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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 though 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.
Born and raised in Massachusetts, Brunonia Barry lives in Salem with her husband and their beloved golden retriever, Byzantium.
jennifers_thoughts
Posted April 8, 2010
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I loved everything about it!
The Map of True Places is a magnificent book full of heart, mystery, suspense, surprise and the great love that everyone wishes they have privilege of finding. The characters are so well written and defined. They are powerful, and strong on so many levels.
This will definitely be added to my list of books that I will read again annually!
Although it is different from The Lace Reader,it was written to be different. Wonderfully, wonderfully different!
5 out of 5 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.addictedreaderSK
Posted May 28, 2011
Brunonia Barry drew me in right from the start and carried me along her amazing tale right through to the end, where I found myself wishing for more. Funny, infuriating, heartbreaking, daring and loving. You won't want to put this book down.
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted June 9, 2010
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Brunonia Barry has done it again! I enjoyed her first book, "The Lace Reader" and was thrilled to discover that Mrs. Barry had published another. As in the first, the characters are compelling, the story is completely different, mysteries keep the reader guessing, and a fantastic setting...Salem, Massachusetts.
It was great fun "taking a trip back home" through this book, but even more so than Mrs. Barry's first. She easily portrayed the "New England attitude" through her characters, and threw a few extras that a true "North Shore" resident would certainly appreciate ("Lynn, Lynn...).
My only complaint? I currently live in the Washington D.C. area and now I'm craving a roast beef sandwich and fries from Kelly's in Revere! :)
Great job! Loved it, recommend it and will continue to do so!
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged."It is not down in any map; true places never are."
--Herman Melville
"The Map of True Places" is a wonderfully woven tale of love, loss, and finding where you belong. Zee is a psychologist working to help people understand and change unhealthy behaviors. She is also dealing with a mother who committed suicide, a gay father with Parkinson's Disease which is adding Alzheimer's to its repertoire, an engagement that doesn't seem to fit, and learning to be a caregiver. With all of this and more going on, Zee works to find her "true place." Why does she feel guilty about Lily, and who is following her?
I really enjoyed this book! Brunonia Barry did a lot of research and produced a believable story that held my attention all the way through. There is a decidedly nautical theme with each section introduced by interesting navigation information, and has a setting that moves around the Boston/Salem area of MA. There were times I was cheering for the characters, and moments when I was sad or worried. Individuals and groups alike will enjoy the story and the interesting facts and tidbits woven throughout. You really should take the time to come meet Zee, Mattei, Finch, Melville, Jessina, and Hawke. They, and others, have a story to tell.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.By the time I got to the end of THE LACE READER, I knew I had stumbled onto something wonderful. . . a first time author had written a masterpiece of a story! I anxiously waited, practically the edge of my seat, for her next offering amd was not disappointed. THE MAP OF TRUE PLACES is a masterfully crafted novel, every word woven together to create a plot which engages the reader from the first page to the last. I knew I was going to have a good read when I picked up this book and am now only sad because it is over, but I will again, begin awaiting for Brunonia Barry's next book!
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.When Zee Finch was a child in Salem, she watched her mother commit suicide. Zee became a juvenile delinquent stealing boats, which led to her nickname "Trouble"; her father lived in his own bubble not realizing how much trouble his daughter caused. Ten years after her last theft, Zee turned her life around becoming a psychotherapist working with the internationally renowned Dr. Liz Mattei and is engaged to a Boston Brahmin.
Zee's perfect life implodes when her patient Lilly Braedon kills herself, which brings up buried memories of her mom committing suicide in front of her. With a need to leave Boston, she heads to Salem where she sees first hand how ill her father is; Zee avoided the truth that her dad also hid from her as to the severity of his Parkinson's disease. However, he needs her now as his companion Melville just left. As father and daughter struggle to finally move on together passed the pivotal moment that led to the omissions and strains between them; Zee throws away her life plan seeking The Map of True Places in her relationship with her dad.
