Red Ruby Heart in a Cold Blue Sea

Florine #1

by Morgan Callan Rogers

In 1963, twelve-year-old Florine Gilham enjoys an idyllic childhood in small-town Maine—until her beloved mother vanishes. Untethered and adrift in the wake of her disappearance, Florine finds her once-cherished joys—watching her father’s lobster boat come into port, baking bread with her grandmother, and causing mischief with the summer folk—suddenly ring hollow. When a figure from her father’s past comes calling, Florine must find the courage to lay down roots of her own.  Set against the gorgeous backdrop of the Maine coast, Red Ruby Heart in a Cold Blue Sea is an extraordinary snapshot of a bygone America as seen through the eyes of an iconic New England girl.

Genres: Fiction, Coming Of Age, Young Adult, Audiobook, Historical Fiction, Book Club, Adult

320 pages, Paperback

First published August 12, 2010

About the author

For marketing purposes, one of my publicists asked me to think about why I stand out. That's a hard question to answer during fractured times filled with bombastic narcissists shouting LOOK AT ME! LOOK AT ME! It's almost better to NOT stand out. So maybe the question is, what is anti-special about me? You're only cool when you don't worry about being cool. It's a Catch-22.

I've had my moments. I rode a three-speed bicycle across England during a very rainy summer. When I read Wild by Cheryl Strayed, I related to her excitement (high) versus preparedness ratio (low). I was an actress for twenty years, appearing in everything from Skin or Our Teeth by Thornton Wilder to Under Milkwood by Dylan Thomas. I have an awesome voice, discovered when I was about forty. I've held a number of jobs, from service-type positions to professional stints as a journalist and editor. I've traveled back and forth across country a number of times between South Dakota and Maine. Anything you want to ask about Routes 80/90? I have the answer.

I've spent a lot of time in my head, living in worlds parallel to this one. So, what DOES makes me special? My imagination, which I almost forsook for health insurance and mortgage payments. These things are both necessary, but neither is fodder for the soul. My imagination rescued me by speaking loud and clear to me on an ordinary afternoon several years ago. The small but intense voice in my head whispered, "Excuse me. I have something to say. You can use this gift and live as you were meant to live, or you can merely exist in a place where you've never quite fit." So, I began to honor those characters in my head. I listened to what they had to say and I brought them into being.

What makes me special? I was given the gift of creating worlds, and I am honoring the privilege of doing that. I am a lucky woman.

Reviews

[Suzanne · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's been a long time since I loved a novel as much as this one. I loved it most for being true to life. It's not all literary, things don't happen in the way most "coming of age" style novels have you believe they should, but Florine and her family and friends talk in an authentic Maine voice. The dialogue is perfect. If anyone wants an idea what conversations and characters were like growing up in Maine, they could read this book and get a very good idea. I love it that Florine found her own way to cope with the losses in her life---not the way that novel heroines are "supposed" to resolve things. In most novels, she would have gone off to college at the end, or realized she didn't need a man to be happy, or become a Nancy Drew type detective and tried to solve the mysteries in her own life. The things she actually does, along with touches like how she bakes bread, gardens and knits, make for a true Maine novel.

But...and this would not bother ANYONE but someone who grew up in Maine---there is no big ball bowling almost anyplace in Maine---only candlepin! It's like the bowling references are an inside joke---they very well might be!

[Kate · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have mixed feelings about this one. It has a lot going for it. It's about a teenage girl struggling with tough circumstances in an everyody-knows-everybody small town, and what I like best about the story is how the main character manages to get so lost in such a tiny place. It's extremely readable, and the characters are vivid and convincing.

