From Judy Kennedy, 7/2/19:
I’m about 2/3rds of the way through a brand new novel that I think many of you would like — THE GUEST BOOK by Sarah Blake — available as a hardcover or an audio book but not in paperback until next year. The publisher advertises it by saying “If you’re going to read one book this summer make it this modern-day classic,” which is what caught my eye and made me buy a copy.
Remember the discussion we had several months about “special places?” Well, if that resonated with you because your family had a summer camp or cottage on a lake (Marian) or an island (Liz) or in the mountains (me) — you’ll identify big time with this book. A 3 generation saga focused on the three matriarchs of a once very wealthy family (grandmother/mother/daughter) who buys an island off the coast of Maine (near Vinalhaven) in the 30s with a large summer cottage on it as a family retreat, it’s really a story of the island (or such a special place) and how it bonds and divides the various family members for half a century, both keeping and sharing their deepest secrets and feelings.
The book is quite long but I’ve been relishing it because of the good descriptive writing and beautiful character development, once you sort them all out. Like a good Russian novel, I had to keep a family tree going on a separate piece of paper at first until I got to know them and their relationships, but it was well worth the trouble.
Another book suggestion for the group – “The Which Way Tree” by Elizabeth Crook. Told in the delightful voice of an uneducated teenager from Texas hill country in 1866. A mixed bag of characters try to catch a panther with sometimes hilarious, sometimes disastrous results.
— Carol Benson
