Stopped at 37%
Although the premise sounded intriguing, the history lessons within left me bored. Although I do enjoy historical fiction, this book was not that. I don't know how to classify this book and in reality, I don't care enough to finish it to try to classify it.

Jane Flanagan was drawn to a secluded house on the cliffs in May in high school. There, she found solitude and respite from her difficult mother. Fast forward twenty years and Jane finds herself in Main once again amidst marriage and job issues. She meets Genevieve, the current owner of her beloved house. Sadly, Genevieve does not appreciate the history of the home, and her renovations leave the house whitewashed with charm. Genevieve hires Jane to find out the history of the house and the women who lived there. The story unfolds as Jane finds out information about the lives of the previous inhabitants, the native Americans who once owned the land, and even better understands her own family's history.

This novel is a family drama, addiction, marriage, and friendships. Once again, J. Courtney Sullivan draws a rich portrait of life in Maine. I highly recommend it! Thank you for the advanced reader copy!

Courtney J Sullivan writes the kind of summer reads that I absolutely love. They're not cheesy or over the top, but easy to get absolutely lost in. It also helps that I'm from Maine, and she nails the setting time after time. This is at the top of my list for meatier beach reads to recommend to friends this summer!

I loved this book! There was a well-developed main character that was an archivist (be still my heart!), a novel steeped in that character's great love of history, especially women's history. I was surprised how much I learned from and appreciated about this novel and would recommend it to so many people.

Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to read and review The Cliffs. This is a new author for me. I’m sorry but this book as not for me. It wasn’t a horrible story but I’m just not in to ghost type stories. It seemed very long and to meander and didn’t flow well in my opinion. There was a lot going on in this book from alcoholism, ghosts, loss p, mystery and a whole lot more. It was very hard to hold my interest and was a struggle for me to finish.

Old houses have always fascinated me so I absolutely loved the concept of this book! The interwoven narratives across time clearly made it a huge undertaking, and one that was masterfully and respectfully done. The amount of care and research that went into writing this book is apparent, especially when juggling sensitive topics like the indigenous people of Maine and their place in history.

Some reviews have said the book was a bit long and meandering. I'd agree that it did take longer for me to read than I expected for a book that I was excited to pick up, but that's a minor nit and doesn't take away much from the book for me.

Very excited to add a third from J. Courtney Sullivan to my favorites shelf!

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review!

J. Courtney Sullivan is an instant pick author for me so I dove into this story not knowing the synopsis. What I thought was going to be story about a haunted house and a singular family delved into the rich history of the home, spiritualism, Maine's Native American population, and female relationships. Living in NH, I was fascinated by the history of Native Americans living in the Northeast. I have also read The In-Betweens and seeing Camp Mira (Etna) in another book made me sequel with delight. While long and meandering at times, this story does neatly come back to the connecting piece of the home.

BOOK REPORT
Received a complimentary copy of The Cliffs by J. Courtney Sullivan from Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor|Knopf /NetGalley, for which I am appreciative, in exchange for a fair and honest review. Scroll past the BOOK REPORT section for a cut-and-paste of the DESCRIPTION of it from them if you want to read my thoughts on the book in the context of that summary.

Yawn.

When oh when will I learn that just because something is on a New York Times bestseller list that I will not necessarily enjoy it?

This book was preachy and pedantic and had a wildly unlikeable main protagonist. Shame on me for not looking to see if I’d already read anything else by this author.

I had, and I gave that book 2 stars. So, note to Future Kristi: Do not read anything else by J. Courtney Sullivan, no matter much you might be tempted to do so because you have lovely memories of a 25th wedding anniversary trip to Maine.

DESCRIPTION
A novel of family, secrets, ghosts, and homecoming set on the seaside cliffs of Maine, by the New York Times best-selling author of Friends and Strangers

“A stunning achievement, and J. Courtney Sullivan’s best book yet. Sullivan weaves a narrative that’s fascinating and thought-provoking. I literally could not put this book down.”
—Ann Napolitano, New York Times best-selling author of Hello Beautiful

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.

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.