On the other hand, [umm, spoiler alert, I guess? Can it be a spoiler when I'm warning you that something doesn't happen, even though you may have been waiting and hoping for it to happen? Anyway...] it's a bildungsroman where the main character doesn't leave town when she grows up. It seems like she's going to -- like all her sufferings, and all the broken bonds, are going to set her free and she'll fly away. But, nope. Doesn't happen. Also, dead people start appearing to her towards the end of the book, which I found extremely hokey. And, AND, [same kind of spoiler alert] there's a big mystery in this book that never gets solved, which would be fine, if I didn't think that a solution was hinted at a couple of times. So come on! If it's an unsolved mystery then fine, but don't wave it around like that or it will distract me from your actual plot.

This isn't really a review, sorry. It's more like me venting. On the whole, I guess I'd say it's uneven, just like its cover/title combo. Great cover, iffy title. Great book, iffy in places. Still probably worth reading if you like small-scale stories about young people finding their way.

[Booklunatic · Rating 5 out of 5]

EDIT 27.04.14: There is going to be a sequel, coming out in August - I'm a happy camper! :)

[Amanda Nelson (The Midtown Reader) · Rating 5 out of 5]

To say this book has been on my TBR list for a long time would be an understatement. I originally added this to Goodreads in 2013! As part of my 2021 goal, I made a pact to alternate my reading between an "old" TBR book and a new release- hoping to overcome the backlog.

I am so glad I grabbed this one. It lived up to my expectations 10 fold.

Florine is born and raised on the harbor of Maine. Her father a fisherman, her mother a breathtaking beauty of a waitress. She enjoys her life with her group of friends, causing a ruckus when the wealthy summer tourists come to enjoy the fresh seafood and seaside views. She lives within a stones throw of her beloved grandmother who teaches her to bake loaves of bread for the local market and knit sweaters for the ever waiting list of purchasers.

Until one day, her mother disappears and life will never be the same.

Florine had so much heart it was almost obsessive with the quickness that I finished this audiobook. I couldn't quit thinking about her, her father, and the community that surrounded their family. I have always been a sucker for any book that has to do with Maine or the new England area. This one goes up there as a favorite with descriptions of the seafood, the fishermen, the small clapboard houses overlooking the surf.

Imagine my delight when I realized this book has a SEQUEL! Excuse me while I go dive back into the rough waves of the Maine coast with Florine and her friends.

[Dale Harcombe · Rating 3 out of 5]

I debated between 2 and 3 stars for this book.Probably 2 and a half.
The premise of this book is interesting in that Florine, who is very close to her mother Carlie, finds it difficult to cope after she disappears from Florine’s life, leaving no trace of what happened. Florine and her father don’t know if she is dead or just gone off somewhere. Florine’s grief is an intrinsic presence in the novel.
The sense of place is beautifully evoked. Some of the writing and the imagery in this novel is particularly effective and apt given the setting. I particularly liked women’s voices rose and fell like gulls nagging at a fishing boat, the description of Rose with pale eyes the colour of water on sand, and the too wise for her years observation that maybe for Daddy at least, the devil was a clear, sharp liquid. These are just some examples of the imagery and prose that attracted me.
This is in sharp contrast to the brash voice of Florine who has, in the words of the novel, got a mouth on her and it makes for interesting if unsettling reading at times. Unfortunately in the publisher’s blurb I read it was compared it to Fannie Flagg’s Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle-Stop Cafe, which to my mind does this book a disservice, as Red Ruby Heart in a Cold Blue Sea does not have the same homespun warmth and gentle humour as that has.
The picture of a young girl’s grief for her mother is beautifully portrayed and yet vaguely unsatisfying. In the end the author seems to imply that everyone should excuse Florine’s behaviour because she lost her mother when young and had a hard life. Is that an excuse? Perhaps. But as she grew older, I found I became bored with the attitude of self pity and cared even less about Florine as she used her mother’s disappearance and her grief as an excuse to further her selfish behaviour.
This is a debut novel for Morgan Callan Rogers, so it will be interesting to see what she comes up with next.

