How the Light Gets In by Joyce Maynard was one that I could not wait to read. I totally needed this sequel to Count the Ways as it left me hanging and I missed these characters so very much.

Maynard is a wonderful writer and an exceptional speaker. I was lucky enough to see her on her book tour and her insight into the how and why she wrote a sequel was compelling. She’s down to earth and kind. If she hits your town, state or country – go see her; you won’t be sorry.

Back to the book, I loved the follow up on Toby. I think all the readers that read Count the Ways wanted to learn how he was doing. I adored watching Eleanor make time for herself and seeing how her kids and her grandkids fared. Lots of surprises that made me happy and quiet moments of reflection that made me weep.

I’m saddened that these characters will only be in my memory and that there will not be another tome added to this series. Maynard served them well and I was so happy to gobble this one up.

My rating went down only because I do not enjoy political commentary in my fiction. I don’t care what side you’re on, right or left, I prefer it not to be part of the narrative. I grew up outside DC and maybe growing up with all the mudslinging has me disgruntled. Who knows?

Hope you enjoy as much as I did.

Loved this book, possibly my favorite of 2024 so far. It is a wide ranging family story with Eleanor, a children's book author, at the center. There is a brain damaged child who grows up and is appreciated but faces discrimination and accusations, the family of divorce that eventually makes it work but a daughter who won't speak to her mother until she realizes what it takes to be a mother. It takes place over many years, and overs covid and the trump years and how that impacted this family. It is a lot to take in but right up my alley. Thank you so much @netgalley for the Advanced Reader Copy of How the Light Gets In by Joyce Maynard. #howthelightgetsin #joycemaynard #bookstagram #netgalley #fivestarread #takeapagefrommybook #lovetoread #readersofinstagram📚📚❤️

This book was a little slow moving but despite that it was very inviting. You wanted to hear all about the main characters and their lives. It was a nice companion to her novel Count the Ways.

I read this book as a stand alone not realizing that it was a sequel but I still think it was absolutely one of the best books that I read all summer. I can’t wait to go read the first book! I’m not usually one to shed tears while reading but this one definitely stole some tears. The author has such an easy but brilliant writing style.

How the Light Gets In by Joyce Maynard is a compelling and emotionally charged novel that continues the story of Eleanor, a resilient matriarch from New Hampshire, first introduced in Maynard's earlier work - Count the Ways.

The novel spans fifteen years, from 2010 to 2024, and follows Eleanor and her family as they navigate a series of personal and societal challenges. The backdrop of the story includes significant events such as climate change, the January 6th insurrection, and school violence. These events shape the lives of the characters, adding depth and realism to the narrative.

I especially felt connected to Eleanor’s journey as a testament to human resilience. Despite facing numerous hardships, she remains steadfast and adapts to the changing world around her. I love how the novel delved into complex family relationships, exploring themes of parental alienation, later-life love, and steadfast friendship. By incorporating real-world events, Maynard provides a poignant commentary on contemporary American society, making the story both relatable and thought-provoking.

Eleanor is the heart of the novel. Her strength and vulnerability make her a deeply relatable character. The supporting characters, including her family and friends, are well-developed and add richness to the story. Each character’s journey is intertwined with the broader societal changes, creating a tapestry of interconnected lives.

Maynard’s writing is both lyrical and accessible. She has a knack for capturing the intricacies of human emotions and relationships. Her descriptive prose brings the settings and characters to life, making the reader feel immersed in Eleanor’s world.

I praise this novel for its emotional depth, realistic portrayal of contemporary issues, and the strength of its characters. If you are a fan of Maynard’s previous work will find “How the Light Gets In” a satisfying continuation of Eleanor’s story.

Read this novel if you love deep and moving explorations of family, resilience, and societal change. I enjoyed Maynard's ability to weave personal and political narratives which made this book a compelling read for anyone interested in stories that reflect the complexities of modern life.

A wonderful follow-up to Maynard's "Count the Ways.," which introduced us to memorable characters in a quirky family that's forever altered by an accident in which the husband is complicit. This is a sequel, but it retells the key plot points of its predecessor and probably can be read as a standalone novel. I loved "Count the Ways" and read it several times to prep for book club discussions; as such, the re-telling seemed overdone. That said, the book soars when the story of Eleanor moves beyond what we've learned in "Count the Ways."

"𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘣𝘦 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘸𝘰𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳 𝘪𝘧 𝘪𝘵'𝘴 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘣𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘩 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘴𝘰 𝘣𝘦𝘢𝘶𝘵𝘪𝘧𝘶𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘣𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘩 𝘢𝘸𝘢𝘺."