I'm a big fan of J. Courtney Sullivan, so I was very excited to be able to read an advance copy of her newest book, The Cliffs. This story did not disappoint. The reader meets a group of people, one at a time throughout the book, who end up all connected to a piece of land in a small town in Maine, and often connected to each other in surprising ways. Jane Flanagan arrives in her hometown to settle her mother's estate and escape from the consequences of some bad decisions. She is a historian by trade and is quickly drawn to the history of the area going back to when the area was as yet 'undiscovered' by the British. Genevieve is a mother and wealthy socialite from Boston who buys a house to renovate in the hopes the project will bring her the peace and belonging she is searching for. Marilyn was a successful artist who lived in town for a time and left after heartbreak. Eliza is a girl who was raised by the Shakers and when she came of age left them and her sister to experience life outside their community. She finds a job helping Hannah, who has experienced her own heartbreak. Naomi is a member of the Penobscot Nation who is passionate about telling the story of the indigenous people of the area. All of these women are interconnected, and tell a story that is a page-turner. I was left thinking about how perhaps land and places DO remember what has happened there, about how women often support other women in the most consistent and true manor (the saying "A rising tide lifts all boats" comes to mind), and more. This was a great read and would be a wonderful book club pick as it is very discussable. Note to readers - a postit note handy to jot down characters or sketch a character map is helpful with this book, as you will want to remember who they are.
Many thanks to Netgalley for this advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

Jane Flanagan, grew up in a small town in Maine with her sister, Holly and drunk of a mother. Jane flees back to Maine after her own mistakes with alcohol cause her to lose her job as a Harvard archivist and her marriage to David. Growing up, there was a purple Victorian house on a cliff that sat abandoned for years where Jane would go to seek solace and peace from her homelife. It was partially this house that helped Jane become an archivist and learn to want to understand and preserve history. When the new owner of the Victorian reaches out to Jane to help learn about some of its previous occupants, Jane is glad to have a project other than her current family endeavor. Jane is clearing out her Mother’s home after she passes and learning about her family history.

First, let me say parts of this book, I was eager to read and find out more. Other parts of this book dragged on and I was skimming the chapter just to finish it. The Victorian house and its occupants play a central role in this book and I do like how it links the stories of characters both past and present together. However, parts of this book felt like I was reading a history book rather than a fiction book and while I can appreciate some history, it was a bit much. I got frustrated with the main character, Jane and her alcoholism. I realize the family history of alcoholism played a recurring theme of this book but a part of me just wanted to slap some sense into the character. The book felt a bit choppy with different themes running through it – family alcoholism and the price one pays for it, psychics and ghosts, lesbians in the Victorian age, the undervaluing of women, the price children pay for bad home lives. Overall, it was an okay read for me.

Intrigued by the synopsis of this book, I was eager to dive in, and I was not disappointed like is possible when a book's summary does not match up to the actual story. Weaving together intricately the history of indigenous people in Maine across generations through the story of a house, J. Courtney Sullivan delivers a well-researched and poignant story of loss yet also the opportunity to honor the past. Much of the book is told through the present through a woman named Jane who is a librarian facing a personal crisis that brings her back to her hometown in Maine and allows her to apply her research skills to her local town. While I thought that Jane's story took away from the larger narrative honoring the history of the past and the experience of indigenous people, I did like the multiple perspectives offered through time in the book through the different voices of women, though!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

“The Cliffs” by J. Courtney Sullivan
So many Untold Stories
Yes, I loved this story. It did take me a bit to appreciate how the stories within this book are woven together. Everyone has a story… most everyone’s story is never written. My heart broke many times while I navigated the stories within this story. I remembered that history is written by those who claim to be the victors. I need to read this story again after I have let it ferment in my brain for awhile.
Oh, and you may find the author’s acknowledgments will give you a few more pauses to appreciate this book, and to think.

I really wanted to like this, but it was just didactic and predictable and, honestly, kind of annoying.


Review copy provided by publisher.

