Firefly Beach

Jun 25, 2012 Lisa rated it 3 of 5 stars

Again I am trying to solve the mystery (to me) of why some books with painful subjects are palatable and even enjoyable while others rot in hopelessness. I have to say, the first half of this book almost, almost fit into the second category. But there was that mysterious element, small but there, that whispered book redemption. Which in the second half came through, making it a worthwhile read.

Love and caring in flawed characters is a necessary ingredient (for me) to "relate" to a book (and thi...more Again I am trying to solve the mystery (to me) of why some books with painful subjects are palatable and even enjoyable while others rot in hopelessness. I have to say, the first half of this book almost, almost fit into the second category. But there was that mysterious element, small but there, that whispered book redemption. Which in the second half came through, making it a worthwhile read.

Love and caring in flawed characters is a necessary ingredient (for me) to "relate" to a book (and this book had that). The going beyond limitations in a shortish page frame is also important (and in this book that is where it almost lost me--it took a long, long, LONG while for all the characters to step past their greatly focused-upon limitations; that feeling of "get over it already.") That said: The slim but winning quality of this book was that it was done in such a way that as it moved along, I found myself accepting that maybe, just maybe, all these flawed characters are simply a part of life and loving and you have to take in the bad with the good. That's an obvious statement, of course, but it's not a theme that is always successfully carried in a book. Too many flaws, too much coming up against the same thing over and over again and I grow restless and bored and the book goes into the "this sucks" category. We all see enough of pain and limitation, I don't need to live another variety of it through these characters.

One element that is part-solution to the mystery is that the reading of each good (vs. bad) book always has its own emotional dénouement--the moment I get the swish of loving what I have read and that all the trials of reading (which there always are in books on painful subjects) have served a purpose. The feeling of climbing to a mountaintop, with all it's effort and strain, to reach the breathtaking view. I did get that with this book, but it was rather short-lived and then it downgraded to the predictable.

Other books (the ones not on painful subjects) are simply enjoyable throughout. The normal human limitations and character flaws are overcome, as they must be for a story to grow, but they are not as deep and penetrating, as "in your face" as the purpose of the story. In non-comedies, hope, growth, strength are the purpose vs. painstakingly overcoming something tragic/flawed/seriously limiting.

Author Charles Martin is still the best I've found who has the ability to totally take me in and carry me on a painful subject--he actually makes it exquisitely tender throughout. I think of his two Maggie books (plus others).

And Martin is also an example of authoring a book enjoyable throughout--I think of his "The Mountain Between Us." (Not beloved by all, but definitely by me.)

Authors Anne Tyler and Anita Shreve are examples of writing "this sucks" books. Hopelessness has something to do with it, for sure, along with a deadness of characters, a remove of emotion, a simple lack of something essential that I've yet to identify. In the few books that I've experienced of both, I don't walk away feeling better for having read them. And during the reading I feel pretty wooden.

Mackenzie Ford's "The Clouds Beneath the Sun" and Yan Martel's "Beatrice and Virgil" totally go under the "beyond sucks." Alison Pace's "City Dog" was also patently terrible.

So the mystery remains. I'm still not sure of the elements (surely there are many), but this book does a credible job on exploring family dynamics and slips in under the header of enjoyable moments if not always enjoyable.

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Jul 19, 2010 Kathy added it

Shelves: romance, family

A story of family, a family that struggles with the past, present and future… but a family that loves…

Hugh and Augusta…. He a famous artist, she the understanding, supportive wife… with 3 daughters… Hugh regularly unfaithful (afterall he is an artist) and Augusta ignores it, she loves him so… and when she is pregnant with Skye, and Caroline is 5 & Clea is 3, the husband of his current amor comes to their house with the intention of taking from Hugh as he has taken from him… He holds a gun to...more A story of family, a family that struggles with the past, present and future… but a family that loves…

Hugh and Augusta…. He a famous artist, she the understanding, supportive wife… with 3 daughters… Hugh regularly unfaithful (afterall he is an artist) and Augusta ignores it, she loves him so… and when she is pregnant with Skye, and Caroline is 5 & Clea is 3, the husband of his current amor comes to their house with the intention of taking from Hugh as he has taken from him… He holds a gun to Caroline… and as it unfolds, he talks of his son (& has his picture), and of his despair… and when Augusta begs that he leave the girls safe and take her, he kills himself (in front of them all)…

