There are things to like about this story, but on the whole it isn’t Sullivan’s best work by a long shot.

What’s good: The sense of place here is strong and very well rendered, and I liked the plot as it related to the protagonist’s professional background. Additionally, the part of the plot centered on the medium and the mystery spirit was intriguing and well-structured.

The pacing and tone were fine as well, but that’s where the positives end.

The biggest issue with this is that alcoholics simply do not make good protagonists. I felt sorry for her at times, but I felt worse for the people around her, and in some ways I felt Holly was more sympathetic because at least she was honest about who she was.

All the content about repatriation was interesting to an extent, but it doesn’t quite fit with the rest of the story, and it’s clear that this is a pet issue for Sullivan. And like most novels that discuss repatriation, this is—while well intentioned—an oversimplification of the issue and the problems that go along with it.

There are also some really silly and preventable fact-checking errors in this. The one that really bugged me was this: As a lifelong Cleveland baseball fan, it’s disappointing to see the glaring error that “the Cleveland Spiders were later called the Cleveland Indians.” This is not correct. The Spiders were an American Association and later National League team that folded in 1899. The Cleveland Indians were an American League team called many different things before they became the Indians, but they were never the Spiders.

These were two different teams with no connection except that at different times they were located in the same city. This isn’t obscure knowledge. It’s is very easy to discover simply by checking Wikipedia. Probably not a big deal to most readers, but because I know it’s both wrong and easy to find out, I question the rest of the content the book presents as fact.

The Cliffs tells the story of the rise and fall of Jane Flanagan, who returns home to Maine after some very bad choices threaten to end both her marriage and her career.

I loved the first 25% of The Cliffs and was eager to see how Jane would work through her problems.
At this point in the book, the story moved to cover some very important political issues. Although I don’t disagree with anything the author presented, it was done in a very clunky and forced manner that felt more like a lecture than a narrative fiction.
Both the story and the position on the issues presented would have been much stronger with a few more passes by an editor.

With so much going on in J. Courtney Sullivan’s latest book, The Cliffs, it’s hard to decide what it actually wants to be. At certain points it reads like a mystery with a reader, perhaps, on the edge of their seat, but then it turns into historical fiction and then again into a textbook on American history. Additionally there are studies in relationships and finding and keeping love. Phew! Hold onto your hat and enjoy the ride.

Atmospheric with a lot of interesting rabbit trails but they made the plot a bit muddled. Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

“The Cliffs” by J. Courtney Sullivan is a captivating novel that weaves together family secrets, ghosts, and homecoming against the backdrop of the Maine coast.

The story revolves around Jane Flanagan, who becomes enamored with an abandoned Victorian house perched on a cliff overlooking the water. As she unravels the house’s history, she also grapples with her own past. Sullivan’s compassionate writing delves into America’s complex history, touching on Indigenous and Shaker women.

To me, this novel’s strength lies in its multifaceted characters. Jane, the protagonist, is both relatable and mysterious. Her journey of self-discovery is intertwined with the house’s secrets, creating a sense of interconnectedness. The supporting characters—neighbors, friends, and even the ghosts—are equally well-drawn. Their interactions reveal layers of emotion and history, making the narrative rich and engaging.

Sullivan’s prose is evocative, painting vivid images of the rugged coastline, the crashing waves, and the eerie beauty of the cliffs. The house itself becomes a character, with its creaking floors, hidden passages, and whispered echoes. The dual timelines—one set in the present day and the other in the early 20th century—add depth and intrigue, as the past informs the present and vice versa.

Themes of identity, belonging, and the passage of time permeate the novel. Jane’s search for answers about her family’s past mirrors our universal quest for understanding. The exploration of women’s roles across generations—whether as wives, mothers, or independent individuals—resonates deeply. Sullivan skillfully balances these themes, never veering into sentimentality or didacticism.

“The Cliffs” invites reflection. You will find yourself pondering your own connections to place, family, and history. The novel’s resolution is satisfying, leaving room for interpretation and discussion. Whether you’re a fan of family sagas, ghost stories, or literary fiction, “The Cliffs” offers a compelling and immersive experience.

