This is a hard review to write because I have liked books by J Courtney Sullivan in the past but I really can’t recommend The Cliffs, her latest novel, due to be published on July 6, 2024. I received this ARC thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Random House.
The problem with this story was that it seemed to me that the author got too caught up in teaching about so many varied things that it became tedious and confusing, so that I often lost track of all the different characters and their story. Her lessons included the history of the Native American Indians of northern New Hampshire and southern Maine, the horrible way they were treated and the theft of their artifacts, culture, and traditions and their eventual forced migration to Canada by the European whites; the history of the white explorers and settlers to the region; the Shaker community and its history; spiritualism and the spirits of the dead who “live on” in their former homes; and, finally, the effects of alcoholism, not only on the alcoholic, but on family, friends, and even future generations. And within all these different “lessons” there were stories of several different characters in different time periods. So confusing.
It took me a long time to read this because all the didactic sharing got boring and I would put it down. As I said, I can’t recommend this book.

The Cliffs is the story of many women and their intertwined lives and the house on the cliff that they called home. Each woman and her story takes you on a journey of their hopes and dreams with the background of the cliffs of Maine - a character in itself.

This book was one that made me want to curl up and read while also challenged me. Highly recommend J. Courtney Sullivan’s new book The Cliffs.

“In every graveyard in every town in all the world, there lie buried stories so thorny and full of unexpected turns that a name, a date, a designation on stone could never in a million years convey.”

Wow – a lot to process, but immediately upon finishing, I’m blown away. I loved it. "The Cliffs" is a slow-burn historical novel that centers around a mysterious abandoned home along the wooded cliffs of Maine. It takes us through the trials and tribulations of Jane, who first encounters the abandoned home as a kid, as well as the home’s current owners, those who lived colorful lives in it decades before, and those from hundreds of years before the home existed, when we learn about the stories that happened on that very land long before Maine became a state. The main story is told from Jane’s POV. In the prologue, she connects with the abandoned house, but we otherwise don’t know much about her relation to the property. Present day, she’s an archivist in Boston and goes back to her childhood hometown in Maine when her mom gets sick. She ends up extending her stay to avoid bigger issues unraveling back home in Boston.

The second half of the book gets convoluted while juggling too many big themes and storylines—spiritualism, mother/daughter relationships, the historic Shaker community, mistreatment of Native Americans, stolen artifacts and traditions, alcoholism, divorce, grief, Alzheimer’s—there were many points where the writing meandered far away from the main storyline. Regardless, Sullivan is a master storyteller, and you can tell this book was impressively researched. I also loved how the different stories intertwined.

Overall, this book is beautifully written and filled with reflective moments that made me tear up. "The Cliffs” pays homage to the legacy of people and place. What happens throughout the course of hundreds of years to one house, one piece of property. How history is not only written but embedded in a community, and the importance of preservation to remember what once was. Everyone has a story in this world, and it makes you wonder how the past influences the present. As Sullivan writes, “History could only ever be as meaningful as those alive were willing to make it.”

"The Cliffs" comes out in July 2024. Highly recommend, especially if you are a fan of Kristin Hannah.

An authentic portrayal of seacoast Maine that takes readers on a haunting journey through time. The book examines the power and strength of female and maternal bonds throughout time and the consequences of generational trauma. A page-turning and captavitating read that picks up where Maine ended.

Shortly after Commencement was published I was introduced to the books of J. Courtney Sullivan by an “elevators friend” who worked with her father. I have greatly enjoyed all her books since, for me The Cliffs is by far her best book. It is riches in details, full of intriguing, interesting characters, the story of beautifully told.

I really was very excited to read this book and from the first chapter I enjoyed it sadly the further into the book I got the less I enjoyed it. It is a very deep book about alcoholism and it is extremely hard to like the main character towards the end of the book. There was a lot going on and it was very hard to keep up with. The author of the book has a very descriptive writing style that I love this book to me was just too hard to read

The descriptive writing of the settings, the house on the cliffs in Maine, was amazing. With that said, this book wasn’t what I was wanting or hoping it to be. It’s about alcoholism, heavy, and the author was trying to accomplish a lot of things, so it felt cluttered. Now don’t get me wrong, it wasn’t bad, but just not my cup of tea.

Thank you to NetGalley and Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor | Knopf. ~I was given this book and made no commitments to leave my opinions, favorable or otherwise~

Thanks to J. Courtney Sullivan, Knopf, and NetGalley, for providing me with an ARC of this novel. I was so excited to read The Cliffs, as I loved Saints for All Occasions. The Cliffs started strong — I was hooked immediately. Sullivan is such a gifted writer, and this setting, with an abandoned house on the cliffs of Maine and the hint of the paranormal, had so much potential. Unfortunately, as the novel progressed it became a struggle for me to finish. I think the author was attempting to do too much here, and as a result the story got lost.

this was a story about alcoholism, loved the setting, there is a lot going on in the story, was a little hard to keep up with for me.

Thank you to Netgalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

J.Courtney Sullivan has once again penned an incredible read. As a fan of her novels this one did not disappoint.

Taking place in Maine this story blends the past and present along with many different cultures.
The reader is treated to a rich narrative involving a beautiful old Victorian Home and it's deep history as the main character Jane takes us on a journey through the past.

This book was well researched and written. A must read for those who love learning about the history of a home.

