Thanks Netgalley for allowing me to read this book. Jane has been trying to escape her past for years. She travels home decades letter. She asked to figure out information about a gorgeous house that was recently renovated after being abandoned fir years. This book lagged at times

This was an interesting read, but ultimately too meandering and long for me to recommend enthusiastically. I quite enjoy J Courtney Sullivan and she writes historical stories well. This one veered from historical fiction into almost history textbook territory, and I found myself losing focus and interest.

It’s important to keep amplifying the truth of what happened to indigenous Americans, there is no doubt. But this felt like a preachy yet superficial way to do that. I couldn’t engage with the “lessons” because I felt spoken down to without a lot of substance.

It’s also hard, as the daughter of an alcoholic, to read about alcoholism on page in the way we do here with Jane. That is certainly a me problem, but worth flagging.

If it had been more of the ghost story promised by the summary, I would have rated it higher. As it was, there was a lot of content shoved in, not all that subtlety. 3 stars. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

This book started off great, but after about 40% I started getting kinda bored. The beginning sets you up with an old mansion on the cliffs of the coast of Maine in our main character, Jane’s, hometown. Jane works in the Harvard library archives, but is on temporary leave because of inappropriate behavior at a work event—caused by her long-time struggle with alcoholism. She’s living in her childhood home, cleaning it out and prepping it for selling after her mother’s death. There’s not a lot going for Jane, she’s clearly having a rough time.

Then, Jane runs into a woman named Genevieve who invites her to do research on the history of her new home because her son saw and spoke with a ghost there—the same mansion we’re introduced to in the beginning of the novel. However, after this, the novel starts losing steam. The author gives us what I would consider to be too much backstory.

Eliza lived in the home when it was first built. Her story was interesting, but there was so much information given through it that didn’t feel necessary and left me trying to figure out where the story was going. Same goes for Naomi, who we get introduced to in the second to last chapter. In my opinion, neither of their stories required so much time. I think if the author had focused more on one set of characters and one timeline this novel would have been far better. There was just too much going on. I loved the way she wrote, her prose was great, so I plan to try again with another book someday.

J. Courtney Sullivan never misses a beat! I have read all of JCS's books and have enjoyed every one of them. The Cliffs deserves the biggest jewel in JCS's crown. She has a way of painting each character with such precision that they seem to jump off the pages. If you enjoy well-written novels with complicated family dynamics, The Cliffs is for you. I predict this will be the hit of the Summer!

Jane was the sane one in her family in their small town in Maine. Her mother and sister, Holly, were hard drinking party girls. Jane used her intellect, her grandmother and friendship with Allison to get away from the influence of mother and sister.
Teenaged Jane became fascinated by an abandoned house on the cliff overlooking the ocean. She and Allison would visit it often before Jane went off to college.
After graduation Jane was able to secure a job at a prestigious museum at Harvard. It was there she met David who she later married.
However Jane also found herself addicted to alcohol and that became a problem after the death of her mother. There was a a scandalous incident one night and as a result Jane was in danger of losing both her job and her husband.
So she returned to the small town to prepare her late mother’s home for sale. Her friend Allison told her of the sale of that long abandoned house on the cliff to a wealthy family. When Jane met the owner, Genevieve, she was asked to research the history of the house. While doing this job, Jane learned much of the history of the town as well as her family’s connection to the house.
This book started out slowly but became more interesting after Jane returned to Maine. As the book progresses we learn many interesting secrets. I was not happy with the ending but realize that in real life, not every story has a satisfying ending.

As a teenager, Jane Flanagan discovered an abandoned Victorian house painted lavender on a cliff overlooking the ocean in fictional Awadapquit, Maine, in The Cliffs, the latest novel by J. Courtney Sullivan, coming out July 16. When she found an unlocked door, she toured the mansion finding clothes in the closets, dishes in the cabinets, and marbles and glass on the floor. Something heartbreaking had occurred to the last family who lived there.

Years later, Jane would be asked to research the history of the house by its new owner Genevieve who gave no consideration to the history of the house when she gutted it and cleared away walls for an open concept. Jane, who had worked in Harvard’s archives, was back in Awadapquit to prepare her late mother’s home for sale as she took refuge from a scandal that cost her job and possibly her marriage.

When she reported her findings to Genevieve about the history of the home and its owners, she was surprised to find out that Genevieve had reason to believe the house was haunted: her little boy Benjamin was being visited by a ghost named Eliza. Jane delved into further research that uncovered information about the original owners of the home and the heartbreak they encountered as well as stories about subsequent owners.

This is the sixth novel by J. Courtney Sullivan, a former reporter for the New York Times. She grew up in Boston and lives in New York with her family.

My review will be posted on Goodreads starting April 17, 2024.

I would like to thank Alfred A. Knopf and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in return for an objective review.

I love me a story like this! It kept me captivated from the first chapter. I just think a wide variety/range of people will really enjoy this! I recommend.

This book exhibits exemplary writing, replete with poignant moments that evoke profound emotional responses. "The Cliffs" pays homage to the enduring legacies of individuals and locales. It underscores the imperative of preservation as a means of honoring the past. The narrative prompts contemplation on the influence of historical context on present-day realities.

The Cliffs by J. Courtney Sullivan was an unusual read for me. I am always a fan of historical novels.This book reflects many issues including women literature, the Shakers, Native Americans in Maine, spiritualism, and alcoholism. Jane grows up in a single family home with an alcoholic mother. Not until she is an adult that she finds out how alcohol ism has been in her family for previous generations. Find out how this affects her career and her marriage. Thank you to Net Galley for allowing me to read novel prior to its publication.

