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Salem #2
The Map of True Places
Brunonia Barry, the New York Times bestselling author of The Lace Reader, offers an emotionally compelling novel about finding your true place in the world.
Zee Finch has come a long way from a motherless childhood spent stealing boats—a talent that earned her the nickname Trouble. She's now a respected psychotherapist working with the world-famous Dr. Liz Mattei. She's also about to marry one of Boston's most eligible bachelors. But the suicide of Zee's patient Lilly Braedon throws Zee into emotional chaos and takes her back to places she thought she'd left behind.
What starts as a brief visit home to Salem after Lilly's funeral becomes the beginning of a larger journey for Zee. Her father, Finch, long ago diagnosed with Parkinson's disease, has been hiding how sick he really is. His longtime companion, Melville, has moved out, and it now falls to Zee to help her father through this difficult time. Their relationship, marked by half-truths and the untimely death of her mother, is strained and awkward.
Overwhelmed by her new role, and uncertain about her future, Zee destroys the existing map of her life and begins a new journey, one that will take her not only into her future but into her past as well. Like the sailors of old Salem who navigated by looking at the stars, Zee has to learn to find her way through uncharted waters to the place she will ultimately call home.
Zee Finch has come a long way from a motherless childhood spent stealing boats—a talent that earned her the nickname Trouble. She's now a respected psychotherapist working with the world-famous Dr. Liz Mattei. She's also about to marry one of Boston's most eligible bachelors. But the suicide of Zee's patient Lilly Braedon throws Zee into emotional chaos and takes her back to places she thought she'd left behind.
What starts as a brief visit home to Salem after Lilly's funeral becomes the beginning of a larger journey for Zee. Her father, Finch, long ago diagnosed with Parkinson's disease, has been hiding how sick he really is. His longtime companion, Melville, has moved out, and it now falls to Zee to help her father through this difficult time. Their relationship, marked by half-truths and the untimely death of her mother, is strained and awkward.
Overwhelmed by her new role, and uncertain about her future, Zee destroys the existing map of her life and begins a new journey, one that will take her not only into her future but into her past as well. Like the sailors of old Salem who navigated by looking at the stars, Zee has to learn to find her way through uncharted waters to the place she will ultimately call home.
403 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2010
215 people are currently reading
5878 people want to read
About the author
Brunonia Barry
4 books781 followersBrunonia Barry is the New York Times and international best selling author of THE LACE READER, THE MAP OF TRUE PLACES, and THE FIFTH PETAL, which will be released in January 2017. Her work has been translated into more than thirty languages. She was the first American author to win the International Women’s Fiction Festival’s Baccante Award and was a past recipient of Ragdale Artists’ Colony’s Strnad Fellowship as well as the winner of New England Book Festival’s award for Best Fiction, a People Magazine Pick, and Amazon’s Best of the Month. Her reviews and articles on writing have appeared in The London Times, The Washington Post, and The Huffington Post. She is a regular contributor to Writer Unboxed. Brunonia chairs the Salem Athenaeum’s Writers’ Committee and serves on Grub Street’s Development Committee. She is the Executive Director of the Salem Lit Fest, an annual event that brings people to Salem, MA from all over the world. She lives in Salem with her husband, Gary, and their dog, Angel.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,032 reviews
June 1, 2011
I long for the day when Goodreads provides a half-star rating option; I'd like to give this novel 2.5 stars, but since I can't, I'm rounding down. Barry's second novel lacked the charm and mystery of her first, 'The Lace Reader.' I was already on the fence about the frequent use of local landmarks as points of reference in LR, and it is even more prevalent in this one. I'd be curious to speak with someone who wasn't as familiar with this area and get their take on this. Maybe it's supposed to convey the quaintness of the area, but I find it pandering to locals and likely alienating to non-New Englanders. Another problem, and probably a more significant one, is the issue of character development. We are supposed to understand that the main character, Zee Finch, is learning and growing and adapting throughout the course of the novel, but I wouldn't have come to this conclusion if the book didn't keep telling me that this is what was happening. Barry does a lot of telling and less showing. Additionally, I found the narration often repetitive, both in vocabulary and the description of events. I think this too contributed to my feeling that I was being told what conclusions to arrive at, instead of being allowed to come to them myself as an independent reader. Overall...ehhhhhh.
April 9, 2010
There are some wonderful things about this novel. It's well written and lyrical in parts, and the main character is compelling. A daughter coping with a mother's difficult legacy is generally good material for storytelling. The theme, too, is an interesting one: Sooner or later everyone has to stop and reconsider the course charted by personal decisions and circumstance.
But this novel is filled to overflowing. There is so much going on, so many subplots that it feels bloated. A number of them would have made good novels on their own, especially Zee's father, his illness and his long-time lover. The saddest thing is that the strong points are lost in an underdone subplot about the abusive boyfriend of a patient who committed suicide and a final scene which feels forced into melodrama.
I wish I could say more good things about this novel. My inclination is to give it two stars, but I have given it three stars because there so much potential here and such strong characters.
But this novel is filled to overflowing. There is so much going on, so many subplots that it feels bloated. A number of them would have made good novels on their own, especially Zee's father, his illness and his long-time lover. The saddest thing is that the strong points are lost in an underdone subplot about the abusive boyfriend of a patient who committed suicide and a final scene which feels forced into melodrama.
I wish I could say more good things about this novel. My inclination is to give it two stars, but I have given it three stars because there so much potential here and such strong characters.
September 10, 2010
I did not read Brunonia Barry's novel "The Lace Reader," although being a librarian I was familiar with the book. It is on my to-read list. Since I was so aware of Barry's early work, I was thrilled to receive a copy of "The Map of True Places" through the First Reads giveaways.
Zee Finch is the main character. Her mother died when she was a child. After her mother's death,she spent her time spent stealing boats—a talent that earned her the nickname Trouble. As an adult, she is a respected psychotherapist and is engaged to one of Boston's most eligible bachelors. A seemingly perfect life!
