3.5⭐

A long book that meanders along. A house on a cliff ties different women together. Jane is an Archivist that has been asked to go on personal leave due to an incident. During this time she goes back to her hometown. Her mother has just died and she needs to get the house ready to sell. While there, she meets Genevieve, who bought the house on the cliff. Genevieve asks her to do the history of the house for her.

Woman literature with mystery, historical fiction and drama is what you will find when you read 'The Cliffs'. I enjoyed the story, though it is a long book. My problem with it was it kind of meanders around from one thing to the next. All the main women in the book have been involved somehow with the house. I feel the house is the main character more than Jane was, but that's just my opinion.

Tentative publishing date July 2, 2024

Thanks to Netgalley, Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage and Anchor Publishers, and J. Courtney Sullivan for the E-ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

#netgalley #knopf #kbopfpatheonvintageanchor #jcourtneysullivan #thecliffs #arc #readmytbr #readaway2024

An ambitious book about generations of women, and generational trauma. I liked the main story; however, I thought Sullivan tried to tackle too many issues. Still, I flew through it.

Thank you to the publisher for an early release copy of The Cliffs. I really enjoyed this book - the characters were interesting and the story was well plotted. There were multiple story lines and timelines and Sullivan did a good job of keeping them straight. It is a story where not everything is as it seems and not everything gets tied up in a bow at the end which I can appreciate. I recommend this highly.

Such an interesting book. Learned a great deal about the early Shakers, their beliefs and how they lived. Also, learned about the indigenous native Americans who lived in what would become Maine/New Hampshire. The modern day people were fully developed and I cared about them. This was the first time I read a book by this author and was surprised and gratified by how much I liked it. A good choice.

Review of The Cliffs by J. Courtney Sullivan 07-13-24

The Cliffs by J. Courtney is a beautifully written tale of family, alcoholism, indigenous people/reparation, ghosts and the old house on the Cliffs. Jane loses her prestigious archivist career at Harvard, her mother and her husband. This is a historical ghost story with present day humans trying to survive life on the stunning coast of Maine. Newcomer to the area, Geneveive buys the old house on the cliff which brings painful and important memories to Jane as she tries to rebuild her life. With multiple timelines, Sullivan brings to life the history of those who first lived and died on the Cliffs and the home and the families who built and transformed it.
Thanks so much to NetGalley and Knopf for the eARC and the opportunity to read and review The Cliffs by J. Courtney Sullivan.
#NetGalley, #Knopf, #JCourtneySullivan, #HistoricalFiction, #Gothic, #Indigenous Repatriation, #Family, #Alcoholism, #Mystery
5 Stars- Pub.Date: 07-02-24

New from J. Courtney Sullivan is The Cliffs, a story centering on a family in Maine. This is not suspenseful or a thriller but more of a drama with a lot of history. The author is a great writer. I enjoy her work immensely. Fans of J. Courtney will not be disappointed.

The setting of Maine, chef’s kiss! A beautiful place.

On a secluded bluff overlooking the ocean sits a Victorian house, lavender with gingerbread trim, a home that contains a century’s worth of secrets. By the time Jane Flanagan discovers the house as a teenager, it has long been abandoned. The place is an irresistible mystery to Jane. There are still clothes in the closets, marbles rolling across the floors, and dishes in the cupboards, even though no one has set foot there in decades. The house becomes a hideaway for Jane, a place to escape her volatile mother.

Twenty years later, now a Harvard archivist, she returns home to Maine following a terrible mistake that threatens both her career and her marriage. Jane is horrified to find the Victorian is now barely recognizable. The new owner, Genevieve, a summer person from Beacon Hill, has gutted it, transforming the house into a glossy white monstrosity straight out of a shelter magazine. Strangely, Genevieve is convinced that the house is haunted — perhaps the product of something troubling Genevieve herself has done. She hires Jane to research the history of the place and the women who lived there. The story Jane uncovers — of lovers lost at sea, romantic longing, shattering loss, artistic awakening, historical artifacts stolen and sold, and the long shadow of colonialism — is even older than Maine itself.