Having loved J. Courtney Sullivan's previous novel, Saints for All Occasions, I was excited to dive into her newest. The Cliffs was a deeply researched, multi-layered exploration of inheritance, collective memory, and the legacies we celebrate and conceal. By no means a beach read, but set in a small town on the coast of Maine, Jane Flanagan anchors our story: as a bookish teen seeking an escape from her alcoholic mother and junk-filled home; to a women in the throes of mid-life crisis, grappling with not only her own demons, but those of the women before her.

I thoroughly appreciated how much research J. Courtney Sullivan put into this book - it comes through in every page, and was clearly some sort of passion project. Her care for how she examines collective memory and how white, European-descended New Englanders have preserved and hidden the histories of the indigenous people before them was enlightening. Her carefully crafted family of Flanagan women were difficult, independent, and relatable.

The only negatives I came away with, were the opposite sides of both of these highlights. At times, the density of the scholarly information shared made it feel as though Sullivan crammed in everything she could - it slowed the middle of the book down quite a bit. And, the characterization of Jane's sister Holly and the family secret that Jane discovers, both felt a bit hollow compared to how dynamic Jane and her grandmother seemed.

This book is a great fit for lovers of Ann Patchett, or Ann Napolitano's recent Hello Beautiful.

I love J. Courtney Sullivan's beautiful writing, so I was excited to get The Cliffs to read and review. This was a totally engrossing story, part a ghost story, part a story of a woman's life and her connection to an old house in the town where she grew up. It seems it has been chosen for Reese's Book Club, so I'm sure you will hear more about this title. I loved it, though, and couldn't put it down!

I was excited to be given the opportunity to read The Cliffs by J. Courtney Sullivan. I thought that being a Reese’s Book Club pick that I was surely in for a treat. But if I’m being honest, it wasn’t exactly what I was anticipating. Although the main storyline about the Victorian house on the cliffs, the story of ghosts and learning about Jane, the main character, and her life of dealing with alcoholism really appealed to me, I felt the rest of the story seemed to wander off giving way too much information that had me feeling as if I was back in school in a Social Studies/History class. A class and subject I did not excel in. There were times that I almost gave up and didn’t want to finish the book but I was really intrigued by the story of the house and that’s why I decided to carry on. I’d like to thank NetGalley for the arc that I believe I found on the Read Now section. If it wasn’t for the too in depth information, I would have enjoyed the book more and would have given it a higher rating. But because if this, I’m only giving it a 3 star rating and hope that other readers will enjoy it more.

⭐️⭐️⭐️
The Cliffs
By: J. Courtney Sullivan
Publisher: Knopf
Pub Date: 7/2/2024

It’s funny how Reese’s book club picks are either so good or so bad. It was pretty good up to about chapter 7- 40% in. This is where I started to question whether I was reading a history book or a novel. I really enjoyed Jane’s story in the beginning but it soon became packed with unnecessary information and characters whose connection to the story was limited at best. The story gets lost with blurring plot lines. The core of the story I think would have been improved without all the extras.
Thanks to Knopf, J. Courtney Sullivan and NetGalley for this galley.

Really enjoyed this book. Second book I've read by this author and will look at her earlier books. Several story lines going on here. Family relationships, history of old homes in Maine and history of Indigenous people. Sounds like a lot, but the writing was excellent and the stories compelling. I was rooting for everyone. Definitely a book to recommend to others.

I received a dARC of The Cliffs by J. Courtney Sullivan from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

This is one of my favorite books of the year. Sullivan's work explores the question of what and who is in a place before we get there. On the surface this is a story about Jane and the struggles she faces with alcoholism and its effect on the women in her family. Told through the perspectives of several women, past present and future, the story focuses on a house and piece of land on the Maine coast. Overall, Sullivan beautifully weaves mystery, history, love, friendship, and family throughout the plot.

At times, the story does seem a bit convoluted and sluggish, but it is worth it once everything comes together.

If you are a fan of historical fiction, family stories, and strong women then this is one you should absolutely read.

This was interesting. I think I will think about it for awhile. It’s kind of a different story than any I have read, about the legacies left by our families both good and bad. It’s intertwined with the historical legacies of a house and the land it’s built on. I don’t normally like when there are ghosts or supernatural elements but in this case, I thought it was a good way to portray how family history lingers and affects future generations. When the story jumped from the modern main character to the characters in the past, I wasn’t always sure how that random chapter was going to connect but they really did flesh out the book as a whole. My one complaint is that it gets bogged down occasionally in historical info dumps, but I did still learn some things about spiritualism, the Shakers and Maine history.