[Julia · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of my favourite novels of all times. I read it a couple of times, the first time aged 14. I did like the novel back then, but when I reread it some years later it was as if I discovered it once more in a completely different way. Rereading the book was like meeting old friends, the characters being very vivid and lovable. Florine's descriptions are shamelessly honest but of course often influenced by immaturity or jealousy - which is exactly what makes her character so relatable, because each of us had/have their moments in which we were/are led by emotion instead of reason (let's be honest), and the two do not necessarily correspond. The relatability is probably also the reason why Florine's experiences - loss, joy, hurt - touched me the way they did, tears included. I love this novel and I'll certainly read it again. And again.

To the teachers out there: This novel can be read in school very well as it offers lots of possible tasks and discussion topics, as well as a general broadening of the students' horizon. Tasks can focus on the text itself but also use the text as a trigger for further discussion and student production, and I think that a lot of students will enjoy this novel. Learners of English should have an advanced level of language proficiency, B1+ or B2 CEFR.

[Fliederfee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Man tut sich ja immer schwer damit sein Lieblingsbuch zu betiteln und auch ich habe mich immer davor gesträubt. Aber nachdem ich dieses Buch mehr als fünf mal gelesen habe und immer wieder aufs neue von der Tiefe, der Trauer und dem unendlichen Glück fasziniert wurde, kann ich es nicht mehr abstreiten: Rubinrotes Herz, eisblaue See ist mein Lieblingsbuch.

Das Buch nimmt einen mit auf die Reise des Erwachsenwerdens und fokussiert sich dabei nicht nur auf die Protagonistin Florine, sondern auch auf ihre drei besten Freunde, die einem direkt ans Herz wachsen. Jeder Charakter erzählt seine eigene Geschichte und es ist einmalig zu sehen, wie jeder Florine auf seine Weise prägt. Bis zur letzten Seite wünscht man sich, dass endlich alles gut wird, obwohl das Buch einen in jedem Kapitel lehrt, dass das Leben unfair ist.

Mit fällt es wirklich schwer das Buch gebührend vorzustellen, ohne etwas von seinem Zauber zu nehmen. Auch wenn das Buch vielleicht nicht durch seine wahnsinnig spannende und unvorhersehbare Handlung hervorsticht, sollte man dieses Buch (genau so wie den Folgeband) gelesen haben, denn sonst entgehen einem Charaktere wie Dottie, Grand und Stella (und alle anderen), die einem zeigen wie man die Welt sehen kann und wie man etwas aus dem macht, das die Welt einem vor die Füße wirft.

Umbedingt lesen!

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

I just realized I never wrote a review after finishing this book, which is a shame, because I really enjoyed it. Great setting and characters. Enough mystery to keep you going, but mostly the story is the coming-of-age of young Florine, the every girl is 1960s Maine. Great story!

[Kaja · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ich weiß nicht, wann ich das letzte Mal so ein tolles Buch gelesen habe. Einfach nur traurig schön, ein Herzensbuch!

[Sara Booklover · Rating 5 out of 5]