The Cliffs, the latest from author J. Courtney Sullivan, takes place in a small town in Maine with a lot of history. The novel centers around Jane, a smart but troubled woman with an alcoholic mother. The novel also centers around a house on the cliffs and in time, we learn of its connection to Jane.

I really enjoyed how the novel leapt back in time, twice, and told the aspects of those periods in a single part, not moving back and forth with each chapter, as so many novels do. It was a different approach that worked well. For me, it highlighted how there are so many lost stories of those who came before us. Or if not lost, then not always accurate. I look forward to reading more of Sullivan’s novels.

Thanks to the author, NetGalley and Knopf for the opportunity to read and review this digital ARC.

Certain house evoke emotions and connections that can be unexplainable. Jane feels this way about an old Victorian house that had been abandoned as if its occupants simply disappeared. Unfortunately, Jane is mortified when she learns the house has been bought and completely renovated to the point of being unrecognizable. The new owner seek out Jane to research the house when mysterious happenings occur. The search not only leads Jane diving into the house’s history and its prior inhabitants, it also leads her searching within herself and her family. This story of a house and its history asks me, does a house retain the life of its previous inhabitants, or is a house just a house. Personally, I hope it’s the former.

I enjoyed many aspects of this story which centers around an old Victorian house sitting high above the ocean in Maine. It was a refuge for the main protagonist Jane during her turbulent childhood living with an alcoholic mother. Jane, now working as an archivist at Harvard, has returned to her hometown to regroup after an embarrassing episode at an office party.

The characters who are connected to the house throughout the centuries are all entwined and I especially enjoyed Eliza’s story, who served as a maid in the house at one time. However I felt that much of the book read like a college lecture. While this book wasn’t for me, readers who are interested in historical fiction and especially the brutal treatment of Native Americans will appreciate this story.

The Cliffs by J. Courtney Sullivan completely enraptured me! This story has it all, a beautiful house on the cliffs of Maine overlooking the ocean, ghosts, mediums, the history of the Indigenous people of that area (in the book it is Awadapquit), and so many indelibly descriptive characters, so much so that I feel like I know them. This is a totally engulfing book. Beautifully written and easy to read, it moved me so much. I loved reading about the Shakers and all the local history and history that is important to this country. " Epigenetics - the newish field of study that states the effects of mass trauma - slavery, genocide, colonialism - passes down from one generation to the next at the cellular level" features strongly in this book.
Thank you to Ms. Sullivan for the reeducation of the true American history in the Northeastern part of the country.

I’m a big fan of J Courtney Sullivan and I really liked this book. Her characters are always really interesting and she has a great way of giving the story a sense of place. I love that an old house play a huge roll on in the story and loved the history aspect of it.

Shortly after her mother's death Harvard archivist Jane Flanagan spectacularly blows up her life during a drunken episode at a work event. Jane returns to her small, coastal hometown of Awadapquit, Maine ostensibly to ready her mother's cluttered home for sale, but also riding out a suspension from her job and her marriage and struggling with spiraling alcoholism. While there she becomes embroiled in untangling a mystery involving a local historic Victorian mansion which has always fascinated her.

The Cliffs is an intriguing blend of family saga and well-researched historical fiction with gothic elements that crosses centuries, generations, and astral planes. Yes, this story has a hint of ghosts about it, but it's not a ghost story, an important distinction, I think. Even as a fan of J.Courtney Sullivan's previous novels I was surprised by just how much I enjoyed this one. I loved the summery coastal Maine setting and following a place across time, hearing familiar echoes across generations of women. The Cliffs is about history, heritage, and cycles, it's about honoring and healing, resilience and hope, and the importance of understanding where we've come from in order to progress.

