Thrown Out: Stories from Exeter

by Jennie Coughlin

Travel to Exeter, Massachusetts, where old grudges, buried secrets and lifetime regrets haunt the residents of this small town — and sometimes trip up unwary newcomers.

Genres: Short Stories

89 pages, Paperback

First published September 5, 2011

About the author

Jennie Coughlin first won awards for her coverage of small towns in Massachusetts while working at community newspapers there, and now uses a different kind of storytelling to showcase life in fictional Exeter, Massachusetts. In addition to her work as a reporter, editor and columnist at small newspapers, she was Virginia's USA TODAY correspondent for a few years.
The flavor of small college towns with lots of history and strong arts communities comes through in her stories about Exeter, a small mill town in the Blackstone Valley. The name is a nod to her hometown's history, but Exeter isn't based on Franklin or any of the other small towns she's lived in — reality in those places is far too unbelievable to make good fiction.

Reviews

[☕️Kimberly (Caffeinated Reviewer)]

The book, Thrown Out: Stories from Exeter, was a delightful collection of four short stories. All of the tales took place in the college town of Exeter. I really enjoyed each of the stories, which doesn’t often happen in a collection of works.
I have often been disappointed by short stories because they lack substance. These tales were well developed and the writer had strong command of them from beginning to end. Coughlin delivered stories that quickly immersed me into the tale. The characters had depth and some of them crossed over into different stories. The storylines were compelling and spanned over 40 years. They touched on tough subjects such as homophobia, town secrets, spousal abuse and fear of commitment.
My favorite story was “Thrown Out”. This story dealt with homophobia and the ugly truth behind it. Chris is a young man who knows firsthand the pain this hatred can inflict. I was touched by his story. Coughlin brings into perspective what it is like to be different in a small town.
I thoroughly enjoyed Thrown Out, and was sad to see it end. The book was a mere eighty-eight pages long, but worth the read. I will be looking for more of Jennie Coughlin’s work in the future.

I want to thank the author for providing with a copy to review in exchange for my unbiased review.

you can see more of my reviews on my blog: http://kimbathecaffeinatedbookreviewe...

[Rebecca]

Small Town Reality

With my growing up in a very small town, these stories brought back memories of problems several townspeople I knew faced. This actually made the stories more enjoyable.

With the stories taking place over a forty-year span, the people living in Exeter experienced happiness, sadness, and unexpected challenges.

With some tough subject matter as part of the collection, Jennie still made the stories enjoyable to read with her wonderful style of writing.

Jennie made me feel a part of the town of Exeter and I wanted to read more and more about the realistic characters.

I certainly plan to read more of Jennie Coughlin’s works. I highly recommend you read this true-to- life collection of stories.

Rebecca Scarberry

[Christina]

I enjoyed these vignettes exploring the denizens of a small (fictional) town in Massachusetts. The characters were realistic and relatable. Taking us back and forth in history, we get glimpses of life through the eyes of one of the older citizens of Exeter, Riordan. A retired attorney, Roirdan loves telling stories and regales us (well, a young lady from the town, but really, she's us) with tales of Dan and Chris, of his love Becca, of one of the first difficult cases he took on, of the Boston mob presence in the small town. The exciting, dangerous elements are toned down, though they are very much necessary to show how these characters came to be where they are in life, how their past influences the decisions they make in the present. Coughlin's writing is crisp, well paced and she manages to make you care about these characters. They become your friends.

All of these stories link to All That is Necessary, Jennie Coughlin's first novel based in Exeter. That is reviewed separately.

[Mandy]

Jennie Coughlin has created a town which seems real enough to perhaps be the one next to your own. This small book spans a few decades with its four short stories. It’s about everyday life for the people of Exeter, complete with problems, trivial and large. I felt like I was looking at the town through a window, getting a little glimpse at the goings on and getting to know the characters. It was like being given a sneak peak at what was to come – which is good because I have heard there are more stories about Exeter in the works.

Can I pick a favourite? Nope, I can’t. Even though they are four short stories it still seemed like more of a whole to me than four parts, they interwove and it was great. It gave me the feeling that I had known the town for more than just the ‘time at the moment’.

An easy to read pocketsize book with engaging characters and good storylines.

I must say thank you to Jennie for providing me with a copy of her book – thanks, Jennie!

[Taylor Gibbs]

If you've spent any time in a small town, you know that many have their own character. Jennie Coughlin brings this to life in Thrown Out, where the town of Exeter stars right alongside the characters. More than a backdrop, the fabric of Exeter is woven into all the stories here.

Jennie has a way of crafting engaging characters who pull you in, and from the intrigue of Bones of the Past, it is clear that Exeter has its own stories to tell. I'm looking forward to meeting more of the characters and seeing more of the town!

[Alexa]

I thoroughly enjoyed my visit to Exeter - and hope to visit again soon when more stories in this lovely series are released!

Jennie Coughlin has a wonderful way with words and triumphs at bringing the characters to life so vividly it feels as though they're people I know rather than fictional characters people I've never met. She also manages to tell their stories in a way that's both enjoyable and easy to read, not to mention quite addictive!

This is a great debut from a talented author with a no doubt promising career - can't wait for more visits to this wonderful town!

[Darcysmom]

I skipped doing work so that I could finish reading Thrown Out: Stories From Exeter. It is that good!
I loved getting to meet the good people of Exeter at various points in time. I even enjoyed meeting the not so good townsfolk.
I am thrilled that more Exeter stories are coming soon.
Jennie Coughlin did a terrific job of making me feel like I was a part of the town and visiting with friends and hearing their stories while we had a drink.
I think that these stories will appeal to everyone.

[Mark Baker]

Four short stories set in a small, college town in Massachusetts that focus on the characters who live there. I really enjoyed meeting them and look forward to getting to know them better in the novels she is also setting there. NOTE: I was sent this book in exchange for my honest review.

Read my full review at

[Louise]

Exeter, a fictional town in Massachusetts, has an interesting assortment of people living there and apparently a lot of secrets! This is more like a short story collection than a novella, but one where the same characters pop up in most stories. I got quite drawn into the lives of several of the people in these stories and was left wanting to know a lot more! (Example - what was bothering that young boy? We never find out.) So probably 3.5 starts because of that, but still a good read.

Note: I know Jennie Coughlin personally, which is why I learned about and bought this book. However, this is an honest review, not affected by my knowing the author. (I also thought, from the title, that this book was about being tossed out of the private school in Exeter, New Hampshire - wrong!)