonse is living on borrowed time as his heart and lungs give out, so sure there is no more writing in him. Then he meets Cecibel, one of the orderlies with horrific scarring on the outside and inside, and he finds words and a story rising within him. As he renews his friendship with Olivia and the others, and becomes closer to Cecibel who becomes closer to all and opens up, his words lead to new words on the page for first Olivia, then Switch, as a story evolves through collaboration - the final words all will write. What also happens is Cecibel and other staff experience their own healing and growth through the contact with these reunited friends as they write.
I found this so sad a story when I first started reading, one that was totally not what I was expecting. It languished, reading was slow, disappointment mounting. But there were moments of brilliance and light that kept me going, some really beautiful passages, amusing moments here and there (how can you not find Olivia and her pot smoking amusing?), even a welcome surprise or two. The events at the Pen primarily take place in the year 1999. Oh, and we won't discuss how long it took me to realize that when the residents refer to the home as the Pen, they are using a play on words -- Pen as instrument for writing vs. a prison. I'm a little slow to catch on some times.
What's also told, in chapters here and there, is the actual book (novella really) that's being written by these great writers in their final years. It's a romance set in the 1950s and Patterson, NJ (a much more incorporated geographic location than Bar Harbor Maine), each taking a different character POV, alternating chapters, no plotting, no discussing just picking up where the prior chapter ended. I've mixed feelings about this ploy. At times the story was more compelling than the main story, at others very weak. I have serious reservations as to whether it adds more than a diversion to the book as a whole. I really never had any curiousity to know what they each were writing until the story was 3/4 told.
Another major complaint I had was there was absolutely nothing in the book that spoke of Bar Harbor or even Maine - so why set it there? By the end I just found it a rather confusing mess. I did like the characters, I'm glad we learned the secrets that formed them and that we saw Cecibel and the other orderlies move on from the past that was trapping them. I'm even glad we ultimately find out what happens with the novella written by these famous writers. I also enjoyed the quirky aphorisms credited to the fictional Cornelius Traeger that start each chapter at the Pen. But I can't recommend the story.
There are the bones of a really great novel here. It needs a lot more rewrites and a much sharper tougher editor.
July 12, 2018
I loved this book! A strong 4.5. There is a place in Bar Harbor where authors and literary giants go to live out out their final days. Cecibel is an orderly who is disfigured from a horrible accident. When Alfonse comes to stay he finds himself drawn to this young woman and their lives begin to intertwine and a new book is started. I don’t believe in revealing the entire plot so I will end here. This book was so unexpectedly good, the characters are well developed and kept me turning pages!
December 30, 2018
3.5 stars. I enjoyed this one and enjoyed both the story within a story and the contemporary story happening inside the nursing home. The ending felt a little pat and things were tied up by plot points that came out of nowhere so the coda at the end felt a bit tacked on but overall this was a sweet, touching, thoughtful story of growing older and facing mortality with grace and rage, intentionality and helplessness intertwined.
June 30, 2018
I admit that the title is the reason I bothered to give this novel a shot. After all, I like both Bar Harbor and writers, though retirement seems a distant option at best. Still, it pulled me in. And I'm glad. There's a lot going on in this book, many layers of characters, time and insight. That it all holds together and flows into a single stream says something of the skill that Terri-Lynne DeFino brings to the task. In the end, I didn't find it all that compelling. It didn't stir me. I just found it all reasonably interesting, better than just a quick summertime read but falling short of the depth I think DeFino aimed for. You know what, though? That is A-OK. It's a good novel by a good writer. And that's plenty good enough to be worthwhile.
December 29, 2020
I didn’t think I was going to finish this book. I was stuck about a quarter way through for about two months, unwilling to give up but not willing to continue either. I sort of just hoped it would go away and take itself off of my “currently reading” list. But I judged it way too quickly. Bar Harbor is a beautiful character portrait, juxtaposed off of those characters fictional portrayals of themselves. It’s a slow burn, but a necessary one. Relationships that creeped me out in the beginning were sweet and relatable by the end. Everyone feels wonderful and real, even though I don’t know anyone like them in my own lives. I loved this book by the end, and would recommend it to others!
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April 30, 2020I read this book at the beginning of a "shelter-in-place" time during the initial spread of the Corona Virus. The ability of this book to totally immerse me in its world (and forget mine) tempted me to give it five stars. . . . but, magical as it is, it is not a "novel for the ages."
