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Ferris Beach
Ferris Beach is a place where excitement and magic coexist. Or so Mary Katherine "Katie" Burns, the only child of middle-aged Fred and Cleva Burns, believes. Shy and self-conscious, she daydreams about Ferris Beach, where her beautiful cousin, Angela, leads a romantic, mysterious life.
It is the early 1970s, and when the land across the road from the Burns's historic house is sold to developers, Misty Rhodes—also from Ferris Beach—and her flamboyant parents move into the nearest newly built split-level. In contrast to Katie’s composed, reserved, practical mother, Misty and her mother are everything Katie wants to be: daring, outrageous, fun. The two girls become inseparable, sharing every secret, every dream—until one fateful Fourth of July, when their lives change in a way they could never have imagined.
In this classic McCorkle novel, the author's shrewd grasp of human nature creates characters that resonate with truth and emotion, and a story perfect for mothers and daughters to share and cherish.
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First published October 1, 1990
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About the author
Jill McCorkle
54 books368 followersFive of Jill McCorkle's seven previous books have been named New York Times Notables. Winner of the New England Booksellers Award, the Dos Passos Prize for Excellence in Literature, and the North Carolina Award for Literature, she has taught writing at the University of North Carolina, Bennington College, Tufts University, and Harvard. She lives near Boston with her husband, their two children, several dogs, and a collection of toads.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 110 reviews
December 22, 2009
Jill McCorkle has this uncanny ability to delve deep into the mindset of each and every one of her characters. For this reason, her writing is some of the most relatable and realistic I've encountered. She also writes about the South. And for these reasons...I looooooove her!
My latest of McCorkle reads is Ferris Beach, the story of Mary Katherine "Kitty" Burns growing up in 1970s North Carolina. Kate is the only child of two middle-aged parents, Cleva and Frank, that she finds mismatched, liking them to Jack Sprat and his wife. Life at the Burns house holds little excitement for Kate, save the occasional appearance of her older cousin Angela who blows in from the nearby Ferris Beach and seems to always bring with her a storm. Kate equates Angela and Ferris Beach with everything her own life lacks—glamour, excitement, sophistication—but her imagination masks the underlying tension between Angela and Cleva that Kate won't discover until she's older and the glitter has faded.
When Misty Rhodes moves from Ferris Beach into the new housing development across from the Burns' house, Kate finds a best friend whose life is practically the exact opposite of her own. Misty is bold, fun, and vivacious with an eccentric mother, Mo, that contrasts Kate's reserved and practical one. Kate depends on Misty for excitement. No one else has forced Kate out of her comfort zone, into a world and mentality that extends beyond their small neighborhood. They live in a world of childhood and adolescent dreams until a sudden event one Fourth of July forces them to grow up fast.
So much happens in Ferris Beach that it's kind of hard to review. It's a coming-of-age story; it's the portrait of a character; it's a look at her environment; it's a snapshot of the times. It pinpoints the awkwardness and constant yearning that comes with adolescence. It's simple but complicated by its characters, who are raw with real interactions and relationships in which history and class sometimes play a role. Kate is a bit of a passive character. Some may find her boring, but I found her incredibly relatable when you look back on those teen years. It's like when you sometimes feel so awkward, like you just don't fit in anywhere, that it's better to stand back and watch than risk active participation.
And the setting is great. Avocado-colored appliances and shag carpet were before my time, but it made me want to hop in a car and drive home where I can lay on the ground under the trees, look up through the branches, and be completely alone with my thoughts.
My latest of McCorkle reads is Ferris Beach, the story of Mary Katherine "Kitty" Burns growing up in 1970s North Carolina. Kate is the only child of two middle-aged parents, Cleva and Frank, that she finds mismatched, liking them to Jack Sprat and his wife. Life at the Burns house holds little excitement for Kate, save the occasional appearance of her older cousin Angela who blows in from the nearby Ferris Beach and seems to always bring with her a storm. Kate equates Angela and Ferris Beach with everything her own life lacks—glamour, excitement, sophistication—but her imagination masks the underlying tension between Angela and Cleva that Kate won't discover until she's older and the glitter has faded.
When Misty Rhodes moves from Ferris Beach into the new housing development across from the Burns' house, Kate finds a best friend whose life is practically the exact opposite of her own. Misty is bold, fun, and vivacious with an eccentric mother, Mo, that contrasts Kate's reserved and practical one. Kate depends on Misty for excitement. No one else has forced Kate out of her comfort zone, into a world and mentality that extends beyond their small neighborhood. They live in a world of childhood and adolescent dreams until a sudden event one Fourth of July forces them to grow up fast.