The suicide of Zee's patient, Lilly Braedon throws Zee into emotional turmoil and Zee decides to pay a visit home to Salem. This visit becomes the beginning of an emotional journey for Zee. Her father, Finch, long ago diagnosed with Parkinson's disease, has been hiding how sick he really is. His longtime companion, Melville, has moved out, and it now falls to Zee to help her father through this difficult time. Their relationship, marked by half-truths and the untimely death of her mother, is strained and awkward. Zee begins to look at her life and relationships in new ways.
"The Map of True Places" is a good read about communication and dedication to having important relationships. It is also about holding onto that relationship above all else.
Zee Finch is the main character. Her mother died when she was a child. After her mother's death,she spent her time spent stealing boats—a talent that earned her the nickname Trouble. As an adult, she is a respected psychotherapist and is engaged to one of Boston's most eligible bachelors. A seemingly perfect life!
The suicide of Zee's patient, Lilly Braedon throws Zee into emotional turmoil and Zee decides to pay a visit home to Salem. This visit becomes the beginning of an emotional journey for Zee. Her father, Finch, long ago diagnosed with Parkinson's disease, has been hiding how sick he really is. His longtime companion, Melville, has moved out, and it now falls to Zee to help her father through this difficult time. Their relationship, marked by half-truths and the untimely death of her mother, is strained and awkward. Zee begins to look at her life and relationships in new ways.
"The Map of True Places" is a good read about communication and dedication to having important relationships. It is also about holding onto that relationship above all else.
May 14, 2011
**SPOILER WARNING--references made regarding revealing story elements.**
This book is gripping from paragraph to paragraph--masterfully written, and difficult to put down.
There are elements that hard to take--the main character Zee works closely with severely mentally ill patients then returns home to care for an aging father suffering from advanced Parkinson's. The concept of suicide is also explored repeatedly--tough to swallow at times.
This book weaves together a number of illuminating subjects, enriching the story--fairy tales and myth, a limited history of Salem, Mass., the inner circle of witches, the goings-on of pirate and war re-enactors, homosexual love, the use of a sextant and guidance from the stars, and of course, the writings of Nathaniel Hawthorne, Melville and Yeats. Expect to come away having learned something new. :)
Near the beginning, I was impressed how Barry made me second-guess momentarily who the main character really is. There is a good portion in the first few chapters when I believed the protagonist might actually be Lilly.
At times there were story details repeated to a point where I felt I was being spoon-fed, particularly the psychology theories. Barry expounds on Zee and Maureen switching roles of mother and daughter, effectively robbing the daughter of her childhood. Similarly, it is sad to watch the therapist rely so heavily on "and how does that make you feel?" (How about some real help and direction for people truly suffering from a mental disorder?) When the therapists talked among themselves, they really helped, sorted things out, sought possible solutions to problems. Why can't this happen for the patient who is paying thousands of dollars for therapy? To Barry's credit, I'm uncertain whether this was what I took away from it or merely Barry's intended commentary.
Be assured, the intermittent repetition turned out to be a decoy; just when the reader is saying, "YES, you said that!" at the 75-80% mark (right on story structure cue) I found myself flipping back to re-read sections. The first three quarters are laid out in such great detail, the facts are made so clear and plain, that when the reader edges toward the climax, everything that once was is suddenly not at all how it seemed. Beautiful! Everything Barry has us believe they way Zee herself believes it becomes challenged. This book is certainly worthy of a re-read, if only to see a master storyteller at work.
I was pleased enough with the ending, which reflected Maureen's dreamy reverie for what might be. And I was thankful for Melville's ultimate choice to keep his secret to himself.
This book is gripping from paragraph to paragraph--masterfully written, and difficult to put down.
There are elements that hard to take--the main character Zee works closely with severely mentally ill patients then returns home to care for an aging father suffering from advanced Parkinson's. The concept of suicide is also explored repeatedly--tough to swallow at times.
This book weaves together a number of illuminating subjects, enriching the story--fairy tales and myth, a limited history of Salem, Mass., the inner circle of witches, the goings-on of pirate and war re-enactors, homosexual love, the use of a sextant and guidance from the stars, and of course, the writings of Nathaniel Hawthorne, Melville and Yeats. Expect to come away having learned something new. :)
Near the beginning, I was impressed how Barry made me second-guess momentarily who the main character really is. There is a good portion in the first few chapters when I believed the protagonist might actually be Lilly.
At times there were story details repeated to a point where I felt I was being spoon-fed, particularly the psychology theories. Barry expounds on Zee and Maureen switching roles of mother and daughter, effectively robbing the daughter of her childhood. Similarly, it is sad to watch the therapist rely so heavily on "and how does that make you feel?" (How about some real help and direction for people truly suffering from a mental disorder?) When the therapists talked among themselves, they really helped, sorted things out, sought possible solutions to problems. Why can't this happen for the patient who is paying thousands of dollars for therapy? To Barry's credit, I'm uncertain whether this was what I took away from it or merely Barry's intended commentary.
Be assured, the intermittent repetition turned out to be a decoy; just when the reader is saying, "YES, you said that!" at the 75-80% mark (right on story structure cue) I found myself flipping back to re-read sections. The first three quarters are laid out in such great detail, the facts are made so clear and plain, that when the reader edges toward the climax, everything that once was is suddenly not at all how it seemed. Beautiful! Everything Barry has us believe they way Zee herself believes it becomes challenged. This book is certainly worthy of a re-read, if only to see a master storyteller at work.
I was pleased enough with the ending, which reflected Maureen's dreamy reverie for what might be. And I was thankful for Melville's ultimate choice to keep his secret to himself.
December 15, 2017
Masterfully woven…The Map of True Places is a gripping quest for truth that kept me reading at the edge of my seat to the very last page. - Lisa Genova
August 28, 2021
So much woven into this story. I love this author.