Questo libro mi aveva catturata ancora prima di leggerlo. A partire dalla cover stupenda, proseguendo con un titolo importante che non passa inosservato e una trama profonda, ma che non ho voluto neanche leggere per intero per non rovinarmi la sorpresa. La storia si è dimostrata assolutamente degna di tutte le aspettative, anche di più! La protagonista è Florine, una ragazzina di 12 anni. Il lettore avrà modo di conoscere la sua vita a 360°, vivere a suo fianco nel piccolo paesino di pescatori abbarbicato in una delle punte costiere del Maine assaporandone l'accogliente atmosfera, affrontare insieme a lei ogni situazione in cui si troverà negli anni a venire, fino a quando di anni ne avrà 18. E' una lettura estremamente intensa. La vita di Florine non sarà facile, nel suo percorso di crescita dovrà affrontare dure prove, il destino sembrerà essersi schierato contro di lei e i lettori si sentiranno coinvolti in tutto e per tutto nella storia soffrendo anche loro assieme alla protagonista. Non è facile recensire un libro come questo, perché la sua trama non ha grandi avventure, suspence o colpi di scena inimmaginabili, ma è uno straordinario scorcio di vita vera, da respirare a pieni polmoni e da assaporare lentamente. I ritmi pacati della storia inducono infatti ad intraprendere la lettura con calma, assorbendo tutte le piacevolissime e vivide descrizioni senza alcuna fretta, come se fossero piccoli e caldi raggi di sole in una giornata invernale. Nonostante i temi trattati abbiano un'importante componente drammatica, non è una storia pesante o deprimente, ma risulta anzi piacevole, e scorrevole; a volte riesce a fare sorridere, a volte fa scivolare via qualche lacrima, ma in generale fa riscoprire la gioia di vivere. Mi sono affezionata a Florine e agli altri personaggi del romanzo in una maniera che non mi capitava da molto tempo, a libro finito avrei voluto leggerne ancora!
"Un cuore rosso rubino in un freddo mare blu", il cui titolo non è affatto messo ad arte come accade spesso, ma ha invece un significato ben preciso e di rilevanza fondamentale, che si riesce a scoprire solo a metà libro, è un romanzo di rara bellezza, eccezionale, emozionante, intenso, delicato, poetico, che scava nell'intimo con una forza sconvolgente.
Il paragone con i romanzi della Flagg, che avevo sentito prima di affrontare la lettura, si sono dimostrati in parte fondati, perché, anche se ovviamente non vi è una somiglianza nel senso stretto del termine, vi sono caratteristiche nello stile di scrittura di Morgan Callan Rogers, specialmente il modo di descrivere realistici e confortevoli scorci di un'America del passato, che si avvicinano molto agli ambienti che si incontrano nel libro "Pomodori verdi fritti al caffè di Whistle Stop", ma con una storia del tutto diversa.
Un'opera d'esordio di una autrice talentuosa che spero ci delizierà in futuro con altri romanzi.

[Sandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story is set in the 60's.Florine is growing up in a little village at the coast of Maine. Her dad is a fisherman, her mom a waitress and she lives a happy life with her friends Dotty, Bud, Glen and of course her grandmother to whom she is very close. At age 11 her mom doesn't come back from a vacation trip with her best friend. Nobody knows what happens, did she run away, was it a crime? Florines world is shattered but life goes on...

This is a coming to age story which starts at the age 11 and ends when she is about 17/18. First of all I had the complete wrong expectations about this book which was partly due to wrong advertisement I have seen in a bookstore. While I knew there was a sad part to the story overall I expected a funny light read but its far from that. Instead it talks about loss and about the deep grieves and sorrow that comes with it. The loss of her mother its not something that happened and a few chapters later its all forgotten instead it goes like a red string through most of the book.

Florine is probably not the most likeable main character in a book, honestly I was more drawn to her friend Dotty for the first half of the book but the same time it made her more realistic and in a way I could understand why she acted the way she did sometimes....

The first half of the book is a little bit slow and there were also parts where I thought that they seemed much older as how they have been described (when the whole dating thing starts...). In the second part the pace is starting to pick up and I read through that in no time. When I started reading it I thought about two stars for a rating and finally ended up with 4. Overall there was something very captivating about this story. One of these books that are still in your head after you have closed the last page also one of these books where you feel like you are in the middle of it and not on the outside. While the story is very sad, the book is not dark and there is also something positive about it. It feels a little bit like it was written to help people with their grieve.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you are looking for a perfect summer read pick up a copy of Red Ruby Heart in a Cold Blue Sea by Morgan Callan Rogers, and be transported to the coast of Maine. Set in 1963, when our heroine Florine Gilham is a carefree, if somewhat devilish, twelve year old enjoying her summer with her fisherman father and beautiful young mother, her local friends she has know all her life, and her devoted Grandmother. Florine’s life however, is about to change in unexpected ways when her mother Carlie vanishes without a trace. Florine and her father struggle with unanswered questions and must learn to live without Carlie’s love and guidance. Florine, stubborn and strong willed must navigate her adolescence and young adulthood without the guiding hand of her mother. She makes many flawed decisions and suffers much heartache as she struggles to discover who she is and what she wants from life. Florine is an unforgettable character and Rogers has created passages that will leave readers deeply moved. Rogers has also created a novel that is extraordinarily evocative of sense of time and place, and readers will feel themselves part of the tight knit community of tough yet kind Mainers. Red Ruby Heart in a Cold Blue Sea is the perfect summer novel to become lost within, and should not be missed.