So much happens in Ferris Beach that it's kind of hard to review. It's a coming-of-age story; it's the portrait of a character; it's a look at her environment; it's a snapshot of the times. It pinpoints the awkwardness and constant yearning that comes with adolescence. It's simple but complicated by its characters, who are raw with real interactions and relationships in which history and class sometimes play a role. Kate is a bit of a passive character. Some may find her boring, but I found her incredibly relatable when you look back on those teen years. It's like when you sometimes feel so awkward, like you just don't fit in anywhere, that it's better to stand back and watch than risk active participation.
And the setting is great. Avocado-colored appliances and shag carpet were before my time, but it made me want to hop in a car and drive home where I can lay on the ground under the trees, look up through the branches, and be completely alone with my thoughts.
February 26, 2024
Such a heartbreaking and beautiful read! My only complaint is that it had a bit of a slow start. This is another book that will stay with me for a long time.
April 5, 2021
While I did enjoy the writing style, this book felt a bit anticlimactic. There were hints of something coming, and I thought there would be some big unveiling of a family secret or something. There were a couple of dramatic events, but they didn't feel like any kind of turning point or anything that changed the direction of the main character's life. This is probably my issue for reading too much into the text.
I didn't really get her fixation on her older cousin, either. Maybe I just didn't feel connected to Kate.
Also, this version was riddled with typos. It seemed more like formatting errors than actual editing issues, but just wanted to note that.
I didn't really get her fixation on her older cousin, either. Maybe I just didn't feel connected to Kate.
Also, this version was riddled with typos. It seemed more like formatting errors than actual editing issues, but just wanted to note that.
February 24, 2024
Probably one of the best books I’ve read so far this year. Everything about it was truly amazing
February 25, 2024
gave me a stomachache in the best/worst way .. it’s so hard to be a girl
February 18, 2015
A 70's coming of age story. Great companion for snowy weather!
August 15, 2018
This is a coming of age book about two teenage girls and the emotions and angst of those teen years ; the idea of the potential for second chances in life was the basis for the story. I got bored with it at times which is one of the reasons it took me so long to read, but in the end it was worth the time.
January 21, 2020
This is one of those books where nothing seems to happen, meaning no one big event, no climax etc. But sometimes these are the best stories, where we follow the characters through a part of their life. This was about Katie and her best friend during the early 70s. Katie learns that people are more than what they seem. A good read about friends, neighbors, and appreciating people for who they are.
May 26, 2016
Ferris Beach is a well written book by Jill McCorkle for this generation. When I started the book I did not really know what I was getting into. The book started out very slow but surprisingly, it taught some truths about the world with quirky moments. It seemed dragged out at times and felt just like your average book. But, It is a gentle book and Jill McCorkle does an excellent job of showing the characters mindsets and goes deep into descriptions. All of the characters are unique and can be found into today's society and possibly yourself. The main character, Katie or “Kitty”, has live experiences with her best friend, Misty. Katie lives in a small town in the 70's. She finds little interest in her own house and resorts to playing games in her room that are strange to play at her age, but it is quite entertaining. She went to Ferris Beach and met her cousin, Angela, that intrigues her because of her beauty and attitude. Her mother, Cleva, has secrets that are not known. The book does a fantastic job of capturing the breaking and mending of relationships with family and also friends. There are best friend and mother-daughter fights that can bring back memories in one’s own life. There are humorous moments that are experienced but sad ones as well. Get through to beginning and you won't be disappointed, which goes for many other books as well! It's definitely a good book to pick up.
January 4, 2010
Fort some reason this took a hell of a long time to read; either it was longer than it looked in paperback, or it wasn't holding my interest. And in truth it did seem longer than it *needed* to be, while still interesting. Summary: a girl in North Carolina makes best friends with new neighbor, tragedy strikes, love happens, mysterious relative drifts in and out, she comes of age. Characterizations were pretty good, especially the father; not so sure about the plotting.
March 2, 2011
For some reason this coming-of-age story draws me in almost 20 years after I first read it. There is a certain sense of isolation in Kate's story, and maybe it's those feelings of disconnect that many of us felt as teens that I see mirrored in her story.
