tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7224746654682062791.post5470801014948686044..comments2023-10-18T12:08:27.021-04:00Comments on Amy's Book Obsession: Review: Maine by J. Courtney SullivanAmyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00080562597054689917noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7224746654682062791.post-45998104621967461462012-06-04T23:14:37.451-04:002012-06-04T23:14:37.451-04:00"Maine" as the title would imply is larg..."Maine" as the title would imply is largely set in Maine at a beach house on the water. Won in a bet by the patriarch of the Kelleher family over sixty years ago, this became the summer retreat for the family and multiple generations have spent extended time there. Alice is the widow of our patriarch and has chosen to reside at the coast for the entire summer with each of their children being assigned a month to come stay over the summer. There are two houses, the original cottage and then a larger, more contemporary home built later. Alice and Big Daniel had three children who don't get along well as adults and Alice seems to only really get along with her daughter-in-law. The novel has as its focus Alice, her daughter Kathleen, Kathleen's daughter Maggie, and Ann Marie the aforementioned daughter-in-law. A family that is highly aware if its Irish roots, it is filled with lots of "isms" -- Catholicism, alcoholism, and co-dependency run rampant. Not to put too fine a point on it, this family practically defines dysfunction. While there is a lot of negative emotion and interaction, there are also deep bonds of love that we are privy to as the story gets told. As the family members interact over the summer months, all the history between them comes up as well as events in Alice's life that have had a profound effect on who she became in later life.<br /><br />Beautifully written and heartbreakingly told, this is a novel that will resonate with many readers and some folks will feel like they actually know some of these people. There were times when I wanted to jump up and read passages aloud they were so insightful and brilliant. Where I think some of the negative reviews may be coming from (just guessing here) is the misunderstanding of what the book is. It isn't a quick, light beach read that you skim through in an afternoon or two - which I happen to love but this isn't that. Even though the characters are primarily all women, it's not chick-lit. It is strong, literary fiction with a powerful story and excellent character development that could leave the reader emotionally wrung out by the end of the book.Eestihttp://rantofimitation.wordpress.com/noreply@blogger.com