The Cottage at Glass Beach...Review

About the book: 
Married to the youngest attorney general in Massachusetts state history, Nora Cunningham is a picture-perfect political wife and a doting mother. But her carefully constructed life falls to pieces when she, along with the rest of the world, learns of the infidelity of her husband, Malcolm. 

Humiliated and hounded by the press, Nora packs up her daughters—Annie, seven; and Ella, twelve—and takes refuge on Burke's Island, a craggy spit of land off the coast of Maine. Settled by Irish immigrants, the island is a place where superstition and magic are carried on the ocean winds, and wishes and dreams wash ashore with the changing tides. 

Nora spent her first five years on the island but has not been back to the remote community for decades—not since that long ago summer when her mother disappeared at sea. One night while sitting alone on Glass Beach below the cottage where she spent her childhood, Nora succumbs to grief, her tears flowing into the ocean. Days later she finds an enigmatic fisherman named Owen Kavanagh shipwrecked on the rocks nearby. Is he, as her aunt's friend Polly suggests, a selkie—a mythical being of island legend—summoned by her heartbreak, or simply someone who, like Nora, is trying to find his way in the wake of his own personal struggles? 

Just as she begins to regain her balance, her daughters embark on a reckless odyssey of their own—a journey that will force Nora to find the courage to chart her own course and finally face the truth about her marriage, her mother, and her long-buried past. 

I enjoyed The Lace Makers of Glenmara and so I was excited to read Heather's next book.  Unfortunately, it just wasn't something that grabbed me.  The setting had promise, but I kept feeling as if something was missing.  I also struggled with the narration style and never really connected with the characters.  I couldn't stand Nora's daughter Ella. She wasn't just a rude pre-teen, she was horrible.    This was just one story that tried too hard to be something special and didn't live up to its potential.  My review is one of many and is in the minority, as usual.  You will see other, more positive reviews on the tour shown below.

Thanks to Trish at TLC Book Tours for the opportunity to review this book. You can learn more about Heather Barbieri here.  You can purchase your own copy here.  You can see other reviews and tour stops here.

Tuesday, May 15th: 2 Kids and Tired
Wednesday, May 16th: Seaside Book Nook
Thursday, May 17th: Sarah Says Read
Friday, May 18th: My Two Blessings
Monday, May 21st: Savvy Verse & Wit
Wednesday, May 23rd: All Grown Up?
Thursday, May 24th: Paperback Princess
Friday, May 25th: Kritters Ramblings
Tuesday, May 29th: Bookstack
Wednesday, May 30th: A Cozy Reader’s Corner
Thursday, May 31st: My Bookshelf
Monday, June 4th: Life In Review
Tuesday, June 5th: Drey’s Library
Wednesday, June 6th: Good Girl Gone Redneck
Thursday, June 7th: Peeking Between the Pages
Monday, June 11th: Tiramisu Mom
Tuesday, June 12th: Wandering Thoughts of a Scientific Housewife
Friday, June 15th: Luxury Reading

Read 5/12

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2/5 Stars

Comments

  1. Darn, I'm sorry that this one didn't turn out to be a good fit for you, but thanks for being on the tour.

    ReplyDelete

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