July 25, 2012
So.. what can I say. First off, the description doesn't really describe the book very well at all. Sure, all of these things happen throughout, but there are so many more things that happen. Zee is a frustratingly complex character and I found myself feeling bad for her but then at the same time wanting to smack her. I have a hard time with people who play the "I had a hard life/past/whatever so it impacts my current life" card. I hate it. I really dislike it. I had a shit alcoholic, drug addicted father and I have gone through some really heinous and awful things but you don't see me all sad face up in here. No. Basically, I have a problem with people who feel sorry for themselves. Get over it.
Anyways. Let's talk about this book again. I really liked how the author walked us through all of the obstacles Zee is up against: a father dying of Parkinson's that is much more progressed than she thought, her father's companion who just wants to be back into the fold but since dad is slipping into Alzheimer's at the same time it's not working out so well, her patient kills herself which forces her to reconcile her mother's suicide, her questioning her abilities in her career, an engagement that goes to hell, a hot new guy coming into the picture, etc. Seriously. It's a LOT of stuff and this poor chick has it all at once.
What I loved about the book is that once all the groundwork was laid out, you knew the characters and you knew key pieces of their story... Brunonia Barry weaves it together. It goes from a "find yourself and life is good" story to a potential murder/mystery/romance story and then it wraps it up with the ending you hoped for. At least for me.
It was a fascinating read. It makes you question the little things you let get into the way of relationships and if they are really worth it. In the end.. we all die. And is it worth being unhappy, trying to please others, holding grudges, etc? No. It really isn't. So while I thought I'd have a hard time getting into it when I first started, I found myself devouring this book.
Anyways. Let's talk about this book again. I really liked how the author walked us through all of the obstacles Zee is up against: a father dying of Parkinson's that is much more progressed than she thought, her father's companion who just wants to be back into the fold but since dad is slipping into Alzheimer's at the same time it's not working out so well, her patient kills herself which forces her to reconcile her mother's suicide, her questioning her abilities in her career, an engagement that goes to hell, a hot new guy coming into the picture, etc. Seriously. It's a LOT of stuff and this poor chick has it all at once.
What I loved about the book is that once all the groundwork was laid out, you knew the characters and you knew key pieces of their story... Brunonia Barry weaves it together. It goes from a "find yourself and life is good" story to a potential murder/mystery/romance story and then it wraps it up with the ending you hoped for. At least for me.
It was a fascinating read. It makes you question the little things you let get into the way of relationships and if they are really worth it. In the end.. we all die. And is it worth being unhappy, trying to please others, holding grudges, etc? No. It really isn't. So while I thought I'd have a hard time getting into it when I first started, I found myself devouring this book.
May 29, 2014
An incredibly well crafted novel with surprising and believable plot twists, mystery, and compelling characters. . Brunonia Barry has a special talent for moving between character point of view in a way that never disrupts the pace or flow of the story. I wanted to keep turning the page and also wanted to make myself read slowly and savor the writing
July 5, 2011
I liked this book a lot, especially the writing style, but there was one small thing that bothered me. Zee is a therapist who is dealing with a patient who kills herself in a way that is very similar to the way her mother died. As the plot unfolds, you will meet more and more characters who are very fleshed out. That's one major plus for this book, you WILL get to know a lot of characters, who are mostly all likable. MY complaint was the ending, which got to be a bit confusing, as well as slightly convoluted, but it didn't ruin the overall book. If I could give this book 4 and a half stars I would. It was one that I looked forward to reading, and I did a 70+ page sprint on the last day I read it, which was this morning, just to see how it would turn out. I'm not saying the ending itself was bad, but the end SECTION was kind of confusing. I'd recommend this book to someone who was a literary thriller that slowly unravels.
September 23, 2015
all together quite a good read. Though I wasn't completely sold in the beginning, I began to like the book more and more on my way through. The book was not too special but it wasn't boring to read either. The writer has a special skill to switch between characters without letting you know there has been a switch. Nevertheless it's always clear which character is written about.
Quite a few difficult topics are dealt with (suicide, dementia), but I missed the depth and feeling most of the time. Would have been a 4-star rating if I would have been able to actually feel what the character had to live though.
Quite a few difficult topics are dealt with (suicide, dementia), but I missed the depth and feeling most of the time. Would have been a 4-star rating if I would have been able to actually feel what the character had to live though.
May 4, 2010
Maybe my expectations for this book were just too high, since I absolutely loved The Lace Reader – it's become one of my all-time favorite reads. So I was hoping to enjoy The Map of True Places just as much, and I was very excited to get an advance reading copy of the book from the publisher. But I'm very sorry to have to say I was disappointed with Barry's second novel.
I thought the plot, with so many different story lines, was annoyingly convoluted. All that jumping around in time occasionally even seemed confusing for the author, forcing her to repeat herself in several places throughout the book (almost as if she were saying, “Oh, did I tell you this already?”) And while a few of the many characters were very finely drawn, some just felt like stock footage.
Like The Lace Reader, this novel is set in Salem and the atmosphere and local color are well portrayed. And Barry is still very adept at adding little details that make the story and characters seem very real and familiar. And she's still wonderful with descriptive images (like the children playing at the beach, wearing "so much 45 SPF that the blowing sand began to coat their pale bodies, making them look like sugar cookies.") But in general, I thought the writing was uneven – brilliantly luminous in parts (like the Brunonia I love), but strangely sloppy and repetitive in others: as if she'd worked very hard on polishing some passages, and just used her rough drafts at other times. And the ending, though it had some interesting plot twists and did tie up all the various threads (perhaps a little too perfectly) – well, I'll just say I found it unsatisfying and strangely inappropriate to the tone of the rest of the book.
