The Language of Sand

by Ellen Block

A magical novel that unravels one of life’s greatest mysteries—how to go on after a devastating loss—through the power of words and their ability to heal, to transform, and to touch the heart.
 
an event that could be for good or ill, depending on your interpretation.
 
As a lexicographer, Abigail Harker has always taken refuge in the meaning of words. But when fate erases in one tragic moment what she loves the most, the very foundations of her life vanish. 

    Abigail retreats to Chapel Isle, a secluded island in North Carolina’s Outer Banks. As caretaker of a run-down lighthouse, she hopes to redefine herself. But as a resident soon remarks, “If you came to Chapel Isle for normal, you came to the wrong place.” 

    For on Chapel Isle, no one can be neatly defined. From a scientific genius to the feuding fishermen’s wives, from a handsome hothead to the ghost said to be haunting the lighthouse, everyone is struggling to find meaning where meaning seems lost. And when a series of mysterious crimes strikes the island, Abigail finds that she must face down her deepest fears if she is to save herself, her neighbors, and the new life she’s unexpectedly come to cherish.

Genres: Fiction, Book Club, Mystery, Contemporary, Roman, Womens Fiction, Chick Lit

264 pages, Paperback

First published April 6, 2010

Reviews

[Quiltgranny · Rating 1 out of 5]

Not a good month for book reading for me this month! Two in a row for book club discussions, and two!!! in a row one star reviews. You might think I am just a grouchy old curmudgeon about my books, and maybe I am. I do expect to be engaged, and to think a little bit when I read. This book does neither. As a matter of fact, it is so flat lined that I fell asleep while reading it on my kindle, and my cat turned the pages and I didn't even know parts were skipped!

The main character's grief was not portrayed in proportion to the events, and all the characters were flimsy. Caricature characters didn't give comic relief, and the ghost in the lighthouse didn't add interest either. It's an old storyline about a woman, running away to regroup from a tragic event, and none of it rings true, feasible or even the most remotely interesting. A very boring and uninteresting trip - just plain "yawn", maybe a beach read?

[Paula Koneazny · Rating 2 out of 5]

I would have given this novel 1 star except it ended up serving a purpose. Woken up from a nightmare at 3:30 AM, it turned out to be mind-numbing enough to distract me for a couple of hours until I could get back to sleep. The author certainly didn't have insomnia therapy as her intention, although her protagonist herself, Abigail (who annoyingly obsesses about her newly given nickname, Abby), a lexicographer by profession, puts a second-hand pulp romance novel to similar use in the book. That Abigail/ Abby is a lexicographer is hardly significant, other than that I suppose the author had to choose some titillatingly exotic profession for her. Block's other aim might have been to justify the Random House Unabridged Dictionary entries that she inserted as headings or epigraphs at the beginning of each chapter. To no great effect, in my opinion. They neither illuminate nor even really intrigue (odd admission coming from me, an ardent devotee of unusual words). Both the plotting and character development here are pedestrian & predictable. Almost everything in the novel is obvious. Only one turn in the narrative caught me a bit by surprise, & that only because I probably dozed off & missed a"wink wink" knuckle rap to the skull earlier in the novel. Oh dear, I've torn the poor thing to pieces. Here's the short story: a grieving widow (young, of course); an island with quirky year-round (i.e. not summer vacationing) residents, a "haunted" lighthouse with a "secret" history; a misunderstood guy who seems to always be getting on the wrong side of everyone, a couple of bighearted older folks who have experienced "loss" & who become stalwart friends & advisers to Abby, etc. Oh yeah, & an almost hurricane, some burglaries & a suicide thrown in for good measure. Why did I read the book at all? Well, it crossed the threshold, so the 100pp trial period rule went into effect. Page 100 hit right at the beginning of my nightmare therapy. Enough said. Don't waste your money.

[Jenny · Rating 4 out of 5]

Abigail loses her son and husband in a fire and decides some 10 months later to move to an island off the coast of North Carolina that her husband used to visit when he was a kid.

