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Osprey Island
As summer begins on Osprey Island, preparations at the Lodge -- the island’s one and only hotel — are underway for the busy season. On maintenance and housekeeping there’s Lance and Lorna Squire, Osprey locals and raging drinkers; and their irrepressible son Squee. There are college boys to wait tables and Irish girls to clean rooms. And a few unusual returnees, too: Suzy Chizek, single mom and daughter of the Lodge’s owners, who’s looking for a parentally funded vacation; and Roddy Jacobs, another former local, who has come back after a mysterious twenty-year absence. But when tragedy strikes, dark secrets explode, dividing the island community over the fate of a young boy suddenly more vulnerable to his violent father than ever. In the uniquely ephemeral atmosphere of a summer resort, Thisbe Nissen unfolds, with charecteristic warmth and charm, an ever-deepening story of lost loves and found romance, of loyalties and betrayals; and of lingering–sometimes fleeting–joy.
305 pages, Paperback
First published June 14, 2004
4 people are currently reading
357 people want to read
About the author
Thisbe Nissen
17 books78 followersThisbe Nissen is the author of three novels, Our Lady of the Prairie (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2018), Osprey Island (Knopf, 2004), The Good People of New York (Knopf, 2001), and a story collection, Out of the Girls' Room and into the Night (University of Iowa Press, 1999, winner of the John Simmons Short Fiction Award). She is also the co-author with Erin Ergenbright of The Ex-Boyfriend Cookbook, a collection of stories, recipes, and art collages. Her fiction has been published in The Iowa Review, The American Scholar, Seventeen, and The Virginia Quarterly Review, and anthologized in The Iowa Award: The Best Stories 1991-2000 and Best American Mystery Stories. Her nonfiction has appeared in Vogue, Glamour, Preservation and The Believer, and is featured in several essay anthologies.
She has been the recipient of fellowships from the James Michener-Copernicus Society, The University of Iowa, Bread Loaf Writers' Conference, Yaddo, and the MacDowell Colony, and was the 19th Zale Writer-in-Residence at Tulane University. She has taught at Columbia University, the Iowa Writers' Workshop, Brandeis University, The New School's Eugene Lang College and in the low residency MFA program at Pacific University. These days, she teaches undergrad, MFA and PhD students at Western Michigan University.
She and her husband, Jay Baron Nicorvo, are parents of two rescue cats, many sprightly chickens, and one intriguing human child. They dream, one day, of raising goats.
She has been the recipient of fellowships from the James Michener-Copernicus Society, The University of Iowa, Bread Loaf Writers' Conference, Yaddo, and the MacDowell Colony, and was the 19th Zale Writer-in-Residence at Tulane University. She has taught at Columbia University, the Iowa Writers' Workshop, Brandeis University, The New School's Eugene Lang College and in the low residency MFA program at Pacific University. These days, she teaches undergrad, MFA and PhD students at Western Michigan University.
She and her husband, Jay Baron Nicorvo, are parents of two rescue cats, many sprightly chickens, and one intriguing human child. They dream, one day, of raising goats.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 38 reviews
April 23, 2010
A beautiful but thoroughly disheartening book. I kept hoping things would get better, but everything sort of imploded at the end.
May 31, 2011
It is generally accepted that novels are either plot driven or character driven – the best novels merge the two. By those standards I am being generous in giving Osprey Island three stars instead of two but it is beautifully written. The problem is, as the saying goes, there is no “there” there. Ms Nissen writes beautifully, she has an eye for detail and her passages about the osprey – plus the inclusion of selections from Roger Tory Peterson's books – are just great. However, that's where the positive side of this book ends.
I was attracted to the story by the description of an island full of secrets, the rescuing of a small boy from a cruel father, and the possibility of romance. After enduring ±300 pages, the secrets are boring, the child's fate is ambiguous, and the romance is pitiful. There is not much in the way of plot here which is sad because the book was rich with potential for it, and the characters were the most dislikable bunch of people you could ask for.
Bud, a skinflint, corner-cutting drip, and his lazy hypochondriac wife Nancy run an inn on the beautiful Osprey Island. Every summer they hire as maids a bunch of young women from Ireland – only two of whom we meet in the story, a nymphomaniac and a shy girl who waits until her shift is over before reporting an incident of child abuse. They also hire some college boys as waiters whose main job it is to drive the Irish girls places for various reasons. Also working for Bud and Nancy are Lorna and Lance, a couple of drunks who shamefully neglect and abuse their small son Squee. Bud and Nancy are also the parents of Suzy, a teacher who returns to the inn for the summer with her little daughter Mia in tow. Suzy, who is not married, admits she thought about an abortion when she discovered she was pregnant but decided to have Mia, and spends the rest of the story dumping Mia on the Irish girls so she can go off and screw Roddy, the inn's handyman.