Ultimately, I think Barry was just trying to weave too many plots together. I would have been happier if she’d concentrated more on the story that I found really intriguing, which was the saga of Finch and Maureen and Melville (the old folks), and hadn't spent quite so much time on young Zee and her various traumas and neuroses. Possibly what the book needed wasn't better writing, but tougher editing. I'm still a Brunonia Barry fan, and still hoping for that amazing follow-up novel, but this just wasn't it.
Note: This review refers to an advance reader's edition of the novel, provided free of charge by the publisher. I received no other compensation for reading the book, no one tried to influence my review, and the opinions expressed here are entirely my own.
I thought the plot, with so many different story lines, was annoyingly convoluted. All that jumping around in time occasionally even seemed confusing for the author, forcing her to repeat herself in several places throughout the book (almost as if she were saying, “Oh, did I tell you this already?”) And while a few of the many characters were very finely drawn, some just felt like stock footage.
Like The Lace Reader, this novel is set in Salem and the atmosphere and local color are well portrayed. And Barry is still very adept at adding little details that make the story and characters seem very real and familiar. And she's still wonderful with descriptive images (like the children playing at the beach, wearing "so much 45 SPF that the blowing sand began to coat their pale bodies, making them look like sugar cookies.") But in general, I thought the writing was uneven – brilliantly luminous in parts (like the Brunonia I love), but strangely sloppy and repetitive in others: as if she'd worked very hard on polishing some passages, and just used her rough drafts at other times. And the ending, though it had some interesting plot twists and did tie up all the various threads (perhaps a little too perfectly) – well, I'll just say I found it unsatisfying and strangely inappropriate to the tone of the rest of the book.
Ultimately, I think Barry was just trying to weave too many plots together. I would have been happier if she’d concentrated more on the story that I found really intriguing, which was the saga of Finch and Maureen and Melville (the old folks), and hadn't spent quite so much time on young Zee and her various traumas and neuroses. Possibly what the book needed wasn't better writing, but tougher editing. I'm still a Brunonia Barry fan, and still hoping for that amazing follow-up novel, but this just wasn't it.
Note: This review refers to an advance reader's edition of the novel, provided free of charge by the publisher. I received no other compensation for reading the book, no one tried to influence my review, and the opinions expressed here are entirely my own.
February 22, 2020
This book has no redeeming qualities, which is sad since I liked the Lace Reader. There is not a single sympathetic character, except maybe Anne, but that was mostly because she was a likeable character in the first one. The entire book is completely predictable, and the reason I kept reading was to see if any of my predictions would NOT occur. Nope.
There are two suicides, as well as affairs, abuse, suicidal ideation/attempts related to Parkinson's with Addison's crossover, attempted rape, drug use, sex, swearing with a bunch of "the f-bomb" (but only from one character, because he is THE BAD GUY so swears incessantly, because he's bad), poisoning, murder.
There are two suicides, as well as affairs, abuse, suicidal ideation/attempts related to Parkinson's with Addison's crossover, attempted rape, drug use, sex, swearing with a bunch of "the f-bomb" (but only from one character, because he is THE BAD GUY so swears incessantly, because he's bad), poisoning, murder.
February 14, 2010
Readers rejoice! Brunonia Barry, author of The Lace Reader, is back with another gripping novel of human relationships and their consequences. It's again set in Salem, with some returning characters, which made it very easy to fall into the place and just flow with the story. Zee Finch, a psychotherapist, has come home to take care of her ailing father and to try to figure out her own life after the suicide of one of her patients, which was made even more difficult by Zee's past--her mother committed suicide herself, in front of her. There is a complex weave of past and present, love and betrayals, beginnings and endings in this story that reads quickly and leaves you longing for Barry's next book and a chance to visit her Salem yet again.
March 12, 2015
Carino, anche se mi aspettavo di meglio. Alcuni colpi di scena sono ben pensati, il finale però è troppo dolcioso, soprattutto con Melville che torna con loro anche se solo come infermiere e non come amante, ma comunque riuscirà a restare con loro, il cattivo muore e vivono tutti felici e contenti. Belli i vari riferimenti alla stelle durante il libro, anche se quelli ad inizio capitolo sono un pò troppo staccati dalla trama, stanno lì solo per bellezza.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 7, 2017
Brunonia Barry kehrt in ihrem neuen Roman "Die Frauen von Salem" nach Salem, Massacusetts zurück. Man trifft auf viele vertraute Figuren und Orte aus ihrem Debütroman "Die Mondschwimmerin". Yellow Dog Island, die kleine Insel vor der Küste Salems, der Teesalon, Towner und Rafferty, sie alle spielen auch in diesem Buch eine wichtige Rolle und sind dem Leser sofort wieder vertraut.
In der Halloween-Nacht 1989 wurden drei junge Frauen in Salem auf brutale Weise ermordet. Die drei Frauen waren allgemein als die "Göttinnen" bekannt. Sie waren schön und betörend, geheimnisvoll und verrucht. Für die einen waren sie nur leichtlebig und verantwortungslos, für die anderen Göttinnen und wieder für andere Anhängerinnen des Teufels. Rose Whelan, die in der Todesnacht bei den Göttinnen war und einst eine angesehene Historikerin, geriet unter Mordverdacht. Obwohl ihr nie etwas nachgewiesen werden konnte, forderten die Geschehnisse ihren Tribut. Rose zog sich in ihre eigene Welt zurück, wurde obdachlos, sprach mit Bäumen und widmete ihre gesamte Zeit den Hexenprozessen von 1692. Und Callie, im Jahre 1989 fünf Jahre alt und Tochter einer der Göttinnen, überlebte, versteckt im Gebüsch, den Mord an ihrer Mutter und deren Freundinnen.
Als 25 Jahre später ein Jugendlicher in Salem ermordet wird, wieder in der Halloween-Nacht und wieder im Beisein von Rose, ist Rafferty gezwungen nach und nach auch den ungelösten Fall von 1989 wieder aufzurollen. Und Callie kehrt, als sie in den Nachrichten von den Geschehnissen hört, nach Salem zurück.