[Lynn Pribus · Rating 2 out of 5]

While this had some pretty good reviews, I was listening to it and the juvenile voice of the female narrator -- probably not really a child, but trying to sound like one -- and the early going was too juvenile for me. I guess I'm pretty weary of coming-of-age novels.

OTOH, I had no trouble with the young girl in LIGHT WE CANNOT SEE, so maybe it's the author's delivery.

Back to the Panama Canal. (Also reading Path Between the Seas.)

[Mouthful Of Books · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fazit: Irgendwie hatte ich mir mehr von der Geschichte erhofft als einen ständig zickigen Teenie. Das Ende trieft nur so vor Kitsch und war doch sehr vorhersehbar. Mir haben lediglich die ersten 150 Seiten gefallen, wo die Beziehung zwischen Carlie und Florine beschrieben wurde. Auch die innige Freundschaft der Clique hatte zeitweise gute Coming-of-Age Momente. Insgesamt aber absoluter Durchschnitt. Kann man lesen, muss es aber nicht.

[Sandy W · Rating 5 out of 5]

Completely enjoyed this book, cannot wait---sequel coming in February '16. However, don't read the blurb about the second book---spoiler alert! I did that and gave away the ending on the first book! Still loved the story!

[Robyn Yeary · Rating 4 out of 5]

I could not put this book down, really enjoyed it. A coming of age story of a young women in the 1960's - she survives some hard losses - with a strong spirit. I look forward to reading more by this author - this is her first novel.

[Laurie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Goodreads only gives options for 5 stars,I am giving this 10 stars~ I bought this book at a used book sale for 50 cents.It is a signed hardcover.I have passed this one over so many times (regrettably)in the last 3 years.I am beginning to learn that the books I pass over are the best. This book is a coming of age story at the Maine shore in 1963. Borrowing a quote from one of the reviewers is is "powerfully evocative". This is a memorable story,one that will be living with me for a while. It is incredible to think that this was the author's FIRST novel. It is well written and the characters are wonderful.Unforgettable story of a group of youths and their school years,their friendships,heartbreaks and family stories as well.Adding to my list of favorites.Just ordered the sequel at my library.

[Esther_Schumann · Rating 5 out of 5]

Selten ein Buch gelesen, in dem man sich absolut in eine Person hineinversetzten kann, obwohl man diese Art der Erlebnisse nicht selbst gehabt hat! Eine Geschichte die berührt, erfreut und zum nachdenken anregt. Keine Klischees, keine unrealistischen Charaktere und keine überflüssigen oder schlecht geschriebenen Dialoge! Die Emotionen sind ehrlich und wahnsinnig gut beschrieben. Wenn man sich für ein kurze Zeit in das traurige aber gleichzeitig schöne Leben einer fiktiven Person hineinversetzten möchte, sollte dieses Buch unbedingt lesen.

[Yasmine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Das Ende hat mir überhaupt nicht gefallen, deswegen ein Stern Abzug

[Natalia Sifuentes · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book made me tear up so many times I lost count.
The way Florine handled her life struggles seemed very close to reality.
Loved it.