I'm such a fan of J. Courtney Sullivan's previous books that I was ready to devour this one. Unfortunately this wasn't the case. The Cliffs reads more like a meandering history text than a novel. It took me weeks to read this rather than my typical few days.

I have read lots of J. Courtney Sullivan's novels and have enjoyed them all.

This is a slow burn fiction/historical fiction novel. It has a lot of layers and you can tell a lot of research was put into it.

This book was full of heartbreak, drama and numerous issues, such as alcoholism, mother/daughter relationships, infertility, Alzheimer's.

This book had highs and lows - too many POVs and the spiritual element was not my favorite but loved how some parts of history were not discovered yet by the characters by the book's end.

Thanks Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC!

Thanks you to J. Courtney Sullivan, Knopf, and NetGalley for this story due out in July of 2024.

I really enjoyed this book.

The setting was so descriptive and amazing.

I loved all the characters.

The book flowed perfectly and was an easy read. Time seemed to fly by as I became engrossecd n the book.

The side stories could have been cut as they didn't seem to add much to the main story, although they were entertaining.

Recommend.

I am such a huge fan of all of the author’s other books, but this one was a miss for me. I got a third of the way through until I decided to DNF. I found the story to be slow and I didn’t care enough about the characters to continue.

This ambitious, sweeping historical fiction novel centers on an abandoned house in northern coastal Maine, its inhabitants over four centuries, and the spiritual, cultural and familial legacies that are carried forward in the stories of it people, the land and the often hidden treasures left behind. Sullivan brings an incredible amount of research from the long ago original inhabitants of Maine to the present day - shining a harrowing light on the Native Americans who were brutally forced out, as well as the peacekeeping Shakers, who lived in quiet isolation until their members gradually assimilated and disappeared.

The current day story gives us the POV of Jane, a Harvard archivist who returns to her family's Maine cottage when her alcoholic mother passes away. As she researches the history of the beloved abandoned house that was her escape in high school, she also comes face to face with the truth of her own family history and legacy - which ultimately also mysteriously is connected to this very same home.

There are many compelling current day themes that are tied to Jane and woven into this feminist leaning story - mother-daugher relationships, sisterhood, Alzheimers, alcoholism, spirituality and inherited trauma. Sullivan is a beautiful writer and I found myself re-reading many of her passages, particularly those that focused on spirituality, the soul, and the afterlife.

To be sure, this is not a quick, "page-turning" read, and some of the narrative chapters on characters like Eliza were quite long and heavy on historical detail, temporarily taking me out of the main storyline, Yet, Sullivan is masterful storyteller and kept drawing me back in, weaving the past and present together to the last page in a satisfying and thoughtful way.

A great read that will absolutely leave you thinking about legacy, what came before and what lives on after we are gone. Thanks to NetGalley and Knopf for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.

It's a slow-burn, slow-moving novel - but that is what I've come to expect with J. Courtney Sullivan's books. So, if you're okay with that, you'll probably enjoy this book. I liked that it was well-written, evocative, and set in Maine, though some parts felt a little long, and while she explores a ton of topics in this book, it did feel like a behemoth to tackle. Overall an enjoyable read - thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!

I was excited for another book from this author. It wasn’t my favorite J. Courtney Sullivan book, but it was a good read. Some parts were long, but overall a great story! I would recommend it.

Thanks to NetGalley and Knopf for providing me with this ARC!

I love a story told from multiple perspectives, and I love a narrative where the intersections among the characters lives is revealed over time. This is both, although it’s hard to say what really connects all these women—a house, a town, a cliff, a ghost? The Cliffs centers the stories of women, with men popping up occasionally to remind the reader of how female-centric these lives are. Only the reader knows all of their stories, because the stories span centuries so no character can know all the details. Occasionally, the book dives deep into something meticulously researched but not particularly critical to the plot, and I skimmed a few of those that were less interesting to me. But overall, a compelling read.

I was getting confused by the timeline and characters (too much back and forth).
I struggled to read and lost interest when it came to the history.
The story was all over the place and I did not like the ghost component.
Thanks to Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor and NetGalley for the ARC and the opportunity to read and review this title.

(This book was provided as an advance copy by Netgalley and Knopf.)

There was a lot about this book I liked - I liked Jane as a relatable main character (though per usual: I was screaming GO TO THERAPYYYYYY), I liked the crossover stories throughout history, I liked the inclusion of marginalized groups, I liked the sense of small town community. What I didn't like was the abundance of Maine history (in the end, I just didn't care that much) and I wasn't terrible sold on the ending either. But overall a good read and I could see this being a great vacation/plane book when it comes out this summer! #TheCliffs #NetGalley

I’m giving this one 3 stars, even though it was definitely not for me. The copious amount of research that had to go into the writing gives me enormous respect for the author, even if the book wasn’t quite my cup of tea. The chapters seemed verrrrry long, and took off on some tangents about history and alcoholism that made me want to DNF. Just when I thought we were wrapping things up, there was another verrrry long story to get through. I enjoyed the parts about spiritualism and the premise overall was great- a haunted seaside home? Sign me up. I just got lost in the long historical parts and felt like I was reading a textbook. I think it could have been shaved down in some parts and the haunted house fleshed out a bit more. Definitely more for fans of historical fiction and less gothic thriller or mystery.

My thanks to J. Courtney Sullivan, Knopf and NetGalley for the book copy!