I had read Shreve's The Pilot's Wife a few years back (excellent) and so was looking forward to reading Sea Glass with its most beautiful cover (I just love the colours and the light.)
Based around the fictional mill town of Ely Falls, New Hampshire in 1929 tyewriter salesman Sexton and his new wife Honora move into a derelict house with not much more than a suitcase full of dreams and a picnic basket full of hope. The Wall Street crash, Sexton losing his job and a dangerous strike by the destitute mill workers quickly follows leaving Honora needing much more than her 'lucky' sea glass to pull the couple through.
Honora's hobby of collecting sea glass was beautifully woven into the story, from very early on where Honora found her first piece that she kept for luck, to the devastating scene with Sexton in the kitchen, to the final find of sea glass. One of the characters in the book points out that no matter how much you batter it, sea glass does not break and that was true of Honora, very true.
Sexton's interaction with the sea glass was very telling:
"The only problem with looking for sea glass", Sexton says one day when he and Honora are walking along the beach, "is that you never look up. You never see the view. You never see the houses or the ocean because you're afraid you'll miss something in the sand."
Constantly looking for the next new thing, Sexton would never be happy to spend time painstakingly looking for something as unrewarding as a bit of broken glass. There just wasn't enough in it for him.
My favourite character was socialite Vivian (closely followed by young Alphonse and his love of cupcakes). A thoroughly independent, modern woman Vivian didn't give a damn what people thought, was not afraid to muck in when needed and was very astute, both with Honora and when it came to assessing her relationship with Dickie. I would love to read more about her.
The book is slower in pace compared to more modern reads (Sea Glass was first published in 2002) but isn't really a straight forward character lead novel. Stuff certainly happened, at times heartbreakingly so, it just happened more slowly, perhaps more realistically, than in your every chapter cliff hanger type.
I loved the little housewife interludes we were treated to when reading Honora's letters from her mother. The recipes, the little tips when carrying out household chores, all at the same time as gaining an insight to Honora's family life and history. Boy what a history she had with the Halifax Disaster (true by the way!)
There was some brilliant writing, particularly when the same section was told from various people's perspectives. For example when Honora and millworker McDermott visit the dancehall, we read from McDermott's perspective first and then read exactly the same scene from Honora's perspective but with one line of text more - just sublime.
Alongside sublime scenes there were also stunning sentences: Honora commenting on Sexton's less than perfect appearance:
"Honora laid these flaws aside as one might overlook a small stain on a beautifully embroidered tablecloth one wanted to buy, only later to discover, when it was on the table and all the guests were seated around it, that the stain had become a beacon, while the beautiful embroidery lay hidden in everybody's laps."
Love it!
I've just found out that Sea Glass is one of four novels set around the same house - how fabulous. It is illuded to within the book (the convent, the home for ruined girls) and I would love to read them all. More additions to my ever growing Goodreads list I fear!
It has been a while since I have read this style of book and I really enjoyed it. It was gentile but devastating and if anymore of Shreve's back catalogue arrive on my shelf I will eagerly devour!
The link for the book takes you to Fred's Ambleside Book Shop, a little independent nestled in the Lake District where more than one or two celebrities have been known to browse!
Based around the fictional mill town of Ely Falls, New Hampshire in 1929 tyewriter salesman Sexton and his new wife Honora move into a derelict house with not much more than a suitcase full of dreams and a picnic basket full of hope. The Wall Street crash, Sexton losing his job and a dangerous strike by the destitute mill workers quickly follows leaving Honora needing much more than her 'lucky' sea glass to pull the couple through.
Honora's hobby of collecting sea glass was beautifully woven into the story, from very early on where Honora found her first piece that she kept for luck, to the devastating scene with Sexton in the kitchen, to the final find of sea glass. One of the characters in the book points out that no matter how much you batter it, sea glass does not break and that was true of Honora, very true.
Sexton's interaction with the sea glass was very telling:
"The only problem with looking for sea glass", Sexton says one day when he and Honora are walking along the beach, "is that you never look up. You never see the view. You never see the houses or the ocean because you're afraid you'll miss something in the sand."
Constantly looking for the next new thing, Sexton would never be happy to spend time painstakingly looking for something as unrewarding as a bit of broken glass. There just wasn't enough in it for him.
My favourite character was socialite Vivian (closely followed by young Alphonse and his love of cupcakes). A thoroughly independent, modern woman Vivian didn't give a damn what people thought, was not afraid to muck in when needed and was very astute, both with Honora and when it came to assessing her relationship with Dickie. I would love to read more about her.
The book is slower in pace compared to more modern reads (Sea Glass was first published in 2002) but isn't really a straight forward character lead novel. Stuff certainly happened, at times heartbreakingly so, it just happened more slowly, perhaps more realistically, than in your every chapter cliff hanger type.
I loved the little housewife interludes we were treated to when reading Honora's letters from her mother. The recipes, the little tips when carrying out household chores, all at the same time as gaining an insight to Honora's family life and history. Boy what a history she had with the Halifax Disaster (true by the way!)
There was some brilliant writing, particularly when the same section was told from various people's perspectives. For example when Honora and millworker McDermott visit the dancehall, we read from McDermott's perspective first and then read exactly the same scene from Honora's perspective but with one line of text more - just sublime.
Alongside sublime scenes there were also stunning sentences: Honora commenting on Sexton's less than perfect appearance:
"Honora laid these flaws aside as one might overlook a small stain on a beautifully embroidered tablecloth one wanted to buy, only later to discover, when it was on the table and all the guests were seated around it, that the stain had become a beacon, while the beautiful embroidery lay hidden in everybody's laps."
Love it!
I've just found out that Sea Glass is one of four novels set around the same house - how fabulous. It is illuded to within the book (the convent, the home for ruined girls) and I would love to read them all. More additions to my ever growing Goodreads list I fear!
It has been a while since I have read this style of book and I really enjoyed it. It was gentile but devastating and if anymore of Shreve's back catalogue arrive on my shelf I will eagerly devour!
The link for the book takes you to Fred's Ambleside Book Shop, a little independent nestled in the Lake District where more than one or two celebrities have been known to browse!
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