Maine by J. Courtney Sullivan

A friend of mine, Holly Wooten, recently posted a Facebook status that read: "If you would like to read a book this summer that does not involve vampires, teenagers fighting for their lives, or a shade of grey, try Maine by J. Courtney Sullivan. Great read."  

Well, with the exception of the "teenagers fighting for their lives" part, I felt as if Holly was speaking directly to my soul.  She knows me well, because just a few days later, she was pulling in my drive to deliver Maine, confident that I would enjoy it.  She was right.

Maine is not a book you read for the plot - there were no twists and turns, no detective work or real suspense.  It is a book you read for the characters.  This particular book focuses on four different characters: the elderly mother, Alice, who has wrestled with demons from her childhood her entire life, who is sarcastic and sometimes hateful and yet, lovable; her daughter, Kathleen, a recovering alcoholic who lives in California on a "worm farm" and who really doesn't like her mother much; her daughter-in-law, Ann Marie, the perfect stay-at-home mother who decorates doll houses, cooks everything from scratch, and wants desperately to find peace; and her granddaughter, Kathleen's daughter, Maggie, a twenty-something who finds herself pregnant, single, and confused.

Each of the girls has her own problems, her own struggles with life, but more importantly, her own way of expressing how much she loves her family.  Almost any woman can identify with one of the characters in some way (Holly liked Ann Marie, I liked Maggie...  and I wonder if our choices somehow reflect our own personalities or struggles).

Holly put it best.  If you would like a 'great read' without the drama or the sex, pick up Maine.