For awhile I had hopes for Roddy – I really wanted to like him but he turned out to be so passive and lacking any kind of backbone that I also lost interest in him. There are also a lot of forgettable secondary characters.
It's too bad because Ms Nissen writes beautifully with some genuinely memorable prose – just no memorable characters or story. I loved the concept, I loved the setting and I very much loved the osprey but, please, Ms Nissen, next time give us some story and at least one or two likeable characters.
Maybe I should take that back – I did very much like Margery and Lorraine, but they are a couple of chickens so, well, draw your own conclusions. Also, for a book published by Knopf, it sure could use an editor! Lots of typos -- "he spun out of control like a car without breaks." Good grief.
I was attracted to the story by the description of an island full of secrets, the rescuing of a small boy from a cruel father, and the possibility of romance. After enduring ±300 pages, the secrets are boring, the child's fate is ambiguous, and the romance is pitiful. There is not much in the way of plot here which is sad because the book was rich with potential for it, and the characters were the most dislikable bunch of people you could ask for.
Bud, a skinflint, corner-cutting drip, and his lazy hypochondriac wife Nancy run an inn on the beautiful Osprey Island. Every summer they hire as maids a bunch of young women from Ireland – only two of whom we meet in the story, a nymphomaniac and a shy girl who waits until her shift is over before reporting an incident of child abuse. They also hire some college boys as waiters whose main job it is to drive the Irish girls places for various reasons. Also working for Bud and Nancy are Lorna and Lance, a couple of drunks who shamefully neglect and abuse their small son Squee. Bud and Nancy are also the parents of Suzy, a teacher who returns to the inn for the summer with her little daughter Mia in tow. Suzy, who is not married, admits she thought about an abortion when she discovered she was pregnant but decided to have Mia, and spends the rest of the story dumping Mia on the Irish girls so she can go off and screw Roddy, the inn's handyman.
For awhile I had hopes for Roddy – I really wanted to like him but he turned out to be so passive and lacking any kind of backbone that I also lost interest in him. There are also a lot of forgettable secondary characters.
It's too bad because Ms Nissen writes beautifully with some genuinely memorable prose – just no memorable characters or story. I loved the concept, I loved the setting and I very much loved the osprey but, please, Ms Nissen, next time give us some story and at least one or two likeable characters.
Maybe I should take that back – I did very much like Margery and Lorraine, but they are a couple of chickens so, well, draw your own conclusions. Also, for a book published by Knopf, it sure could use an editor! Lots of typos -- "he spun out of control like a car without breaks." Good grief.
November 14, 2014
Osprey Island is two stories in one: first, the dramas, scandals and hookups of a small cast of summer workers and locals on a small tourist island; and second, the damage that one violent, alcoholic man is able to inflict on this tiny community. There are a so many characters crossing paths in this story that I won't even try to mention them all, but the angry center of them seems to be Lance, an alcoholic handyman at the lodge, who loses whatever buffer he had between his binges and the rest of the island, including his young son, when his equally alcoholic wife Lorna dies in a fire.
Was this well-written? Yes, for the most part. Were the characters convincing? Again, yes, for the most part, which is unfortunate, since--except for the children--they were some of the least pleasant people I have encountered in fiction in quite a while. Honestly, I did not care for a single one of them, which can work if the author is creating these detestable people on purpose for some reason, but in this case, I was really hoping for at least one person to root for. Oh well. At least there were ospreys.
Was this well-written? Yes, for the most part. Were the characters convincing? Again, yes, for the most part, which is unfortunate, since--except for the children--they were some of the least pleasant people I have encountered in fiction in quite a while. Honestly, I did not care for a single one of them, which can work if the author is creating these detestable people on purpose for some reason, but in this case, I was really hoping for at least one person to root for. Oh well. At least there were ospreys.
October 3, 2012
I did not enjoy this book and was happy I got it for $1 after being withdrawn from the library's collection (2 checkouts in 8 years.) I was ready to stop reading half way through as I did not like any characters. The only reason I continued to read, was a hope that the story would take a different direction with the two children. A lackluster ending, a lot of useless swearing covering for a lack of imaginatio and real vocabulary. I would probably give it 1 1/2 stars, but I'm feeling generous. Besides, I actually finished the book.