𝗖𝗼𝘂𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗪𝗮𝘆𝘀 was a five-star read for me so I was excited to dive into the follow-up 𝗛𝗢𝗪 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗟𝗜𝗚𝗛𝗧 𝗚𝗘𝗧𝗦 𝗜𝗡. Reading more about Eleanor and her family was like having old friends come to visit - I was happy to see them but also felt like they stayed a little too long.

This novel spans 15 years from 2009-2024, and not only covers Eleanor and her kids' lives but also everything happening in the world during that time, like the shootings in Sandy Hook and Parkland, the 2016 presidential election, Covid, the January 6th insurrection and more. The story is an emotional rollercoaster and while I was happy to see characters I loved get closure, there was a lot of repetition that bogged it down. I still relished every page and highlighted so many passages - Maynard's writing is sublime and it was hard not to be moved by the family's resilience.

Thanks to William Morrow for the copy to review.

In the summer of 2021, I came across the most beautiful novel about family and motherhood. This novel consumed my heart, soul, and thoughts the entire week that I was reading it. The novel is called COUNT THE WAYS by Joyce Maynard, and I continue to recommend it today to anyone looking for a good family drama. So you can only imagine my surprise (and delight) when I found out that the author was releasing a sequel! HOW THE LIGHT GETS IN is a follow-up to COUNT THE WAYS, and I’m very happy to report that it was EVERYTHING that I was hoping for.

HOW THE LIGHT GETS IN is centered around fifty-four-year-old, Eleanor and her grown children, Ursula, Al, and Toby. The novel picks up after the death of Eleanor’s ex-husband, Cam and she decides to move back to the farm that she left many years ago to care for Toby, who has a brain injury. At first, I was nervous that I wouldn’t remember enough key details about all of the family members from when I last read CTW, but Maynard does a phenomenal job bringing the reader back up to speed. She does such a great job that I don’t think you’d even have to read CTW prior to HTLGI—but I highly recommend you do. You just get SO much more family history by reading both books.

HTLGI takes us through a fifteen year time period—2010 to 2024—with Eleanor and her children, and we see how some of the major events during this time shaped and changed the family. We see them through the 2016 election, the COVID-19 pandemic, and the January 6th insurrection—just to name a few. Maynard did a phenomenal job capturing these events, and truly impressed me. I honestly adored all of the characters in HTLGI, but the true star of the show was Eleanor’s youngest son, Toby. He just might be one of my very favorite characters EVER. A bright and shiny gem he is—no doubt about that!

Both books demonstrate the true essence of motherhood, and how no matter how old we are/get, mothers will always worry about their children. I can’t recommend these raw, tender, and beautiful novels enough. If you love family stories like THE MOST FUN WE EVER HAD or HELLO BEAUTIFUL, then you’ll definitely appreciate these two as well.

HOW THE LIGHT GETS IN is out now! 5/5 glowing stars!

Recommended this to about 100 people as I was reading this. I LOVED Count the Ways and I was absolutely thrilled when I learned we were getting more from these same characters. Cried through the whole thing. Something about the way Maynard writes about being a wife and a mother just hits me.

A long and sprawling character driven ,family saga about the matriarch of a family. What identity is left when your husband has died and your children are grown? Follows Eleanor’s life and the lives of her children set against the backdrop of twenty years worth of significant cultural events like the Trump election and Covid. Eleanor moves back to the family farm to care for her son Toby who suffered a traumatic brain injury as a child, after her husband dies. It’s got everything infidelity, alcoholism, estrangement in relationships. It can be repetitive and slow at times because not a lot happens. This is a character study at its best. It’s enjoyable and the author no doubt has talent.

What a lovely story about life and relationships. Every page brought a new problem and goes to show that love will always prevail. A page turner

“𝘐𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘦𝘯𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩, 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘴. 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘨𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘳𝘪𝘣𝘭𝘦.”

HOW THE LIGHT GETS IN is an emotional and captivating sequel to COUNT THE WAYS, which I gave five stars to. This family saga continues to follow the life of Eleanor and her beautifully flawed family. It can be read as a standalone because the author does a nice job of recounting events and details from the first book.

Eleanor has returned to her beloved New Hampshire farm to care for her ill ex-husband Cam. That is where her children were all born and where she hoped to raise them, but left after Cam fell in love with their teenage babysitter many years before.

This novel moves forward as Eleanor confronts past events in her life, and comes to terms with her current life living on the farm with her adult son Toby, who suffered a traumatic brain injury as a child. The book explores themes of love, loss, forgiveness, and the power of resilience. The raw and honest portrayal of the characters' vulnerabilities and personal growth is compelling and little heart-breaking.

The title of this book comes from Leonard Cohen’s song “Anthem”. Joyce Maynard is here to remind us that even in the messiest of families, there is always a glimmer of light that can guide us through the darkness.