But, it deserves praise for so many reasons:
The characters jump off the page and are relatable.
The story has depth;
And, it has mystery.
The setting is imaginative and vividly conceived; It is a place I would love to "qualify" to move to at the appropriate time. (I not only would like to live there, I'd like to eat there)
Perhaps the element that appeals to me the most is that it also prompted me to think about what I care about, how we live our lives, what we remember, what (if anything) we regret, and the role creativity plays in our lives.
But, it deserves praise for so many reasons:
The characters jump off the page and are relatable.
The story has depth;
And, it has mystery.
The setting is imaginative and vividly conceived; It is a place I would love to "qualify" to move to at the appropriate time. (I not only would like to live there, I'd like to eat there)
Perhaps the element that appeals to me the most is that it also prompted me to think about what I care about, how we live our lives, what we remember, what (if anything) we regret, and the role creativity plays in our lives.
August 27, 2018
I'm not very generous with 5 ***** but I haven't given any in a long time and this engaging book just tickled me. It was sad, sweet, sensual, amusing... I could go on. It's one of these stories within a story, being developed by some famous writers very near their lifes' ends.
(Is that the correct place for the apostrophe? There are several lives involved here. Or should it be lives' ends?)
Anyway, set in a posh Maine mansion restored by a now-deceased writer who was mentor and lover of a younger writer and who has left his personal beautiful suite to said now-dying no-longer-young man, the tale involves a number of well-depicted characters and the story within also is entertaining.
Really enjoyed it.
(Is that the correct place for the apostrophe? There are several lives involved here. Or should it be lives' ends?)
Anyway, set in a posh Maine mansion restored by a now-deceased writer who was mentor and lover of a younger writer and who has left his personal beautiful suite to said now-dying no-longer-young man, the tale involves a number of well-depicted characters and the story within also is entertaining.
Really enjoyed it.
August 7, 2022
I loved this! Loved the setting of course, and the idea of a retirement home dedicated to those within the publishing world, authors and more, living their last years together on the coast. Centres around a group of friends and peers, the most famous of them inspired to start one last novel, a young orderly with her own troubled past as his muse. Others start to add their ideas to his story, our muse confronts her past and we see her growth, and we also get to read the new inspired novel, which is a story of a love triangle but perhaps a bit more. I enjoyed this, it was a slow read for me at first, but I really fell for all of the characters.
August 16, 2019
It started a bit slow but quickly caught my attention. I really enjoyed the ending, so many books I read don’t end well, this is not one of them. Well written and a good story!
July 9, 2018
Stories within stories, what one might expect from a collection of authors from the days of Parker and Salinger, all now spending their last days at The Pen, a grand house reclaimed and repurposed by a former agent, known to them all: providing a safe place for all who enter. From residents to live-in staff, each of the characters we meet in this story finds purpose, hope and even insights during their stay.
What emerges are several ‘key’ stories for each person we meet: from Olivia’s abusive marriage and her subsequent outrageous, if not wholly confrontational behavior, Switch, the observer, confident in quiet, steady and solid. Judith, the editor in the early stages of dementia, known for her ability to serve the story only, not the author egos. Alphonse, the last to arrive and the one around whom the story seems to rotate – his body failing even as his itch to write is awakening, spurred on by Cecibel. An orderly at The Pen since she was released after a massive car accident that left her scarred.
When Alfonse, spurred on by his own memories, the thought of the admiration from Cecibel, and her hopes that he will sign one of his books for her, he finds a story, one that had no end or plan, but a story nonetheless. Olivia, being herself and unable /unwilling to allow Alfonse to retreat from her spots the story – and the plan is hatched. She and he will each write in alternating chapters, telling a story, perhaps their last story – that only Cecibel (in a series of faux-secrets) shall read. No planning, no discussion, no rewrites. Soon, the story becomes the focal point, as Olivia and Alphonse have a project, noticeable to both Switch and Judith. Soon the story becomes a ‘known secret’ between the four: a story set when they were young and hopeful, a romance with teeth and truth, the only audience to be Cecibel.