The book had a good arc to it - she comes to the island, she fixes up her living accommodations and she becomes friends with the locals. Everything here was necessary in terms of getting to know Ruth and Caleb and Merle and Lottie and Nat and Bert. I thought it was a fun array of people and that it didn't end with Abigail finding romance or being 100% healed, but it ended with hope.

The murder/mystery/robbing scenario kept things going and I definitely didn't guess who was stealing all those items from summer people's homes. Good one, Ms. Block!

I also liked how Abigail talked to herself - that was realistic!

[Leah · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story isn't exactly original (recently widowed woman moves to a small town to start her life again), the characters are fairly stereotypical (close-knit community on an island), and there were no great surprises despite the mystery parts of the plot. Yet, The Language of Sand has its charms too. The protagonist, Abigail, is a lexicographer, and the chapters are alphabetical, each beginning with a word and its definition. Language and the individual words of it take on great importance throughout the book, whether Abigail is conjugating Latin verbs to calm herself down, talking to herself, or responding to "Abby"—the islanders' way of renaming her and changing who she is.

Abby's memories of her dead husband and son are woven into the story in a natural way, though I did expect the story to be deeper. Who's committing the robberies on the island, who may or may not be a murderer, whether or not there's a ghost. There are a number of little mysteries, but none are really that engaging. Watching Abby try to get some semblance of a life back would be better without all the extraneous stuff. Like the romance novel Abby's realtor gives her, The Language of Sand is an easy read, fairly predictable, and could probably be made into a Lifetime movie—enjoyable but not high art.

[Kimberly Moses · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this book at the Library, and thought it would be a good book to read as the summer comes to an end. I was very surprised at how much I enjoyed it. Very well written, and a very flawed yet incredibly likable narrator...nice details, and for me, I could imagine living in a lighthouse....intelligently written yet a very quick and enjoyable read. The best thing I liked about the character was that she was a reader...no matter what was going on around her, she could get lost in a book...

[Bonnie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this book quickly - didn’t want to put it down. Loved so many little things about this book. The setting on Chapel Isle, the fact that instead of numbered chapters they were letters of the alphabet.

[DonnaJo Pallini · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book description says this is a magical story. I have to agree. I really enjoyed the story line of Abigail working thru her pain and joy and fears and triumphs. Because Abigail is a lexicographer I appreciated the way the letters of the alphabet were used as "chapters" along with new words.

[Edee · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Language of Sand was a very enjoyable read. I won this book as part of First Reads and couldn't wait to get started reading it. I was hooked from the beginning. The author does an excellent job building characters that you feel as if you know.

You feel Abigail's grief over losing her husband and son to a house fire as if it were your own grief. I immediately related to Abigail and felt her trepidation over moving to Chapel Isle and becoming the caretaker of the lighthouse. When the author describes the lighthouse and its current state of disrepair, I felt as though I stepped on each creaky step along with Abigail.

The other characters that you encounter on Chapel Isle are also equally well written. Each character springs to life from the pages and makes you want to take a trip to Chapel Isle to visit.

The story is engrossing and I wanted to keep reading to find out what was going to happen to the residents of Chapel Isle.

I felt that at the heart of the story was the relationships built between the residents of Chapel Isle and Abigail. She goes to Chapel Isle having lost her family and by the end of the book, has discovered another type of family with Merle, Ruth, Nat and the other residents of the Isle.

I also enjoyed the main character's interview with the author at the end of the book. Don't miss reading that section!

I was glad to read that the author is at work on the sequel and I will definitely be first in line to read it so that I can catch up with my friends on Chapel Isle.

[Kerensa · Rating 1 out of 5]

Banal: so lacking in originality as to be obvious and boring. Trite, clichéd, vapid, contrived, trivial, stereotypical.

