9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Beautiful Book!, 28 May 2010
By D. Sutherland - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Leaving Rock Harbor (Hardcover)
Smart, funny, tender, and above all, a wonderful story. Full of grace and emotion, it captured me from the very first paragraph. Set in a New England mill town (based largely on Fall River, MA) just before the onset of World War I, Leaving Rock Harbor follows a young Frankie Ross as she negotiates her way between the harshness of the textile mills and the high-society world of Massachusetts politics, each mirrored by her two best friends Joe Barros and Winslow Curtis. Through the war, the strikes, the political machinations, Frankie's journey is leading inexorably to an ending that may surprise some. Leaving Rock Harbor is a pitch-perfect mix of history and love story that makes an ideal summertime read.
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
FIRST-RATE NOVEL...IT WILL NOT LEAVE YOU, 12 July 2010
By CB "CB" - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Leaving Rock Harbor (Hardcover)
Leaving Rock Harbor is the kind of novel that stays with me. Its main character, Frankie, is smart, sensual, honest -- almost to a fault -- and beautiful, again almost to a fault. The setting captivated me -- mill town New England immediately prior and post World War I, with the roaring 20s, prohibition, women's right to vote, union building and busting, and passion all wrapped in together. Frankie is in love with two men, one who is rich, and one is not. It's a classic triangle, but with provocative twists, characters who I fell in love with, a sense of a community that felt so real I could rub the cotton in the mills between my fingers and the salt air of the ocean in my skin. The writing is evocative and literary without being heavy-handed. In short, a terrific read.
5.0 out of 5 stars
Loved it!, 7 Jun 2011
By Sula - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Leaving Rock Harbor (Hardcover)
Reminded me of Ellen Gilchrist a bit. Captured the complex imperfect character and made me care about her. It's one of my favorite books.