I’m not entirely sure what I expected from this book, and I think that even as it progressed, my expectations changed to wish for stories from all the characters, major and minor. Histories and backstories, fears and challenges, growth and acceptance of the end are all highlighted and bring readers in- the sly humor, the reveling in days past, even the gradual awakening for Cecibel that allows the hope of romance into her life, after years of hiding away and isolating herself. Not a fast paced story, the book within the book brings insight and a diversion as these once literary greats now write with a freedom that perhaps they never before experienced. It’s not about the process or even the end product here- it is a story that shows possibilities and open doors, even as it is draped in the finality of death and loss. Engaging, engrossing and quietly all-encompassing, this is a story to experience and enjoy.
I received an eArc copy of the title from the publisher via Edelweiss for purpose of honest review. I was not compensated for this review: all conclusions are my own responsibility.
Review first appeared at I am, Indeed
What emerges are several ‘key’ stories for each person we meet: from Olivia’s abusive marriage and her subsequent outrageous, if not wholly confrontational behavior, Switch, the observer, confident in quiet, steady and solid. Judith, the editor in the early stages of dementia, known for her ability to serve the story only, not the author egos. Alphonse, the last to arrive and the one around whom the story seems to rotate – his body failing even as his itch to write is awakening, spurred on by Cecibel. An orderly at The Pen since she was released after a massive car accident that left her scarred.
When Alfonse, spurred on by his own memories, the thought of the admiration from Cecibel, and her hopes that he will sign one of his books for her, he finds a story, one that had no end or plan, but a story nonetheless. Olivia, being herself and unable /unwilling to allow Alfonse to retreat from her spots the story – and the plan is hatched. She and he will each write in alternating chapters, telling a story, perhaps their last story – that only Cecibel (in a series of faux-secrets) shall read. No planning, no discussion, no rewrites. Soon, the story becomes the focal point, as Olivia and Alphonse have a project, noticeable to both Switch and Judith. Soon the story becomes a ‘known secret’ between the four: a story set when they were young and hopeful, a romance with teeth and truth, the only audience to be Cecibel.
I’m not entirely sure what I expected from this book, and I think that even as it progressed, my expectations changed to wish for stories from all the characters, major and minor. Histories and backstories, fears and challenges, growth and acceptance of the end are all highlighted and bring readers in- the sly humor, the reveling in days past, even the gradual awakening for Cecibel that allows the hope of romance into her life, after years of hiding away and isolating herself. Not a fast paced story, the book within the book brings insight and a diversion as these once literary greats now write with a freedom that perhaps they never before experienced. It’s not about the process or even the end product here- it is a story that shows possibilities and open doors, even as it is draped in the finality of death and loss. Engaging, engrossing and quietly all-encompassing, this is a story to experience and enjoy.
I received an eArc copy of the title from the publisher via Edelweiss for purpose of honest review. I was not compensated for this review: all conclusions are my own responsibility.
Review first appeared at I am, Indeed
February 23, 2018
A beautifully written and clever story that blurs the edges of love, beauty, and aging while giving the reader a story within a story. Several residents at the Bar Harbor Retirement home for famous writers embark on a journey to write one last book...together. And it all begins when the newest arrival at the home, Alfonse Carducci, finds himself inspired by a orderly who works at the home, the beautiful Cecibel, who lives with scars--both inside and out--from her past.
In this novel writing journey, each retired writer takes one point of view. Writing renews their souls, acts like an elixir to aging, a momentary escape from the demise of their bodies. And that leads me to the story they write. Another bumpy journey where past and present meet. Each author impatiently waits for the return of the writing journal, so they can again get lost in their fiction, feel the power that comes from using their prose. There's a line about midway through this book, where Alfonse waits for the journal wondering about "....the turns that might be taken while in someone else's hands." And then it hit me how the novel they write is a bit like a metaphor for life. These aging authors spent a lot of time remembering who they once were and how they once lived. But nobody is immune from the hand of fate. Aging is inevitable. And as they pass along the journal, the fictional characters they hold near and dear face a similar fate--only it's at the hands of another author.
There are several other subplots running through this book. All are woven into the story in a meaningful way. In short, it's a colorful cast of characters and a wild ride for a retirement home, but a journey well-worth taking.