The concept of the book, could be great if written well. The characters are flat, stereotypical, and the storyline is contrived. Starting each chapter with an obscure word and definition from A-Z is unique, but was not the literary tool it could have been. The story was forced to comply with a definition in each chapter and it felt as if the book was strung along from chapter to chapter. I had to force myself to finish reading this book for Book Club. It felt like a first novel; that the author was trying to figure out how to write, how to build intrigue, how to pull the reader into a tragedy, how to develop a character but the result was unsuccessful.

[Roxane Sanford · Rating 3 out of 5]

This novel was a good, easy read. Enjoyed the authors writing style.

[JR_❤️_books · Rating 2 out of 5]

Un libro di 326 pagine in cui non succede assolutamente nulla.

In seguito ad un tragico incidente in cui ha perso la sua famiglia, la protagonista, Abigail, decide di trasferirsi su un’isola cara al defunto marito, dove si trova a dover fare i conti con la cultura e le usanze locali.

In linea di massima, non una trama originale, ma con milioni di possibilità per uno sviluppo interessante come, ad esempio, una storia sul riscatto personale della protagonista, sul suo superare il lutto e ambientarsi su di un’isola dell’Atlantico.

A mio avviso, però, questo potenziale non è stato sfruttato affatto. Anzi, come ho già detto, nel romanzo non succede praticamente nulla. Di capitolo in capitolo leggiamo delle minuzie della quotidianità di Abigail, al punto da avere la netta sensazione che la narrazione la tiri per le lunghe di proposito, giusto al fine di arrivare a riempire le dovute pagine prima di passare al capitolo successivo; una sequela infinita di sveglia-colazione-giro in centro-pranzo al sacco-puntata al bingo-pittura del cottage-cena-a letto di nuovo le quali, alla lunga, sfiniscono.

Per fare giusto un esempio:
Le ore del primo pomeriggio volarono via. Abigail non se ne accorse nemmeno. Era intenta ad ammirare i nuovi arredi della casa. Si sedette su ogni sedia, si accoccolò in tutte e due le poltrone, si rannicchiò sul divano e sollevò i piedi sul tavolino da caffè.

Nemmeno le tempistiche delle azioni della protagonista sono credibili: chi ha tinteggiato una casa, sa come sia impossibile finire un soggiorno intero in un’ora e come, a meno di non essere degli imbianchini dai muscoli allenati, il braccio cominci a strillare di dolore dopo le prime pennellate, rallentandoti. Abigail, invece, mette mano a secchi e pennelli per la prima volta in vita sua e nel giro di un pomeriggio ridà vita ad un cottage disabitato da cinquant’anni. Oppure disbosca un giardino, trascurato da venti, a colpi di falce (arrugginita).

Il fatto che Abigail parli di continuo da sola, poi, è sintomo di una carenza profonda, in quanto non aggiunge nulla alla narrazione (eccetto far provare irritazione al lettore) e anzi spesso viene utilizzata per comunicare delle supposizioni volte a spiegarci, come se non lo avessimo già capito da soli, un concetto o un evento.
Un sano, classico discorso indiretto avrebbe ottenuto lo stesso risultato, ma senza spazientire nessuno e senza far passare la protagonista come una svitata logorroica incapace di tenere la bocca chiusa. In alcuni passaggi questo discorso diretto tra sé e sé avviene addirittura ogni tre righe: troppo. La necessità dell’autrice di spiegare e giustificare cose già di per sé chiare, vuoi tramite i discorsi tra sé e sé di Abigail, vuoi con frasi aggiunte per fornire tali delucidazioni, è forse la debolezza più importante di questo romanzo.

I personaggi sono talmente improbabili da sforare il caricaturale. Abbiamo un esimio professore di Harvard, ora in pensione, innamorato della lavanderia a gettoni in paese, al punto da averla nei suoi pensieri pure mentre si avvicina un uragano Forza 5 che rischia di spazzare via tutta l’isola. Abbiamo il bello e dannato, tale Nat, in perenne guerra col mondo, che prenderà però a trattare la protagonista e solo lei in maniera normale, creando una forzatura notevole nella trama ed evidenziando la necessità dell’autrice di assicurarsi che le cose tra i due vadano bene a ogni costo.

