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Somewhere Off the Coast of Maine
by
Ann Hood
In 1969, as Peter, Paul and Mary croon on the radio and poster paints are splashing the latest antiwar slogans, three friends find love. Suzanne, a poet, lives in a Maine beach house awaiting the birth of a child she will call Sparrow. Claudia, who weds a farmer during college, plans to raise three strong sons. Elizabeth and her husband marry, organize protests, and try to...more
Paperback, 233 pages
Published
May 24th 2008
by W. W. Norton & Company
(first published 1987)
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I read this on the recommendation of my recent workshop leader, who suggested it to study alternating, numerous, close third-person points of view. For that purpose, it is excellent.
The novel is set in both the late 60s and mid-80s and follows three women who became friends in college and went on to different lives. Their teen children, all about the same age, also have a lot of time on the page. While it is a fast read, it ultimately left me dissatisfied. I thought the large cas...more
The novel is set in both the late 60s and mid-80s and follows three women who became friends in college and went on to different lives. Their teen children, all about the same age, also have a lot of time on the page. While it is a fast read, it ultimately left me dissatisfied. I thought the large cas...more
I was unfamiliar with Ann Hood when I picked up this debut novel, based soley on the title. I have a fondness for all things Maine. It's an easy read--polished off in one sitting. It tells the intertwined stories of three women, college friends, and how their choices inform their lives and the lives of their children. In many ways, it's another one of those "Big Chill" novels to which I can easily relate because of my own membership in that cohort. Not too strenuous a read, and it...more
Being a lover of Maine, I was super excited about this book. It definitely left me wanting much more. First, it really didn't focus on Maine at all, which the title would imply. Second, the characters while fun in their own right, sharing a charming friendship, were just not developed as fully as I would have liked.
The book tells of these three women's present day situation, and their college life/best friendship which bonds them together, and for one of them was the catalyst in tea...more
The book tells of these three women's present day situation, and their college life/best friendship which bonds them together, and for one of them was the catalyst in tea...more
It's about three friends in the 60s (Claudia, Suzanne and Elizabeth) and then their children in the 80s (primarily Rebekah and Sparrow but also Henry, a little).
It's not my favorite Ann Hood book, but it's definitely entertaining.
Also, I think we can all relate to living lives that we didn't expect to live when we were in college.
The three friends all had these huge ideals and expectations, and none of them really attained those goals. (The book's not as sa...more
It's not my favorite Ann Hood book, but it's definitely entertaining.
Also, I think we can all relate to living lives that we didn't expect to live when we were in college.
The three friends all had these huge ideals and expectations, and none of them really attained those goals. (The book's not as sa...more
In an interview on Suite 101, Ann Hood describes writing her debut novel, Somewhere Off the Coast of Maine long hand during long flights. She was working at the time as a flight attendant. Knowing the circumstances of how the book explains for me the dominant theme of the book: the resurfacing of memories, good and bad in a time of personal reflection.
The novel begins with Sparrow, a teenager, wanting to know about her father. To her, he is only a man in faded photograph. She wants t...more
The novel begins with Sparrow, a teenager, wanting to know about her father. To her, he is only a man in faded photograph. She wants t...more
I picked this book up while in Maine b/c of the title and b/c I have heard of this writter from, The Knitting Circle. What also interested me was the summary on the back, "novel about choices we make when we are young, and the chhnges brought about by the passing of time." I did feel that the book reflected that and was very true to life. What I did not like about it was how it was written, went back and forth from present day to the 60's to present day...plus I just came off of rea...more
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I started and finished this Sunday and its still sitting with me.
There are three main characters -- one clinging to the past, one desperate and thinking only of the future, and one quite in the present.
The book goes back and forth between 1985 and the late 1960s and opens with the perspective of the three children of each of the women above. There isn't a hierachy of anything here, as adult and child seem parallel in this story -- particularly as it bounces back to a simi...more
There are three main characters -- one clinging to the past, one desperate and thinking only of the future, and one quite in the present.
