Off-Season: Discovering America on Winter's Shore

by Ken McAlpine

No Longer the Forgotten Season

Just after Labor Day, Ken McAlpine said good-bye to his family and began a drive up the East Coast, from Florida to Maine, on a one-man quest to capture the elusive “forgotten season” of beach towns shuttered until the return of warm weather. Off-Season is a moving portrait that brings to life the magic of the sea and shore in winter, the charm of beach towns emptied of summer crowds, and the warmth and eccentricities of year-round coastal residents who revel in small-town spirit.

McAlpine skipped the more popular destinations like Nags Head, Virginia Beach, Cape May, and the Hamptons, opting to visit lesser known locales like Sharpes, Florida; Tangier Island, Virginia; and Montauk, New York. There he found people who celebrated the departure of the tourists with the cautious hope they’d return next summer. He encountered fishermen struggling to make a living, a former playboy lifeguard now ministering to the elderly and ill, a marine policeman both reviled and respected, a lone kayaker paddling away his grief, a couple fighting to save the world’s coral reefs, divers searching for everything from false teeth to dead bodies in dark waters, and deserted snow-covered beaches more beautiful than anyone could describe.

More than a travelogue—and a whole new breed of beach read—Off-Season is a stroll off the beaten path and a look at the people and places in our country that keep the spirit of community alive.

Genres: Travel, Nonfiction

290 pages, Paperback

First published June 22, 2004

About the author

Ken McAlpine’s most recent novel, NEXUS, picks up where the page-turning JUNCTURE left off. Cerebral Jaws and riveting thriller, NEXUS unspools in a world rapidly moving beyond anything we know. Our oceans are changing. Very soon survival may be more than just a word on this page.

Ken McAlpine is the author of ten books; fiction, non-fiction and selected essays. Of his novel TOGETHER WE JUMP, USA Today said, “There’s a beautiful Forrest Gump feel to this book. The main character was a delight and I just loved his sad, wistful, wonderful tale.” His novel "Fog", an eerie maritime mystery that unfolds on the wreck-strewn coast of Cape Cod in 1882, was described by a reviewer as "one of the most intelligent, richly detailed, deeply felt and evocative novels I've read." His non-fiction works include the books "Off Season: Discovering America on Winter's Shore" (a Barnes and Noble Discover Great New Writers selection) and "Islands Apart: A Year on the Edge of Civilization," and several collections of essays.

Ken lives in Ventura, California with his wife and their two sons. He likes to stand in his yard at night looking at the stars, but he does not like to spend any time during the day doing yard work.

If you would like more information, please see http://www.facebook.com/kenmcalpineau... and http://www.kenmcalpine.com Thank you!

Reviews

[Danielle G · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF. Not at all what I was hoping for.

[Vivian · Rating 2 out of 5]

I love the beach in winter, any beach, anywhere, the cool temperatures have a way of keeping away the tourists, and revealing the stillness, and the bareness, of life close to the water. While Ken McAlpine gives us glimpses of this scene, his stories are more snapshots: of the water, of the sand, of the small towns and decrepit boardwalks he found in his travels. And conversations with people, all kinds of people, some interesting, some not. Maybe I was expecting too much, or maybe Ken McAlpine tried to cover too much, but I was left with a feeling of just tasting these different places, and never really settling in for a good, long spell. I was left wanting more, but maybe this would suit those not as drawn to beaches as I am.

[Kayla · Rating 5 out of 5]

You can tell from Ken McAlipne's work that he loves writing. Ken has a very real and special talent that he's crafted over the years of writing. In Off-Season, Ken travels from Florida to Maine in the dead of winter. Ken wanted to get a feel of the people not the tourist's of the land. I think Ken is the type of person you meet in the street and end up sharing your whole life story without thinking anything of it. Off-Season is a beautiful book that will lift your spirits. I was very touched by this book; I think it give us hope in our race. If you take the time to read his work I think you'll be pleased that you did. Best wishes to all!

[Katherine · Rating 2 out of 5]

While I think this author has a lovely knack for introspective description, I think this book is trying to do too many things at once. It's one thing to write a book about the solitary nature of travel, and another thing to write another book about how gentrification and industrialization threaten ecosystems (human and natural), and still another to attempt an anthropological review of a highly diverse group of people. To do all three at the same time without a more unifying thesis statement doesn't make for the easiest reading experience. It's too bad, because much of this is a brisk, fun read. It just left me with a sense of, "OK. So?"

[Robin · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was not what I expected and could and should have been so much more. I give it 2 stars, primarily because he got it right in the Ocracoke chapter, and it did get slightly better in the second half. If I am honest, this was one of the very few books that I have read where I actually felt resentment that the author was able to be published. This is the work turned in by a self obsessed C student. In parts, sentence structure and nonsensical comma usage (and omission) made it painful to waddle through. Now I want to look to see if anyone has ever really written a book about what the off-season is like in east coast beach towns.

