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A captivating debut, introducing a spirited young heroine coming of age in coastal Maine during the early 1960s.
When her mother disappears during a weekend trip, Florine Gilham's idyllic childhood is turned upside down. Until then she'd been blissfully insulated by the rhythms of family life in small town Maine: watching from the granite cliffs above the sea for her father's lobster boat to come into port, making bread with her grandmother, and infiltrating the summer tourist camps with her friends. But with her mother gone, the heart falls out of Florine's life and she and her father are isolated as they struggle to manage their loss.
Both sustained and challenged by the advice and expectations of her family and neighbors, Florine grows up with her spirit intact. And when her father's past comes to call, she must accept that life won't ever be the same while keeping her mother vivid in her memories. With Fannie Flagg's humor and Elizabeth Stroud's sense of place, this debut is an extraordinary snapshot of a bygone America through the eyes of an inspiring girl blazing her own path to womanhood.
BeebsNYC
Posted February 9, 2012
I loved this book. When I try and give a description to people it seems so depressing, this is anything but. It's a book about love and family and friends and small town Americana, in a simpler time that is now missed. I have never reviewed a book before, although I have read many, but when I saw only 3 reviews, I felt compelled to give my review so that if you on the fence about it, you'll give it a shot, you'll be glad you did. It's been a few days since I've finished the book and the characters have stayed with me and are deep in my thoughts. It's been quite a while that I enjoyed a book as much and wasn't so predictable that halfway through, you pretty much know how it's going to end.
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.Twelve year old Florine has always felt safe and loved, and she adores her vibrant, red-haired mother and her lobster fisherman dad. But when her mother fails to return home from her annual girls' weekend with a waitress friend, Florine and her dad's lives are forever changed. A 1960s Maine village, complete with the ritzy summer people and the steadfast year-residents, serves as the perfect setting for the devastated Florine to grow up as she tries to cope with her mother's disappearance. Grand, Florine's name for her grandmother, is the strength that keeps Florine and her dad from going under. I must warn you that this is a novel of losses and disappointments, but Rogers also treats you to survival and strength through Florine and her friends, as they navigate the years toward adulthood.
I received an advanced readers copy of this title. All comments and opinions are my own.
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.Anonymous
Posted February 4, 2012
I absolutely loved this book. The characters are so real. It is full of emotions from joy to sorrow. I laughed and cried. It brought back to me so many wonderful memories of the beautiful state of maine.
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.Anonymous
Posted February 1, 2012
I found this book to be pretty dark and depressing at times, but it was a good book. Florine's mom disappears without a trace when she is 12, her dad takes a girlfriend that Florine does not like, so she ends up living with her Grandmother (who lives across the street). The story centers around Florine's teenage years and the struggle of missing her mother and always wondering what happened to her.
1 out of 3 people found this review helpful.
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Posted March 27, 2012
The writer really seems to get the flavor of the Maine Coast. The characters are very believable, and the plot is interesting and somewhat unusual. This is definitely a book to keep in my permanent library, one I will read and read again.
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Posted January 26, 2013
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Anonymous
Posted May 19, 2012
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Overview
A captivating debut, introducing a spirited young heroine coming of age in coastal Maine during the early 1960s.
When her mother disappears during a weekend trip, Florine Gilham's idyllic childhood is turned upside down. Until then she'd been blissfully insulated by the rhythms of family life in small town Maine: watching from the granite cliffs above the sea for her father's lobster boat to come into port, making bread with her grandmother, and infiltrating the summer tourist ...