Nach der Ermordung ihrer Mutter wurde Callie von Nonnen in einem Waisenhaus großgezogen. Diese Nonnen begegneten dem kleinen seltsamen Mädchen mit einer beständigen Reserviertheit. Die Ermordung ihrer Mutter und deren Verbundenheit mit den Hexen von Salem, sowie Callies spröde verschlossene Persönlichkeit, überforderten die Nonnen. Die Erinnerungen an die Mordnacht hat Callie erfolgreich verdrängt, nur einzelne Fetzen der Geschehnisse finden den Weg in ihre Alpträume. Die Alpträume verfolgen sie bei Nacht, tagsüber plagen sie eine Art von Hellsichtigkeit und Visionen, die unvermittelt auftreten. Aber zumindest in ihrem Beruf als Klangtherapeutin sind sind sowohl Empathie als auch Sensibilität von Vorteil.
Im heutigen Salem, das es bestens versteht die Hexenprozesse von 1692 zu vermarkten und das für Weiße und Graue Hexen offensteht, lösen dennoch die von allerlei Mythen umgebenen Morde an den Göttinnen sowie der Tod des Teenagers und die sonderbare Rose bei der Bevölkerung Unbehagen und Ansätze von Panik aus. All dies bekommt Callie bei ihrer Rückkehr zu spüren. Verzweifelt versucht sie die Unschuld von Rose zu beweisen und auch endlich für sich selbst die Geheimnisse der Mordnacht zu lösen. Unterstützt wird sie dabei von Polizeichef Rafferty und seiner Frau Towner Whitney.
Brunonia Barry gelingt es, das vergangene wie auch das gegenwärtige Salem lebendig werden zu lassen. Die Hexenprozesse, Nathaniel Hawthorne, die Mayflower und die Puritaner stehen in ihrer Lebendigkeit dem Salem von heute, in dem sich Esoterik, alte Mythen und pure Geschäftstüchtigkeit mischen, in nichts nach. Wenn man "Die Frauen von Salem" liest, kann man das Meer riechen, die Menschen vor sich sehen und einem imaginären Stadtplan folgen. Brunonia Barry verwebt auf beeindruckende Weise mythologische Stoffe, historische Fakten und esoterische Einflüsse. Es spricht eindeutig für sie, dass diese Mischung perfekt ausbalanciert ist und keinen schalen Eindruck hinterlässt. Ich hoffe sehr, dass Brunonia Barry in einem zukünftigen Roman wieder nach Salem und zur Familie Whitney und ihren Freunden zurückkehren wird. Geschichten gibt es in Salem genug zu erzählen!
In der Halloween-Nacht 1989 wurden drei junge Frauen in Salem auf brutale Weise ermordet. Die drei Frauen waren allgemein als die "Göttinnen" bekannt. Sie waren schön und betörend, geheimnisvoll und verrucht. Für die einen waren sie nur leichtlebig und verantwortungslos, für die anderen Göttinnen und wieder für andere Anhängerinnen des Teufels. Rose Whelan, die in der Todesnacht bei den Göttinnen war und einst eine angesehene Historikerin, geriet unter Mordverdacht. Obwohl ihr nie etwas nachgewiesen werden konnte, forderten die Geschehnisse ihren Tribut. Rose zog sich in ihre eigene Welt zurück, wurde obdachlos, sprach mit Bäumen und widmete ihre gesamte Zeit den Hexenprozessen von 1692. Und Callie, im Jahre 1989 fünf Jahre alt und Tochter einer der Göttinnen, überlebte, versteckt im Gebüsch, den Mord an ihrer Mutter und deren Freundinnen.
Als 25 Jahre später ein Jugendlicher in Salem ermordet wird, wieder in der Halloween-Nacht und wieder im Beisein von Rose, ist Rafferty gezwungen nach und nach auch den ungelösten Fall von 1989 wieder aufzurollen. Und Callie kehrt, als sie in den Nachrichten von den Geschehnissen hört, nach Salem zurück.
Nach der Ermordung ihrer Mutter wurde Callie von Nonnen in einem Waisenhaus großgezogen. Diese Nonnen begegneten dem kleinen seltsamen Mädchen mit einer beständigen Reserviertheit. Die Ermordung ihrer Mutter und deren Verbundenheit mit den Hexen von Salem, sowie Callies spröde verschlossene Persönlichkeit, überforderten die Nonnen. Die Erinnerungen an die Mordnacht hat Callie erfolgreich verdrängt, nur einzelne Fetzen der Geschehnisse finden den Weg in ihre Alpträume. Die Alpträume verfolgen sie bei Nacht, tagsüber plagen sie eine Art von Hellsichtigkeit und Visionen, die unvermittelt auftreten. Aber zumindest in ihrem Beruf als Klangtherapeutin sind sind sowohl Empathie als auch Sensibilität von Vorteil.
Im heutigen Salem, das es bestens versteht die Hexenprozesse von 1692 zu vermarkten und das für Weiße und Graue Hexen offensteht, lösen dennoch die von allerlei Mythen umgebenen Morde an den Göttinnen sowie der Tod des Teenagers und die sonderbare Rose bei der Bevölkerung Unbehagen und Ansätze von Panik aus. All dies bekommt Callie bei ihrer Rückkehr zu spüren. Verzweifelt versucht sie die Unschuld von Rose zu beweisen und auch endlich für sich selbst die Geheimnisse der Mordnacht zu lösen. Unterstützt wird sie dabei von Polizeichef Rafferty und seiner Frau Towner Whitney.