Caroline is the mainstay of the family… its strength - because of her compassion and her internal strength… Hugh; out of guilt, the need to teach the girls to protect themselves, his own passion, and his love; starts to take the girls hunting leaving them on their own to use their skills to survive…. They hate hunting, and especially Skye is fearful of the wilderness… and when Skye is 17, in a hunting accident she kills a man that she thought was a deer… this defines Skye, and she is never able to quite get over it… she follows in her father’s footsteps as an artist, but marries a man that is of the worst part of her father – an artist, but not too good; cruel to her; drinking/drugs; and affairs… and after the accident, Hugh checks out… he drinks, is a mean drunk, and drinks himself to death –

A young Caroline reaches out to Joe (the son of the man who killed himself) and they begin a 12 year pen pal relationship… including telling him about a shipwreck that she learned about in school in the waters outside their home… but at 18, when Joe finds out the truth of what his father did (he thought he died of a heart attack), he angerly turns from Caroline and their plans to finally meet, writing her he never wants to hear from her again… Joe becomes a successful oceanographer and treasure hunter… but spends a number of years drunk… and he has a younger half brother that never gives up on him. Their touching letters intersperse this story.

Another dozen years have passed…. And Caroline owns/runs the Firefly Inn in the spirit of her father’s passions… Clea is happily married to a minister with 2 children of her own… and Skye’s husband has left her, she drinks too much, and she can’t scupt… and Joe Conner shows up to reclaim the sunken ship that Caroline had written to him about so many years before…

And they all spend the summer working through the past and embracing the future…. Joe takes Skye to AA & Skye learns to forgive herself… Joe & Caroline reach out for one another, and risk their own inner wells of solitude & safety for each other, and a more open relationship with their families… Augusta finds a degree of peace in mistakes she made - focusing on the love they all have…
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Mar 23, 2013 Chris rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: luanne-rice

A story of family, a family that struggles with the past, present and future… but a family that loves…

Hugh and Augusta…. He a famous artist, she the understanding, supportive wife… with 3 daughters… Hugh regularly unfaithful (afterall he is an artist) and Augusta ignores it, she loves him so… and when she is pregnant with Skye, and Caroline is 5 & Clea is 3, the husband of his current amor comes to their house with the intention of taking from Hugh as he has taken from him… He holds a gun to...more A story of family, a family that struggles with the past, present and future… but a family that loves…

Hugh and Augusta…. He a famous artist, she the understanding, supportive wife… with 3 daughters… Hugh regularly unfaithful (afterall he is an artist) and Augusta ignores it, she loves him so… and when she is pregnant with Skye, and Caroline is 5 & Clea is 3, the husband of his current amor comes to their house with the intention of taking from Hugh as he has taken from him… He holds a gun to Caroline… and as it unfolds, he talks of his son (& has his picture), and of his despair… and when Augusta begs that he leave the girls safe and take her, he kills himself (in front of them all)…

Caroline is the mainstay of the family… its strength - because of her compassion and her internal strength… Hugh; out of guilt, the need to teach the girls to protect themselves, his own passion, and his love; starts to take the girls hunting leaving them on their own to use their skills to survive…. They hate hunting, and especially Skye is fearful of the wilderness… and when Skye is 17, in a hunting accident she kills a man that she thought was a deer… this defines Skye, and she is never able to quite get over it… she follows in her father’s footsteps as an artist, but marries a man that is of the worst part of her father – an artist, but not too good; cruel to her; drinking/drugs; and affairs… and after the accident, Hugh checks out… he drinks, is a mean drunk, and drinks himself to death –

A young Caroline reaches out to Joe (the son of the man who killed himself) and they begin a 12 year pen pal relationship… including telling him about a shipwreck that she learned about in school in the waters outside their home… but at 18, when Joe finds out the truth of what his father did (he thought he died of a heart attack), he angerly turns from Caroline and their plans to finally meet, writing her he never wants to hear from her again… Joe becomes a successful oceanographer and treasure hunter… but spends a number of years drunk… and he has a younger half brother that never gives up on him. Their touching letters intersperse this story.

