This is another book I didn't want to end! Several of the characters had such complex inner lives that everyday life was sometimes a challenge for them; I can fully identify with that. Margreete reminded me of my mother - both knew her mind was losing bits and pieces every day yet they were determined and stubborn and insisted on living their life on their terms until death arrived. Margreete was probably my favorite character (and the family dog), then Liddie and Bernie. It was remarkable how the author was able to craft personal and interpersonal growth for each of the characters without stepping away from the story line; this couldn't have been easy to achieve. This one will definitely remain with me several more days, requiring rereading of some passages.

This is a beautifully crafted family drama that takes us back to America in the 50s and 60s. The catalyst is the growing senile behavior or Liddie’s mother, Margreete. Her deterioration brings Liddie and her family back to Maine from Michigan. This move sets the stage for the family saga, as it demonstrates the family values and trials of that time.

The children, Bernie, Eva and Gretchen are emblematic of this period of growing change and unrest. The family is influenced by the values of father, Harry and his social activism. I found this novel very authentic and reminiscent of the roots of protest and activism that are so timely now.

The only criticism of the book is that it left me wanting more! It is rare to feel such an attachment to characters that I’m hopeful that Morse will write another book that follows Liddie’s children into adulthood. Perhaps a trilogy? The characters are so well-drawn that I felt that I was part of their issues. Morse has captured the cultural birth of so many movements that are very timely today. I can think of dozens of questions for discussion with book groups. Personally, I can’t wait to engage in discourse and debate about the ongoing societal issues.

I highly recommend this novel, for its engaging writing and its incorporation of social history.

Thank you Netgalley for this extraordinary opportunity to read what I believe will be a BEST NOVEL of 2021.

A family saga, Margreete's Harbor should appeal to a wide range of readers. The problems this extended family faces are ones that most people will relate to. Margreete's Harbor made me think. I thought about my own family, decisions we'd made and how they impacted the course of our lives.

The setting is in Maine. The timeline is the 1960's at an unsettled period in history.
Margreete Bright's enitre family move into their mother's big, old home to assist her as her dementia progresses..
Margreete has come way to close to burning her home down, as well as often getting lost too many times.
Her daughter, son-in-law, and grandchildren are all moving in. It certainly will be a challenge!


Margreete is aware that she is not able to recall things easily and often is up all night searching for "things" not recalling what "things" she needs to find. She never wanted to forget her loved ones and prays that this will be over soon.
My very favorite analogy that Margreete relates to her forgetting is this: "Each time the waves pull back a little farther, they take a little more sand with them, grain by grain, until your feet are rocking."

This is a beautiful tale of love, heartache, and family for this family.

My thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an ARC of Margreete’s Harbor in exchange for an honest book review.
Margreete Bright is slipping into the throngs of dementia. Accidentally leaving a pan on the stove, she sets her kitchen on fire. Her daughter Liddie makes the decision to move her family (husband Harry and children Eva and Bernie) from Michigan to the isolated coast of Maine to care for her.
This novel spans a ten year period from the late 1950’s through the 1960’s. America is facing changes and turbulent times and we bare witness to how the dynamics of this family is affected in their internal and external worlds. The Vietnam war, a confining marriage, becoming a young adult or slipping into a private world, the prose are beautifully descriptive and vivid. There are revelations within these pages that seem so familiar and identifiable that any one of these characters could be you or I or someone we know.
Eleanor Morse has written a story with lessons to be learned. It simply rends the heart.
I recommend this as a ‘must read’ and thank the author for a moving experience.

A book about a daughter uprooting her family to Maine to take care of her mother struggling with dementia. The book tells of their struggles as a family and the era of President Kennedy, the Vietnam war and Martin Luther King. There is a lot of reference to music and its ability to heal and soothe. It is a soft read about a typical family during that time period with every day challenges and events.

I was engaged at the start of this one mainly because Margreete was an interesting character. Unfortunately, the multiple points of view and the meandering resulted in a slow pace with Margreete becoming a minor character. The other characters (her daughter and family) didn't hold my interest. Their relationship with Margreete wasn't explored enough. Instead their individual struggles to adapt to their lives in Maine seemed to be the gist of the story. I didn't 'feel' their connection to each other.

Thanks to Netgalley and the pubisher for the ARC.

A literary novel set on the coast of Maine during the 1960s, tracing the life of a family and its matriarch as they negotiate sharing a home.
Margreete’s Harbor begins with a fire: a fiercely-independent, thrice-widowed woman living on her own in a rambling house near the Maine coast forgets a hot pan on the stovetop, and nearly burns her place down.

When Margreete Bright calls her daughter Liddie to confess, Liddie realizes that her mother can no longer live alone. She, her husband Harry, and their children Eva and Bernie move from a settled life in Michigan across the country to Margreete’s isolated home, and begin a new life.

This book is one to remember for sure.
I loved how the author wrote this book. It was truly incredible.
From beginning to the end, I was hooked.
I can't wait to read more from this author.

Beautiful story set in Maine about a family coping with change in the 1950's thru 1970's. I would not recommend this to everyone as it is very depressing in parts. For those who want to remember events during that period and how a family is affected by these, it is a must read.

I simply adored this book and hope it will become a classic of our times. Though it takes place during the 1950's and 60's it has a message that cannot be ignored. The simple, yet elegant writing style and the astute observations and actions of each character combined engage the reader fully. Each character could be someone we know; they are ordinary, yet each extraordinary in their approaches to life and situation.
Margreete herself is a vehicle for both humor and realism. How the family relates to and handles her descent into dementia is very touching.
Finally, this would be an excellent choice for a book club, particularly one with members of this generation. Highly recommended.

Burnt Harbor, Maine although she refers to her small town as Margreetes Harbor is the setting for this story of Margreete Bright and her daughter and son in law and their family who pull up roots in Michigan and come to stay. Margreete is slipping and can’t be left alone. Liddie her daughter, a concert cellist, her school teacher husband and their three children navigate the waters in this small town during the 1960s as the nation faces growing political turmoil. Civil rights, assassinations. JFK. Martin Luther King. The Vietnam War all provide a backdrop for the children and their dedicated parents.
This is a great story. The plot and characters become a little disjointed in the second half of the book, almost like the author is rushing to get her story finished. Eva and Gretchen leave a lot of unanswered questions.
I would rate this book as 3.5 stars- Thank you to Netgalley for providing this digital ARC. My thoughts and review are my own and completely unsolicited.

Margreete's Harbor is a beautifully written story set in beautiful coastal Maine against the backdrop of the 60s - an era that was filled with change. The characters Ms. Morse gives us are multi-dimensional, full of life, spirit and strong personalities. I found myself feeling deeply about each of them, especially Margreete. This is a book that made me cry, laugh out loud, and gave me much to think about.