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North Haven

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Sarah Moriarty’s stunning debut is a portrait of the family scars and faults passed along the generations, brilliantly capturing life on the Maine coastline, where time seems to stand still even as the waters never stop moving. On an island in Maine, four siblings arrive at their sprawling, old summer place for the Fourth of July. It’s the Willoughbys’ first summer without their parents, and their beloved house is falling apart. When a substantial offer is made on the estate, the two brothers and two sisters are forced to confront issues they had hoped to keep hidden. An homage to the layers and limits of the family bond, North Haven explores the shifting allegiances between siblings as they contend with their inheritance, the truth of family lore, and even the veracity of their own memories. This lyrical and moving novel delves into the secret world that exists between parents, one their children don’t fully understand, much as they may think they do.

300 pages, Paperback

First published June 7, 2017

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Sarah Moriarty

1 book32 followers

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5 stars
597 (12%)
4 stars
1,457 (29%)
3 stars
1,846 (37%)
2 stars
728 (14%)
1 star
262 (5%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 368 reviews
961 reviews4 followers
May 9, 2017
This is a generous rating. I slogged through this, hoping that there would be a revelatory reward at the end. And I was greeted with what amounted to a "sign-off" at the end. A resolution to be sure, but with absolutely nothing on how we got from the end of the prior chapter to the ending. A book replete with exhaustive use of adjectives, metaphors and what else to add to its volume without advancing the journey. A very tedious read that I wish I had abandoned early on.
Profile Image for Cathy.
899 reviews12 followers
May 4, 2017
North Haven is an ambitious family drama that ultimately fails to find its true north.

I am a glutton for novels set in summer on the northeastern US seashore and so was immediately drawn in by this book's description. The story reunites four siblings (plus one spouse) at their family's island home in Maine for the first summer they will spend together without either of their parents. All the characters face some sort of personal crisis, which we learn about through a series of deep personal reflections, flashbacks, and meaningful conversations with their fellow siblings.

The author's aspirations for this book are clearly literary; she has a flair for language and has obviously honed her writing skills over time. Personally though, the tone of the book was too serious, too somber, too melancholy for my taste. The ending is abrupt, and the reader is left to imagine the resolution for many of the character's storylines.

I enjoy a good storm as much as the next person, but storms are more interesting when punctuated with flashes of lightning, claps of thunder, or the occassional ray of sunshine breaking through the clouds. North Haven has few dramatic spikes and even fewer moments of lightheartedness. Instead, it reads more like a steady, dulling drizzle, and left me feeling moody.

2.5 stars
35 reviews8 followers
May 24, 2017
(I chose this as an Amazon Prime Kindle First read so thankfully it was free.)

I had high hopes for this based on the synopsis. My hopes were dashed against those Maine rocks and then some.

First, I didn't really care for any of the characters. It felt like the author was trying to make them all unique little snowflakes:
1 - Libby the repressed and uptight lesbian (who isn't a lesbian in her own mind)
2 - Gwen the overtly promiscuous wild child to the extreme who
3 - Tom the eldest son who is damaged and appears to be going through an early midlife crisis. His wife, Melissa, accompanies him on holiday and...
4- Danny the much younger son who was an accident and is one hot mess.

One of my biggest issues is that I didn't find the way these siblings interacted to be very authentic at all. The dialogue alone grated on my nerves and never felt very natural. Personally, I wouldn't have wanted to spend five minutes with any of the siblings. The only semi-likable character was Tom's wife, Melissa, who was down to earth and felt real as a person. The rest are rather off-putting. Tom's perception of his wife really felt off to me but then I'm not a 40 yo male.

Second, the constant demonizing of their mother, Scarlet, also got old as most children's views of their parents evolve as they mature. Libby's perception of her parents--namely Scarlet--is very immature as if she's holding onto a child's perspective. I hate to say this but it appears this author wanted to paint the father in a more overall positive light and the mother as being evil due to the big reveal; The father's POV continually gives him the moral high ground and that got old very quickly. (Side note: I came to understand Tom more after the big revelation which helped me empathize with him and like him better.)

Third, while I enjoy everything from urban fantasy to YA to literary fiction, there were times when reading this book felt like slogging through a bog while being attacked by crows. It's tedious and it moves at a glacial pace. I found myself having to re-read far too many passages and stumbling over too many awkward phrases. In short, the plot stalls at every turn and often hiccups it's way down the road.

