Book Review and Giveaway: The Cottage at Glass Beach by Heather Barbieri.

When I saw this book come up on Amazon Vine for review, I grabbed it as quick as I could, as I loved Heather's previous books! Saving it to read on a beach vacation was even better!

Synopsis: 40-year-old Nora Cunningham has it all: a handsome husband, Malcolm, the youngest attorney general in Massachusetts’ state history, and daughters, Annie, 7, and Ella, 11. That is, until she learns of Malcolm’s affair—and his refusal to give up his lover, turning their lives upside down.

At the height of the scandal, Nora receives an invitation to visit her maternal aunt, Maire. To escape the growing political storm and gain perspective on her marriage and complicated past, Nora packs up her daughters and heads to Burke’s Island, a remote island off the coast of Maine, originally settled by Irish immigrants. Nora hadn’t been there since age five, the summer her mother disappeared, and she and her father moved to Boston, never speaking of the matter again.

One night, while sitting alone on Glass Beach, below the cottage where she spent her childhood, Nora lets down at last. Her tears flow into the sea, where, according to local legend, they might call a selkie, to console her. Not long afterward, Owen Kavanagh, a fisherman with a mysterious past, is shipwrecked on the rocks.

As the weeks pass, Nora finds more questions than answers on Burke’s Island, regarding her relationships, her mother’s fate, and her own identity. And, as she deals with her headstrong daughters and their needs, and her own wants and desires, Nora finds the courage to chart her own course, and that the secrets surrounding that long ago summer finally come to light.

Review: I think it is 100% official- Heather is the successor to Maeve Binchy and Rosamunde Pilcher, in bringing Irish tales to life in modern times! She strikes another solid home run, with this book of Summer, beach, family and Irish folk tales! In many ways this new book is a fairy tale for the modern woman. Cinderella meets the beach, sorta!


I wasn't too sure when I started reading the book, and then suddenly I did NOT want to put it down, and finished it in 2 sittings while on vacation! It showcases how the media can manipulate and pressure the WRONG people, the victims. And how this pressure can cause them to doubt themselves and their actions. By interweaving the Irish folk tales and island family history, Heather brings strength to the characters when they need it, allowing them to reblossom and find themselves.  


I don't want to give away any of the story- it is just too delicious of a read- but reading it will take you back to when you could suspend reality and just believe in the story, and how things always come out right! Pick this one up and you'll find yourself passing it around all Summer long! Kudos to Heather for another superb read!

About the Author: Heather's ancestors came from Western Ireland to the East Coast during the Famine, and the islands of New England have long held a fascination for her – their ruggedness, their sea glass, their storms and history.  Heather is the author of two previous novels THE LACE MAKERS OF GLENMARA and SNOW IN JULY. She lives in Seattle with her family. For more on Heather Barbieri and her books, visit her website. 


Since you all were so patient with my 'vacation brain', I'm sharing this review copy with one lucky reader!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclosure / Disclaimer: I was sent this book, free of charge, for review purposes, from Amazon Vine Review Program. No other compensation, monetary or in kind, has been received or implied for this post. Nor was I told how to post about it.