This one was just okay for me. It might have been the reading mood I was in at the time though. I'll definitely give this one another go at some point. While I enjoyed some of it, the book just moved a bit slower than what I was hoping for.

TLDR:
This is a fantastic book for book clubs and a great read for fans of literary fiction and character driven books. I loved it.

Thank you Knopf for this review copy of The Cliffs. I LOVED this book and am sad it took me this long to get to a J Courtney Sullivan (an author long on my must read pile). I am so glad I got to read this book early and know this will be a top read for me this year. PRH audio also provided me a free copy of this on audio (though I mostly read this book since I had the review book earlier than the audio).

Stand outs
1. I love literary fiction and Sullivan's writing is top notch. Character driven books with strong plot, and books that make a place/house a character itself, really resonate with me. I love thrillers and romcoms but the books that always standout as top reads are books like this, ones that delve into characters, make them feel real and flawed and layered, and give them some complex challenges to explore.

2. Themes on women's lives. An early and well developed theme is how women's lives and stories often get lost to time. This is such a powerfully explored theme as underneath the themes on social class, marriage, mental health, women's lives... is the idea of not wanting to be forgotten, to leave a mark and to have had a life that matters. Sullivan offers this idea without being overtly pushing a reader to engage with this theme, making it more a subtle and nuanced theme that really stands out.

3. I loved the way Jane and Genevieve's stories developed, how Sullivan gave them both depth and backstories, challenges, that connect with many readers (issues with alcoholism, marriage/long term relationships, themes on motherhood, social class/money).

Overall I enjoyed this book but it was definitely a slow burn. Parts of this book felt a little too long and meandering for me and it took me awhile to get used to the main character Jane. However, if you stick with it there are a lot of interconnected stories themes here that reward you as they all come together. Not my favorite J. Courtney Sullivan book but still an enjoyable read!

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley & really enjoyed it! It takes place in a fictional town in southern Maine and centers on the history of a house on a cliff. But there is so much to the history of women who occupied this home over the many, many years. I love that there was so much information about the Indians who once occupied this land, their customs, beliefs, and yes, some horrible things that were done as the 'new comers' took their land. There's a lot of growing for the main character as she discovers what happened in this house, this town & within herself.
#NetGalley

The Cliffs
by J. Courtney Sullivan
Pub Date: Jul 02 2024

The Cliffs was a very interesting read, not what I'd call a thriller though. It took awhile to get into the characters and the story but after I did I was glad I stuck with it. There were a lot of stories about loss, grief and even ghosts! A lot of twists and going from the past to the present. Great history information. It's not a fast read but a worthwhile read.

Synopsis:
A novel of family, secrets, ghosts, and homecoming set on the seaside cliffs of Maine. Enthralling, richly imagined, filled with psychic mediums and charlatans, spirits and past lives, mothers, marriage, and the legacy of alcoholism, this is a deeply moving novel about the land we inhabit, the women who came before us, and the ways in which none of us will ever truly leave this earth.

Many thanks to #TheCliffs #NetGalley and #Knopf #Pantheon #Vintage and #Anchor for providing me with an E-ARC of this book.

The Cliffs is the 1st book I have read by J. Courtney Sullivan

Jane Flanagan has returned to her hometown after a scandal that has endangered her job at Harvard and her marriage to David. Jane was raised in a town in Maine by her alcoholic mother, and as often happens in familes with alcoholism, Jane too has issues. Her drinking caused her to black out at a work party and behave badly. When her mother passes away, Jane returns to her hometown to lick her wounds and prepare her mother’s house for sale. While hiding out, she meets Genevieve the wife of a wealthy Bostonian who has renovated an abandoned historical house that Jane used to explore as a teenager. The house was abandoned with all the owner’s belongings in it, as though they woke up one day and just walked away. Genevieve believes that the house is haunted and hires Jane to investigate the house’s history. Jane researches the history of the house and the women who lived and loved there with all the trials and tribulations that they endured.

Thanks to Netgalley. The publisher Knopf Pantheon and the author for the chance to read and review this book.

I really enjoyed the Native American portions of this novel, as well as the POV from Eliza and the visit with the medium/Camp Mira. I did not, however, enjoy Jane. I found myself stopping when I got to her chapters and giving myself a break.