[Kerstin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Es fällt mir schwer, "Rubinrotes Herz, eisblaue See" zu bewerten. Von der Inhaltsangabe her hatte ich eine bewegende, herzzerreißende Geschichte um ein junges Mädchen erwartet, das heranwächst und versucht, mit dem tragischen Verlust ihrer Mutter, dem Rätsel um ihr Verschwinden und den Änderungen in ihrem Leben klarzukommen. Das alles habe ich auch bekommen, aber ich konnte von Anfang keine Verbindung zu irgendeinem der Charaktere aufbauen. Viele von ihnen handelten für mich unverständlich und obwohl die Trauer von allen, gerade von Florine, gut und realistisch dargestellt war, habe ich nicht mit ihnen mitfühlen können. Ich hatte das Gefühl, das Geschehen aus einer gewissen Distanz zu betrachten und auch das spätere Schicksal einiger wichtiger Personen hat mich nicht bewegt.

Florine selbst ist eine Protagonistin, von der ich nicht weiß, ob ich sie sympathisch finde oder nicht. Der Verlust ihrer Mutter und die Ungewissheit hat bei ihr offensichtlich Spuren hinterlassen und obwohl ich ihr Verhalten manchmal unmöglich fand, war es aufgrund der starken Trauer und ihrer Unfähigkeit, die Veränderungen um sie herum zu akzeptieren, doch verständlich, wieso sie so gehandelt hat. Deshalb ist es mir manchmal schwer gefallen, sie zu mögen, aber ich habe trotzdem mit ihr mitgelitten.

Ein großes Plus an dem Buch ist, dass es nicht scheut, Höhen und Tiefen realistisch darzustellen und dass wirklich eindringlich gezeigt wird, wie ein plötzlicher Verlust das ganze Leben verändern kann, wie es sich auf Beziehungen auswirkt und auf wie viele verschiedene Arten man mit der überwältigenden Trauer umgehen kann. Es war auch interessant zu sehen, wie Florine aufwächst und sich weiterentwickelt, was aus ihrem Freundeskreis wird und natürlich war ich interessiert auf die Aufklärung des Verschwindens von Carlie. In Bezug darauf hatte ich am Ende des Buches den Eindruck, dass die Geschichte unfertig ist, aber ich habe schon gesehen, dass es im zweiten Band mehr dazu geben soll, also werde ich ihn vermutlich noch lesen.

Die Handlung hat mir gut gefallen und auch die Botschaft in der Geschichte ist wichtig, aber da sie mich emotional nicht richtig ansprechen konnte und ich bis zuletzt nicht wirklich eine Verbindung zu den Charakteren hatte, vergebe ich drei Sterne.

[Diane · Rating 4 out of 5]

Red Ruby Heart in a Cold Blue Sea, is a coming of age, debut novel which takes place in a small sea-side town in Maine, in the 1960s. It's a place where most of the year round residents know each other.

Growing up for most young girls is hard enough, but for Florine Gilham, the story's young protagonist, it is even more painful. The summer she was 12, her mother, Carlie, who worked as a waitress, disappeared during her annual trip with a friend to Crow's Nest Harbor. The lives of Florine, her father Leeman, a lobster-man are changed forever, and although Leeman's mother Grand, is wonderful, trying to fill the void however she can, there are just some aspects of mothering that leave her feeling helpless. You just can't replace the mother a child adored. One day when Florine is desperate to get her mother back, she throws Grand's favorite possession, a "Red Ruby Heart Necklace" into the sea, pleading for her mother to come back.

Red Ruby Heart in a Cold Blue Sea is a touching coming of age story. It's sad to see a child mourning the loss of a parent, and as a reader, I was anxious to see her come around and see a bit of sunshine, once again in her life. The novel features several great small town characters, like Stella, Leeman's former girlfriend, who add new interest to the story. The author does a great job of painting, what seems to be, an accurate picture of what life was like in the summer of the 1960s in one small Maine, resort-town.

[Gia Pilgrim Charles · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's taken me a few days to write this review, because I'm trying to separate my own personal story and how closely I can relate to it from the actual quality of the writing.

