Twenties Tuesday: Maine by J. Courtney Sullivan

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Hey y'all! It's the first edition of Twenties Tuesday and first up is Maine by J. Courtney Sullivan. This novel follows a matriarch grandmother, a daughter, a granddaughter and daughter-in-law throughout one summer in Maine that they will all never forget. They deal with the twists specific to each generation, the past each is trying to forget and trying to force personalities to fit into a family that would not normally choose to be together.

Honestly the book kind of freaked me out. I got about half way through it and realized that the story the author was telling was about my extended family. Now, my family is not dealing with addiction or multiple marriages, but we are dealing with anger and unresolved issues. What family isn’t? On the back of the book cover there are four book reviews of the novel and two out of the four reviews refer to the family as ‘dysfunctional.’  I realized that was the picture the author was trying to paint. A dysfunctional family.

The family in the book did not have a picture perfect family, but they made it work. When tragedy hit they came together and figured it out. I would like to think my family is still that way. Don’t get me wrong…snide remarks, eye rolling and whispers will ensue and a headache will almost always be guaranteed, but that does not get to determine dysfunction. It’s not easy. People in families have different personalities, but are expected to love unconditionally through hatred, back-stabbing and mostly…change. It is not realistic. The best we can ask for is to function in our own way. The perfect family, thankfully does not exist. That would put waaaay too much pressure on the rest of us.

I love my extended family. Individually (in their own different ways) and collectively even though I wish some things could be different.

Overall I thought the book was pretty good. I am impressed with the author because she kept the theme of the four main characters being strong women, but created a complete different dynamic between the new set of women. I am looking forward to reading her new book that comes out later this month: The Engagements.

1. Girls In White Dresses by Jennifer Close
2. On the Outside Looking Indian by Rupinder Gill
3. MWF Seeking BFF by Rachel Bertsche
4. How to Raise a Boyfriend by Rebecca Eckler
5. 50 Shades of Grey by E L James
6. How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie
7. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
8. It's Called a Breakup Because It's Broken by Greg Behrendt & Amiira Ruotola-Behrendt
9. I've Got Your Number by Sophie Kinsella
10.The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan
11. Magnified World by Grace O'Connell
12. Maine by J. Courtney Sullivan
13. Have Him at Hello by Rachel Greenwald
14. One Day by David Nicholls
15. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
16. Sisterhood Everlasting by Ann Brashares
17. The Girls by Lori Lansens
18. The Great Gatsby by Fitzgerald
19. The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood
20. The Scarlet Letter by Hawthorne

One down, 19 to go. Next up is MWF Seeking BFF.

Be back soon.
B

"Commencement" by J. Courtney Sullivan

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This novel follows the lives of four friends transitioning into womanhood after meeting at an all-girls college and struggling to make their friendships last the tests of time, other relationships and separation.

I couldn't put it down. I'm a chick flick reader (don't judge), but this book also incorporated major issues such rape and sex trafficking. Another reason I was so enthralled was that it seemed realistic to me that a group of four girls from such different walks of life would come together and that the different ‘dramatic’ events that happened to each girl seemed to be events that was secretly happening to girls I knew in real life. Most chick flick book scenarios are: boy meets girl, they fall in love, boy breaks up with girl, boy realizes he can’t live without her and then boy sweeps girl off her feet and the live happily ever after (insert periodic steamy sex scenes). While the book addressed all the cliché chick flick stereotypes, it also created a sense of sisterhood that I have yet to determine is realistic in my own life. It created a sense of comfort at the possibility, but mostly skepticism.

Be warned: the book addresses other controversial issues such as equal rights, homosexuality and uses profanities. The types of books people read are so personal and I do not want to offend anyone by recommending a book they end up hating. Just putting it out there.

Be back soon.

B