I loved this book....
Correction. I love the first 23 chapters of this book; the last chapter, however, left too many loose threads.
I get leaving some questions unanswered for the reader to further ponder, but it almost feels like the author just said "aw, chuck it" and wrapped it up quickly. When the chapter ended, I honestly had to go back to reread it, thinking I missed something - it was as if we were supposed to know who the child was, etc.

That said, despite the infuriating ending, the rest of the book was wonderful. ( )

Good beach read. ( )

***Please note I won a copy of this book through Goodreads First Reads Giveaways****

This is an interesting book. It's got a touch of magical realism to it, and I was intrigued by the story, but also let down at the same time. Full review to come. ( )

Quick beach read. The story line was interesting enough, but the child characters, ages 7 and 12, were much too wise and perceptive, and their vocabulary too adult. The magical realism was clumsy. ( )

The Cottage at Glass Beach is a beautifully written novel that centers around Nora Cunningham and her two daughters as they leave their Massachusetts home and take a summer trip to Burke’s Island, where Nora grew up. They stay at a cottage at Glass Beach. This is the cottage where Nora grew up, and the same beach where her mother mysteriously disappeared when she was just a child.

Nora's husband's infidelity is what prompted the summer getaway. She is at a crossroads in her life and having mixed emotions as she both hates her husband for what he has done and yet cannot completely break free from him. While at Glass Beach Nora reconnects with her estranged Aunt Maire.

I enjoyed The Cottage at Glass Beach, I like the mystery woven into the storyline. Aside from the question of what happened to Nora's mother, there's a mysterious stranger who appears on the beach one stormy night with little recollection of how he got there. He is a fisherman named Owen Kavanagh and he soon becomes a part of these peoples daily lives on the beach.

Irish fairy tales are a part of the story as Nora reads these myths to her daughters. Nora's youngest daughter Annie finds a friend of the beach as well, a young boy her age who makes he promise not to tell anyone about him. The mysterious events on the island continue as Nora's daughters meet an older man named Reilly, who is a native of the island and was there the day Nora's mother disappeared. Nora discovers hidden truths about her past and about her mother. There are plenty of secrets just under the surface, waiting to be revealed.

While I found myself drawn in by the dreamlike quality of the prose, I felt more of an outsider looking in. I didn't fully connect with any of these characters. I felt like there was too much bouncing back and forth from character to character and I was never fully drawn in. Owen washes up on the beach and when he and Nora begin to have a heated conversation, I felt like he was still this stranger and I wondered why she would even be having such an emotional connection to him. I would have liked a bit more character development on the part of Owen.

This is a novel about finding oneself, about facing the past in order to move on. I wondered what would become of Nora and her girls and the new people who had come into their lives. The ending of the story surprised me.

As I said, the writing captivated me and I could easily envision the sights and sounds of Burke’s Island. I loved the beach side setting and the way the ocean and the mysteries it contains were woven into the plot. I think the author was inspired by one of my favorite novels, Kate Chopin's The Awakening.

"She understood that now. That this was part of a journey begun years ago, left incomplete, the site of her abandonment, of beginnings and ends. The island had been waiting for her. Everything circles back on itself in the end, she thought. Everything is connected. The geography of the land, and of the soul."
p. 301, The Cottage at Glass Beach

disclaimer:
This review is my honest opinion. I did not receive any type of compensation for reading and reviewing this book. While I receive free books from publishers and authors, such as this one, I am under no obligation to write a positive review.
I received a free review copy of The Cottage at Glass Beach as part of a virtual book tour in exchange for an honest review. ( )