Brunonia Barry gelingt es, das vergangene wie auch das gegenwärtige Salem lebendig werden zu lassen. Die Hexenprozesse, Nathaniel Hawthorne, die Mayflower und die Puritaner stehen in ihrer Lebendigkeit dem Salem von heute, in dem sich Esoterik, alte Mythen und pure Geschäftstüchtigkeit mischen, in nichts nach. Wenn man "Die Frauen von Salem" liest, kann man das Meer riechen, die Menschen vor sich sehen und einem imaginären Stadtplan folgen. Brunonia Barry verwebt auf beeindruckende Weise mythologische Stoffe, historische Fakten und esoterische Einflüsse. Es spricht eindeutig für sie, dass diese Mischung perfekt ausbalanciert ist und keinen schalen Eindruck hinterlässt. Ich hoffe sehr, dass Brunonia Barry in einem zukünftigen Roman wieder nach Salem und zur Familie Whitney und ihren Freunden zurückkehren wird. Geschichten gibt es in Salem genug zu erzählen!
November 1, 2010
Mystic sea ports.
Hawthorne.
Witches.
Civil Liberties.
Honestly, what is there not to love about Salem, MA?
For Zee Finch, there’s more to add under the “not” column. A fading father, a memory of a mother gone, a harbor town that simply holds too many reminders of a less than stellar youth.
So, it is with heavy baggage and much regret that she finds herself dislodged from far away Boston and set on a rip current back to her homeland. It is the ghost of family past coupled with a much more recent case gone horribly wrong that upends her beautiful engagement and career in the big city where her star is rising as an up and coming clinical psychotherapist.
Parkinson’s has settled in with her father, resulting in the disintegration of his longtime relationship with dear friend and lover, Melville. Distraught and dragged down by the sudden need for her character change from distant daughter to constant caregiver, Zee’s entire world is upended and sent straight back to a fun-house version of her youth. She is forced to come face to face with the psychology and mythology of her past, the town’s past and the much more recent past of her troubled client.
The silver lining to the dark storm cloud, is a mysterious man working on one of the ships in the port. Sunny and carefree in the way only old world sailors can be, Hawk is the picture of everything Zee has ever needed, capable of teaching her not only to read the stars but also to follow her heart. Of course, every storm cloud’s silver lining eventually sees another rainy day and not all parties are what they initially appear to be.
Barry’s book came to me this past summer and it’s taken me entirely too long to read it. I’m kicking myself, now, for leaving it for so long. Of course, sometimes books have a way of waiting for the best time to be read. October, Salem or Atlanta, tends to be a great time for curling up with a good book. Of course, adding the mystery of an old sea yarn, never hurt a good Autumn-in-New-England read either.(Try turning on some Barefoot Truth or Great Big Sea while you’re reading and I promise you won’t be disappointed.)
Growing up very close to Salem, hoping that every Neo-Crucible or Deliverance Dane anecdote will capture the town’s true awesomeness, I’m always disappointed.
Until now.
Barry gets it and here’s why: She tells stories like a New Englander. She writes about town drama and the colors of houses on the wharf, not, as southerners and midwesterners do, for poetic effect, but because these things have significance to ten generations looking back and it’s just a matter of fact. A north shore boatman retells a story because people have to know that “this happened” or because they should know “what went on here” as opposed to someone chatting about meandering minutia, whiling away of the hours in a hot southern sun, under parasols, drinking sweet tea.
In True Places, Barry tells a sea story and a T-story, weaving past and present with a classic Yankee attention to “only the good stuff”. I’m about halfway into her first book, The Lace Reader, and can attest to the same being said through both works. This storyteller gets two very enthusiastic thumbs up from a fairly-hard to please northerner.
Hawthorne.
Witches.
Civil Liberties.
Honestly, what is there not to love about Salem, MA?
For Zee Finch, there’s more to add under the “not” column. A fading father, a memory of a mother gone, a harbor town that simply holds too many reminders of a less than stellar youth.
So, it is with heavy baggage and much regret that she finds herself dislodged from far away Boston and set on a rip current back to her homeland. It is the ghost of family past coupled with a much more recent case gone horribly wrong that upends her beautiful engagement and career in the big city where her star is rising as an up and coming clinical psychotherapist.
Parkinson’s has settled in with her father, resulting in the disintegration of his longtime relationship with dear friend and lover, Melville. Distraught and dragged down by the sudden need for her character change from distant daughter to constant caregiver, Zee’s entire world is upended and sent straight back to a fun-house version of her youth. She is forced to come face to face with the psychology and mythology of her past, the town’s past and the much more recent past of her troubled client.
The silver lining to the dark storm cloud, is a mysterious man working on one of the ships in the port. Sunny and carefree in the way only old world sailors can be, Hawk is the picture of everything Zee has ever needed, capable of teaching her not only to read the stars but also to follow her heart. Of course, every storm cloud’s silver lining eventually sees another rainy day and not all parties are what they initially appear to be.
Barry’s book came to me this past summer and it’s taken me entirely too long to read it. I’m kicking myself, now, for leaving it for so long. Of course, sometimes books have a way of waiting for the best time to be read. October, Salem or Atlanta, tends to be a great time for curling up with a good book. Of course, adding the mystery of an old sea yarn, never hurt a good Autumn-in-New-England read either.(Try turning on some Barefoot Truth or Great Big Sea while you’re reading and I promise you won’t be disappointed.)
Growing up very close to Salem, hoping that every Neo-Crucible or Deliverance Dane anecdote will capture the town’s true awesomeness, I’m always disappointed.
Until now.
Barry gets it and here’s why: She tells stories like a New Englander. She writes about town drama and the colors of houses on the wharf, not, as southerners and midwesterners do, for poetic effect, but because these things have significance to ten generations looking back and it’s just a matter of fact. A north shore boatman retells a story because people have to know that “this happened” or because they should know “what went on here” as opposed to someone chatting about meandering minutia, whiling away of the hours in a hot southern sun, under parasols, drinking sweet tea.
In True Places, Barry tells a sea story and a T-story, weaving past and present with a classic Yankee attention to “only the good stuff”. I’m about halfway into her first book, The Lace Reader, and can attest to the same being said through both works. This storyteller gets two very enthusiastic thumbs up from a fairly-hard to please northerner.
