A thoughtful and engaging story with wonderful characters that drew me in. The story spans a number of years, incorporating significant events of the times. The writing never felt forced, the story ebbed and flowed beautifully.

A descriptive and beautifully written novel about 10 years in the life of one ordinary family. Each member of the family's story is lovingly told as we see how they grow and change over the years. Each member of the family faces their own particular issues, from the youngest to Margreete, who has dementia and the reason Liddie, Harry and their children move from Michigan to Maine to look after her.. This novel is set against the backdrop of social issues and events of the 50s and 60s. Sure to become a classic!

I chose to read this book based on the cover and the fact it took place in Maine. What I was not prepared for was the intimate portrayal of a three generation family on the coast of Maine in the 1960s. I was drawn into the story as their lives unfolded year by year. The novel did not have a ‘big’ climax, or an underlying secret. It did have the cracks and questions that highlight in any family as they work and grow.

Margreete realized the day she burned the kitchen that she needed to tell her daughter. She also realized that her family would not let her live alone any longer. These were perhaps the final clear thoughts of Margreete as her daughter and her family moved from Michigan to the Maine Coast. Liddie, her daughter is a cellist and struggles to balance music with marriage and family. Harry, her husband struggles to balance his politics with keeping a job. The children Eva, Braun and Gretchen as well as the dog Fred have to find a way to make friends and balance their grandmother’s descent into dementia with their new lives in Maine. Add in Romeo the cat and you know that the story is going to have some confrontations and confusions.

The story slowly moved through the years. I was taken by the needs of the family and how they communicated (or didn’t). This was a surprise choice for me, to read a book that contained no rush. I felt like I was participating in the family dynamics. Margreete’s Harbor was a slow revealing read, showing the movement of a family like the constant movement of the waves in the harbor.

Margreete’s harbor

When I read the synopsis for this book I anticipated a moving story of family struggle, growth and increased understanding between generations. Sadly that is not what is delivered by Margreete’s Harbor. The first few chapters were engaging, but things slowed dramatically after that. It never seemed to come together cohesively—feeling more like disjointed snippets of individual lives. I struggled to find a character to whom I could connect, as they all became increasingly unlikable as the story progressed. Some of the scenes just didn’t ring true for example when Bernie first went to school in Maine and he came home , he told his mother that a boy had called him weird and asked what weird means. I can’t imagine, even in the 1950s, that is school-age boy would not know the meaning of the word weird.

Fans of slow-moving, character-driven plots who don’t mind unlikable characters are likely to have different opinions on this book than I.

Thanks go to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This was a truly beautiful and heartfelt story of a multi generational family that I did not want to end. The setting is 50's-60's Maine . From the opening page I fell for Magreete, a thrice widowed woman with alzheimer's. After her daughter Libby hears that she almost burnt the house down, she concludes her mother can no longer live alone.
Many of us have lived through a similar scenario...,...refusals to have a carer come in or to move in with family. So Libby and her husband decide to take their 3 kids and move from Michigan to Maine to live with her. It is here that the bulk of the story takes place over the next 10 years. The time period was historically a volatile one: McCarthy, MLK, JFK, Vietnam. The characters are so real that it was easy to relate to them. What was remarkable is that thru all the ups, downs and turmoil, Magreete was always accepted as she was. The family was so accepting of her grumpiness and bizarre behavior that it brought tears. It is a gently told tale of acceptance. I would like to thank Net Galley, the publisher and especially the author for this remarkable book.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this story about a family being pulled in all sorts of directions while still trying to stay connected.

“Words came from her mouth that she knew weren’t right the minute she said them, but the words she searched for fell down holes. She could see her blunders on the faces lifted to hers. The way strangers called her honey as though she was seven years old. The way they spoke loud to her as though she was deaf. She wasn’t deaf, she was haywire.” Margreete

I am always drawn to books that center around familial relationships. This book is all about them. There is the relationship between Margreete and her daughter Liddie as they maneuver through Margreete’s declining mental capacity and their roles reverse. There is the relationship between Liddy and her husband. With three children, a recent move and Margreete’s care, finding time to nurture their relationship proves difficult. Then there are the relationships that Liddie’s 3 children have with each other, their parents, their Grandmother and their peers. Each one has their own difficulties and growing pains.

