Soft Features

by Gillian Burnes

What happens to a news reporter when she can’t report the news without breaking into tears? This is the problem Coralie Threlfell faces in Soft Features, a wise and witty novel set in Maine in 1994 about an overly empathetic public radio journalist whose attempts to find cheerful stories, or soft features, take her on a series of misadventures that only prove – time and again, in surprising ways – that even compassion is not for the faint of heart.

248 pages, Paperback

Published January 1, 2022

Reviews

[Marta E C R · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book WAY too fast, but so it goes. I think if I'd been able to read it more slowly (and not the first part of it on a redeye flight), I would have appreciated it much more. I'm giving it 3.5 stars rounded up to 4, for my honest appraisal in this less-than-satisfactory reading situation. I read it for an All Books Considered discussion which will be occurring tomorrow evening, and I really look forward to hearing this discussion with the author. In the meantime, I've got to get it back to the library because it is due today.
Because of my particular situation, it jumped around from story to story more quickly than I was able to handle as well as I would have liked to. But that is the nature of this novel about a Maine Public Radio journalist who is moving from story to story while experiencing her own personal crisis. I am an avid listener to NPR and Maine Public Radio and it was great to read a novel which reflected that interest. I remember very well the true story featured in this book as the "Ptarmigan Pond Goblin," and had actually read a book about the real hermit.
My absolute favorite passage from the book goes as follows [Coralie responding to a question by her clairvoyant 11-12 year old daughter Bryony]: "'What's a self-storage center?' 'It's for people who have so much stuff they can't fit it all in their homes, so they rent a shed at the self-storage place and keep some of it in there.' 'Oh, I thought you store your SELF there. Like you go there to have a coma or something.'"
Oh, and my second favorite passage from the book: "'In Maine, there's always something to look forward to the end of!' Snow, mud, blackflies, humidity."
Perhaps I'll be able to reread this book one day and give it the time it deserves.

[Paula Boyce · Rating 4 out of 5]

Soft Features was a lighthearted, familiar, and fun book to read. Being a Mainer and a fan of NPR, I recognized many of the names and places throughout the story. Coralie is a news reporter who tends to get emotional about the people she interviews and their typically depressing situations. She works hard to control her feelings, but sometimes slips up, both on air and at home when she thinks nobody can hear or see her. Th wife of a farmer and the mother to two young girls, Coralie sometimes feels guilty for not working the farm and taking better care of her family, but she's good at what she does, so she keeps at it. Until. . .a tragedy occurs that sets her back and gets her really thinking about whether or not her heart is in this job or if she should even continue to work at the station--for practical reasons, health care insurance, a salary--and anyway what else is she trained for? She loves her co-workers, but she loves her family more. I laughed at the inside Maine jokes and how Coralie's ambition competes with her emotions. Maybe all readers can relate to this inner conflict playing out in this story of a young Maine woman.

[Susan Emmet · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sure learned a lot about the workings of public radio in Maine - and nationally.
A fine story centered on Coralie Threlfell who's worked for WMPR Winston in Maine for a number of years. She's found herself increasingly confused and disconnected from her work, relatively unaware that very "old business" percolates within her regarding her parents and her attitude toward them long ago. She's seeking "soft features," stories that uplift, instead of harder investigative work.
She also farms with her husband Lonny and two very different daughters.
I enjoyed this novel. Its capture of local settings is formidable, as is the portrayal of people from coastal and inland Maine. Burnes does not fall back on simple and misleading stereotypes. Instead she has a gift for capturing sight and sound and truth. And the novel goes full circle with resolution and hope at the end.
I also learned a lot about all that goes into producing radio programs. Much more to it than I'd realized.
A book well worth reading!

[Paula · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fans of NPR and Maine Public will enjoy this story written by Gardiner's own Gillian Burnes. Set in Maine in 1994, it is the story of Coralie Threlfell, a news reporter at the Maine public radio station who finds she can no longer report the news without breaking into tears. Her empathy for the hardships of others is creating a career/life crisis. She looks for cheerful (soft feature) stories that take her (and her readers) to places in Maine with quirky and iconic characters. I loved getting a 'behind the scenes' look at how radio journalism works and spending time in some uniquely Maine locations. Way to go, Gardiner girl, Gillian!

[Kendra Chubbuck · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reading for the MPBN Book Club. This is a Maine Author. I'm looking forward to reading this book. It's about a news reporter who can't report the news without breaking into tears. So, she tries to find cheerful stories or soft features, and this will take her on a series of adventures that are not for the faint of heart. You could call them a series of misadventures that are quite surprising time and again.
I had to look up a few words. I loved the storyline and most of the characters. I wished she would have used real towns in Maine and real Island names, and I do understand why she didn't. Her soft features were definitely Maine life. Since, I live on an Island, I was glad she did an Island story and I loved she featured Coast and Islands Mission, f/v Loaves and Fishes! Alias Seacoast Mission.
The wildlife clinic, license plates, and goblin and intern stories were fun too.
All and all an interesting read about radio stations, NPR and a local public radio station and how they work and run.

[Tina Casteris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Coralie Threlfell is overwhelmed by the news. Problem is, she’s an investigative journalist and on air public radio personality for Maine Public Radio, known for her work on hard hitting pieces like cancer spikes around the nuclear power plant. But now she can’t seem to cover a (non-fatal) house fire without breaking down emotionally. Coralie’s attempt to switch to “soft features” - light human interest stories - takes the reader on a wild journey around Maine where we encounter hermits, feuding islanders, mythological creatures, and more. Fun and inventive, this book combines great writing with an empathetic heart.

[Kartika · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lovely read. Resonant.