I read this book in one day. I really enjoyed how different each characters story was but how the Sullivan was able to tie them all together in the end. I have always been a fan of Sullivan's characters.

Thank you to Net Galley for the opportunity to read this book for a review, which is the ONLY reason I didn’t stop reading it about 1/3 thru. It had such promise , and I kept going back to look at how long it was. Goodreads has it listed as 384 pages (my kindle wouldn’t show the page numbers for some reason), but I swear it’s more like 884 pages. It goes in so many unnecessary directions, there are so many story lines, and rambling on and on and on. It would be GREAT if it could be condensed down. There is a great history lesson in there but unfortunately I was skipping a lot of the rambling pages in order to get to the next direction the book would take. Hopefully the publisher/editor will see this review and whack it down significantly. I DID want to know what happened and how the book resolved , so for that reason I give it 2.5 stars rather than a painful 1 star I would have given if I had quit reading like I wanted to at the first part.

This was my first book by this author and I found that I liked it just okay. I was into the plot overall but the way that the story turned out ended up to not be for me. I greatly enjoyed the setting though and I would be interested in other books by this author for the setting alone.

Thank you to NetGalley and Knopf for the opportunity to read J. Courtney Sullivan's amazing new book "The Cliffs". I've been a big fan of this author since her first book, and this book did not disappoint. Set in Maine, a place where Sullivan has set other books, the layered and nuanced novel examines family, motherhood, history, genocide, repatriation, 'othering' and inclusion. The book is centered on Jane, a woman who returns to her hometown in Maine to clean out her mother's house and deal with an event that threatens to upend her current life in Cambridge. It also centers on a house where Jane used to hang out as a teen, where the current owner has to deal with an event that also threatens to upend her life. It's a ghost story with an open-hearted view of ghosts, a mystery involving supernatural spirits told from a critical perspective, a compassionate and well researched investigation of atrocities perpetuated on the native americans by settlers and how trauma can be passed down through generations, and a family story showing how the strength of family love can overcome (almost) anything. Only someone as skilled as Sullivan could pull these all together, and I could not put this book down.

Fascinating. I've always like the author's novels but I really enjoyed the layers of historical information here. There's so much to explore and so many issues (like museum repatriation) that just have me starting down a rabbit hole of research. The book has all that, plus a compulsively readable plot.

Thank you Netgalley & Knopf Publishing for an eARC ♥️
Step into a world of secrets and shadows, where the past whispers tales of love, loss, and legacy that linger in the creaking floorboards and whispering walls of the old Victorian house.
"The Cliffs “ by J. Courtney Sullivan is a spellbinding tale that will captivate your imagination and tug at your heartstrings like a gentle breeze on a summer afternoon.

Meet Jane, a Harvard archivist, as she returns to her childhood haven in Maine, only to find the old Victorian house transformed into a glossy stranger, stripped of its former charm and secrets. Yet, the whispers of the past refuse to fade, beckoning Jane to unravel the mysteries within, like an old photograph waiting to be developed.

With each page, the story unfolds like a cinematic dream, rich with vivid details and characters that leap off the page like a masterfully crafted puzzle, inviting you to solve the mystery. You'll be swept away by the poignant exploration of women's lives, loves, and struggles across generations, woven together like a tapestry of time.

As the secrets of the house reveal themselves, you'll be mesmerized by the haunting beauty of the narrative, like the golden light of sunset on the bluff. This book is a treasure trove of storytelling, weaving together historical threads, family drama, and the enduring power of love, like a delicate yet resilient spider web.

This was my first time to read a book by this author, but she's been on my radar for. a while because she's had several popular books. I was expecting a cross between Elin Hildebrand and Emily Griffin. And while that may be a somewhat accurate comparison, I was surprised by the underlying gothic storyline in the novel. But in spite of the ghosts, psychics, and haunted houses, this is less of a suspense story and more of a character-driven tale about a woman hitting rock bottom and trying to make peace with her demons. There is also a strong subplot dealing with the Native American people who inhabited Maine hundreds of years ago.

After leaving her husband, Jane has returned to her Maine hometown. All her life, she had admired the Victorian house on the cliff, but now the house has been purchased by someone who is convinced the house is haunted. Jane dives into the mystery surrounding the house and its previous inhabitants. Interwoven in the ghost story is a tale of alcoholism and troubled mother/daughter relationships. The real ghosts, it seems, are the memories of heartbreak and betrayal.

I enjoyed this novel and look forward to reading more books by this author. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an advanced reader's copy in exchange for my opinions.

I was rooting for Jane from the beginning. A troubled childhood, a troubled marriage, and a search for a sense of peace makes Jane return to her childhood home. A psychic reading gifted to her by a friend takes Jane on a journey to find herself again and to fill in some missing pieces of history- both her history and town history. I couldn’t put his down.

This is my first time reading J. Courtney Sullivan and definitely won’t be my last! What felt like two separate novels in her latest The Cliffs, were storylines that she brilliantly and stealthily wove together to become one compelling read centered around an old abandoned house near edge of some cliffs in Maine. Part mystery, part ghost story, with some history of the Indigenous people who once populated this area of Maine makes this an engaging and important book. I can’t wait to recommend this to our book groups!