Following 13 years in this family’s life through 1950-mid 1960, this is a book to savor- not rush through. If you love character-driven stories then you will love this one. The middle of the book gets just a little mucky and loses course, but be patient as it does come back around. The observations that the author provides throughout this book are heartbreaking, enlightening and brilliant. I am obsessed with gritty honest portrayals of the minutia in families and this book gave me exactly that. There was unrequited love, sickness, loneliness, regrets, political stances, unacknowledged feelings, death, grief, music and unapologetic love. I prefer an ending that wraps up some situations, but still leaves some unanswered – and therefore leaves room for the reader’s own predictions and takeaways, and that’s what I found.

“You have doubts, but don’t ever compare yourself. Do you understand what I’m saying? You are a dreamer. Many dreamers are like clouds blowing here and there. But you are a different kind. A fierce and determined one. It will be harder on you. Everything will be harder.” Eva’s piano teacher.

Final takeaway? I loved it! Definitely recommend. 4.5 stars.

Many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s press for allowing me to read and review an advance copy.

When I first read the excerpt for this book, I didn't realize how emotional I would get while reading it. Eleanor Morse beautifully crafted her words in a way that made you feel as if you were part of this family. There were so many issues discussed in this book and I felt Morse handled it so well. We were able to see different characters' perspectives. This book may make you a bit teary eyed!

This is a quiet book, a family's story that covers several years. It is not fast-paced but I was immersed in it from the very beginning.

The Furbers are a 3 generation family, all living in the same house. Grandmother, Mother and Father and 3 children. Margreete, the grandmother is struggling with dementia. We learn about her past from her ramblings. She had been a woman to be reckoned with, and still was, even in her befuddled state. The rest of the family has struggles of their own but they are kind and patient with Margreete.

They are living through some troubled times: the Kennedy assassination, the Great March for civil rights in Washington DC, the Vietnam war, the dawning of women's rights. The author takes us through the Furbers reactions to these events and the effects on the family.

The book is not actually plot or action driven. It is more about the narrative and the characters. In many ways, it is a sad book. I kept waiting for something to make everyone happy.

The writing in this book is stellar. The descriptions of Maine and the ocean coast are spot on. The characters all became real in my mind. Each family member is very distinct, each chapter focuses on a different one. The reader knows all their stories and feelings.

And at one point I cried!

The ending left me with the feeling that there was hope in the Furbers' future.

Margreete’s Harbor by Eleanor Morse is a story set on the coast of Maine during the 1950s and 1960s, following the life of a family and its matriarch as they share a home during the changing times. Margreete Bright is a fiercely-independent, thrice-widowed woman who is determined to live on her own in her home near the Maine coast. Until one day, she forgets a hot pan on the stove and nearly burns her house down. Her daughter, Liddie, realizes that her mother can no longer live alone. She and her husband, Harry, and their children Eva and Bernie, pack up their lives in Michigan and move across the country to Margreete’s coastal home and begin a new life. Liddie is a professional cellist who struggles with her marriage as she feels increasingly confined. Harry is a high school history teacher whose political views threatened his job. Bernie and Eva begin to come into their own identities as young adults.
Margreete’s Harbor is the story of life in America as it leaves the idyllic 1950s to the turbulent 1960s. I was excited to read this book and the opening chapter sounded promising for the rest of the book. Enter Liddie and her family and the book goes downhill from there. None of the characters were likable or sympathetic. I found Liddie to be grating and whining. Harry was a stereotypical man with a wandering eye. Although he barely puts up a fight when Liddie wants to uproot their family to “take care” of her mother, who becomes a secondary character. The book describes itself as perfect for fans of Elizabeth Strout, Alice Munro, and Anne Tyler. If you are fans of these authors, you may enjoy Margreete’s Harbor. Unfortunately, for me, it was a difficult book to finish. It dragged on and on that it was hard to remain focused and care about the characters and the events. I do not recommend it.

Margreete’s Harbor is available in hardcover, eBook, and audiobook

Great characters, touching stories, fascinating plot arcs. I loved everything about this book. Looking forward to reading more work by Eleanor Morse!

A Family Copes with Alzheimer’s

Margarette, widowed three times, is preparing breakfast in her rambling house on the Maine coast. She leaves a frying pan with grease on the stove, goes upstairs, get distracted by a mouse, and when she returns to the kitchen it’s in flames. When she calls her daughter, Liddie, to confess the accident, Liddie realizes that her mother’s Alzheimer’s has reached a point where she can no longer live alone.

With her husband, Harry’s support, the family of four moves from Michigan to Maine. The move requires adjustments for each family member and living with an Alzheimer’s patient isn’t easy. Plus the Vietnam War is heating up. It activates Harry’s memories of being a conscientious objector in WWII and puts additional strain on the family.