Finally, there's a distinct lack of a cohesive story here. Sure, there was great potential for a moving family drama but it never quite came together, at least not for me. It's basically just a gathering of siblings trying to decide what to do with the family vacation home after their mother's death. There's a lot of confusing and muddled flashbacks that are poorly executed (IMO) and a lot of forced/unnatural conversations between the various siblings. None of them seem to have any common ground or interest in finding any. It's more or less three against one (keeping v. selling) and yet the latter's POV is never really explored, at least not in a manner that resonated with this reader. (Perhaps she should have asked a 40 yoa male to review and/or write Tom's passages for they *really* lacked authenticity.) I think what it came down to for me is there's no real tension; nothing to keep me eagerly turning the page to find out what happened next. The character's subplots weren't interesting enough-- to buoy up the main premise, to sell or not to sell. They all have reasons for wanting (needing) to keep or sell the house--or so we're told--but with the exception of Tom, none of these are fleshed out enough. The memories of them in the home are all so doom and gloom, I can't understand why any of them would want to keep it. (The memories contradict their reasoning.) There are no poignant memories and for me, this made any of them wanting to keep the house inexplicable. Instead, I fully expected them to knock each other over putting up the For Sale sign.

The conclusion also fell flat. Instead of showing us how they came to find common ground or giving us a few revealing conversations in which they *finally* grow as characters, the ending is just dumped on us in the next chapter set x number of months into the future. There's no resolution between any characters or of their individual story lines. It was one big letdown, especially after slogging through page after page of tedious writing and enduring this cast of ostentatious characters. Don't get me wrong--the author knows her craft but this novel serves an example of overdoing it in all respects.
Profile Image for Kathy Ginocchio.
250 reviews2 followers
September 4, 2017
Ugh. Why did I read this? I thought it was going to actually go somewhere, that we would get some understanding or closure on the four main characters and how they decide what to do about their family-owned beach home upon the deaths of their parents. At times this book had promise. It was a longgg read for me, I kept putting it down because it just didn't grab me -- but I assumed there would be a payoff. Guess what? There isn't. It just ends. It's almost like when you tell a bedtime story and you just want it to be over so you say to your kids, so they all lived happily ever after the end -- and hope they won't notice. Well, I noticed. And I'm mad. And I wish I hadn't wasted a month reading this.
Profile Image for Christine Lowe.
613 reviews3 followers
May 5, 2017
Well Told Family Drama

I understand why there are such strong feelings about this book. Reading the reviews it's evident that people either love it or hate it. There was no middle ground. The start was a little slow but then as I continued to read, I started to see each of the family as individuals but still with the strong bonds that made them family.

The writing is exquisite. The words flow into vivid scenes that allowed me to see into the characters thought processes and behaviors. The pictures were not always pleasant but were real as life is real when we examine motives that prompt actions.

Four siblings arrive at their summer home on the coast of Maine. This has been their tradition since childhood but this year their parents don't come. They have both died. Something else has changed as well. One of the siblings picked up the mail and found a hand written note. The note is an offer to buy their house and land for 3.1 million dollars.

The story is told from different points of view of the siblings and the parents. They each have their own heartache and success. We see them more clearly as we understand the reasons behind their behaviors. This is family drama at its best. This is not a lightweight life is wonderful book. I think that may be why some had a hard time with the book. I'm sorry the first review is so negative. It may keep some from reading a good book.
Profile Image for Bonnye Reed.
4,371 reviews76 followers
June 21, 2017
This was an excellent book - until the last five pages. I felt that I knew the protagonists, two sisters, two brothers and a sister-in-law who meet at the family's summer home on an island off the coast of Maine, and in places the book is lyrical. But the ending is incomplete, and does not flow out of the tale.
Profile Image for Lisa Morrow.
369 reviews43 followers
May 7, 2017
I received this book free with my Amazon Prime account. Unfortunately, I didn't enjoy it at all. The subject matter and foul language was very hard for me to slog through. I wouldn't recommend it to anyone.
Profile Image for Joan Buell.
163 reviews9 followers
May 6, 2017
This book takes place on an island off the coast of Maine, a place I love. It recounts a Summer when four adult siblings return to their family's cottage, their first time since the death of their mother. Their ages range from 19 to 39, and the youngest was born after the older ones had left home. As the story advances, they each realize how different their memories are, and how each has a unique perception of their family life, and of their parent's lives. The writing is very poetic at times, sometimes most beautiful when it is retelling difficult things. I found the occasional foul language intrusive in this setting. It is a story about the strength of a bond between siblings, however, that is very moving.
Profile Image for Jennie Menke.
274 reviews200 followers
June 15, 2017
Well, I succumbed to another prime Kindle book.…