Another dozen years have passed…. And Caroline owns/runs the Firefly Inn in the spirit of her father’s passions… Clea is happily married to a minister with 2 children of her own… and Skye’s husband has left her, she drinks too much, and she can’t scupt… and Joe Conner shows up to reclaim the sunken ship that Caroline had written to him about so many years before…

And they all spend the summer working through the past and embracing the future…. Joe takes Skye to AA & Skye learns to forgive herself… Joe & Caroline reach out for one another, and risk their own inner wells of solitude & safety for each other, and a more open relationship with their families… Augusta finds a degree of peace in mistakes she made - focusing on the love they all have…
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Aug 03, 2011 LuAnn rated it 4 of 5 stars

This is another good read from this author – one of my favorites. It’s not one of her best books, in my opinion, but it ranks up there above many other authors’ novels you can find on the market.

The book revolves around a suicide that happened when two of three sisters were little girls (the third sister wasn’t born yet). Now they are all grown up and about to come face to face with the son of the man who killed himself in front of them. Their mother is also one of the main characters and she wa...more

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Jul 10, 2011 Goddess Of Blah rated it 5 of 5 stars

this book is not perfect, however, the mature, intense, powerful, story superseded all the criticism i could bestow. The author is sensitive to her characters feelings. None are portrayed as perfect or evil. All have their weaknesses and strengths exposed.

Its a completely absorbing book, very tragic but also blooming with hope. A beautiful family tale combined with intense, sparkling romance so full of chemistry that you'll be completely engrossed. I read it within 2 days. Loved it.

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Sep 30, 2010 Mary Taitt rated it 3 of 5 stars

This story was excellent and emotionally engaging--I really enjoyed it. It centers around the relationships of a woman and her sisters, mother, and a boy she met through strange sad circumstances as well as how the past comes back to haunt and maybe free them. The editing and grammar were particularly poor, though. I don't want to say too much about the plot because I hate spoilers, but the story is good. I would give it a four or 4.5 for plot and a 2 for editing.

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Jul 24, 2009 Jeanne rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2009-reads

Luanne Rice books are always well-written and usually dark, and this is no exception. Artist's dysfunctional family struggles with a past filled with violence in the form of suicide and a hunting accident. The three sisters were forced to learn survival skills and to hunt after being held hostage in their own home by the wronged husband of their father's mistress. Alcoholism, domestic violence and attempted rape abound. A good read, though not an easy one.

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Feb 24, 2009 Susan rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: adult

Caroline and Joe are connected by a tragic death that changed both of their lives forever when they were five years and six years old. Caroline and her two sisters, Clea and Skye, and mother, Augusta, live on Long Island Sound in Connecticut. Caroline is now in her thirties when a treasure hunter appears in her inn. He is the long lost Joe. Their romance progresses along with his sunken treasure hunt.

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Apr 08, 2013 Marilyn rated it 1 of 5 stars

Awful. Totally predictable. The ending was excruciatingly long and drawn out. The characters were hackneyed and stereotypical. An anti-alcohol diatribe. Even the poor dog was a weak character. Maybe I'd feel differently about this book if I'd have sisters, but this was just awful. My book club meets in two days to talk about this, and I'll be afraid to open my mouth, fearing someone actually liked it. Yuck.

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Jun 18, 2012 Linda rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: women-s-fiction

This family drama is about how violence of violence impact the lives of two dysfunctional families. Rice shows how though love, new challenges and mutual support the characters come to grips with their past and are able to move forward. this is a good read with an interesting story that wraps up neatly at the end. It is a good enough book but not something I would revisit.

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Dec 07, 2011 Jennifer rated it 1 of 5 stars

This was a terrible book. I listened to it on CD, and why I listened for as long as I did I am not sure. I was unable to even finish it. The book was annoyingly descriptive. "Her heart ached with love," etc. And the same phrases were used over and over again. There was very little depth to the plot of the story. It wasn't even a good "shallow" book. Not recommended.

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Sep 21, 2012 Christi rated it 4 of 5 stars

I really love the way Luanne Rice develops her characters. They are not perfect, but so real. The book starts so sad with a suicide witnessed by two little girls. It starts a life long journey of the two families, and how they each deal with the tragedy. Include the normal crazy, difficult, and always loving relationship of three sisters, some alcoholism, and two brothers trying to connect and how can it be bad? Another day in a typical dysfunctional American family.

I just get swept up in her s...more

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Oct 11, 2012 Lori rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: basement-laundry-room-series, chick-women

Quick and easy read I picked up from our building's basement laundry room bookshelf. For one of these types of books (heartfelt, family saga, a little romance thrown in), it was pretty good writing and somehow the last few chapters were a real boo-hoo festival. Sigh. I'm a sucker for guilt over dead relatives, I guess. I've not been in the mood for anything too challenging this year -- and this book fit that bill -- but I don't feel my time was wasted because who doesn't benefit from a little te...more

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May 14, 2010 Denise rated it 4 of 5 stars

This is a pleasant book. Tragedy had changed the course of this family's life forever. The children coped better than their parents. The younger generation were able to forgive first, allowing the surviving parent to forgive. Eventually everyone moves forward.