Abigail è fuggita su Chapel Island per riprendersi dai postumi dell’incendio che ha spazzato via casa, marito e figlio di quattro anni. Ci si aspetterebbe di leggere più introspezioni sul suo dolore, di vederlo trasudare in ogni aspetto della sua vita quotidiana, e invece, ad eccezione di alcuni passaggi in cui viene menzionato quasi per caso, non succede. Ogni tanto c’è un richiamo alla tragedia e al dolore di Abigail, ma sembrano passaggi aggiunti dopo, incastrati a forza nella trama, quasi per ricordarci che la donna è in lutto (anche se nella maggior parte dei casi proprio la storia porta a scordarcene).

Non ho capito, infine, lo scopo di inserire una voce del dizionario diversa a ogni inizio capitolo.

In definitiva, ci sono moltissime cose che non vanno in questo romanzo e mi chiedo come abbia potuto venire addirittura tradotto in un’altra lingua. Sono riuscita a terminarlo perché c’è talmente poco contenuto che la lettura scorre liscia fino all’epilogo in cui, prevedibilmente, non si assiste alla conclusione di una storia mai neppure cominciata.

[Mari Mann · Rating 1 out of 5]

I really need to make a shelf called "How did this book get published?" I could understand it if it were self-published, but no, this one is by Bantam Books Trade Paperbacks. For general reasons why I am only giving it one star, read the other 1 and 2 star reviews here. For more specific reasons: I live on an island off the coast of North Carolina, as (supposedly) does Abigail Harker, our "heroine". I've lived on this island for over 25 years, and let me assure you, there are no boulders here, or anywhere up and down the North Carolina coast. If a boulder was to show up here, someone needs to call the Pope, because a miracle has occurred. As for it being so cold during a hurricane that she can see her breath in the house, well, let's just say it's much more likely that the ghost in the house is causing this phenomenon than a hurricane, which typically occur during the hottest, most humid months of the year. A little research into what happens on an island, only reachable by ferry, during a mandatory evacuation would have been helpful, as well as how long a hurricane typically lasts, and what kind of destruction occurs on an island by even a near-miss of a Category 5 hurricane. Her inclusion, as a person just arrived on this island, in the private lives, police matters, and personal relationships of the islanders, is as far-fetched and unlikely as the idea that a lighthouse in death-trap level disrepair would be rented out. I wish there had been a ghost in the lighthouse, and that he had locked Abby into the lighthouse as the hurricane bears down on it. Imagine the scene! Boulders pile up around the base of the lighthouse, as the hurricane slowly encases it in a thick layer of ice! Call the Pope!!

[Antonio · Rating 4 out of 5]

Essendo uno di quei lettori puzzoni che cerca in uno scrittore almeno un quarto di pedigree (altrimenti sembra di perdere tempo), ho iniziato questo libro con l'esaltante prospettiva della lettura fine a se stessa, una volta tanto come puro svago. Purtroppo non lo faccio mai e nutro grande invidia nei confronti di coloro che leggono macinando pagine e pagine.
L'analogia (confermata) andava su quei prodotti tipo fiction anglosassone-rai due-sabato-seconda serata (ma sempre più spesso anche in prima).. ci sono bei paesaggi, la storia di una vita in attesa di svolta, un poco di mistero, un poco di giallo e il soprannaturale che va bene su tutto. Il giallo si intuisce presto e giunge alla fine del libro quasi fosse un atto dovuto, il mistero resta sempre lì, sospeso, il soprannaturale poi si potrebbe anche non nominarlo.
Però i dialoghi vanno avanti bene, la storia procede con gusto, anche se i personaggi hanno tutti i vezzi e le movenze degli attori delle fiction sopra ricordate. Mentirei se dicessi che mi ha annoiato: ci sono anzi tornato volentieri, con la curiosità di vedere come andava a finire. Trovo anch'io abbastanza inverosimile che ci si rifugi in un faro con una tale tragedia alle spalle… bella ed ispiratrice la figura di questa donna che legge molto, che usa il leggere come svago e legge "pesantemente" in ogni circostanza.
Ho trovato alcuni errori nell'ebook, ma anche una decina di parole difficili o tecniche che fanno la gioia del lettore che, sul kindle, ha il dizionario sempre pronto.
Un filino inconcluso, come romanzo, ma scopro adesso che c'è un seguito: come ogni buon sequel, scommettiamo si giocherà al ribasso?