“𝘐𝘵’𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘰𝘸 𝘢𝘵 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘭𝘦, 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢 𝘮𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦. 𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘸𝘪𝘴𝘩 𝘪𝘵 𝘯𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘪𝘵 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭. 𝘛𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘫𝘰𝘺 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘶𝘯 𝘩𝘪𝘵𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘳𝘰𝘬𝘦𝘯 𝘱𝘪𝘦𝘤𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘋𝘢𝘭𝘦 𝘊𝘩𝘪𝘩𝘶𝘭𝘺 𝘣𝘰𝘸𝘭 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘯𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘪𝘵 𝘥𝘰𝘦𝘴𝘯’𝘵. 𝘓𝘦𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘪𝘵 𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵.“

Thank you to the publisher for providing a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This is the sequel to Count The Ways and it's another great read. Very heartfelt and realistic. It will touch your heart just as the first book did.

When Eleanor moves back to the farm to take care of her dying ex husband Cam things take a turn for her. She's a fierce and very loyal mother. One who never put anything before her children. The way she talks about each child proves how deep her love is. She didn't have that growing up. She had a few things happen to her that she fought against to keep her focused on her family.

Cam betrayed her royally in Count The Ways yet she still forgave him. She did hold a few grudges for many years as I believe any mother would. But she did forgive that also. The drowning of their youngest child, Toby, was just so hard. They could not move past it.

Eleanor, in my opinion sacrificed her life for others a bit too much. As do most women. Family should be important. It's just that women are usually raised to give up their hopes and dreams. Let men do what they do and you take care of children. Cook. Work. Pay bills. Clean. Though Can did a lot he didn't ever have a real job that helped take some of the worry off of Eleanor's shoulders. He would even get angry if she suggested he get a job. A real job.

Her children were young when they divorced and the middle child, Ursula, blamed her for it. She has anger toward her mother for many years. Eleanor just moves along and does what she has always done. Forgives....

This book has a lot in it. From 2009 to 2024 you get a real feel for things that are actually happening. From climate change to the election between Joe Biden and Donald Trump, to the outbreak of Covid, to the insurrection on January 6th. She wrote these things with grace and honesty. I think it added to this story because of how Ursula's husband joined the insurrectionist to try and take down democracy.

This was an excellent book. Heartfelt and honest. Powerful and thought provoking. I cried hard in many places. Toby had my heart as we got to know more about him. Eleanor raised three wonderful children. She gave them her undying love and gave up so much of her life even after they were grown.

Thank you #NetGalley, #WilliamMorrow for this ARC. This is my own true thoughts about this book.

Five big stars and I highly recommend it. With plenty of tissues.

Joyce Maynard’s newest title, How the Light Gets In, provides a moving tale and a sweeping family drama perfect for readers of Ann Patchett’s Commonwealth. Maynard’s writing is full of her signature wisdom and humor and sure to be another hit with readers who enjoy domestic fiction and epic family sagas.

How the Light Gets In, the follow up to Maynard’s Count the Ways (2020), centers on three generations of the family twenty years later. After the death of her exhusband, Eleanor is now a single parent of adult children and struglling with the long term effects of a traumatic injury to her son Toby, the estrangement with her daughter Ursula and the isolation of living on the family farm.

Maynard provides insights into the evolution of parenting and a family’s struggle with long held anger and resentments. This sequel is written in short chapters resulting in a fast moving timeline of events in the family’s lives while also covering a range of contemporary events including the Newtown, CT school shooting, the Trump presidency and Covid 19. While this title is a sequel, a prologue recaps key events of the first book.

Thank you to William Morrow and NetGalley for the advanced readers' copy.

I read Count the Ways in August of 2022. I fell in love with this family, their story, their relationships. How the Light Gets In is the continuation of their story.

I’m always drawn to books about family, drama, ideas of home. Lately, though, it seems like these books with a focus on mothers later in life have been falling into my hands. It feels serendipitous as I navigate my own role as mom of a college bound “kid”.

In these books, I have seen this family grow up. Divorce, death, estrangement, I’ve followed it all. Eleanor is in her 70s at the conclusion of this book and while I’m FAR, FAR, from 70 😉, I could relate to her looking back on life and her family and I hope to see that I did the best I could.

There were parts of the book when I felt a little worried that I wasn’t loving it. My expectations were ridiculously high following Count the Ways. Was this slow and repetitive in parts? Was it my headspace? I’d say it was the last third of the book that really touched me and I found myself highlighting so many passages that spoke to me as a mom finding her place separate from her growing children. As I flipped through my book to write this review, so many tears flowed rereading my highlights. Being a mom is hard and books like this one help me navigate my own journey by showing me how other mom’s are getting by.