I have loved all of J. Courtney Sullivan's books, but this one fell a little flat for me. I don't know if it was the fact that there was so much going on or we would spend a lot of time with one character and I wish it would have been with another. Great concept though.

I saw this cover and I had to read it. How beautiful; I could picture it in my mind. I love a good ghost story; add in a coastal town, a house with a laundry list of people who resided there, and their stories... It was fantastic. Some of the writing was a little dry. The addiction struggles were a bit lost on me if I'm being honest. I couldn't say I really connected with anyone in particular. But the setting and writing style made up for that. Overall, I really enjoyed this book.

This book could have had a subtitle that aptly states "and the string women who stood upon these cliffs". It intellectually intertwined the women from the psst and the present and how spiritualism does play a part in their lives as they seek to find those whom they can protect or be protected by. There are people who are clairvoyant and can see ghosts as evidenced by Jane's reading. I had true admiration for Jane as despite her relapse which given the circumstances one can understand but she picked herself up and in doing so, found herself and her happiness again. It felt like the she needed to come home to do so as she needed to get away from circumstances that would enable her. It saddened me about the demise of her relationship with David as he is a good man but the ending gave me hope. Eliza's story was intriguing first as a Shaker and later as her relationship with Hannah at a time that no one considered it. I learned a lot about the Native American society and the horrific things that they encountered. This is an intellectually stimulating novel of which I highly recommend.

I received a copy of this book via Net Galley in exchange for an honest review. Having read all of J. Courtney Sullivan’s other books , I was very excited to read The Cliffs. Set in Maine ,this novel chronicles the lives of women throughout the history of the town. Shifting between the present and the past, the author adequately draws you into the perspectives of the women. There are a lot of layers to this story from alcoholism, infidelity, premature death, injustice against indiginous people and the struggle to do what is right. In addition , the concepts of love and loss are prevalent in all of the characters. I enjoyed this book and would recommend it if you enjoy books about New England history, friendship and self-discovery.

I absolutely adored this book! It contains many of the elements one sees on the backs of countless summer novels- an old house, a woman at a turning point in life, a coastal town, family secrets - except it's done masterfully well and asks important questions about the stories we tell and who exactly the past belongs to. The characters are well-drawn and oh-so-human. I also loved the nuanced treatment of Spiritualism and, as a visitor to Camp Etna, thought the description of Camp Mira was spot-on. The writing itself is lovely and insightful, but not showboaty.

When I started the Cliffs I was impressed with the fine writing, the compelling story, and the fact that it was focused on women’s relationships. There was a supernatural element introduced in the beginning which kept me turning pages. Having a story revolving around a house and the history of the people who lived in the area is appealing to me. However, I found the different storylines (which do come together at the end) to cause a disruption to the flow of the plot, which was frustrating since new characters were introduced, just when I wanted to continue reading about the most recent one. (That’s how good J Courtney Sullivan is at creating characters: I enjoyed each one so much that I wanted an entire book focused on just their story!). When yet another character was introduced at around the 40% mark, I decided to skim the rest of the novel. There was a lot of telling and not showing, which I guess must be necessary when writing about events taking place over a long period of time, like the ones in this story. However, it becomes monotonous for the reader. I think this could be a 5 star read for many, but for me, it was a 3 star, due to the large swathes of exposition and the flow of the plot. But I will be checking out more by this author for sure!

The Cliffs captured me from the start. There were a few underlying themes in this book. It was a story of a young woman who came from a family history of alcoholism and ultimately struggled with it herself. How it destroys her work and marriage. Then there was the story of a house on a Cliff and the spirits surrounding it. Some medium/spirit action which is fun. Also a bit of Indian history around the home. The flow of the book was sometimes a bit disjointed. For instance, the author quickly got us up to speed on the main character Jane with a very long prologue about her life. Then she introduced varying characters with their back story. The flow of going from one character to the next was awkward. At one point I thought I had missed a section because it felt like a completely different story. Overall a good read.

As an avid history nut, I truly wanted to like this book better than I actually did. In the beginning, I was immediately pulled in by the setting and writing prose. As the chapters progressed it became easy to get confused on what was essential to the plot, and what sometimes came across as a lesson/lecture on how to correctly perceive these historical events. I am in no way saying the viewpoints taken were wrong. I agree with most of them and those of us keen to history are well aware of bias and interpretation in the recording of facts. By the end, I felt that this book might have been more accurately geared towards Young Adult, or those that are still figuring out how the world works. Evil in the heart of man has existed from the beginning of time. You can try and teach people to have empathy and truly see through narratives so we can not make the same mistakes in the future. But there is no going back, recompensing, or erasing the past. It is there for a reason.

Just when I thought there were no good books and no unpredictable story lines, along comes The Cliffs. I had an ARC from NetGalley. This book was so great. There is a history element to it. It’s about strong women, alcoholism, Native America history and forethought.
At first I liked Jane. I really did, but then she annoyed me. But her true to life downward spiral was believable as her drinking got worse. I felt bad for David. But all along I was never sure where things were going- I love surprise in a book. The ending was good. The characters were great. I loved the historical elements and she really did write an enjoyable book.

As a Maine resident, I loved all the location references. There was way too much going on in this book. The section from Eliza's POV I just skimmed through. Needed one solid plot line.