I can honestly say, I could not stop reading this book. It's a coming-of-age novel from the perspective of a young girl named Florine who grew up on the coast of Maine (presumably around the Bath/Midcoast area). She mentions traveling up Route 1 through Wiscasset and Camden and Rockland and the author herself grew up in Bath, which is why I find this story so deeply relatable.

This book has mystery, anger, humor, romance, pain, and understanding. It unfolded in beautiful ways, yet I found a few strands of the story unclear, or perhaps underdeveloped. I wondered about the character, Patty, and what happened to her.

All in all, one of the best books I've read in a very long time. I would especially recommend this to anyone who grew up in the Midcoast area.

[B.A. · Rating 4 out of 5]

This took a little close reading for the first chapter or so because of the wide cast, but once I was there, I was there and happy! Roger hands over the Maine coastline and the gritty rather than romantic reality of growing up in such a space. Rogers managed to make me root for but not always like the main character, Florine, and empathize with many of the more minor characters. If you like Coming-of-Age without the fluff and make-believe, daughter/father/step-mother dynamics, and strong landscape/setting, this would work for you. And I learned some specifics (about fishing, bread and summer rentals) and I like coming away with more than I went in with. I'll read another of Roger's novels.

[Diane S ☔ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Florine is 12 when her mother disappears during an annual trip she always too with a friend. Dad can't cope, starts drinking way too much and Florine goes to live down the street with her gran. Loved the character of the grandmother, she reminded me so much of the grandmother I used to have, always ready with a quick hug, or food or a special little treat. This is a wonderful coming of age novel and Florine is a wonderful character. Sh grows up always with the spectral image of her mother in the background. This does not have a tidy ending, where everything is nicely wrapped up and they all live happily ever after, but than again real life isn't either.

[Aran · Rating 5 out of 5]

Eine sehr bewegende Geschichte um die junge Florine. Man findet fast alle Emotionen in diesem Buch: von Trauer bis Lebensfreude, von Liebe bis Hass. Ich habe dieses Buch verschlungen. Man könnte evtl. bemängelt, dass Florine etwas zu viele Schicksalsschläge ereilen. Ich wollte auch zwischendurch das Buch bei Seite legen, weil ich nicht noch mehr Unglück ertragen konnte, aber es spiegelt dann eben doch das Leben wieder, dass man in manchen Dingen eben nicht beeinflussen kann. So sehr man es sich auch wünscht. Lesen!

[Holly · Rating 4 out of 5]

I checked this book out from the library while doing book club research and really enjoyed it. An intriguing story with well-thought out characters and the harsh but beautiful setting of the Maine coast. I loved the familial relationships between the main character and her dad and grandma. The latter part of the story when she gets involved with a rich, entitled summer resident gets a little annoying but it's all part of her journey and she does grow from it. A satisfying read all around.

[Jasi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ein Buch das ich schon mehrere Male gelesen habe. Das Mädchen tut mir unglaublich leid. Gleich zwei Mal wird sie vom Schicksal getroffen obwohl dazwischen gibt es ja noch einige andere Situationen mit denen sie fertig werden muss. Sie tut mir wirklich leid, aber ich bewundere sie für ihre Stärke! Ein tolles Buch!

[Brillosaurusrex · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ich hab versehentlich die Reihenfolge der CDs durchgemischt... Der Geschichte hat dies keinen Abbruch getan, da der Fokus auf der Charakterentwicklung lag.

Ich hatte dem Cover nach ein fluffiges Buch erwatet. Das war es sicher nicht. Verlust und Einsamkeit haben Florine hart gemacht, obwohl sie sich nichts mehr als Sicherheit und Liebe wünscht.

Die Fortsetzung werde ich nicht lesen.

[Linda · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Read" this in two sittings. A coming of age story, I figured that out all by myself! A light read about teenaged Florine whose mother goes on a trip and never returns. Her father and she are soon at odds, so she moves in with her grandmother. Probably not a book I would have chosen for myself, but it kept me entertained.
The first of a series.