December 20, 2017
Kate Burns has heard of Ferris Beach all her life, but it seems like an unreachable dream. She is trapped with her demanding mother and individualist dad, then Misty moves to her town. Kate wants her family to be fun, daring and outrageous like Misty’s family. The two girls end up growing up together and one-fourth of July Kate learns about life's little surprises. Also, you realize life is sometimes the harder part and it gets easier to cope with
Some of the conflicts that the characters have are a loss of a family member or conflicts between the parents and themselves. The conflicts that the characters face are identifiable and most families had similar experiences. The problem that the main character faced was with her family and not letting Kate see her other side of the family. I could relate to one of the characters that lost a family member because I have lost one of my family members before. An internal conflict that Misty is faced with is coping with the death of a family member or letting go.
I think that ages 11 and up could read this because it is a challenging read and is very emotional. This book did engage my emotions when Misty lost her mother and I have lost somebody in my family from my dad's side. This book was kind of hard to follow because I did not know some of the definitions of the words. The writing style was engaging because it could touch my emotion and there was also some funny moments in the story. The book was incomplete to me because I felt like there were some parts left out.
Some negatives of the book are that it leaves out details on important parts when Kate and Misty do something they put it in past tense and a little too wordy. When the book says something important it might leave out some key details that need to be in the book. When Kate and Misty do something they put the action into past tense and doesn't really go into detail. The book was a little too wordy and there could have been some words taken out. These are my three negatives of the book.
Some positives of the book you can connect to it, there is emotion in the story, every place in the story is detailed. People can connect to the book duping on the event that it is telling the reader. There are emotions in the story in the story that you can relate to or could either make you want to cry because of what is happening in the story. The places in the story are very detailed which allowed you to feel apart of the action in the book.
Some of the conflicts that the characters have are a loss of a family member or conflicts between the parents and themselves. The conflicts that the characters face are identifiable and most families had similar experiences. The problem that the main character faced was with her family and not letting Kate see her other side of the family. I could relate to one of the characters that lost a family member because I have lost one of my family members before. An internal conflict that Misty is faced with is coping with the death of a family member or letting go.
I think that ages 11 and up could read this because it is a challenging read and is very emotional. This book did engage my emotions when Misty lost her mother and I have lost somebody in my family from my dad's side. This book was kind of hard to follow because I did not know some of the definitions of the words. The writing style was engaging because it could touch my emotion and there was also some funny moments in the story. The book was incomplete to me because I felt like there were some parts left out.
Some negatives of the book are that it leaves out details on important parts when Kate and Misty do something they put it in past tense and a little too wordy. When the book says something important it might leave out some key details that need to be in the book. When Kate and Misty do something they put the action into past tense and doesn't really go into detail. The book was a little too wordy and there could have been some words taken out. These are my three negatives of the book.
Some positives of the book you can connect to it, there is emotion in the story, every place in the story is detailed. People can connect to the book duping on the event that it is telling the reader. There are emotions in the story in the story that you can relate to or could either make you want to cry because of what is happening in the story. The places in the story are very detailed which allowed you to feel apart of the action in the book.
August 22, 2022
i tend to be drawn to books told through the eyes of a younger person. In this case, it is through the eyes of a young girl, verging on teenage status; high school; and all that comes with that.
Her coming of age involves a range of typical, and not so typical events.
The story is set in the early 1970's so the pop culture references resonated with me (being about the same age as the main character in that time period).
Jill McCorkle creates a cast of characters who are funny, serious, loving, hurtful, happy, unhappy, and so much more. There is also a mystery surrounding one of the characters which is woven throughout the story, and resolved at the end.
The sign of a good book? I hated leaving these characters behind!
Enjoy!
TRIGGER WARNING: THIS BOOK INCLUDES SEXUAL VIOLENCE
Her coming of age involves a range of typical, and not so typical events.
The story is set in the early 1970's so the pop culture references resonated with me (being about the same age as the main character in that time period).
Jill McCorkle creates a cast of characters who are funny, serious, loving, hurtful, happy, unhappy, and so much more. There is also a mystery surrounding one of the characters which is woven throughout the story, and resolved at the end.
The sign of a good book? I hated leaving these characters behind!
Enjoy!
TRIGGER WARNING: THIS BOOK INCLUDES SEXUAL VIOLENCE
May 16, 2020
Ferris Beach is a coming of age story, both for the protagonist and her town, in a way. Mrs. Poole, "that misplaced woman who attempted maintain aristocracy in a primarily blue-collar town," announces that the "split levels are coming" in a cry reminiscent of Paul Revere. Katie Burns is a quiet lonely child with a mulberry birthmark who quickly becomes friends with Misty, a sarcastic girl with a cool mom, when they move into one of those split levels across the street. The novel is filled with appropriate 70s references. Katie's parents argue about Fred's sister/niece who flits in and out of the story.
An enjoyable read.