I got more than I bargained for with this book! I thought this was going to be about an old haunted house, but it was so much more. Set on the seaside cliffs of Maine, the house has become full of secrets of days gone by.

Jane, an archivist at Harvard, grew up in the area and loved to go visit the each when it was empty and between owners. Now Jane has returned home to lick her wounds from her drunken behavior at a business event. She also faces the dismal task of getting her deceased mother’s home ready to sell.

While home, Jane meets Genevieve, the new owner of the house on the cliffs that she loved so much. Genevieve has updated the house. She thinks the house is haunted and hires Jane to research the past of the house and the land it sits on.

In the process, Jane discovers much about the history of that region of Maine, the Native Americans who lived there and much about her family and herself.

I liked most of the book, however by the end, I felt like the author tried to throw too many hot topics in the mix. I am planning to visit Maine in the future and I love knowing some of Maine’s history.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Knopf for allowing me to read an advance copy. I enjoyed the book and am happy to offer a review and recommend to other readers.

As long-time fan of J. Courtney Sullivan's novels, I had high expectations for THE CLIFFS, a story of a particular house on the Maine coastline told through the life and times of its people, from the current day all the way back to the time before Europeans stepped on shore. She blew past all those expectations with gripping characters, a keen sense of place, and brilliant plotting and pacing so I never felt like I knew what was going to happen and stayed up way too late reading. This book felt like a passion project for Sullivan, with all the research required and respect she gave to those without voices--and it delivered the passion, the power, the lasting impression on this very happy reader. I received a copy of this book and these opinions are my own, unbiased thoughts.

J. Courtney Sullivan is one of my favorite authors because of the way she weaves multiple stories together. The connections she makes between the characters often result in a gasp. She is one of the best at it. While there are plenty of connections in The Cliffs, it's a weaker book because of the many stories she attempts to tell. She's introducing new characters in the second to last chapter! If Sullivan had picked a single earlier time period to link to, this would have read better. Instead, she's linking to Native Americans (Naomi's tribe), Shakers (Eliza/Hannah), and present-day with Jane, Genevive, Marilyn, Allison, and Clementine. There were too many backstories to include for this to keep my attention and it dragged at times. I skimmed Eliza's chapter and honestly, the day trip to Clementine could have been skipped entirely. Walter going missing was also unnecessary. I do like the history lesson Sullivan gives, however, it just didn't interest or excite me.

Thanks to NetGalley for a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

As someone who has enjoyed J. Courtney Sullivan's previous novels, I was looking forward to reading THE CLIFFS. One of Sullivan's strongest skills is her ability to bring place to life and to maintain a vivid sense of place. She's also an excellent writer at the line level. The house in this novel delivers on those skills. However, the rest of the book falls rather short. The key issues seem to be the number of POVs (5, which felt like too many here), the tangential subplots, and the "lecture-y" approach to issues raised in the story. The core of the THE CLIFFS is interesting, but, unfortunately, it's muddled by too many issues and too much research.

J. Courtney Sullivan's "The Cliffs" is a multi-layered novel that delves into family secrets, historical mysteries, and personal redemption, all set against the hauntingly beautiful backdrop of Maine's seaside cliffs. While the premise is intriguing, the execution leaves a bit to be desired, making for a mixed reading experience.

The story follows Jane Flanagan, who, as a teenager, discovers an abandoned Victorian house on a secluded bluff. The house, filled with remnants of its past inhabitants, becomes a refuge for Jane, offering an escape from her turbulent home life. Fast forward twenty years, and Jane, now a Harvard archivist, returns to Maine after a professional scandal threatens her career and marriage. She finds the once-abandoned house has been transformed into a modern, sterile residence by its new owner, Genevieve, who believes the house is haunted.

Genevieve hires Jane to uncover the history of the house and its previous occupants, leading Jane on a journey through time, uncovering stories of lost loves, tragic deaths, and artistic awakenings. These discoveries are interwoven with Jane's own struggles with her past and her attempt to rebuild her life.

