Review: The From-Aways

The From-Aways by CJ Hauser

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Fresh talent CJ Hauser makes her literary debut with The From-Aways, an irreverent story of family, love, friendship, and lobsters, in the tradition of J. Courtney Sullivan’s Maine and Richard Russo’s Empire Falls.

***
Two women come to Maine in search of family and find more love, heartbreak, and friendship than they’d ever imagined one little fishing town could hold.

When Leah, a young New York reporter, meets Henry, she falls in love with everything about him: his freckles, green thumb, and tales of a Maine childhood. They marry quickly and Leah convinces Henry to move back to Menamon. As Leah builds a life there, reporting for The Menamon Star and vowing to be less of an emotional screw-up, the newlyweds are shocked to discover that they don’t know each other nearly so well as they thought they did.

When Quinn’s mother dies, she tracks down the famous folk-singer father she’s never known, in Menamon. Scrappy and smart-mouthed, Quinn gets a job at the local paper, an apartment above the town diner, and tries to shore up the courage to meet her father. But falling in love with her roommate, Rosie, was never part of the plan.

These two unruly women’s work relationship at The Star deepens into best-friendship when they stumble onto a story that shakes sleepy Menamon—and holds damaging repercussions for Leah’s husband and Quinn’s roommate both. As the town descends into turmoil, both women must decide what kind of lives they are willing to fight for.

-- My review: I had a hard time with this book. I loved the cover. I am a total cover snob. So I fell in love with the cover. I wanted to like the people in this book. I tried. Over and over and over. Several times I said ok they aren't so bad. And it wasn't. But then I was lost. And then I got to liking it. And then I was lost.

Over all it wasn't too bad, but I just don't get into this type of book. Protests, and I am not sure it was all a jumble to me at times. I wanted to give it more stars but something just didn't click for me.

The people all just seemed a bit sad, too sad for me. Life can be sad, but jeez. Yikes!



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