This is the story of a family coping with problems: growing and changing throughout the book. It’s not an easy book to read. Many of the interactions are messy. However, it’s very realistic. Coping with difficult problems is never easy. The pace isn’t fast, but once you get to know the characters, it’s hard to put the book down.

I loved the setting in Maine. The author does a good job of using the setting to bring the story to life and amplify the lives of the characters. I recommend this book, particularly if you’re coping with a loved one with Alzheimer’s.

I received this book from St. Martin’s Press for this review.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an eARC of this book.
Engaging characters living in 1950-60 with its social issues and unrest. Accurately described the angst of the time. Hated to see the book end.

When Margreete forgets a pot on the stove and burns down the kitchen in her Maine home, her daughter decides it's time to move in with her and take care of her. Unfortunately that requires uprooting her family of four and moving them from Michigan. Over the next decade, Liddie's family--expanded to five with the birth of a second daughter--adjusts to the changes in their lives, school, and careers as the world arounds them changes rapidly. Her husband, Harry, once a conscientious objector during World War II, cannot support the war in Vietnam (this archivist will try not to be salty about the fact Harry can't keep a job as a high school history teacher, yet lands a plum archival job at Bowdoin). While each family member deals with their own problems, they all watch Margreete's steady decline.

I was drawn to this book in large part due to the setting; the Maine coast gets me every time. But the setting isn't really consequential in the book. It's all about people finding their way through problems both large and small, external and internal. Although it seems like nothing much happens, a lot really does. MARGREETE"S HARBOR is quietly compelling, although I wish there were more of Margreete's back story. #MargreetesHarbor #NetGalley

Margreete's Harbor is a touching family epic, both heartwarming and heartbreaking .Aging Margreete has suffered an accident when she forgets she left something on the stove and catches her kitchen on fire. This book made me think of my own journey through the care of both my elderly parents. Especially my father who suffered from dementia.
Margreete is the matriach of the family but the family soon sees that they are going to have to admit the changes they are seeing in Margreete and come togehter to support and care for her as she has always done for them. What follows is a timeless story of stepping into the difficulties of role reversals and the suffering of seeing an elderly loved one decline with age. But the story is also one of finding happiness in the smallest daily moments, such as a walk on the beach, laughing at childhood memories and uncovering long held secrets as the family pulls together. It also addresses the seasons of life, perils of aging and ties between families and generations. It's also about acceptance. Acceptance as to where your elderly loved one is in time and what they believe to be true and supporting them without trying to convince them they are wrong. This can be heartreakingly difficult but when it happens you can find a richly rewarding legacy.

An Observance of Life’s Certain Messiness

This wonderful novel has it all. Her writing reminds me of the techniques of Anne Tyler. We think the author is telling us a story about one-dimensional characters but it’s so not true. The characters are sometimes quirky, but they are never superficial.

The novel begins with sadness and tragedy. An older woman, Magreete is attempting to negotiate her day. She heats up bacon drippings and while she’s looking for her bedroom slippers, her attention is diverted to a dead mouse that her cat, Romeo, has brought in to the house. And then so suddenly, her stove catches fire. The Burnt Harbor, Michigan volunteer fire department is called. A fireman takes her out for breakfast/lunch and we now see Margreete’s voracious appetite and her full-blown dementia.

She has three children but only one child, her daughter, Liddie, takes on the responsibility of her mother. She moves her entire family, husband Harry and three children from Ann Arbor, Michigan to Burnt Harbor, Maine to care for her mother. There seemed to be other options but there wouldn’t be a story if any of those, like a facility or live-in helper, were put in place.

This novel has the perspective of a family with its secrets and the impact of international events shaping their lives. The family tries to adjust to their move but there are conundrums and habits which make life very messy. It is a realistic look on many facets of growing old, losing oneself, and everyone trying to just move along. The novel has everything a good novel should have: perspective, love and sometimes elation.

My gratitude to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for this pre-published book. Opinions expressed are all my own.

Margreete lives in Maine and her mind is slowly deteriorating. She leaves a pot on the stove and burns down the kitchen. Her daughter lives in Michigan with her husband and two kids. Many are going to face a parent having dementia, or Alzheimer's, not being able to stay alone, and will have to decide the best course of action.
This story tells us what they decided, and it is also full of the historical events taking place during this time. It was a wonderful book, full of great insight, some nostalgia, and made me think about my future.