This book covered a lot of issues including family, alcoholism, Indigenous people/repatriation, race, sexual discrimination, social justice, historical homes. The author's research was evident in the long chapters devoted to the Shakers, the history of the indigenous people along the coast, the spiritual colony established on an island, and frankly, it felt like a course on the history of Maine, which was boring and only marginally related to the story. I think that a lot of it should have been edited out as the depth of these subjects bogged down the story.
The story was interesting although the disjointed ever changing timeline made it confusing. The prime focus/character of the novel was an abandoned house on the south coast of Maine overlooking some cliffs, which harbored family secrets, and the ghosts of various people who lived there since it was built on the 1600s. The author drew vivid pictures of the beautiful coast, the ocean, the characters and the nearby resort town.
The main character ,Jane came from a broken family where her mother was a hoarder and an alcoholic, her sister was also an alcoholic and so was Jane. Jane attempted to break out of the cycle and obtained a PhD in history which lead her to employment at a Harvard Library as an archivist. However, one night at an event sponsored by the library, Jane had a lot too much to drink and behaved in a manner that got her put on leave from her job. At the same time, David, her husband, saw pictures of Jane with another man...and bowed out of their marriage while remembering the same thing happening with his first wife. Jane was drawn again to the house and it's new inhabitants and was asked to research the history of the house for the new owners. This lead to several adventures which introduced us to some interesting characters.
I would have rated this 3* but the depth of research into the history of Maine, the Shakers etc, although not entirely related to the story was a worthy effort and worth another star

No doubt about it, J. Courtney Sullivan is one of my very favorite authors. I’ve been excited to read her latest, THE CLIFFS since devouring her last novel, FRIENDS AND STRANGERS. I hugged that book after finishing because I loved it so much. If you haven’t read it yet, please do.

THE CLIFFS truly has something for every reader. This novel is jam-packed, book friends! There’s history, mystery, family drama, and even ghosts!!! Eeek! An old abandoned home is the true star of this novel and a big focus, but the scope goes WAY beyond that. History buffs will appreciate this story because it has SO much. It’s full of family history, Maine history, and Indigenous history throughout.

READ THIS IF YOU ENJOY:

- Old, historic, and abandoned homes
- Coastal Maine setting
- Multiple POVs
- Spooky ghost stories
- Mediums and psychics
- Reflections on alcoholism and addiction
- Historical fiction
- Mystery and suspense
- Indigenous stories and history
- Complex female characters
- Mother-daughter relationships
- Family drama, dynamics, and secrets

The talent that Sullivan displays in this novel is extraordinary. The layers, depth, and complexities present are truly inspiring and admirable. You can certainly tell that she did her research, and put her heart and soul into this story. It also shows her range and growth as an author. THE CLIFFS felt a lot different compared to some of her previous novels, which are very character-driven. The plot was steady and branched out into multiple directions that all intertwined for a satisfying and flawless conclusion.

THE CLIFFS is out now, and it gets 4/5 stars from me! It’s also Reese’s book club pick for July!

4.5⭐

Jane Flanagan grew up in the small coastal town of Awadapquit, Maine. Her home life wasn’t a happy one, being raised by an alcoholic mother and Jane’s sister getting into enough trouble on her own. Jane’s safe place was a deserted old Victorian house situated on the cliff, where she would spend her free time. Jane eventually moves away to college and goes on to become an archivist at Harvard. Almost twenty years later, after her mother’s death triggers a downward spiral, with Jane indulging in destructive old habits that jeopardize her marriage and her career, Jane returns to her hometown. As she clears her mother’s house before putting it up for sale, she struggles to get a grip on her life. Coincidentally, she meets Genevieve Richards, the wealthy woman whose family has purchased the house on the cliff and is in the process of giving it a massive makeover. A few strange occurrences lead Genevieve to believe that the house might be haunted. and she engages Jane’s assistance to research the history of the house. As Jane embarks on her quest to unearth the history of the house and the land on which it rests, she discovers much more than she had expected - the legacy of tragedy, loss, and heartbreak that upended the lives of its previous owners - compelling her to take stock of her own life and confront her own painful past.

The Cliffs by J. Courtney Sullivan is an exceptionally well-written novel that blends family drama, historical fiction, gothic elements, mysticism and spiritualism and an element of mystery into an immersive narrative shared from multiple perspectives across multiple timelines spanning centuries and featuring a cast of strong female characters.

Each of these characters is well fleshed out and what connects their stories is the house and the land on which it rests. The novel revolves around themes of generational trauma, alcoholism, family secrets, motherhood, loss, grief and healing, as well as Native American history and colonialism. With so many perspectives and themes, it is to be expected that some threads of the narrative are more deeply explored than others. Though I could sympathize with Jane and her struggles, I did question her choices and thought that occasionally her behavior was a tad immature for a thirty-nine-year-old, but also appreciated how she was inspired to effect change in her life.