[Patricia Edwards · Rating 1 out of 5]

Abigail, a lexicographer, lost her husband, young son and house in a fire. She escaped to be a lighthouse caretaker on the North Carolina Coast on Chaple Isle, where her husband spent his childhood summers.

She is not well received by the small community, find the lighthouse keeper cottage to be in horrible shape and seems to be haunted by the last keeper.

Abigail gets to know the townspeople through an endless series of mindless, boring events lacking purpose or interest (i.e. bar room brawls, bingo, etc)

Considering that Abigail is highly educated, it is surprising that she listens to and takes advice from a radio host who offers corny advice and reads cheap romances. Granted, it's lonely on a lighthouse but her incessant mumblings and self talk is monotonous and has no worth.

Half way through the book, I began to skim the tedious descriptions of cleaning the grout and cutting the grass. I continued to plod through, convinced there must be something redeeming in the book and some semblance of a plot. Rather, the last quarter becomes like a juvenile mystery the likes of which I've not read since Nancy Drew. Actually, Nancy Drew books were better written.

The language of sand is a disrespectful treatment of a tragic situation - a horrible fire which took the lives of the main character's husband and small son.

To my surprise there was one example of good prose:
"She found reassurance in how heavy a book could be - even a paperback. The fact that letters printed on paper could amass such gravity was a marvel. It made words even mightier to her."

[Emanuela · Rating 4 out of 5]

Un solo granello di sabbia o una sola parola significano ben poco rispetto all'effetto che hanno combinati in un'insieme. Milioni di granelli formano una spiaggia; milioni di combinazioni di parole, una lingua.
Dopo un brutto incidente familiare, Abgail abbandona la sua vita da lessicografa per rifugiarsi su una piccola isola del North Carolina, diventandone la custode del vecchio faro. Il passato non l'abbandona ma pian piano riuscirà ad inserirsi nella piccola comunità e a superare i suoi "fantasmi".
Una lettura scorrevole e leggera, ma anche molto introspettiva, ricca di passioni ed emozioni, un messaggio di speranza a non arrendersi alle circostanze negative che la vita ci obbliga ad affrontare ed un invito a non commiserarsi ed a trovare la forza per andare avanti.

Questa bellissima frase la metto sotto spoiler perché è la chiusura del libro, decidete voi se leggerla.....
Abgail era stata si tormentata da un fantasma, ma dal fantasma del mai. ....
...il marito con cui non sarebbe mai invecchiata, il figlio che non sarebbe mai diventato un uomo, la vita che non avrebbe mai più riavuto. Dipendeva da lei come etichettare ciò che sarebbe avvenuto in futuro. In cima al faro, con tutto il mondo sotto i suoi occhi, quel mai era all'improvviso fuori luogo. era solo un avverbio.

[Norma · Rating 3 out of 5]

Abby, a lexicographer, retreats to an island off the coast of the Outer Banks to try to heal from a tragic personal loss. She volunteers as a caretaker at a lighthouse on a remote island called Chapel Island (based on Ocracoke Island). There she discovers that the lighthouse is quite dilapidated and supposedly haunted. As she attempts to work on repairing the caretaker’s cottage, she meets some random quirky residents and makes an effort to help one who also has a contemptuous past. IMO, this story was very vanilla and rather unoriginal. In addition, the fact that the character does a lot of self-talk was a bit corny and annoying. Each chapter did uniquely start with a specific word definition from the Oxford Dictionary. At the end the Reader’s Guide was creative as the character interviews the author….never seen that before.

