Happy Release Day!
Haven Point
Haven Point by Virginia Hume
Women's Historical Fiction, 377 pages
Published June 8th 2021 by St. Martin's Press
A sweeping debut novel about the generations of a family that spends summers in a seaside enclave on Maine's rocky coastline, for fans of Elin Hilderbrand, Beatriz Williams, and Sarah Blake.
In 1944, Maren Larsen is a blonde beauty from a small Minnesota farming town, determined to do her part to help the war effort––and to see the world beyond her family’s cornfields. As a cadet nurse at Walter Reed Medical Center, she’s swept off her feet by Dr. Oliver Demarest, a handsome Boston Brahmin whose family spends summers in an insular community on the rocky coast of Maine.
Maren soon discovers that the residents of Haven Point are skeptical of newcomers, and their quick wartime marriage raises eyebrows. Although the chilly reception gives her pause, Maren can’t deny the charm of the old house on the cliff, and she vows to make Oliver’s family own.
But during the summer of 1970, tragedy strikes otherwise idyllic Haven Point––and in the aftermath, Oliver and Maren’s seventeen-year-old daughter, Annie, vows never to return.
Nearly fifty years later, Maren’s granddaughter, Skye, has arrived in Maine to help scatter Annie’s ashes. Maren knows that Skye inherited her mother’s view of Haven Point, and that she finds the place––and the people––snobbish and petty. But she also knows that Annie never told her daughter the whole truth about what happened that fateful summer.
Over seven decades of a changing America, through wars and storms, betrayals and reconciliations, Haven Point explores what it means to belong to a place, and to a family, which holds as tight to its traditions as it does its secrets.
My thoughts about Haven Point ~~
(I love to note the first lines of the books I'm reading. First lines can really grab a reader's attention and I love seeing where the author takes the reader after their first line.)
First line—"Maren took her mug of coffee outside and sank into the wicker love seat. Skye would finally arrive the following day. Maren had so much she needed to tell her granddaughter."
First of all, I have to say, this is an amazing debut novel. The writer did a fantastic job with the writing, the story, and the characters. I'm excited for the author and can't wait to see what she writes next.
Maren is such a strong woman and endues a lot as she goes through life. It was fascinating watching her mature and take responsibility, as those around her fell short. She really became the matriarch of the family, helping her granddaughter Skye realize her potential and develop a love for her home.
I love the multiple timelines of this story, as we watch Maren leave her family farm in the 40's, come to understand the tragedy that happened to the family in the 70's, and watch the healing that happens in the present. The story was woven so seamlessly and beautifully that I didn't want the story to end.
Haven Point is a wonderful family saga that you will find yourself immersed in. I highly recommend it for a memorable summer read!
I received a copy of Haven Point from the publisher via NetGalley and this is my honest opinion.
About the author
Virginia Hume is a freelance writer and editor. Her early career was spent in politics and public affairs. She lives outside Washington, D.C. with her husband, their daughters, and an under-groomed bichon named Chester. ~ Publisher's website
Connect with Virginia
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