[Peggy L]

I enjoyed this book, another in "the journalist explores," non-genre, favorites of mine.

This look at out-of-season seashore villages, seaside residents both two legged, winged and finned allows the reader to see the real life of places overrun by tourists in the summer.
It allows the reader to get close to the atitudes of island dwellers, often reserved if not downright reclusive. Because the author brings a bit of that predilection for aloneness with him, many of the residents open up to him and share why they love off-season best.

[Coffeeboss · Rating 4 out of 5]

Anyone who loves going to the beach in the winter will enjoy this travelogue where the writer goes south to north (Florida to Maine), visiting beach towns that have closed their doors for the season, leaving only the colorful, die-hard locals. Each chapter is a different town, and I found myself wanting to follow McAlpine's journey on a map. He meets an interesting array of locals, some more open to him than others, and learns about the insular history of some of the more isolated places, many of which are under threat of development. A good read for fans of travel writing.

[Don · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not one of the better travel books I've read. The concept is a good one: write about East Coast places during the winter. But the people profiled aren't all that revealing, and I never felt that the author provided any real insight into either the people or places he visits. I also thought that his injection of his personal life into the book was totally uninteresting and detracted from the book.

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was enjoyable! The author traversed the east coast from Florida to Maine visiting beaches and islands to see what they were like in the winter when they were devoid of tourists. It was a chance to meet the local, year-round residents, many of whom were the quirky rugged individualistic characters that you'd imagine would populate small towns & villages :) Aside from the interesting people, he gives local history and nature descriptions with humor and beauty.

[Tamela · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is right up my blog alley.
See: http://a-walk-on-the-beach.blogspot.com/
I love walking on and reading about the seashore. McAlpine travels from the South to the North meeting interesting people and learning about real places.
"Haints, those devil creatures of voodoo, will not enter a blue opening of a house because blue is the color of heaven. Blue is also the color of water, but that doesn't always make it heaven."

[Ellen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have shared this with at least four other people. It's terrific. The writing style is beautiful, lyrical, almost poetic, which is unusual for a nonfiction book. If you have ever traveled the east coast of the US (or even if you haven't), you'll enjoy reading about people who make their life and living there all year-round. He has a new one out, Islands Apart, which I've just begun and am also enjoying.

[Holly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty good book about a guy who travels from South to North during the winter to visit America's beaches. I must admit, being from the deep south, not thinking about snow covered beaches -even in the winter! You get to meet some pretty interesting characters along the way. Was it my imagination or did the author write less and less the further north he traveled? It seemed to me that the chapters were getting shorter. Not a bad read though sometimes he made a short story long!

[Andrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

cool travelogue about trip a guy takes up the atlantic seacoast during the fall and winter and the people he meets along the way. meanders along from Florida to Maine. Interesting for those who enjoy travel narratives.

[Eve · Rating 2 out of 5]

I had such high hopes...how can a book about traveling through shore towns on the East Coast be bad!? I'm still craving the book I thought this would be. Alas, this author is caught on a different topic and I wasn't impressed with the writing anyway.

[Susan Prince · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved the premise of this book and really wanted to like the book. The places visited were very appealing, but I had a hard time relating to the characters. I had trouble remembering who was who and I seemed to miss the what the lessons each person was imparting.

[Harry · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of my favorite genres...travel writing. I enjoyed this one. I have always wanted to take the kind of trip taken by the author except in reverse, north to south starting in September. I've had a "longing" for seashores particularly when the tourists are gone.

[Amy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Didn't care for this book at all. I've been looking forward to reading this for a couple of years now and was terribly disappointed because it was just boring.

[Nikki · Rating 4 out of 5]

I learned you're not truly a beach lover unless you appreciate it year round...bitter cold, hurricanes and all

[Robert]

I love travel books. And this one was great. Plus I've been to a few of these places. Also he makes you love the people he meet

[Julia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Don't know what it is...
But like this guys voice...
comfortable to read.

[Mike · Rating 1 out of 5]

Not recommended. Another tale of locals rule, developers suck. I'd rather get that in fictional form from Carl Hiiasen.

[Valerie · Rating 1 out of 5]

I will probably come back to this, but it did not hold my interest.

[Paul Bennett · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is anEast coast story for East coast locals. I thoroughly enjoyed this story. all the stories from the South rocked. All the surfing kept me happy too.

[Jim · Rating 3 out of 5]

enjoyable and thoughtful travelogue along Atlantic shore in offseason

[Debbie Davis]

Did not finish.