This book has decent writing and character development, but it's sort of a depressing set of characters without a lot of direction. There was very little wrapping up of the many dysfunctional ends. I just don't get the point of laying out, in great detail, all the problems that this family had -and has- and then the author ends it in about 5 pages, managing to be both ridiculously vague and trite.

Irks me.
Profile Image for OjoAusana.
2,230 reviews
September 4, 2019
4 star

4/3.5 stars...Not entirely what i expected but not bad. Had a good amount of twists that werent unrealistic. Certainly an odd family dynamic going on as well lol i wouldn't be about it tho!
14 reviews1 follower
May 30, 2017
Left me wanting more

I really got caught up with the characters. I loved the way the story read. When I saw that I had read the last word, I said out loud, "Oh no, it can't be the end!" I haven't checked yet but I'm hoping there is more of this family to come.
Profile Image for Renee Smith.
6 reviews
August 6, 2017
The only reason I finished this book was to see if I could figure out why Moriarty wrote it. I suppose it was to examine the complex relationships in families. Her writing style is similar to

The herky/jerky style of Kerry Lonsdale in What We Left Behind. Does anyone know how to develop a story line any more? As in the Lonsdale book , the plot premise was good. It just took so much effort by the reader to remember timing and relationships!! In my opinion this detracts from the story. I almost feel like I'm being tested to see if I can keep track of everything. And in this book only one question was answered! Why does an author throw out so many issues that are left unresolved?
Profile Image for Erin Hoesly.
25 reviews1 follower
May 25, 2017
I didn't love it. I liked the idea of the sibling dynamics and how they would exist after the death of their parents. But I felt the story was bogged down in over the top descriptive words. It slowed down the story for me. I would have liked to get deeper into the characters than 10 adjectives to describe a golden leaf.
Profile Image for Don.
891 reviews38 followers
September 30, 2017
The book is told through, first person, narratives of four siblings - Tom, Gwen, Libby, and Dan - shortly after the death of the mother (the father having past away a couple years prior). They gather at their parents house on an island off the coast of Maine where they spent time growing up. An offer has been made to them for someone to buy the house, so they each must come to grips with what the house, and their parents and their family, mean to them.

Each sibling is also dealing with a tension or conflict; for two of the siblings, that conflict likely impacts their view on the house and what they should do; for the other two, their personal conflict seems to have a tenuous connection at best with the overarching tension at the center of the book. A tenuous connections feels like the appropriate way to label this book - there is so much going on with each character, that the book really felt like it could have been longer to develop those matters, and better connect them to the plot, such as it is.

The decision on the house, which is thrust into the book at the beginning with the offer given to one sibling, lingers over the narrative part of the book like a fog. Its resolution is given to the reader at the end, but without really much discussion between the siblings how each got to the respective decision (or didn't get there, if there was remaining disagreement among them).

In this respect, the book disappoints - not because the writing is bad, because its really good; and not because the characters aren't interesting, because they are - but because the characters feel less formed than they could be and the book leaves you feeling the victim of a premature ending.
Profile Image for Adrienne Campbell.
137 reviews12 followers
July 26, 2017
A Pleasant Surprise...

This novel is not my typical reading genre and I'm not quite sure how it made its way in. I'm really glad it did!

The story takes place in a summer home along a shore in Maine.
story, revolves around the family that lived, grew up, hid secrets and lies from one another, married, divorced, had babies, and raised them - or not.

Finally, after the deaths of the parents, they are forced to come together and make a decision about selling the old house along with the memories made there. In doing so, they finally begin to communicate and share the moments they loved and hated there. How much more are they prepared to sink into a home that is falling apart? For each of them, the desires are different as are the memories. Does one old house have the power to hold a family together?

A very good read, likeable characters, great moments in time between siblings. I had a hard time putting it down. A nice summer read.

