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.

Thank you to Knopf for the free ARC via Netgalley an exchange for a review! This is out tomorrow.

Jane Flanagan grew up in the small, coastal Maine town in the midst of her family dysfunction and mother’s alcoholism. As a teenage, Jane escaped to a beautiful abandoned Victorian home on the cliffs. 20 years later, Jane is an archivist for Harvard. After an embarrassing evening fueled my alcohol that srrains both her work relationships and her marriage, she head back to her hometown to sober up and pack up her deceased mothers home. She runs into Genevieve, the new owner of the Victorian, who hires Jane to research the history of the home. Jane soon uncovers the mysterious legacy of the home and its formal owners, and why the home might possibly be haunted.

I ended up DNFing st 36% in. Going into it, I read coastal Maine town, mystery, haunted and thought this would grab me right away. Unfortunately, I just could not get into the story. There were periods where it would go into detail of Jane’s work as an archivist or the research she was doing and it felt like I was reading a textbook - dry and kind of preachy. The nitty gritty of the research and the constant name dropping of literary men and women I had never heard of also got old. At this point in the book I feel like it should have picked up but there was SO much backstory (that I frankly found boring) and it didn’t make me invested in Jane’s character at all. This will be a book that will be interested in many people, but I am not one of them.

The Cliffs by J. Courtney Sullivan was truly an engaging story.
Extremely well-written and characters are all fleshed out.
This book exceeded my expectations; it was both atmospheric and heartwarming, and the characters were so loveably flawed in their own individual ways. I was totally engaged throughout.

Thank You NetGalley and Knopf for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

I totally enjoyed this book. The mystery - the history and even the family drama all woven through.

I really like how the ending chapters tied up all the loose ends
.

3.5 stars rounded up. I've read all of J. Courtney Sullivan's books so far and I have to say this was my least favorite one.

The writing's great, as usual. The characters were interesting in a realistic way. There isn't much of a plot, but that's okay. The characterizations make up for that - for the most part.

This book was just so slow. I found myself skimming large chunks of it, mainly the historical ones. I was a lot more interested in the present day plot.

All in all, I'd say this was still a worthwhile read and J. Courtney Sullivan remains one of my must read authors.

I read an ARC of this book from NetGalley. All comments are my own.

I always find stories fascinating when there are strange coincidences with deceased relatives or friends. In The Cliffs, stories of different women are intertwined when one of them buys an old home on a cliff in Maine and her son is convinced a ghost of a little girl is in the house. The other women are local residents who have connections to the house and each other. This book was stunning, for lack of a better term. One of my favorite authors continues to amaze me with her ability to paint a whole picture and use words together that I never dreamed would sound so poetic and capture a scene, add depth to characters and describe emotions so perfectly. I loved how details were slowly revealed so my impressions of characters were created first based on the information then provided and then the truth was revealed. There is a historic component to the book that got a little too academic (and long!) for me reading poolside at a hotel over the weekend but the way it played out and came together so was interesting and it did help to explain everything.

I really enjoyed several of this author's other novels, so I was expecting to like this book more than I actually did. A lot of ground is covered in this story. It definitely holds a lot of good information and research, but the storyline weaves in and out and it all seemed somewhat complex and convoluted to me. I liked parts of the story, but not enough to keep me interested or engaged. I hope that others may find this book more appealing.

My sincere thanks to NetGalley and Knopf Publishing for providing me with a DRC of this novel in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

The Cliffs follows the story of one house on a cliff in Maine that the main character Jane becomes obsessed with learning more about because throughout high school and college, she explores this abandoned home. One day she comes home and goes to visit the home and a new family has moved in and is changing so much about the historic Victorian and the story takes off from there.

At first this story felt a little slow for me but at about the 30% mark, I became really invested in the characters and their connections. The story of family secrets and family/generational trauma passed from one generation to another had me hooked. I was interested in both the modern day timeline and the various historical timelines and how they tie together.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

The bones of this book are really good! The title is misleading because the main character is actually the house on the cliffs, its history, and the people who have interacted with it. The main human character, Jane, is a women's history curator, and I really liked how that was mirrored in the variety of points of view that were all female. It gave empowerment to their stories in the way that Jane's job was to find the lost stories of women in history. What I didn't like were the long meandering lectures about various social justice causes. Yes, I am a supporter, but every time the plot gained some traction, the book diverted to one of these lecture tangents and it distracted from any engagement with the story and characters. I feel like a good strong editor could have helped weed some of that out and streamlined it so the reader didn't feel like they were being scolded, because at the heart of it, this was a really strong and interesting story.