Sullivan's strength lies in her ability to create a vivid sense of place and her exploration of complex themes such as colonialism, the legacy of alcoholism, and the impact of historical artifacts. The novel is rich with historical detail, and the intertwining stories of the house's inhabitants provide depth and intrigue.

However, the novel's pacing can be slow, and the multiple narrative threads sometimes feel disjointed. The transitions between the past and present are not always seamless, making it difficult to stay fully engaged with the story. Additionally, while Jane's character is well-developed, her personal struggles and interactions can come off as preachy and self-righteous, detracting from the overall narrative.

"The Cliffs" is an ambitious novel that tackles significant themes and offers moments of genuine poignancy and reflection. Still, its meandering plot and occasional lack of focus prevent it from being as compelling as Sullivan's previous works. Fans of historical fiction and multi-generational family sagas may find much to appreciate, but others might find it a bit of a slog.

Overall, "The Cliffs" is a solid but uneven read that will appeal to those interested in the interplay between history and personal identity, even if it falls short of its full potential.

4.5 for J. Courtney Sullivan's latest epic. This story has 5 POVs, however, it is mostly told from Jane's perspective. Jane Flanagan has been visiting an abandoned Victorian home that sits on a bluff overlooking the ocean in her small hometown in Maine since she was a girl. She discovered the house by accident and it becomes a respite from her volatile mother.
Fast-forward 20 years and Jane is back in her hometown, having just imploded her career and her marriage. Jane is trying to overcome her demons and sell the small cottage that her mother once lived in, having since passed away. The Victorian becomes a source of income and curiosity once again when the new owner hires Jane to find out the history of the home. You get 4 other POVs from women connected to the home and its history.
This is a fascinating look at family, alcoholism, spiritualism, and Native American history. The writing is beautiful and the story is thought-provoking.

*Special thanks to NetGalley and Knopf for this e-arc.*

I loved this book! At first it took a minute for me to get used to the back and forth and jumping around of different perspectives and times. But as the book went along and the threads started to tie together, it just felt like such a rich and layered story. I really liked and felt for the main character Jane, and the book ended in a good place. I read the sub plot about indigenous people the same day I visited a museum with an exhibit by indigenous people. It is inspirational.

I think the focus of the Cliffs is too scattered as the plot is all over the place. The topics range from alcoholism and its genetic factor, ghosts, mediums, Native American culture, digging up graves and Maine legends to name a few. Besides sometimes being given too much information about the history of certain topics, I felt I was being lectured and not in a good way. As a work of fiction this does not meld well.
The cover is beautiful and from the synopsis I expected a different book from the one I read.

This story has multiple POVs, and I found it rather long and drawn out at times. It took me a while to finish it. There were interesting parts that gave us a glimpse into the past for indigenous people and their history, tragedy, loss at sea, alcoholism and its consequences, ghosts, secrets, and more.

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

I was expecting a certain type of book (more along the line of the author's Maine) and got another one heavy on ghosts. Which is fine, but not my favorite by any means. The one in my mind was a better fit for me LOL. Thanks to Netgalley for the free advanced copy in exchange for an honest review. Book publishes July 2

As a big fan of J. Courtney Sullivan I expected #TheCliffs to be a good novel, but it delivered so much more. Well-written, as usual, this book was a bit of a divergence from her past novels in terms of its diversity and the wide reach of researched topics: array of relationships (familial, social, professional) and how difficult they can be to maintain and repair.

A storied Victorian house, cliffside, overlooking the sea and its cultural and even supernatural legacies. The cultural appropriation and mistreatment of the indigenous Native American population in New England -- their families, art, practices, and the disregard for their well-being. Included also is a spooky air of mysticism and the supernatural. Finally, the generational trauma of alcoholism and how the cast of characters turn heartbreak and challenge into opportunities to grow, thrive, and help others to do the same.

Jane Flanagan is one of Sullivan's most memorable characters yet. Her long friendship to Allison, a sister-like connection whose family served as a second home for Jane and Allison's mother, Betty, who's lost her own legacy and bearings due to dementia. The unfairness of life despite its enormous beauty. Motherhood, second chances, and so much history - of time and place, people and populations,

I absolutely loved this novel and thank the author, the publisher (Knopf) and #NetGalley for the opportunity to read it for an honest review. Cannot get enough of this writer and she really hit it out of the park with The Cliffs. Her pages of acknowledgements show the depth and width of research invested in it's years of writing -- a real pleasure to read. This one will stay with me for a long, long time.