In this novel writing journey, each retired writer takes one point of view. Writing renews their souls, acts like an elixir to aging, a momentary escape from the demise of their bodies. And that leads me to the story they write. Another bumpy journey where past and present meet. Each author impatiently waits for the return of the writing journal, so they can again get lost in their fiction, feel the power that comes from using their prose. There's a line about midway through this book, where Alfonse waits for the journal wondering about "....the turns that might be taken while in someone else's hands." And then it hit me how the novel they write is a bit like a metaphor for life. These aging authors spent a lot of time remembering who they once were and how they once lived. But nobody is immune from the hand of fate. Aging is inevitable. And as they pass along the journal, the fictional characters they hold near and dear face a similar fate--only it's at the hands of another author.
There are several other subplots running through this book. All are woven into the story in a meaningful way. In short, it's a colorful cast of characters and a wild ride for a retirement home, but a journey well-worth taking.
May 4, 2020
May I just say that, for a book with the words "retirement home" in the title, there's a LOT of descriptive sex in these pages? Not a bad thing, just not what I was expecting! I would've gone for less sex and more descriptions of Bar Harbor, the actual retirement home itself, and Patterson, NJ. I often had just a vague sense of the settings. I also wasn't expecting the "novel within a novel." At first I was tempted to skip those chapters, but was glad I didn't. This was an OK book. Fine for quarantine reading.
November 24, 2020
I really enjoyed this book about a home for elderly people related to publishing. Besides the idea of finding so many best selling authors living together in old age, the interaction with the somewhat eccentric staff of the establishment is fun. And finally, there is a story within the story when several of the elderly authors begin co-writing a novel. 4.5 stars
January 8, 2021
I liked the story within a story approach as both tales were compelling, full of good characterization and great writing (of course). My problem is the confusing ending of one of the stories - I think I missed something in the last couple chapters OR the author left the ending ambiguous, which I really dislike. Either way, I needed the resolution to be more obvious.
July 8, 2019
I loved the idea of the story within the story bringing the residents together. I especially enjoyed the idea of each person getting to dictate their part of the story. I wouldn't have chosen this ending, but it was up to the group after all. 😊
July 4, 2018
There are some novels that as you begin reading draw you in to a special world created by the author. In this case, the reader will reside for a time at The Bar Harbor Retirement Home for Famous Writers in Bar Harbor, Maine. The setting is all the more captivating for those of us who have had the delight of visiting and experiencing Bar Harbor, Maine. The reader will be introduced to literary greats that are now in various stages of ill health. The reader will also be introduced to some of their caretakers who have come to live and work at this facility for unique reasons that are revealed through their interactions together and also during their daily care for their patients.
The “king” in residence, Alfonse Carducci, thought he had writer’s block but as he picks up pen and paper, words begin to flow and now he is fearful that his time will end before the final pages are written. His darling “queen” of another lifetime, wants to feel the joy again of writing and intercedes to contribute in her own opportune way. This writing becomes an exquisite story within a story and one realizes that they are in the midst of reading a magical novel. One might wonder how reading a story about retired and elderly men and women can be magical but then one must remember that just because the body fades, or the mind does not remember the hour to meet friends, or pain takes a toll in what once was possible, the human spirit can be resilient. The human spirit can be touched beyond expectation and can become an incredible story of truth as well as a story beyond only one’s imagination when creativity is nurtured by the friendship, love, and understanding of others.
Not since reading “Whisper Beach” by Shelley Noble have I been as engrossed in an author’s exploration of the essence of the human character. In a careful but notable way the novel expresses that the life journey of authors and editors may have taken totally different courses even within the same profession and yet at the end of their lives they come together respectfully and provide a safe haven for one another. Caretakers (orderlies and doctors too) have come from totally different experiences but their care and their presence bring comfort and compassion to their patients and one even becomes the much needed muse. Their bonds of friendship bring magical moments and highlights to empty hours. As they care for others they also reach out and encourage each other.
There are some novels that have a beauty beyond the page. This is artistry with words not to be missed.
“Words can be like x-rays if you use them properly – they’ll go through anything. You read and you’re pierced.” ~ Aldous Huxley, A Brave New World ~English critic & novelist (1894 - 1963).
Terri-Lynne DeFino’s writing pierces the soul and provides a thoughtful novel that will stay with this reader long after the final page was read. Writing like this opens the reader’s mind and creates pictures that cannot be captured on stage or film as the words blend with the reader’s own experiences so that sometimes the novel brings romantic depths, sometimes enchantment, sometimes peels back the layers of moments lost or buried deep but never truly forgotten, and sometimes wonder in all that yet could be… This is a time that needs to be spent alone. The writer has finished her gift of artistry and now the reader begins absorbing the depth and breadth of the experience he/she is about to embark. It is an extraordinary gift. Thank you Terri-Lynne DeFino. Your gift of writing has touched my heart and pierced my soul.