February 10, 2010
Brunonia Barry's second novel, "The Map of True Places," promises to be another hit. The main character, Zee, comes to Salem from her home base of Boston to visit her father. Zee is a psychologist in Boston and is dealing with the death of one of her patients. She hopes her time at home will help cure the unease she's feeling.
Zee struggles with her father's failing mental health, and her own past surrounding her mother's suicide. Similar to "The Lace Reader," this book has a great plot twist, similar to Barry's pervious work. Barry handles her twists with a deft hand - the true mark of a writer who handles her craft with grace.
I disagree that Barry's work echoes "The Physic Book of Deliverance Dane." There are obvious similarities in the setting, and true, "The Lace Reader" came out around the same time, but these books are different both in tone and subject. It is near impossible to write a story that takes place in Salem without having to acknowledge that Salem is a quirky place filled with quirky people. Salem, in this way, becomes a character unto itself. It would be impossible to refuse these locale-centered traits - it would mean cheating Salem of its identity. A book that takes place in London doesn't mean it's reminiscent of another book that takes place in London.
Barry's distinct voice, intricate plots, and loyal characters are special unto their own rights. Definitely a book to add to your list.
Zee struggles with her father's failing mental health, and her own past surrounding her mother's suicide. Similar to "The Lace Reader," this book has a great plot twist, similar to Barry's pervious work. Barry handles her twists with a deft hand - the true mark of a writer who handles her craft with grace.
I disagree that Barry's work echoes "The Physic Book of Deliverance Dane." There are obvious similarities in the setting, and true, "The Lace Reader" came out around the same time, but these books are different both in tone and subject. It is near impossible to write a story that takes place in Salem without having to acknowledge that Salem is a quirky place filled with quirky people. Salem, in this way, becomes a character unto itself. It would be impossible to refuse these locale-centered traits - it would mean cheating Salem of its identity. A book that takes place in London doesn't mean it's reminiscent of another book that takes place in London.
Barry's distinct voice, intricate plots, and loyal characters are special unto their own rights. Definitely a book to add to your list.
May 16, 2011
This book didn't cohere for me. It's abut Zee Finch, a psychologist, whose life goes into a tailspin when several events occur in close succession. One of her patients commits suicide. She and her fiance end their engagement. Her father's Parkinson's worsens and he kicks out his longtime male partner, so that Zee has to move in to care for him and scramble for help. Meanwhile, Zee can't stop thinking about the suicide of her patient, who was bipolar - just like Zee's mother who also took her own life when Zee was 13. Zee is also obsessed with the notion that her patient's death wasn't really a suicide or was at least spurred by her possessive, controlling lover. All of these threads are supposed to come together, but they actually didn't for me. SPOILER ALERT: Hawk is really Adam, Adam is really Roy, the person Zee thought was her father turns on not to be, all kinds of surprises come in the end, but none of it felt like closure.
October 15, 2011
I listened to this on audio. I have to say that when you do listen, you can get really tired of the reader's voice for many different reasons. So that was one gripe. If I had read it, would the number be higher. No. I wavered on this book, liking it, hating it, loving it, disliking it. That is a solid 3 to me. It moved me, but moved too slowly. I think the author could've taken this novel and carved small short stories out of it; it would've worked better. It is the story of a therapist and if I keep explaining the rest of the story, I could be here for days. I give the author 3 for effort and it wasn't a bad listen when I was in the car. If you like New England, magic, romance and a lot of drama, this could work for you.
April 21, 2017
This book wasn't as captivating as The Lace Reader or The Fifth Petal. It was slower paced than those two. I liked it as a whole, Zee goes on quite the journey throughout the book. There's a lot of ups and downs but it's not as exciting. There's a lot of sad parts, she's dealing with her father's Parkinson's and her unenthusiastic relationship and her therapy practice and her own tumultuous past. She has a lot on her plate. I think Melville should have told her what he knew though. I like these books, they're all just companions to each other so you see a few familiar faces on the periphery but each focuses on a different Salem, MA character. And she's working on a new one focusing on lace reading, maybe about Ann Chase?
July 10, 2013
I positively adored this book--its many layers, its use of symbology, its strong and compelling voice, the complex, true-to-life characters who shadowed other characters throughout, the beautiful way Barry has of revealing character through setting. (One of my favorite scenes described a child's wild scribblings buried under wainscoting--a brilliant hint to the main character's layers, buried via her relationship with her mother.) I loved the plot of this book, along with its strong literary core. Lastly, though I don't want to give anything away, I'll say that Barry has a gift for developing characters who surprise. A truly fantastic read--definitely my favorite book of 2013 to date.
March 8, 2015
What do Salem, Massachusetts, mental health, family secrets, a love of the sea, and fairy tales all have in common? I guess you'll just have to read this book to find out. Brunonia Barry (author of The Lace Reader) serves up another Romantic love letter to the North Shore, dabbling some of the rich history of the place into the fanciful and yet realistic journey across The Map of True Places. With twists and turns (some predictable and some surprising), this was a book that I'd recommend if you have an interest in any of the above topics.
July 16, 2011
After struggling with The Lace Reader, I wanted to give this author another chance before writing her off completely. She seems to have the same problem with each book she writes. She starts off with an idea that might be really interesting, but she can never figure out where she's going with it. Finally I just get bored at the lack of direction and give up. I have no problem with her writing skills. She just needs to focus.
June 4, 2012
I enjoyed this book despite the often fantastical turns the story took. No spoilers. The relationships between the characters makes for a relatable read and the Hawthorne, Salem and Melville references enhance the setting. Perfect to throw in your beach or pool bag this summer.
Read
March 8, 201841%...abandoned
January 20, 2020
Despite some quibbles, on the whole I really enjoyed this novel. Briefly, it's about Zee Finch, a young woman whose father--an authority on the author Hawthorne--is declining rapidly from the effects of Parkinson's disease. She leaves her fiance in Boston and heads home to take care of him and to recover from the shock of the suicide of one of her patients. (She's a psychologist.)
