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Title details for The Cliffs by J. Courtney Sullivan - Available

The Cliffs

by J. Courtney Sullivan
Kimberly Farr
Audiobook
2 of 5 copies available
Borrow Listen to a sample Listen to a sample
2 of 5 copies available
REESE'S BOOK CLUB PICK • A novel of family, secrets, ghosts, and homecoming set on the seaside cliffs of Maine, by the New York Times best-selling author of Friends and Strangers
“A stunning achievement, and J. Courtney Sullivan’s best book yet. Sullivan weaves a narrative that’s fascinating and thought-provoking. I literally could not put this book down.”
—Ann Napolitano, New York Times best-selling author of Hello Beautiful
On a secluded bluff overlooking the ocean sits a Victorian house, lavender with gingerbread trim, a home that contains a century’s worth of secrets. By the time Jane Flanagan discovers the house as a teenager, it has long been abandoned. The place is an irresistible mystery to Jane. There are still clothes in the closets, marbles rolling across the floors, and dishes in the cupboards, even though no one has set foot there in decades. The house becomes a hideaway for Jane, a place to escape her volatile mother.
Twenty years later, now a Harvard archivist, she returns home to Maine following a terrible mistake that threatens both her career and her marriage. Jane is horrified to find the Victorian is now barely recognizable. The new owner, Genevieve, a summer person from Beacon Hill, has gutted it, transforming the house into a glossy white monstrosity straight out of a shelter magazine. Strangely, Genevieve is convinced that the house is haunted—perhaps the product of something troubling Genevieve herself has done. She hires Jane to research the history of the place and the women who lived there. The story Jane uncovers—of lovers lost at sea, romantic longing, shattering loss, artistic awakening, historical artifacts stolen and sold, and the long shadow of colonialism—is even older than Maine itself.
Enthralling, richly imagined, filled with psychic mediums and charlatans, spirits and past lives, mothers, marriage, and the legacy of alcoholism, this is a deeply moving novel about the land we inhabit, the women who came before us, and the ways in which none of us will ever truly leave this earth.

  • Creators

  • Publisher

  • Release date

    July 2, 2024

  • Formats

    • OverDrive Listen audiobook

      • ISBN: 9780593907085
      • File size: 444427 KB
      • Duration: 15:25:52

  • Languages

    • English

  • Reviews

    • AudioFile Magazine
      With its stellar cast and sprawling story, this audiobook is outstanding. Jane, an archivist at Harvard, returns to her childhood home on the coast of Maine to get her late mother's affairs in order. She discovers that her dream house there has been sold, and the new owner hires her for historical research on the house, which could be haunted. Told by several narrators, the novel follows Jane, performed by Cassandra Campbell, and her passion to uncover the histories of the women in her life. The narrators deliver a robust story at a steady pace and treat the characters' concerns, hopes, and fears with care. The level of detail in Jane's interactions with the townspeople is a memorable highlight. G.M. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2024, Portland, Maine
    • Library Journal

      December 6, 2024

      Sullivan's (Friends and Strangers) much-anticipated new novel follows Harvard archivist Jane Flanagan, who has returned to her childhood home in Maine after making an awful mistake that may spell the end of her marriage and her career. As a teenager, Jane was drawn to a large Victorian home in her neighborhood. Genevieve, the current owner, has been remodeling the house and is convinced that her son is seeing ghosts. Jane agrees to help Genevieve research the history of the property, and in the process, she makes intriguing discoveries about her own mother and grandmother. She also learns about past figures connected to the house and its grounds, including Hannah, a sailor's wife in the 1800s, and her housekeeper, Eliza, who was raised in a Shaker orphanage. An ensemble of five talented narrators accompanies listeners through the novel's adeptly interwoven time periods and nested stories. The narrators offer expressive performances, capturing each character's distinct personality with sensitivity and nuance. Cassandra Campbell is particularly affecting as she embodies Jane's character as well as Jane's sister and childhood friends. VERDICT An outstanding addition to any women's fiction or historical fiction collection. Fans of Elin Hildebrand and Lisa Wingate will want to check this out.--Susan Cox

      Copyright 2024 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Formats

  • OverDrive Listen audiobook

subjects

Languages

  • English

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