Returning to the Salem of The Lace Reader with some characters from that book appearing in this one, Brunonia Barry provides her fans with a profound complex relationship drama as the past impacts the present and the future. Out of love and grief, Zee and her dad learned to conceal key things from one another which only further separated them when they needed each other for closure. Making the case that in family relationships that honesty is the best policy for the long run, Ms. Barry provides a thoughtful tale that will have readers reflecting on their lives.
Harriet Klausner
1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.If you like The Lace Reader, you'll enjoy Barry's latest tale. Romance, mystery, family, history - a bit of everything, woven into this story. You'll love Zee, empathize with Melville and even get a bit of surprise in the mix. And yes, karma "happens"...
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted August 17, 2012
I loved everything about this book. It was written wonderfully and the
way it all came together was unlike any book I've read thus far. You
can't help but love Zee from the very beginning and it only gets better
as you get to look into her past. You won't be able to put it down esp.
once you are about half way through it you won't be able to finish it
soon enough!
Anonymous
Posted July 23, 2012
Fantastic book. The author covered serious issues and did it elegantly. This eas an engaging read and the hardest book to set down. A very gifted writer who does not disappoint.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted July 20, 2012
As a psychologist from the boston area (like the protagonist) and a fan of the lace reader, i really wanted to like this book. Its chock full of beautiful imagery, lyrical prose and creative, complexcharacters. Barry rrally has a sophisticated understanding of the psyche. My main difficulty with the book was the pacing....it dragged so slowly and i got bored at many points. Readers who described it as gripping & suspenseful must have very different definitions of those words than i do. Certainly there is a mystery at work but its a slow, character driven novel at heart. Not an inherent flaw, just dont grab this if u want an "up all night" type mystery.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted February 9, 2012
This was an enjoyable book that held my interest. The characters were well defined. It presented another view of bipolar disorder and dealing with the ravages of Parkinson's disease. There was romance, true love and suspense/mystery to this book. I have never been to Salem, MA but this book and Ms. Barry's other book, THE LACE READER, make me want to go!
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Some reason I keep getting recommended book that a placed in Salem. This is an easy read and well written. I am considering reading THE LACE READER now by Barry. Learned a bunch about sea navigation and stars and a close look at life with Parkinsons. Nice book!
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Zee didn't grow up with a silver spoon in her mouth. She didn't have a mother to show her how to act but lucky for her she did have a talent, a talent for stealing boats.
As an adult, Zee's life changed dramatically. She is a therapist who really cares about her patients. She's also engaged to a man that other women want. It almost seems as if Zee has it all. But when one of her patients, Lilly, commits suicide, Zee is thrown into a downward spiral. The whole map of her life is starting to feel like a blank page. Now, she has the chance to start fresh and change the map of her life for the future.
Every once in a while, a book comes along that touches you in ways you didn't know were possible. This is one of those books. Zee is one of the easiest characters to relate to. She invokes strong emotions that seem to leap from the page. Bruonia is an amazing writer who doesn't disappoint.
I picked up an ARC of Brunonia Barry's the "Map of True Places" at a library conference. I wasn't expecting to like it very much, as the advanced copies were not in high demand, but I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed it.
The book jacket summary does not even begin to describe what this book is about. On the surface, this book is about Zee Finch - a woman still struggling to come to terms with the suicide of her bipolar mother when she was a little girl. As a child, Zee copes with this tragedy in acts of rebellion by stealing boats. As an adult, Zee tries to learn more about the illness that caused her Mother's death by becoming a psychotherapist and aiding others suffering from the same disorder. However, the story becomes much more than just dealing with the effects of mental illness and tragedy.
The action begins with the apparent suicide of one of Zee's patients, which takes Zee on a journey to discover the truth about her patient's life and her own which are inexplicably connected. Along the way, she is led back to her childhood home (the eerie setting of Salem, Massachusetts) to care for her ailing Father, who is suffering from Parkinson's disease, and is forced to face the haunting memories of her Mother.
This book falls into many genres, at times a thrilling mystery and at other times a fairy tale, it takes many surprising twists and turns. Though maybe it does go in too many directions for one story, I think it works - by taking you on a wild ride that is both exciting and enlightening.
0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Overview
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 ...