28 reviews1 follower
June 8, 2017
Beautiful, lyrical descriptions of the settings and of the internal, emotional struggles of each character provide the real narrative of this family drama....We all see life from our own unique perspective, so we rarely, if ever, see the entire truth. I thought this was a well-written book that made me pause and consider what misperceptions of my own family I might carry around with me.
Profile Image for Elizabeth.
63 reviews
September 10, 2017
The further I ventured into this book the more frustrated I became that it was titled North Haven. It is NOT a book about North Haven. It's abstractly set on the Maine coast (ok, I guess it probably is set on the Thoroughfare) and is a pretty decent book about loss but literally has nothing to do with the island. Overwritten and a title thief. Also, who says gangplank?! Sheesh.
Profile Image for Patti Whitfield.
28 reviews
April 19, 2020
After the death of their parents, the Willoughby children must decide what to do with the summer house. The house comes to represent each child's relationship not only with their parents but with each other. Culminating in the reality that every person's experience is unique and not universal amongst them, even though they are siblings. While it is vividly described, and I believe the story could resonate with some, I felt reading it was a bit of a chore. Not unhappy that I finished it, but not compelled to absorb and relish my experience before moving on to the next read.
Profile Image for Laurie Buchanan.
Author 5 books323 followers
June 21, 2017
Hook, line, and sinker! That’s how Sarah Moriarty’s novel, NORTH HAVEN reeled me in. Totally believable, oftentimes relatable, you don’t just read about the siblings—Tom, Gwen, Libby, and Danny—you live out the storyline with them.
Profile Image for Nicole.
107 reviews
June 1, 2018
I wanted a warming tale of a family finding their way back together after the loss of both parents. What I got? A story with lackluster characters I ended up resenting and a complete lack of closure/resolution.
Profile Image for Elizabeth.
65 reviews
November 4, 2017
Interesting family drama set in historic beach house in Maine. All the trappings of a great story..... but empty ending, unfulfilled character plots and unfinished conflicts. Sigh.
Profile Image for Norma.
219 reviews
October 26, 2023
3.5 stars - North Haven is a modern day look at family dynamics. Four adult siblings, Tom, Gwen, Libby and Danny, gather for the first time without parents at the family summer home on the Maine coast for the 4th of July week. Tom, the oldest, wants the summer home sold. Gwen, the artistic free spirit says, "Not so fast!" Libby, the realist, claims work needs to be done. Danny, young college student, is overwhelmed and depressed. The holiday week begins with secrets, turmoil, and reminiscing about childhood. Eventually, conversations open up leading to understanding and compassion. Sarah Moriarty provides detailed descriptions of the summer home and sibling personalities, but the ending was flat and disappointing.
Profile Image for Tricia Sanders.
768 reviews9 followers
May 23, 2017
mixed reviews on this one....it was a kindle first book and looked interesting enough. I enjoyed the story telling of it but thought the ending was abrupt. It made me think a lot about my three siblings and how it would affect each of us if my dad sold the house we grew up in.
5 reviews
May 30, 2017
A quiet contemplative book

I enjoyed this book because of the way it reminded me of things that occur in almost every family. Sarah Moriarty tells the tale with humor and compassion, and relates a chapter in this family's life in a gentle way.
Profile Image for Jennifer Melnyk.
145 reviews17 followers
May 13, 2017
I received this book from Amazon as a free e-book for the month of May.

My thoughts on this book are complicated. On the one hand, I think it's important for all of us to realize that our parents have (or had) secrets in their marriage. As children, we tend to see things from a knee-high perspective. As adults, it's good for us to be able to look at our parents and recognize that they are human and face the same human challenges that we do.

Personally, I found Tom to be a rather unlikable character. He was demeaning to most of the other characters in the book and, while I understand that he had things that he went through that contributed to him being that way, that behavior isn't appropriate for someone in their 40s.

I, also, felt like Gwen and Danny's futures were left up in the air. I would have liked to see their storylines tied up a little bit neater.

Overall, I felt like there was a lot more that could have been done with this book and there were quite a few things that could have been left out entirely.
43 reviews1 follower
May 25, 2017
Haven't given 5 stars in forever!

I did not want this book to end. When it did I decided to read the rest of her books no matter what they cost. Was so disappointed to find out this was her first and only so far!
10 reviews
June 5, 2017
Dreary. Cannot understand why a book titled North Haven is about a family that summers on Vinalhven. That aside, the story is drawn out, dreary, and just tries too hard.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 368 reviews

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