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The Cliffs
The Cliffs: A Novel | J. Courtney Sullivan
11 posts | 10 read | 11 to read
"The crumbling Victorian had been abandoned long before Jane ever discovered it as a child. It was painted a sweet violet color, and the gingerbread trim was blue and green, but inside was shambles--broken glass, a dollhouse ravaged by mice, bedsheets twisted as though someone had left in a hurry. Still, the house became a hideaway whenever Jane needed to escape her volatile mother. Twenty years later, now a Harvard archivist, she returns home to Maine following the dissolution of her marriage and is horrified to find the Victorian is barely recognizable. A rich lady from Beacon Hill has gutted it, and in its place stands a glossy white mansion straight out of a shelter magazine. But the home's new owner is unhappy. Her young son claims to have been speaking to the ghost of a child, and she keeps finding marbles on the floor. Troubled that she might have done something to anger the spirit world, a concept Jane dismisses as daffy, the wealthy woman hires her to research the land. The story Jane uncovers--of husbands lost at sea, wives mourning along the cliffs, historical artifacts stolen and sold, lovers secreted away, and, at the center of it all, a tale of colonialism--is as old as Maine itself."--
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review
Bookwormjillk
The Cliffs: A Novel | J. Courtney Sullivan
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Pickpick

I loved this book to start, then I got a little lost with all the story lines, and then it finished strong. So overall a pick, but somewhat uneven.

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Amiable
The Cliffs: A Novel | J. Courtney Sullivan
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Pickpick

It‘s a pick and I did enjoy it. But it was kind of all over the place and parts of it (in the middle, especially) read like a textbook, which was distracting and a bit jarring. I didn‘t care for the main character, either. Which all sounds like I didn‘t actually enjoy it 😳😄… but despite the unlikeable character and the disjointed narrative, it‘s still a compelling read.

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Chelsea.Poole
The Cliffs: A Novel | J. Courtney Sullivan
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Pickpick

J. Courtney Sullivan always hits for me. This seems to be a departure from her normal type of book, but still set in Maine (how many Maine books can I read in one year!? 🤔) and still features dysfunctional families. In this book, the center of the story is a historic home on the coast of Maine. Sullivan zooms in on each of the inhabitants over time, and makes connections between characters, and the past and present. I really enjoyed this!

Amiable I just started this one today! Really enjoying it so far. 4w
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blurb
Amiable
The Cliffs: A Novel | J. Courtney Sullivan
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When your library hold comes in JUST as you arrive home from knee surgery and will be on the couch for several days. Libby for the win! 🥇 🙌🏼

slategreyskies Perfect timing! Hope you‘re feeling better soon! Enjoy the read! 📚♥️ 4w
ravenlee I wish you a swift (but not TOO swift; those books won‘t read themselves!) recovery. Enjoy some rest! 4w
Amor4Libros Hope you feel better soon! 4w
See All 22 Comments
AmyG Oh boo. Hope you have an easy recovery. 4w
Tamra Wishing you happy reading recovery! 4w
Librarybelle Wishing you a speedy recovery! 4w
Susanita Been there! If you do what your PT tells you, the recovery will go smoothly. Best of luck to you! 4w
Ruthiella Nice timing library! Hope you manage your enforced rest as best you can and are back on your feet soon! ❤️ 4w
Bookwormjillk Good timing! I hope your recovery goes well! 4w
Amiable @ravenlee Ha ha—right? Even though when I was a kid I would sleep with a textbook under my pillow before a test in the hopes that the knowledge would seep into my head overnight. 😄Thanks! 💙 (edited) 4w
Amiable @Susanita Sadly, this is not my first rodeo with knee surgery. 😫 I am a huge advocate of PT! Thanks! 💙 4w
TheSpineView Yikes! Hope you feel better soon! 4w
Gissy Hope you feel better soon❤️ 4w
ErikasMindfulShelf Feel better! Great book!!!!! 4w
CarolynM Hope you heal quickly and enjoy your enforced reading time until then💕 4w
Deblovestoread Wishing you a speedy recovery and lots of great books along the way. 4w
dabbe Repeat after me: rest and read, rest and read, #restandread, #rest&read, #r&r 🩵💙🩵 4w
Read4life I hope you read some great books while recovering from your surgery 💙💙💙 4w
Amiable @CarolynM @Deblovestoread @dabbe @Read4life Thank you all for the good wishes! 💙💙 4w
marleed I hope you have a speedy recovery ❤️‍🩹 3w
64 likes22 comments
review
janeycanuck
The Cliffs: A Novel | J. Courtney Sullivan
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Pickpick

For the most part, this was a 4-star read but there were a couple of "history lessons" that pulled me out of the story. It felt like one of those "I'm going to include it so everyone knows I researched it" situations. That aside, I enjoyed the way Sullivan rolled out the story with one main character anchoring us while giving us the stories of the other women. I would have liked to revisit some of them but it was a stronger story without that.

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ChrisBohjalian
The Cliffs: A Novel | J. Courtney Sullivan
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Sure did love J. Courtney Sullivan‘s latest!

Bookwormjillk Really looking forward to this one 1mo
26 likes1 comment
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ICantImReading
The Cliffs: A Novel | J. Courtney Sullivan
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Pickpick

⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

History, mediums, and sobriety, oh my! This is a fresh take on an intergenerational story that uncovers the women‘s lives who have lived in one place over time. It isn‘t a new favorite for me, but I was engaged and enjoyed it overall. 🎧 #reesesbookclub

48 likes2 stack adds
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marleed
The Cliffs: A Novel | J. Courtney Sullivan
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Pickpick

I‘m one to complain about ubiquitous tropes in books so I really can‘t diss this book for being a bit disjointed. We have the MC, Jane, who finds her life in crisis at 39 years old and the books weaves through this year in her life. Jane was also a PhD archivist at Yale so the weft to her warp is some fascinating Maine history including spiritualism, the Shaker movement, and the Wabanaki Nations.

Eva_B Ooh I didn‘t know this author had released a new book!! I really loved her book ‘Maine‘ which I read years ago. Will have to give this one a try. Thanks! 1mo
marleed @Eva_B As I was reading this I was thinking readers with knowledge and learning be of Maine would appreciate this story! 1mo
78 likes2 stack adds2 comments
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Monica5
The Cliffs: A Novel | J. Courtney Sullivan
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Pickpick

Soft pick for me. It was a long book that meanders along. Mystery, Historical and Drama all in one book.

Published July 2, 2024

Was my #DoubleBookSpin Book for July

#netgalley #arc # bookspinbingo #doublebookspin

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kbuggle
The Cliffs: A Novel | J. Courtney Sullivan
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Panpan

Love when Maine is the setting for a summer novel! It felt like this book was trying to do a lot.. just too much for one story, it felt all over the place. Really needed to be honed in and with some focus.

dabbe #fanofthepan! 🤩🤩🤩 2mo
14 likes1 comment
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ErikasMindfulShelf
The Cliffs: A Novel | J. Courtney Sullivan
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Pickpick

You know that amazing feeling you get after reading a couple of pages of a new book and knowing right away that this will be a book you‘ll love. That‘s the feeling I got when starting The Cliffs and it lasted all through the book.
I loved Jane‘s story. All the hardships and flaws as well as the great friendships and love. Interweaved with her story is the history of a place and the women who lived there.
Thank you to NetGalley for the e-galley.

AlaMich I love that feeling! 3mo
29 likes4 stack adds2 comments