Such a beautiful read. The writing was eloquent and thoughtful knowing when to change the pace and time period so it was seamless.
Jane was particularly well written. Her arc flowed so well and her turning point moment was quiet and profound. This whole book felt quiet and profound. It felt like I was visiting the exhibition in the house. Finding the treasures and life stories as I moved room to room. It calmed me and made my heart full.
Thank you to Netgalley for this ARC.

stunningly gorgeous, about a history of a beautiful home and how memories live on even when a person seems to be forgott3en. thanks for the arc.

I have enjoyed her other books but this was a little rough. I felt like it tried to do too much. Starting off with the main character in high school and then picking up when she was a middle aged woman making a mess of her life was interesting but then the book went into too many places. Interesting places like spiritualist communities and Native American history but it never felt cohesive to me. I think it should have been a book about a woman, a house and the families of both but the long passages about ghosts and ethics of antiquities were interesting but generally out of place. I felt like I was read three every different (good, interesting but different) books.

I found this a fascinating title. For a non librarian/archivist I thought she captured the profession well. What I found most impressive was the historical research about the indigenous population-I found it fascinating and will explore of the references cited. The personal narrative was almost secondary to me. Quite enjoyable.

Thank you to Knopf for this magnificent book. Combining a modern and heartbreaking story, with the history of so many women, both indigenous and Caucasian in this glorious part of Maine. History of the tribal women and a woman from a shaker colony brings this part of the country alive. Having read one previous book by this author, I will now go back and read all her books

I absolutely loved this book, but more than that, I learned so much from it and was so inspired by it. I originally requested this book because I recently read J. Courtney Sullivan’s “Maine” and really enjoyed it, but I truly was blown away by The Cliffs. Throughout the book, I kept thinking about how much research went into writing it (and the Author’s Note at the end covers this in some detail), and what a gift it is that Sullivan did so much work to bring us this beautiful story. In addition, Sullivan somehow managed to make every character—and there are many!—so rich in personality that I found myself loving, or at least empathizing with, every single one. I was so enthralled by this book that I didn’t take notes like I usually do when I know I’m going to write a review, and I want to apologize that this review isn’t more detailed! This book was just such a beautiful tribute to women throughout history.

One note - there are a lot of characters and timelines to keep track of! I wish I’d written down characters as I came across them. It does all come together perfectly, but I wish I’d created a reference guide for myself.

A very easy five stars for this book!

I have read some of the authors other books and enjoyed. This book started off well and midway took a few turns I didnt expect. It was well written but it went off in tangents in spots and lost a bit of the character development in the second half. It was fairly predictable how it would end, except for the family addition but I still enjoyed the story

I have read and loved all of J. Courtney Sullivan's previous books and was so excited to get an early copy of this one.

Jane has returned to her small hometown in Maine after a disaster that may end both her marriage and get her fired. Her mother died the year before, and she and her sister need to start sorting through her mother's house in order to get it ready to sell, so Jane decides to take this on while deciding what's next for her. As she meets the new owners of a house she was entranced by as a teenager, she starts learning more about the previous inhabitants of the house and the land around it.

The discussion of stolen historic artifacts and how far removed people are from the history of the places they occupy are so important and very well done - clearly J. Courtney Sullivan has done a lot of research and presented it in such a thoughtful way.

I loved this book. I loved Jane, I felt so much for her and her missteps and I so badly wanted everything to work out for her. I loved the way the story was told, as it moved through narrators and time and how pieces of the puzzle became clear.

J. Courtney Sullivan's writing is always so strong and I could so vividly picture the houses she describes, as well as the cliffs, and the town. I could feel all the people who had moved through the house and see the different iterations of it.

I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys rich storytelling, and multi-layered and generational stories with historical perspectives. I loved it so much and eagerly await J. Courtney Sullivan's next book!

Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced copy of this book!

The Cliffs by J. Courtney Sullivan
Release date July 16

Initially drawn to this novel because of the title and this author’s previous works, I quickly became engrossed in this remarkably written and researched novel. Set in Maine in what is now known as Ogunquit this novel checks so many boxes for me.
Historical Preservation, Maine history, Civil War, Indigenous history and culture, Colonial Maine, Spiritualism and mediums, Shaker Villages, museum culture, etc.

I love that this story unfolds from alternating character viewpoints throughout history. I also deeply love the personal connections and secrets that unfold and how these characters are all tied to this particular seaside cliff and Victorian home.

Jane Flanagan returns home to Maine after 20 years to discover the once abandoned hideout of her troubled youth is now a transformed shiny unrecognizable monstrosity and the new owner, Genevieve needs her help in researching the home’s history.

Prepare to be swept away by this creative yet historically based story of lost loves, spirits, relationships, women in history, stolen artifacts and much more.

I really enjoyed this book. As a librarian I am drawn to “bookish” books that deal with libraries or archives, but often am disappointed by them. Usually, they have great premises that are intriguing but end up falling flat, or being kind of ridiculous. I was so glad this one didn’t fall into that category. I thought the set up was interesting, and that the twists and connections were well foreshadowed, but not so obvious that I was able to guess them all before they were revealed. I also really liked the interplay between the research and the spiritual, exploring both ways that people try to connect with the past. I also appreciated the layers put into the history, emphasizing the stories of women and native Americans that aren’t as prominent in our education and general ideas about history. All in all, I read this in about 48 hours, it definitely held my interest!

Another fabulous novel by immensely talented J Courtney Sullivan. Fabulous character development and meticulous plot development are her trademarks (IMO) and this novel hits the mark! Don’t miss it.