I was lucky enough to receive a copy of this title as an “Early Reviewer” from Library Thing.
The “king” in residence, Alfonse Carducci, thought he had writer’s block but as he picks up pen and paper, words begin to flow and now he is fearful that his time will end before the final pages are written. His darling “queen” of another lifetime, wants to feel the joy again of writing and intercedes to contribute in her own opportune way. This writing becomes an exquisite story within a story and one realizes that they are in the midst of reading a magical novel. One might wonder how reading a story about retired and elderly men and women can be magical but then one must remember that just because the body fades, or the mind does not remember the hour to meet friends, or pain takes a toll in what once was possible, the human spirit can be resilient. The human spirit can be touched beyond expectation and can become an incredible story of truth as well as a story beyond only one’s imagination when creativity is nurtured by the friendship, love, and understanding of others.
Not since reading “Whisper Beach” by Shelley Noble have I been as engrossed in an author’s exploration of the essence of the human character. In a careful but notable way the novel expresses that the life journey of authors and editors may have taken totally different courses even within the same profession and yet at the end of their lives they come together respectfully and provide a safe haven for one another. Caretakers (orderlies and doctors too) have come from totally different experiences but their care and their presence bring comfort and compassion to their patients and one even becomes the much needed muse. Their bonds of friendship bring magical moments and highlights to empty hours. As they care for others they also reach out and encourage each other.
There are some novels that have a beauty beyond the page. This is artistry with words not to be missed.
“Words can be like x-rays if you use them properly – they’ll go through anything. You read and you’re pierced.” ~ Aldous Huxley, A Brave New World ~English critic & novelist (1894 - 1963).
Terri-Lynne DeFino’s writing pierces the soul and provides a thoughtful novel that will stay with this reader long after the final page was read. Writing like this opens the reader’s mind and creates pictures that cannot be captured on stage or film as the words blend with the reader’s own experiences so that sometimes the novel brings romantic depths, sometimes enchantment, sometimes peels back the layers of moments lost or buried deep but never truly forgotten, and sometimes wonder in all that yet could be… This is a time that needs to be spent alone. The writer has finished her gift of artistry and now the reader begins absorbing the depth and breadth of the experience he/she is about to embark. It is an extraordinary gift. Thank you Terri-Lynne DeFino. Your gift of writing has touched my heart and pierced my soul.
I was lucky enough to receive a copy of this title as an “Early Reviewer” from Library Thing.
April 11, 2021
A book for the literature lover, Bar Harbor Retirement Home for Famous Writers and Their Muses filled my cup which had for so long had seen good books, but not great books, with that feeling of experiencing something truly great. That loss one feels when finishing a book, the butterflies in the stomach, the goosebumps and the shakes, I have them all. The dual stories which are at once so unique yet so tied together was well-executed. This book found its way into my life in a moment of great transition surrounding the concept of love, and it spoke to me in a way that I truly needed. For that, I am grateful and, as an avid reader, truly satisfied.
February 4, 2021
I struggled to get into this book, but something kept me going. About half way in I got more intrigued and by the last quarter I couldn’t put it down. It was sad, but really interesting and makes you think about life. Helps you to step in the shoes of those unlike yourself. Had I rated this book 30 or so pages before the end I probably would have given it 3 stars.
November 4, 2019
One of my special Kindle free reads. Enjoyed this story of a group of retired authors who end up collaborating on a love story novel that is inspired in great part by one of the workers at the retirement home. A novel within a novel. Read it on my Kindle Fire.
December 3, 2023
Interesting. A book within a book. Two of the retired writers begin writing a book together, then an editor and another writer get involved. The lives of some of the staff are intertwined. I especially enjoyed the passages where the writers talked about their craft.
July 19, 2020
I listened to this on audio and enjoyed it very much. The characters are complex and wounded, and the story arc for the main characters is satisfying in its resolution.
November 21, 2023
Great story about a home for writers to spend the rest of their time on Earth. Things change when a famous author arrives, and changes the energy of the residents.
May 18, 2024
Um... how did I not know this existed?!? This is basically my hometown?!?!?!?!?
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