The novel emphasizes the importance of history and legacy and how important it is to preserve the stories of those who came before us. I loved the rich history of the house and wish that we had spent more time in the past timelines. The stories of the women who lived in the house were in turn inspiring, poignant and heartbreaking. The author incorporates in-depth segments on Native American culture and repatriation, the history of settler colonialism in Maine and the Wabanaki Nations, and the Shaker movement into the narrative. I found these sections extremely informative and I commend the author for the meticulous research that went into crafting this novel. I should mention that the inclusion of these segments did render the novel a tad lengthy and disjointed and slowed down the pace of the narrative, but this did not detract from my overall reading experience.

This is a complex novel meant to be read with time and patience. Overall, I found it to be a rewarding read and well worth the time and effort.

This was my first time reading J. Courtney Sullivan and I’m eager to explore more of the author’s work.

Many thanks to Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor for the digital review copy via NetGalley. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

I devoured this book! I loved the story, the characters, the past and present timelines, and most of all, I loved learning about the indigenous people in Maine and their culture. This female-centered story will stay with me for a long time, and I will be recommending The Cliffs to everyone. Thanks to NetGalley and Knopf for the opportunity to read and review the digital ARC.

The Cliffs takes us through a few characters POV with their relationship to the cliffs but mostly follows Jane who comes back to Maine after she separates from her husband and needs to take care of her deceased mothers belongings. When she was a girl she would go to the cliffs and sit by the violet victorian house as her safe space. Out of towners decide to buy the house and want to know who lived there before because her son was seeing ghosts.

In the book J. Courtney explored a few cultures expanded on centuries and the history behind the writing was well thought out but at times I felt like there were too many themes going on at once. Thanks Netgalley and Knopf for the advanced copy!

Jane grew up near, and has always been mystified, by a strange house on the cliffs in coastal Maine. When she comes back to her hometown as an adult, she learns that it has been completely renovated by a rich woman. But the woman thinks there are ghosts in the house and would like Jane to help her research the house, and the women who have lived there's, history. As Jane is now jobless and her marriage is on the rocks due to her excessive drinking and erratic behavior, she has nothing but time and the interest in history to find out more about the haunted house on the cliff.

I have loved all of Sullivan's books, so this one was highly anticipated for me. But then Reese picked it as her book club for July, and I should have known (her books have not been hits for me; we clearly don't have overlapping taste lately).

This book was a mess. I was interested in the themes of the history of a place and in particular the Womens' history and reparations, but the way this is executed in the book was all wrong. It jumped around in character perspective and time and had a large cast, so it was hard to keep straight when and where you were. There was not a single happy person, it was not really a ghost story at all, and I strongly disliked the unearned ending. I just didn't like this book. It was also really slow paced and on the longer side, so this book weighed me down for almost an entire week. I wish I had better things to say about this, but unfortunately this one really missed the mark for me.

Thank you to Netgalley for the advance copy for review.

3.5 Stars

If houses could talk, the stories this one would tell. The beginning started off strong, a child sees a ghost in a newly renovated Maine house on a cliff. From there it veers into quite a few different directions. The writing was top notch, but there was just too many stories going on. As a lover of historical fiction, I did enjoy the history of the Indigenous people and the Shakers, but after a while, it felt like I was reading a text book. There were quite a few timelines going on, with numerous characters and drama. I really couldn’t connect with the Jane, the main character, she came across as having a high opinion of herself, even as she hit rock bottom, although I would love her job as a archivist. The other characters seemed one dimensional, lacking depth. While the stories come together in the end, I found it left me unfulfilled. I cannot imagine the amount of research that went into this book. For me, the long chapters added to the slow pace of my read. I do look forward to reading this author again.

My thanks to Knoft Publishing and NetGalley for this ARC. This is my honest opinion.

I absolutely loved Commencement, Maine and The Engagements and was really looking forward to The Cliffs. Unfortunately, The Cliffs was not a winner for me the way some of Sullivan's previous works were. With information overload that felt all too textbook and dual storylines that felt disjointed, this was a struggle for me. I hope Sullivan's next book is a better fit for me.