July 1, 2019
I gave this book four stars as opposed to three because I felt it was better than what the overall ratings were. It was a good story, even though some parts were a bit too violent and sad. But the point is it was a rather fast read, and interesting enough that I wanted to see what happened on this island, where people who grew up and lived here were in their own little world, prison one might say, since to get off the island and move elsewhere was a big deal.
The island’s main attraction is the Osprey Lodge. Bud and Nancy own the place. Their son was killed in Vietnam. Their daughter Suzy comes for the summer with her daughter, Mia, but doesn’t really get along with her parents.
Mia, 6, has a best friend on the island, Squee, 8. Squee is an active boy who unfortunately has parents that are preoccupied by drinking among other things. Lorna is the head of housekeeping at the lodge, but is probably spaced out somewhere. Her husband, Lance, is usually drinking as well, and is verbally and physically abusive toward his wife and son.
It’s a few days before the lodge is set to open for the season. The waiters, waitresses, and housekeepers from the states and Ireland come to get the place ready. Romances will develop, as well as finding out what it’s like to live on an island for the summer.
A fire destroys the laundry shack, and kills Lorna who was in it, probably passed out drunk with a cigarette. With Squee’s mother gone, Eden, an island resident who seems to be the know-it-all for everything, wants to protect Squee from his abusive father. We never really find out who Sqee’s biological father is. We know, from Eden, that Lance couldn’t have children. Lorna has gotten pregnant by of all people, Bud, but then once she married Lance because of her pregnancy, had a miscarriage. We also never really find out what things were in Lorna’s diary, found in a non-working refrigerator in the laundry shack fire. The sheriff certainly made a big deal out of it with Eden because she was mentioned in the diary.
There are other “secrets” revealed like Eden’s son, Roddy, who left the island for twenty years, actually wasn’t a draft dodger like everyone thinks. He gets together with Suzy, who was raped by Lance back in the day when she was 16. But she leaves the island when her daughter Mia gets scared of Lance. Lance rapes the new housekeeper for the summer, Brigid, but it’s not too surprising the way Brigid is portrayed. Lance gets arrested for disorderly conduct among other things, and is put in jail. Since Squee doesn’t care for his grandparents he eventually stays with Eden. So this book focused on one particular summer on Osprey Island; not a good summer, but certainly not uneventful.
The island’s main attraction is the Osprey Lodge. Bud and Nancy own the place. Their son was killed in Vietnam. Their daughter Suzy comes for the summer with her daughter, Mia, but doesn’t really get along with her parents.
Mia, 6, has a best friend on the island, Squee, 8. Squee is an active boy who unfortunately has parents that are preoccupied by drinking among other things. Lorna is the head of housekeeping at the lodge, but is probably spaced out somewhere. Her husband, Lance, is usually drinking as well, and is verbally and physically abusive toward his wife and son.
It’s a few days before the lodge is set to open for the season. The waiters, waitresses, and housekeepers from the states and Ireland come to get the place ready. Romances will develop, as well as finding out what it’s like to live on an island for the summer.
A fire destroys the laundry shack, and kills Lorna who was in it, probably passed out drunk with a cigarette. With Squee’s mother gone, Eden, an island resident who seems to be the know-it-all for everything, wants to protect Squee from his abusive father. We never really find out who Sqee’s biological father is. We know, from Eden, that Lance couldn’t have children. Lorna has gotten pregnant by of all people, Bud, but then once she married Lance because of her pregnancy, had a miscarriage. We also never really find out what things were in Lorna’s diary, found in a non-working refrigerator in the laundry shack fire. The sheriff certainly made a big deal out of it with Eden because she was mentioned in the diary.
There are other “secrets” revealed like Eden’s son, Roddy, who left the island for twenty years, actually wasn’t a draft dodger like everyone thinks. He gets together with Suzy, who was raped by Lance back in the day when she was 16. But she leaves the island when her daughter Mia gets scared of Lance. Lance rapes the new housekeeper for the summer, Brigid, but it’s not too surprising the way Brigid is portrayed. Lance gets arrested for disorderly conduct among other things, and is put in jail. Since Squee doesn’t care for his grandparents he eventually stays with Eden. So this book focused on one particular summer on Osprey Island; not a good summer, but certainly not uneventful.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 16, 2022
This is exactly the sort of book that I don't usually read, but I got drawn in by the promise of birds (I found it on a list of "books bird lovers will love") and by the excellent writing. The writing remained excellent throughout the book, there were good bird parts, and I really liked the opening and closing chapters/images.
