Wednesday, May 16, 2012

The Cottage at Glass Beach - TLC Book Tours


My Rating: Good Read (perfect for summer!)  Don't you love the cover?

Synopsis: 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.

My Thoughts:  I can picture Burke's Island in my mind, without a doubt. It would be a perfect place for my dream store....Seaside Book Nook!  The Cottage at Glass Beach is a book that has family drama, family secrets, sea fairies/selkies, adventures, and much more.  I really enjoyed Nora's journey back to the island and to her Aunt Marie.  I liked how she discovers the past and answers to questions she has carried with her all her life.

Nora's two daughters have such opposites personalities that it allowed the book to take on different sides of the family drama and island secrets. Annie was the youngest of Nora's daughters and is seven years old.  I have twins the same age and often felt that Annie was much older than seven.  I loved the character (Annie) and all her smart comebacks and caring personality, but I did think it was not reality for a child of that age.  I think I would have liked Nora's daughters to be around 15 and 14 years old.  I wanted them closer together in age as well.  Nora's oldest daughter Ella was twelve and she seemed much older.

I loved the characters in the book, every single one of them.  I really liked Ronan and would love to read more about him.  I can imagine several other books that could branch off from The Cottage at Glass Beach.

Are you looking for a good summer read?  I recommend you give The Cottage at Glass Beach a try.


Meet the Author: Heather Barbieri is the author of two previous novels, The Lace Makers of Glenmara, and Snow in July.  She has won international prizes for her short fiction and lives in Seattle with her family.  You can visit Heather's website to find out more about her books and events.  You can connect with Heather on Facebook too!

Purchase It:  You can buy The Cottage at Glass Beach for $24.99 on-line at amazon ($16.32 for Prime members or $11.99 Kindle version).
Book Tour:  Check out the other blogs that are participating in the The Cottage at Glass Beach, TLC Book Tours.
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
Tuesday, May 22nd: Amused By Books
Tuesday, May 22nd: Paperback Princess
Wednesday, May 23rd: All Grown Up?
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
Friday, June 15th: Luxury Reading

3 comments:

  1. I am glad you liked it. As I am taking part in the tour as well, I was interested to see how readers are responding to this novel. I LOVE the cover!!

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  2. This book sounds great, I love book like this. And yes, I love the cover!
    This is going on my wish list.
    Thanks for the review.

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  3. It is rare (at least for me) to find a book where I love ALL the characters, but it is definitely a treat!

    I'm happy to see how much you enjoyed this one. Thanks for being on the tour. I'm featuring your review on TLC's Facebook page today.

    ReplyDelete

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