[Beth Hawley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interestingly, I just read a lot of the one star reviews, and I do agree with a lot of what I read in those reviews. However, this book did work for me. It could have been the right book at the right time in my life. I needed a book that wasn’t too deep and that was an easy escape. I do agree that although the author did not fully develop the characters as much as she could have, and many elements in this book are not believable, I still found it an enjoyable read. I liked how each chapter started with a dictionary definition, the different personalities presented, the idea of living in a lighthouse caretakers cottage, the suspense with the ghost, etc. But then all of that just fell flat. it seems that there were a lot of great ideas with this book that were not fully developed. It was not a waste of a read at all, and still recommend it as good read.

[Tina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fact checking should have even done. Hurricane season is June to November. The tourists have just left which means the story takes place after Labor Day. Highly unlikely that Hurricane Amelia would threaten the island during that time. At that time of the year, a hurricane name would have started with a letter further along in the alphabet. Also, proofreading would have been good. Good story though. Fast reading.

[Manuela75 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Abbastanza lento come storia, con molti particolari sulla vita nelle isole delle Florida che faticano a mantenersi, pesca sempre meno produttiva e turismo altalenante. Ci sono parecchi elementi su cui riflettere ma non sempre portati avanti in modo lineare. Anche la bufera che sembra dover distruggere l'isola si rileva una burrasca. Perde un po' di mordente e di suspance. Ci sono rimasta male sul finale, mi è sembra chiuso giusto per farlo. Magari un seguito!

[Janice Fugman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Genuine Journey

Ellen Block brings Abigail to life in a blink, then you get to join her on her journey to find Abby. The island life feels real, not the idealized picture painted in so many books. Abby is surrounded by well- drawn characters that you care about. Grief can be a slippery slope or an uphill climb to new beginnings. You decide. Thoroughly good read.

[Kim Amor · Rating 5 out of 5]

Inspiration for real life

The Language of Sand hits home.
We all have times in our lives when heartbreak and loss seem to overpower everything else. Abby faces each day in a way each of us hope we would...with strength and determination, even through the fear and uncertainty! She can inspire us all and give a hope for the future working out as it should.

[Rita Davidson · Rating 5 out of 5]

LOVED LOVED this book! it is a fast read. Bittersweet because you get attached to the characters on Chapel Isle and then it's done!! I am looking forward to reading the sequel Definition of Wind. I hope Ms Block will continue this series!!

[Jen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lovely book, a heartwarming story although it was built on a foundation of heartbreak. I really enjoyed most of the characters, but it was missing a certain something. It never quite gelled, but I think future stories from this author could be gems.

[Stacywriting · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book combines some of my favorite things: love of language, small island living, starting over, battling hardships and is thus a testament to the sheer tenacity of humand beings in the face of sadness.

[Windi · Rating 1 out of 5]

Disappointing and flat! The best parts were the unusual words and definitions used as chapter headers. But even they were words out of time. The author could have at least used them in the story, in my opinion.

[Ray · Rating 4 out of 5]

As Good as You Make It

I Like that the book is about real people living real lives. It is not about what we want life to be, but about what it really is. And it is about what we make it.

[Ingrid Booij · Rating 4 out of 5]

Een lekker boek om te lezen. Over een vrouw die in de Rouw is en haar leven omgooit door op een eiland te gaan wonen. Ze probeert haar leven en haar gehuurde vuurtorenhuis op orde te brengen. Ze moet zich verhouden tot de bevolking van het eiland. Een gemeenschap met eigen gewoonten en levensstijl.

[Ellie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful exploration of language, grief, and the places that heal.

[Diane Pero · Rating 3 out of 5]

Book is a good, quick read, although somewhat predictable and sort of just ends. Maybe because there is a follow-on story.

[Chandru CS · Rating 3 out of 5]

You know what I you're in your life that is my friend

AH: Since you made my character an ardent lover and champion of words, I have to ask: What’s your favorite word?