Billed as a "novel of family, secrets, ghosts, and homecoming" on Maine's seaside cliffs. Jane Flanagan, who grew up in town, returns. A Harvard archivist, who screwed up both career and marriage [no more reveal]. She meets Genevieve [a summer resident], the new owner of the Victorian house she's been obsesssed with since her teenage years, who hires her to look into the history of the house.

Too long and meanders all over the place, I kept thinking--what?! Plus not liking any of the characters dampened my interest. Vear into alcoholism, toxic family relationships, spiritualists, suffragettes, Shakers , Native Americans, and lesbians--seriously needs tightening/and elmination of subplots.! One positive--an enduring friendship--Jane and her childhood friend, Allison.

Siimplistic and easty to read but never really grabbed me save for the story of Eliza--a short moment,

Disappointed.

The lives of the many people connected to a house on the coast of Maine.

In the small coastal town of Awadapquit, Maine, a girl named Jane lives in her late grandmother’s cottage with her mother, an alcoholic who tries to earn a living buying things at flea markets and selling them at a profit, and her older sister Holly who also drinks too much and has a police record. Jane had always felt closest to her grandmother, a hardworking and devoutly religious woman who encouraged Jane’s love of reading. Her best friend Allison and Allison’s family provide her with some measure of stability, and she is determined that she will succeed in life, rising above her family’s circumstances. She develops a fixation on a beautiful but rundown house on a cliff on the outskirts of town….it is abandoned but Jane spends a lot of time on the grounds, reading novels and imagining the stories of those who lived there. Teachers at her school notice her intelligence and potential, and through the efforts of many she goes on to study at Wesleyan and later Yale, and by the early 2000’s she is working at Harvard’s Schlesinger Library with her boss and now good friend Melissa who introduces her to the man she will marry, David. Ten years later Jane has moved back to Awadapquit, ostensibly to help Holly pack up their mother’s house and ready it to go on the marker but really because her life has imploded. She has been suspended from her job and her marriage is on the rocks after her scandalous behavior at an important work-related party. Her drinking has been problematic through the years, although she has covered up the extent of her addiction better than many and David has tolerated many earlier episodes. Jane feels shame and remorse, but she may not have hit rock bottom quite yet. While living there, she meets a wealthy woman named Genevieve who with her husband Paul has bought the house that entranced Jane so many years ago. In the process of rehabbing the house, Genevieve has made many changes and also done something shocking about which only a workman and his helper are aware, and which she suspects is the reason that a spirit seems to live in the house. Hoping that she can find a way to make peace but without giving any unflattering details, Genevieve asks Jane to research the history of the house and its inhabitants. Although Jane doesn’t much care for Genevieve (and Allison loathes her) Jane is happy for a project to distract her from her personal problems. She will learn about Hannah Littleton, for whom the house was built and who lost her husband at sea, and Eliza her maid; the Troy sisters who, after the fiancé of one of the sisters disappears, take in boarders to earn an income; and Marilyn, an artist who lived in the house with her husband Herbert until a dreadful tragedy drove them apart and away from the house that held too many memories. A medium, the unpleasant history of Native Americans in this corner of the country, Shaker communities, and more are woven into the intersecting stories of these women.
The Cliffs is a well-researched and beautifully told tale of the loves, losses, sacrifices and resilience of flawed women. While it is Jane who is at the center of the novel, her research into and her own unknown family ties to the house of the cliff lead to the discovery of the other women who had a connection to the house and in many cases were dealt a blow that disrupted their life. Author J. Courtney Smith approaches the familial history of addiction and its impact through the generations with care, and focuses on relating the history of this place through those whose lives were seldom documented yet merit being told. Readers who enjoy authors like Anne Tyler, Julia Glass and Anna Quindlen (as well as the author’s own previous works) should add this story of family, lost history and often shameful secrets to their list of books to read this summer. Many thanks to NetGalley and Knopf Books for allowing me early access to this beautifully rendered novel.