The book goes back and forth between 1985 and the late 1960s and opens with the perspective of the three children of each of the women above. There isn't a hierachy of anything here, as adult and child seem parallel in this story -- particularly as it bounces back to a simi...more
This was a very fast, enjoyable read. It reminded me of the young adult novels I read in the 80s when I was a teenager. Somewhere Off the Coast of Maine tells the story of 3 women who became friends during the late 60s when they were in college and their children, through 70s to 1985. The three were very close and shared everything for a short time and then go their seperate ways, each following a different path and achieving their dreams in different ways with different success. I could rela...more
A novel exploring the lives and friendship of three women who meet in college in the 1960s and the impact their decisions then have on their lives and the lives of their children in the 1980s. It was very easy to relate to and empathize with all of the characters, and the author doesn't hold up one particular way as morally superior to any of the others - the reader is able to appreciate the people at face value.
My only criticism is that it ended rather abruptly, otherwise, a good r...more
My only criticism is that it ended rather abruptly, otherwise, a good r...more
This was a good, but not great, book. I gave it 4 stars more because of the potential than the actual result. I enjoyed the characters, and the idea of changes wrought by the passage of time. The interspersing of the 60's, 70's and 80's fascinated me.
There is no resolution, however, and a lot is left hanging. This may be part of the message, and the author's intent, but I still found it to be disappointing.
There is no resolution, however, and a lot is left hanging. This may be part of the message, and the author's intent, but I still found it to be disappointing.
An oldie but a goodie.
Claudia, Elizabeth, and Suzanne are friends in college during the turbulent years of the Vietnam war. Coming from different backgrounds with different points of view, they become fast friends and love and support one another. And then the differences that brought them together push them apart.
Claudia, Elizabeth, and Suzanne are friends in college during the turbulent years of the Vietnam war. Coming from different backgrounds with different points of view, they become fast friends and love and support one another. And then the differences that brought them together push them apart.
This is an earlier work of Ann Hood, who will be my workshop leader at Tin House this summer. It's a story about 3 women, their friendship and then their journeys as mothers. I really enjoyed it. Poignant and simple yet deals with complex issues of family, identity, loss and betrayal.
OK, so I had to buy this because I was in Maine--and it looked like a quick--and appropo--read. I think its funny (but not surprising) that Mitzi and I were both reading books by Ann Hood at the same time! The book was told from several points of view and really kept moving. Its an interesting study in how differently we all perceive the same thing. I thought the ending was a bit lacking--I kept looking for more pages, but if the ending was fuller it probably would have been too pat. Ironically,...more
short read about 3 college friends and the drastic way their lives change as the world throws them a few curveballs (loss of a son, unexpected pregnancy and terminal cancer) – extremely unsettling to me. very real circumstances – a little too real
Picked this up after enjoying several other Hood books. I enjoyed switching back and forth from present to past, and I found the characters truly likable. Some heavy topics, but still a light read.
Author works examine how choices we make when young affect the course of our lives. She's amore seasoned writer now and would probably have a smoother narrative today.
I read this a long, long time ago and I loved it. I subsequently devoured everything else that Ann Hood wrote but for some reason, this is the one that sticks with me.
Awkward ending, just dropped off. Truly enjoyed her newest, The Knitting Circle but forget this one--disappointing
Fast and interesting read. I liked the beginning, but was a little annoyed at the flashbacks in the middle. Overall a good one.
This was the first book by Ann Hood I have read. I really enjoyed it and thought it was a great read. Once I started it I couldn't put it down.
I enjoyed this book but must say that I felt the ending was abrupt. I was left wanting more of the story.
A novel about the 60s and what happens when three college friends leave the decade behind. This was an "Ok" book, but not especially memorable.
I really got into the characters but then "it" just sort of ended! I would like to see this book continued!
Follows 3 friends from college days to midlife. Many twiists and turns. Good read.
Read this in college and then Ann Hood came and did a reading...really enjoyed the book and reading
3 "hippies" from the 60's and what they have become in the 80's-good read
A very fast read with an abrupt, somewhat unsatisfying ending...
Why do I think the second book will be as great as the first???
Just because it has "Maine" in the title doesn't make it a good book.
I am really enjoying this book. A fast read and love the characters.
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Ann Hood was born in West Warwick, Rhode Island. She grew up with stories of her father's travels around the world during his 20 years in the Navy. These stories inspired her to become a flight attendant for TWA after receiving her BA in English from the University of Rhode Island. She lived in Boston and St. Louis before moving to New York City, where she attended graduate school at NYU in Americ...more
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