It was pleasant, but could have been so much more.

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Mar 27, 2011 Dorothy rated it 5 of 5 stars

What a great story about sisters who actually love each other and take care of each other.
It is hard to believe that in real life they would all be still living in the same town where
they grew up and one even living with their mother. A beautiful story. I loved reading.
With a couple of "bad" men thrown in just like real life.

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Feb 16, 2013 Ian Markham rated it 5 of 5 stars

I'm terribly surprised by all of the bad reviews that folks here give luanne rice's novels. This woman actually has literay talent. But what should we expect from a culture who actually believes that stephen king and james patterson have a shred of literary talent!

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Sep 10, 2009 Dundee Library added it

Shelves: romance-steamy

Luanne Rice offers deeply emotional tales of sisterhood, loss and the healing power of love which echo many of the same themes found in Michaels. A number of these are loosely linked through supporting characters who are mentioned in cameo roles in several titles.

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Apr 23, 2013 Catherine rated it 4 of 5 stars

A moving story of the bond between sisters and the lengths people will go for love!! Caroline and Joe were brought together by tragedy, torn apart by it, and years later find themselves trying to pick up where they left off. Luanne Rice knows how to write a heartfelt story!!

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Jan 29, 2013 Academicsupport rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: human-interactions, social-commentary

Beautiful story of close family relationships especially among sisters, who experienced traumatic events as a result of her talent, artistic father. The touching love story is a wonderful side story to this novel.

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Feb 14, 2010 Virginia Markhart rated it 3 of 5 stars

This book made the rounds in my office. I expected to love it and was dissapointed. It did have an intriguing plot. Kinda of drug out. I will read at least one more by this author before making a decision.

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Dec 16, 2012 Debby rated it 4 of 5 stars

I don't normally read this author or this type of book, but I have to say, this one had a storyline with lots of family dysfunction and mystery and that kept me interested to the end.
Need a good vacation read? This one might be fit!

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Jun 21, 2010 Jayme VA rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2010

I was hoping for a much lighter read than this, but it was still an okay story. Not much happens, but I did find myself caring about the characters. There was a bit too much tragedy and drama for this family for my liking, or for anything close to the real world.

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Oct 25, 2010 Linda rated it 3 of 5 stars

This was okay. The author got me caught up in the circular pattern of this family of sisters. Sometimes I couldn't get off the ride. Would like to try another of hers instead.

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Feb 20, 2013 Shirlene Kohnlein rated it 3 of 5 stars

I enjoy books by this author. They tend to be fast reads because I can't stop until something good happens to a character who just experienced something drastic.

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Apr 13, 2011 Lois Bouchard rated it 4 of 5 stars

I'm listening to this one on cd. Don't care much for the narrator's style and voice. So far, I'm getting the message that this is a romance novel. We'll see.

I finished listening and really liked the book. It is a romance, but the premise is different and includes treasure hunting and some family dynamics that are interesting.

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Jun 12, 2013 Jill rated it 3 of 5 stars

While no literary masterpiece, the story struck a lot of nerves for me. This is a piece of chick lit fluff, but the emotions in the book are very real.

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Jul 29, 2012 Ashleigh Tripp rated it 4 of 5 stars

Good book for chick-lit light. Character development wasn't all that strong, but there are a few good lines. It's perfect for an easy livin', summertime read!

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Jun 11, 2010 Alice added it

I read this a few years ago and just noticed it wasn't on my list. I can't remember it well enough to give it a star rating. Also an easy "beach read."

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Mar 30, 2010 Karen rated it 1 of 5 stars

I expected more than what was delivered in this book. It was very predictable and boring at times. I found myself only wanting to read the dialogue so that it would go faster. But then I thought, I might actually miss something. I liked the letters, but that was about it. I was surprised because Luanne Rice novels are usually better than this one.

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Mar 13, 2013 Marianne rated it 2 of 5 stars

this book had its moments, but not enough to make me really like it a lot. Most of Rice's books I have liked, not so much this one.

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Firefly Beach (Hubbard's Point/Black Hall series #1)

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