This was initially hard to get into and there was a LOT of detail/background information but I forged on and it allll made sense. This ended up being so soooo good! I loved the history, all the back stories and how it was all connected - I really felt like the characters and stories were real, I will be thinking of this one for a long time. I wish the follow up of Daisy had been a bit more in depth, it would have been great to read her mother receiving the message, and to see if Jane ever connected with Celementine again about what she saw now that the message was delivered, that seemed to be the most driving force of the book and it slowly just tapered off. Other than that highly enjoyable and will def. be recommending!

This book was so well done. It is a tale of women throughout time in a very small town on the water in Maine. The story begins with a woman named Jane, and we meet Jane through the lens of her infatuation with a house on a cliff in the little town where she lives. Through the vehicle of the house, we meet people from the recent past, distant past, and the future. The story discusses so many interesting topics - colonialism, feminism, women's burdens, and so much more. The characters were so richly written that I felt as though I truly knew them. Not especially a fast read, but an in-depth and beautiful tale that I was happy to stay with an read for as long as it took. I would HIGHLY recommend this book.

This ebook was provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

📚 The Cliffs
✍ J. Courtney Sullivan
📖 Women's Fiction/Historical Fiction
⭐3/5

🙏 Thank you to Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor Publishing, NetGalley and J. Courtney Sullivan for the advanced copy of The Cliffs. All opinions are my own.
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🎯 What I loved: This was my second book set in Maine and focused on indigenous peoples in less than a month and I'm officially hooked on the topic. The Cliffs was a fascinating study in public memory and the way we preserve objects, stories and traditions and it shed light on so many ways that women are the keepers of history but not the faces of it. For anyone looking for a story centered around place but with intricately woven narratives that detail the devastating events of generations bound loosely together, The Cliffs is beautifully told and will leave you questioning your own origins.

🙅‍♀️ What I didn't: This had all the makings of a great story. Sullivan clearly did a ton of research on the setting, historical institutions in the Northeast and the history of indigenous peoples in Maine and crafted some fascinating characters bound by a common place...but the story was missing the cohesive driver to put it all together. There were parts that seemed like pure history dumps that weren't relevant to the plot and the overall flow of the book felt choppy. This was a far departure from Sullivan's debut, 'Commencement' which I read and loved years ago and while I enjoyed the direction she's gone as a writer, this book left something to be desired for me. Beyond just the story itself which jumped around and exposed bits and pieces of the characters at seemingly odd moments, some of the character arcs were disconnected from the larger story being told. While it made sense to include the stories of women who had lost fathers, husbands, lovers and children, the protagonist's story seemed a far cry from the other losses that shaped the experiences molded amongst the cliffside setting.
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Read if you love:
*multiple unique stories woven together with a common thread
*stories focused on indigenous people
*history through the lens of being a woman
*houses with stories that connect generations
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See also: No Two Persons, The Berry Pickers, Spells for Forgetting

This book was not for me. The chapters were incredibly long and I felt this was kind of all over the place. Definitely not for me.

I really enjoyed this story. Seemed so different and so well plotted! Some of the characters were a bit unlikeable but I totally understood why they were in there. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher!

I really liked this book! I like stories about old houses, so this book was very appealing to me. When Jane Flanagan is a young girl, she discovers an old abandoned Victorian mansion in the woods. When she returns 20 years later, the house has a new owner- Genevieve. Jane is hired by Genevieve to find out the history of the house. Even though there were several POV, I felt that each story was engaging. By the end of the book, I was eager to see how everything fit together. I want to read more by this author.
Thank you, Net Galley, the publisher and the author for a chance to read and review this book. All opinions expressed are my own.

A very educational historical novel that takes place over hundreds of years in Maine and the interactions and repercussions from the English and Abenaki tribes of the earlier years to renovating/destroying historical homes in current times. Mixed in are family struggles, death, alcoholism, and several others.
How do we acknowledge and correct the mistakes of our earlier ancestors, as I think the term forefathers, is part of the problem.


Thank you J Courtney Sullivan for writing such a content rich and powerful novel that we can all learn from and think about. That you acknowledge that we have unlearning to do is powerful
I have read all of your books and have seen you twice at book clubs, but this book will stay with me the most.