However. The rest of it is exactly why I stick to fiction. There are Secrets (with a capital S), betrayals, broken relationships that are never restored, heartbreak, violence, death, and threats to kids. I didn't care for any of that. I moved through it quickly, because someone said it had a hopeful ending. It certainly didn't read as hopeful to me (though certainly elements of it were).
It was very well done, just not for me.
Trigger warnings:
However. The rest of it is exactly why I stick to fiction. There are Secrets (with a capital S), betrayals, broken relationships that are never restored, heartbreak, violence, death, and threats to kids. I didn't care for any of that. I moved through it quickly, because someone said it had a hopeful ending. It certainly didn't read as hopeful to me (though certainly elements of it were).
It was very well done, just not for me.
Trigger warnings:
October 7, 2022
Wonderful novel of island life. There is romance, violence, and history wrapped up with a hopeful bow! Thisbe Nissen creates complex characters that move in unpredictable ways. You get involved and want to know how all this is going to end... will they sort it all out? I really enjoyed the ride.
September 2, 2018
I liked it but wish there had been more closure with some of the characters.
July 4, 2019
Very disappointing. It starts of slow... begins to pick up good momentum toward the end. Gears you up for a great finally then just falls flat.
Want to read
July 19, 2020elibrary
Want to read
January 11, 2024Osprey Island is physically an island off the coast of New Jersey.
March 14, 2012
Okay, what I really want to know is what in the heck is this book about? I mean what is the point of it and better yet, why do I keep picking it up and continue to read it? It is about a group of people who live or work on, you guessed it, Osprey Island. There is a death, so I thought it might be a bit of a mystery, but that doesn't seem to be the case. It really just seems to be a snapshot of these people's lives over a couple of weeks. This book never redeemed itself. Beautifully written, but I have to agree with some of the other reviews in that none of the characters are likeable and there is NO plot. It is only getting 3 stars b/c I can't give it 3 1/2 like on LibraryThing.
September 1, 2011
Osprey Island has a year round population, but it is really a summer resort and community. The first part of the book introduces you to the characters and life on this island. Then tragedy strikes and the dark secrets from long ago are dredged up. I thought that the second part of the book was totally unrealistic. I also found the characters to be totally unsympathetic. This book was a disappointment!
September 20, 2015
I had such high hopes for this book, but I was really disappointed. The setting reminded me of Dirty Dancing, the summer lodge, the seasonal staff, unrequited love. But the roving multiple POVs, the honestly pointless plot and then no real ending to finish it off left so much to be desired. The characters actually became worse as the story developed and by the end I hated them all.
May 3, 2007
Smart, well-written, quick beach read. I rushed to the end of this book about family, connections and going home(can you?) Details of the scenery add so much to the plot, which follows several permanent and temporary island residents over the course of a summer.
March 17, 2010
I enjoyed the author's third person narration that switched slightly for each character using descriptive words that the character would use to show how they viewed the situation, called "free indirect discourse" (had to look that up). It made the reading very fluid.
June 17, 2010
I hated every single character in the book. Especially the "good guys," who had to be one of the most unsympathetic, obnoxious set of good guys I've ever read about. The plot wasn't interesting either. No more Thisbe Nissen for me.
September 20, 2010
A small island community with secrets, characters with depth, love in its varieties, from crushes to marriages of decades. Summer by the sea in a much richer format than you would expect. I will look for her other books.
March 22, 2007
A bit abrasive but overall a good story
March 23, 2007
didn't finish, could tell it was the same lame story as the good people of new york by the end of the first chapter.
August 28, 2007
hated it, which was surprising because I loved her other book and her short stories
December 17, 2007
A-/B+ Not quite as good as her others but still worth reading
January 15, 2008
Thisbe's just an awesome person, whose previous books I've thoroughly enjoyed. Unfortunately Osprey Island is nothing but a glorified romance novel that sucked me in and left me unsatisfied.
July 28, 2008
Satisfying story about a small town and the ripple of effects one bad relationship can have.
August 12, 2008
This book was a vacation-read for sure. Light, easy, and very fast.
Read
March 16, 2010Like watching a little movie on the train and subway...an engrossing read, even if I didn't quite care for the end.
November 11, 2008
Life is complicated and love is the answer
December 20, 2008
Haunting and enthralling. The book totally comes to life and pulls you in to the feeling of being right there in the scene of the book.
May 17, 2010
Very well-wrought characters with intertwined histories on a small island. Many of them concerned with the well being of a young boy in a very touching way.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 38 reviews