To me, this book was just ok. There were so many different stories, and it just seemed to drag at times. I found my attention wavering through different sections of the book.

I was really intrigued by the location and the house as if it was a character. I loved the idea of seeing and reading about the women who lived in this couple hundred year old house and all about their lives. At times it read as historical fiction, and I enjoyed some of that history-that said, it did feel a bit progressive in thought that then took away from what felt might be historically accurate.

I felt that it was a bit long, and dragged at times for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Knopf for the gifted e-arc.

The historical fiction I most value reading educates me regarding places and events and exposes me to different perspectives. J. Courtney Sullivan’s novel does just that while revealing the intertwined history of a house and multiple families, and their respective legacies.

This book would have benefited from a stronger edit in spots, in my humble opinion, where historical facts could have been better woven into the story or the tale would have been more impactful by pruning its meandering nature here and there.

That said, I am glad to have read this fascinating novel, and will seek out Sullivan’s backlist and future works.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Knopf for a complementary ARC. Opinions are my own.

A Harvard archivist, Jane Flanagan, returns after 20 years to a town in Maine that is an important part of her personal history. The story centers around a particular purple Victorian home on a cliff and the back story of its various inhabitants. Hewitt did her homework. Lots of history, including that of early European settlers, and the indigenous people who were uprooted from their land and denied their ancestral legacy. Injustice and the genocide of Native American civilization lies at the heart of this historical novel replete with the haunting of mysterious ghosts who are unable to Rest In Peace.

The story meanders and character details stop, start again only to change again. It becomes a full time job just to follow the constantly varying time frames, characters and situations. Some of it is written text book style, which felt like a college level lecture on topics such as the history of Native Americans or the Shakers. Everything in this book is interrelated, it’s just that making the connections was often such a tedious job that I lost interest. In the hodgepodge of important issues is also is the scourge of alcoholism with its effects not only on the alcoholic but also children, spouses and other relationships. Whew. Just too much digression for me.

I felt like there was more than one book in this mix. Only the kitchen sink was missing, giving the reader the task of sorting things out and putting them back together. So much research by the author became , sadly, only a two star read for me.. My thanks to NetGalley and Knopf for providing an ARC in exchange for my review. The Cliffs was published on July 2 2024. It’s possible you will enjoy it more than I did.

This book very beautifully wove the stories of different women together. But it also dove into some really interesting educational topics. I think some people might find the history and culture lectures boring but I loved them!

I would have enjoyed this book more if there was less preaching about Native rights, and more involvement of Native rights activists in the action! Jane Flanagan is an academic, and an alcoholic. She has alienated all of her supporters except for her childhood best friend and she is back in her hometown trying to scrape together a new life. Unfortunately, her new life looks just like her old one.

I was interested in Jane's personal story, but at the midpoint of the book, I just felt like there were too many strands to this story that I wasn't interested in following. Spiritualism, the Shakers, Native Rights. I felt like Sullivan was trying to tell too many stories in one book.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I was pretty apprehensive about reading this book because I’ve seen a lot of criticism of it but I was really pleasantly surprised and I really liked it a lot. I understand the elements that people disliked but I overall found the book fascinating and was able to overlook it’s faults (some of the commentary came off as very self righteous and preachy and some of the historical elements could have been tightened up.)
The Cliffs tells the story of Jane, an academic, who is at a crossroads at her life and struggling. Her mother has recently died, her marriage and career are imploding. She retreats to her childhood home in Maine where the story takes place. This book explores the history of one particular home that Jane has always been fascinated with and has an unknown family connection to. The history of the home and the stories of the different women connected to the home are really fascinating and I especially enjoyed learning a little about the indigenous history of the area.
This book is not without its flaws but ultimately is really interesting and comes together in a satisfying way. Thank you to Netgalley and Knopf for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

A story of strong women living their normal, messy, tragic lives and how they are interconnected by one beautiful cliff in Maine. A great story of how the choices we make in the face of loss can shape us and define us and what we can do to remake ourselves when the opportunities come.