An enjoyable read.
May 13, 2017
Memory already hazy about this book... about all I remember is the girl is best friends with the girl across the street, whose mother runs off with a family friend and then dies in a car wreck. Later, the main character girl falls in love with the boy from the notorious/poor family down the road. There's some sweet love story stuff there. Later, the girl's dad dies. Her mom is kind of a cold bitch throughout the book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 7, 2019
An overall decent read. The two main characters balance each other & the story well. Descriptions sometimes drag on a bit, but overall well written. The narrator has a clear voice, & is easy to sympathize with.
A laidback coming of age book, focused on relationships between mothers & daughters, and between friends.
One complaint, for as wordy as the novel is, many characters don’t feel fully fleshed out, & come across as symbols rather than real people.
A laidback coming of age book, focused on relationships between mothers & daughters, and between friends.
One complaint, for as wordy as the novel is, many characters don’t feel fully fleshed out, & come across as symbols rather than real people.
January 22, 2020
GREAT!!! I’m always looking to revive something already on my library shelves. This was a winner.
Wonderful coming of age story appropriate for 8th grade and up. Lots of drama with enough detail to make the reader miss the 70’s! Sprinkled with humor, the author captures an adolescent girl’s first experiences with love and loss.
The gifted author includes enough detail to keep sensitive subjects sensitive without getting too ‘graphic.’
Highly recommended.
Wonderful coming of age story appropriate for 8th grade and up. Lots of drama with enough detail to make the reader miss the 70’s! Sprinkled with humor, the author captures an adolescent girl’s first experiences with love and loss.
The gifted author includes enough detail to keep sensitive subjects sensitive without getting too ‘graphic.’
Highly recommended.
February 16, 2020
I liked this book reasonably well, but it felt very very long. Some of the story elements didn't entirely ring true, or never reach closure (why does Kate's mother resent her husband's niece so *very* much? why doesn't anybody ever tell Mrs. Poole off, or stop inviting her over so much? and isn't that an awful lot of deaths for one small town?). But overall it is an enjoyable coming-of-age book, and I liked the writing style.
January 19, 2026
Overall, one of McCorkle's weaker reads, with a protagonist that is just a little bit boring. And this, coming from a woman whose character work I usually really admire. I think making Kate very shy and withdrawn, while realistic and relatable, does not make her interesting to read about.
I was going to rate it 3 stars, but the last 3 chapters or so really got to me and made bawl, so it earns another star for at least ending well.
I was going to rate it 3 stars, but the last 3 chapters or so really got to me and made bawl, so it earns another star for at least ending well.
December 19, 2020
I started this as a quick read back in November and then received our local book club selection which I had to read quickly. This got shoved to the shelf to finish later. It was an interesting read and had interesting characters but not sure of the point. What the author was trying to get across. It rather ended abruptly.
June 20, 2017
strong female characters, especially Kate or Kitty and her best friend Misty, as they mature and enter high school. Southern culture and class struggles present points of growth for the young girls who struggle with tragic losses and overcome self-consciousness. good book for young adults.
May 7, 2020
This book was beautifully written in a way that captivated my attention and kept me engaged. The story itself was interesting, but this author’s ability to take the reader into the setting and feel part of it was something I really enjoyed and will keep with me for a long time.
November 13, 2020
4 Stars. A charming coming-of-age story filled with delightful people who live in a small N. C. town. Set from the late sixties to the mid-70s, the novel draws you in with the relationships among the characters. I enjoyed the book very much.
October 28, 2022
Southern coming of age literature at its finest. McCorkle really knows how to tap into universal truths such as family, community, triumph, tragedy, and all the different shapes that true love can take.
October 16, 2023
I thought it was a well written book but moved slowly and I was not ready for the end when it came...it just seemed to be out of nowhere...done! Enjoyed the afterwords from Jill about where this book might have come from in her own life experiences.
November 23, 2016
I enjoyed the characters, and I didn't find the story terribly predictable. In fact, I didn't see the last part coming at all. Not the best thing I've read from Jill McCorkle, but not bad.
September 18, 2017
Slow...confusing...pointless...boring.
Life is too short to read bad books!
Life is too short to read bad books!
October 12, 2019
3.5 stars!!
January 30, 2020
Lovely coming of age story set in 1970’s North Carolina. As someone who “came of age” in the 1970’s, I enjoyed the many cultural and historic references. 3.5 stars
May 31, 2020
I thought it was going to be funny, but it was darker than expected. Kept waiting for the “big family secret” to materialize but felt a bit disappointed by the ending.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 110 reviews