This family drama is set in Maine between 1955 and 1968. Margreete’s daughter and her family move in with her once it becomes obvious that, because of her dementia, she cannot live alone. Liddie and her husband Harry and their children Bernie and Eva leave Michigan and move to the small town of Burnt Harbor. The novel focuses on their lives for the next 13 years as they face personal challenges.

Liddie is a professional cellist for whom music is a comfort from a confining marriage and family obligations, especially after the arrival of a third child. Harry is unhappy in his stagnant marriage and in his job as a history teacher. Bernie and Eva contend with sexual issues and must make decisions about their futures. And of course, Margreete struggles with the challenges of memory loss.

Though the book is about a family, there is not much of a feeling of family. The focus is on individual struggles which are most often not communicated to anyone else in the family. Liddie and Harry do not talk about the issues in their marriage, and Bernie and Eva do not discuss the events that have such an impact on their lives. If they simply talked, so much drama and trauma could have been avoided. And though they upend their lives to move in with Margreete, she becomes just a peripheral figure in their lives. They do come together to some extent towards the end, but for much of the novel, I felt as if I were reading separate stories and wondered about the book’s purpose. The overarching message seems to be that “life is messy, because humans are messy. Life isn’t simple, no matter where you are.”

There are moments of self-realization and personal growth. Eva and Bernie do determine what is important to them and make choices about their futures. Liddie realizes, “When she was hurt, what came out of her was anger – a hard carapace of bitchiness safeguarding a soft underbelly.” Both husband and wife acknowledge the need to work on their relationship. Unfortunately, because there are so many dynamic characters, their epiphanies seem contrived. Again, I would have appreciated a more in-depth development of one or two characters.

At times, a character appears and the reader is led to believe that he will play a significant role, but then he disappears. Terry Leroux is one such person. Then there are Peter and Willard, Liddie’s siblings. Why are they not more a part of the narrative? Did the author not want to add more characters to an already crowded cast? If so, why not have Liddie as an only child?

People who lived through the time period will appreciate the memories invoked by the references to historical events and pop culture. The Civil Rights Movement and the Vietnam War feature prominently. I had never heard of the Minnesota Starvation Study, and it was interesting getting the viewpoint of a conscientious objector.

I must admit to struggling at times because I just wasn’t engaged. Perhaps it was the sadness throughout that was just too much. The novel touches on so many serious subjects – loss, death, betrayal, sexual assault, depression, unrequited love, and dementia being only some of them. Even animals suffer. I wanted fewer characters and more joy.

Margreete’s Harbor is a deeply emotional dive into the family of Margreete. Living alone in her home in Maine, it becomes evident that dementia is impeding her ability to safely live alone any longer. Her daughter Liddie uproots her own family—husband Harry and children Bernie and Eva—to move into the family home to help care for her.

In addition to Margreete’s struggle with dementia, Harry and Liddie are in a tenuous marriage, while Bernie and Eva struggle with their new home. And outside their door—in the U.S.—is growing opposition about the country’s involvement in the Vietnam War.

The fifties and sixties are some of my favorite time periods to read about, so Margreete’s Harbor was right up my alley. It’s a complex and beautifully woven story of families, and the history we build—the good and the bad—within our families and the world. Eleanor Morse did a fantastic job of drawing me into the story. It’s a tale that’s rich in description and emotion and I was thoroughly satisfied as I turned the last page.

Margreete’s Harbor is available everywhere 4/20/21

*I received a copy of Margreete’s Harbor from St. Martin’s Press and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review*

Thank you for letting me read Margrette's Harbor. The book had an interesting concept but I found it disappointing. I am still trying to figure out which character was the protagonist and what the problem and the resolution were. I will not be reviewing this book on my blog since I only do positive reviews.

I just spent a couple of delightful days reading Margreete’s Harbor by Eleanor Morse. The setting is on the rugged coastline of Maine from 1955-1968 with a three generational family. Margreete Bright calls her daughter, Liddie who is living in Michigan with her husband, Harry and two young children, Bernie and Eva (Gretchen is born in Maine), that her kitchen caught on fire. Liddie is worried that her mother is suffering from some dementia. Margreete will not move to Michigan, so the family moves to Maine. I loved this story for so many reasons, First, the time period. If I was a character in the book, I would be between Bernie and Eva. For me, Morse nails the time period as so many events that happened brought back good and sad memories. This was a family that experienced good times, hurtful times, and everyday problems. I laughed. I cried. I hurt for them at times. I felt the love they had even when they didn’t agree. The only part that bothered me was the ending. I sure hope there is a sequel to see what happens with this family. My thanks to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for an ARC of this book. The opinions in this review are my own.