One of the best books I've read is How the Light Gets In by Joyce Maynard. She delves deeply into the many facets of the individuals in the family. Her words about the estrangement of her daughter were especially meaningful to me.

NYT bestselling author Joyce Maynard (a favorite) returns with a followup to Count the Ways with #2, her latest moving literary domestic suspense, HOW THE LIGHT GETS IN —a captivating and complex emotional journey of three generations spanning fifteen years of a family's life after trauma, their struggles, and their triumphs.

About...

Eleanor (age 54) has moved back to the farm in New Hampshire after the death of her ex-husband, Cam, to the place where they raised their three children, filled with good and bad memories to care for her adult son, Toby who suffered a brain injury as a child.

Toby's older brother, Al, is married and living in Seattle with his wife; their sister, Ursula, lives in Vermont with her husband and two children.

From 2010 to 2024, there were changes, old resentments, anger, bitterness, and struggles. We see the outside world changes throughout the fifteen years and the forever changes of family, personalities, anger, frustrations, and dreams past and present.

"A world of trouble. An ocean of tears. Her heart, broken in a million pieces and put back together."

My thoughts...

HOW THE LIGHT GETS IN is a complex story of family, tragedy, hope, struggles, dreams, joy, love, loss, pain, coping, and healing. The author takes us back to the original story as a continuation of the lives, the family, and their relationships set against the backdrop of American history.

With Maynard's signature lyrical style, she eloquently weaves a bittersweet story of history, music, stories, hearts, the what-ifs, the damaged, troubled, the broken, and imperfect as they may be, beauty, strength, understanding, and light are found through the cracks.

A master storyteller, Joyce Maynard draws you into a complex family filled with love, wisdom, flawed and relatable characters, and the messiness of life and family. I loved the Epilogue and the Author's Note about the music in the novel and its importance to the characters and American history and culture. The chapter subtitles were clever and fun!

HOW THE LIGHT GETS IN is a heart-wrenching memorable story about a woman's resilience as she maneuvers through life, past and present, both inside her own world and the events of the outside world.

Compelling a beautiful family sequel that fans of the first novel will enjoy and appreciate, as well as those reading it as a standalone. I adore this author's writing, an avid long-time fan, and a gifted storyteller! I highly recommend all her books, especially The Bird Hotel (top books of 2023).

Recs...

For fans of the author and Elizabeth Berg, Anna Quindlen, Catherine Ryan Hyde and Fredrik Backman. For those who enjoy literary fiction, attention to detail, and family dramas mixed with history, culture, and music. I recommend reading Count the Ways before reading HOW THE LIGHT GETS IN to get a better understanding of Eleanor and the events leading up to this novel.

Thank you to William Morrow and NetGalley for providing an early review copy in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. I also listened to the audiobook narrated by the author for an exceptional performance as the characters come alive.

Blog review posted @
JudithDCollins.com
@JudithDCollins | #JDCMustReadBooks
My Rating: 5 Stars
Pub Date: June 25, 2024
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Joyce Maynard's How the Light Gets In proves that a sequel can be just as compelling as the first book. I loved Count the Ways and this follow-up was riveting...... a portrait of an imperfect family during imperfect times. I love Eleanor and her adult children. I found myself crying at times, but always cheering for this beautiful and loving family. Ms. Maynard's writing is poetic, insightful and poignant. I highly recommend reading this touching novel. Thanks to NetGalley and William Morrow for the ARC!

So many thanks to NetGalley and William Morrow for gifting me a digital ARC of this amazing follow-up to Count the Ways by Joyce Maynard. All opinions expressed in this review are my own - 5 sparkling stars!

After the death of her ex-husband, Cam, Eleanor has stayed in their New Hampshire farmhouse to care for their adult son, Toby, who suffered a brain injury when young. We reconnect with the rest of the family - Al is married and living in Seattle; Ursula lives in VT with her husband and two children. Taking place from 2010-2024, we see how all of their stories play out.

I was gutted after reading Count the Ways and feel the same after closing this book - they are definitely going down as two of my top favorite books. Joyce Maynard writes in such a way that you feel seen. I highlighted so many passages because I felt like she was talking to me personally. While I guess you could read this as a stand-alone, you would be doing yourself a disservice because knowing how these characters got to this point is huge. I love how she incorporates current events of the time into the story to make it even more relatable, along with the music of those times. These books are about love, forgiveness, finding yourself and especially parenthood and family. It's heartbreaking, hopeful, and so beautifully written. Very highly recommended!

Thank you net galley for this arc in exchange for my honest review. I loved the first book but this sequel is severely lacking. Its too repetitive to the original in the beginning and then it got so political that it was no longer even about the characters. Time is precious dont waste it reading this book. One star but really zero.