To me, the real star of this novel is the Salem setting. I feel like I've just spent time there myself and quite enjoyed it. Zee's father lives a stone's throw from the famous House of the Seven Gables, immortalized by his beloved Hawthorne. This book is rich with local history, which is offered as an organic part of the story and not in dry plot-stoppers. Reading this, I could almost smell the sea air, sense the gloom of the cursed House, and feel the fun of the witchy tourist spots.
Anyway, Zee comes to question everything she knows and all the choices she has made. In effect,she learns to turn off the GPS and find her way by celestial navigation, both literal and metaphorical.
I did have a couple of quibbles, as I said. There is a straight-from-central-casting stock romance novel love interest named...wait for it..."Hawk." It was hard to read about him when I found myself rolling my eyes every time his name came up. And there is a rather hard to believe situation near the end, but it's not as important as you might think. (I don't want to give anything away here.)
All in all, it's an engaging tale of family secrets, a town's history, and the choices that we make that shade everything that comes after. Recommended.
To me, the real star of this novel is the Salem setting. I feel like I've just spent time there myself and quite enjoyed it. Zee's father lives a stone's throw from the famous House of the Seven Gables, immortalized by his beloved Hawthorne. This book is rich with local history, which is offered as an organic part of the story and not in dry plot-stoppers. Reading this, I could almost smell the sea air, sense the gloom of the cursed House, and feel the fun of the witchy tourist spots.
Anyway, Zee comes to question everything she knows and all the choices she has made. In effect,she learns to turn off the GPS and find her way by celestial navigation, both literal and metaphorical.
I did have a couple of quibbles, as I said. There is a straight-from-central-casting stock romance novel love interest named...wait for it..."Hawk." It was hard to read about him when I found myself rolling my eyes every time his name came up. And there is a rather hard to believe situation near the end, but it's not as important as you might think. (I don't want to give anything away here.)
All in all, it's an engaging tale of family secrets, a town's history, and the choices that we make that shade everything that comes after. Recommended.
August 16, 2020
I listened to this as an audiobook this week. I didn't know anything about the book when I began it and, for fun, decided I wouldn't look it up until I finished it. I had "purchased" it on an Audible promotion and I don't think I had even read the synopsis.
So I began it much as one would listen to someone's campfire story--was it a thriller, a fairytale, a romance...? Turned out it was that and more. The main character in the main story (there are several "stories" in the book) is Zee, a thirty something therapist living in Boston. You quickly learn that she became a therapist because of a tragedy that occurred when she was 13. Her mother committed suicide. But the book quickly becomes more than that history/mystery. It is a book about Salem, Massachusetts, its maritime history, its connection to its two famous authors, Herman Melville and Nathaniel Hawthorne. It is a book about Parkinson's disease and its effects. About owning your life. About living dangerously.
It's a difficult book to describe and, truthfully, I would recommend reading the book NOT knowing much about it because it weaves in and out, in and out, twisting, surprising. The audio was good although the "she said/he said" that the narrator kept having to note became annoying; I don't know if it is that noticeable in the printed book. And there are a couple of spots where the same incident is repeated almost word for word; I had to stop and think "Wait, I heard that a couple of chapters ago." Again, I don't know if that's in the printed book.
But I highly, highly recommend it as a good read or listen. The stories are engrossing and now I want to spend a summer in Salem.
So I began it much as one would listen to someone's campfire story--was it a thriller, a fairytale, a romance...? Turned out it was that and more. The main character in the main story (there are several "stories" in the book) is Zee, a thirty something therapist living in Boston. You quickly learn that she became a therapist because of a tragedy that occurred when she was 13. Her mother committed suicide. But the book quickly becomes more than that history/mystery. It is a book about Salem, Massachusetts, its maritime history, its connection to its two famous authors, Herman Melville and Nathaniel Hawthorne. It is a book about Parkinson's disease and its effects. About owning your life. About living dangerously.
It's a difficult book to describe and, truthfully, I would recommend reading the book NOT knowing much about it because it weaves in and out, in and out, twisting, surprising. The audio was good although the "she said/he said" that the narrator kept having to note became annoying; I don't know if it is that noticeable in the printed book. And there are a couple of spots where the same incident is repeated almost word for word; I had to stop and think "Wait, I heard that a couple of chapters ago." Again, I don't know if that's in the printed book.
But I highly, highly recommend it as a good read or listen. The stories are engrossing and now I want to spend a summer in Salem.
January 29, 2018
This is my first novel by Brunonia Barry, and I found it engrossing and engaging. I enjoyed the setting of Salem, Mass. and the characters of Zee, Hawk, Finch, and Melville very much. There were some unexpected twists near the end that I didn't see coming! I loved how the author wove the celestial navigation theme through the book, since I used to be a sailor (though never learned to navigate by the stars!) If you like medical topics, this was a fascinating study of a man with late-stage Parkinson's Disease, though the book is about so much more: Family, secrets, bipolar disorder, suicide, poisoning, even a bit of the occult thrown in. Some characters were, to me, a little unnecessary (Ann and the pirate, primarily) and didn't add much to the story. I didn't like the couple of chapters written from evil Roy's POV, as they came out of the blue, so didn't flow well for me, and were pretty vulgar besides. But aside from these couple of small dings, I really enjoyed this story and Ms. Barry's writing. I look forward to reading other books by this author.
November 17, 2017
I thoroughly enjoyed this author's first book, The Lace Reader, and her second book did not disappoint me at all. I loved it. While it was a bit hard to get into at first I was quickly immersed in the story and the characters and the mystery that percolates just under the surface throughout the novel. Great read!!
July 26, 2024
I’ve had this book for decades I believe… never read it until now and it certainly wasn’t what I expected! All in all, it had all the right components to make a great story. I do feel the ending was a little rushed, otherwise I would’ve given it 5 ⭐️.
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