Loved this novel of mysterious family secrets set amongst "The Cliffs"! A historical fiction novel with all the feels. Thank you to NetGalley and Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor Publishing for the ARC opportunity.

I tried and tried but I just could not get into this story, The description sounded so good, but I couldn't connect with it. I haven't completely taken it off my tbr because again, the plot sounds incredible, but it just didn't work for me.

The Cliffs is a haunting and atmospheric novel that intertwines multiple timelines and perspectives to unravel the secrets of a Victorian house perched on a bluff overlooking the ocean. The story begins with Jane Flanagan discovering the house as a teenager, where it becomes a refuge from her turbulent home life. Years later, as a Harvard archivist, she returns to find the house transformed by a new owner, Genevieve, who believes the house is haunted. Genevieve hires Jane to research its history, leading to the uncovering of long-buried stories about love, loss, colonialism, and the women who have lived there. The novel explores themes of family, history, and the ways our past shapes our present, all set against the backdrop of a house that holds more than just memories.

While the premise is captivating and rich in history, the book can sometimes feel like a history lesson rather than contemporary fiction. Some sections, especially in the middle of the novel, felt drawn out, and it took time for the various plot threads to come together. However, the ending ultimately ties the story together in a satisfying way, making the journey worthwhile. While The Cliffs can be slow at times, its blend of history, mysticism, and family drama offers a deeply moving and thought-provoking experience. My rating: 3.5 stars out of 5.

Jane has returned to her seaside town after make a mistake that could ruin her marriage and her career. The large Victorian house that she turned to in times of trouble is now unrecognizable after being bought by one of the summer people. The new owner, Genevieve, believes that the house is haunted and asks Jane to do research of the history of the house. Jane uncovers a rich and dark history.

I thought Sullivan took care of showing Jane's alcohol addiction. I really enjoyed all of the women's stories, especially the addition of the native stories. However, I felt like it was a LOT of story, I felt like Sullivan was trying to fit everything in.

Loved this one! Historical fiction is just about my favorite genre and this fit the bill. Deep characters, incredible sense of place , and a mystery to be solved all led to a most satisfying story. Highly recommended!

Thanks to NetGalley for the free ARC of The Cliffs by J. Courtney Sullivan in exchange for an honest review.

It took me three tries to get further than chapter two of this book but for whatever reason, this time I was all in, and I’m glad I stuck with it. This sweeping novel about a plot of land on the coast of Maine and its inhabitants is used as a device to follow several centuries of history, along with themes that include Indigenous culture and its destruction and appropriation by British colonists, alcoholism, classism, spiritualism and ghosts, among others. At the center of the plot is Jane, a disgraced Harvard librarian, who returns home to the same Maine town after her mother’s death and becomes swept up in the story of the house on the cliffs that’s been an obsession since she was a teen.

The writing is beautiful and various story arcs come together successfully and poignantly in the last third of the book. I rooted for Jane and I know you will, too. Four stars.

This is a well-written, entertaining, historical fiction novel. It has sympathetic and engaging female protagonists, mystery, family and relationship drama, and vividly described settings and Native American and Shaker cultural and historical lore. The lives of several woman who are connected by the cliffs of Maine and a historical house are depicted in this novel.
This story is compelling because it retraces the inhabitants of the house and their lives. The book also emphasizes the story of Native Americans and how they have been marginalized through the years. Jane is very savvy about this and I love her all the more because she cares.
I Highly recommend.

This was not my fave, it was slow and dare I say boring at times and just didn’t do much to engage me. Things almost felt disjointed and awkward and it was information overload.

Charles Sullivan's The Cliffs is a hauntingly lyrical exploration of grief, memory, and the passage of time. Set against the rugged and atmospheric backdrop of coastal cliffs, the novel intricately weaves together the protagonist’s journey to uncover family secrets while confronting their own emotional scars.

Sullivan’s prose is vivid and evocative, making the cliffs themselves feel like a living, breathing entity. The descriptions are so immersive that you can almost hear the waves crashing and feel the salty wind on your face. The landscape becomes a powerful metaphor for the emotional highs and lows experienced by the characters, particularly as the protagonist grapples with feelings of loss and resilience.

One of the novel’s greatest strengths is its characters. They are complex and deeply human, each carrying their own burdens and motivations. Sullivan doesn’t shy away from difficult topics, including the ways we process trauma and how family dynamics can shape us in ways we may not fully understand until much later in life.

While the pacing may feel slow at times, particularly in the first half, the deliberate unraveling of the mystery at the heart of the story keeps readers engaged. The narrative’s introspective tone might not appeal to everyone, but for those who enjoy character-driven novels with a touch of melancholy, The Cliffs delivers a deeply moving experience.

In the end, The Cliffs is a poignant reminder of the importance of facing the past to find healing and closure. Sullivan’s work is a testament to the resilience of the human spirit and the enduring impact of the landscapes, both physical and emotional, that shape us.

The Cliffs by J. Courtney Sullivan is a story about family and history, set along the seaside cliffs of Maine. It's about a house that's been abandoned and the history of the families that lived in it. While I enjoyed this story in parts, I thought it was a little too long and contained more historical information than was necessary. Thanks to NetGalley for the free digital review copy. All opinions are my own.

Thank you to Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage and Anchor and Net Galley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I absolutely loved this book. A little mystery, a little family drama, a little romance, this book had it all. This was an emotional and moving novel that keep the pages turning.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a chance to read and review this title. This was not my cup of tea but would be a better fit for someone else.

Absolutely beautiful - an impossibly hard to put down novel. The characters had so much depth, even the ones you hated (I’m looking at you Genevieve!) and I loved the way Sullivan spoke so beautifully about the history of that slice of Maine.

Jane left her job at Harvard and her home in Boston after she threw a flaming stick of dynamite at her life. She returns to her mother’s house to figure out what to do with herself. Luckily, there she still has her best friend Allison to support and an intriguing gig finding out more about an old house, funded handsomely by the new owner. What follows is a history of the house and a lesson on the indigenous population of Maine in addition to Shakers and spiritualism. You may ask how all of this can be addressed adequately in a less than 400 page novel, but man it was wonderful!

I really wanted to like this book but it felt like it jumped back and forth from the house that sits in the cliffs that the main character loved, to her struggles with relationships and alcohol and Native American culture. I understood why things were brought up it just wasn’t connected as seamlessly as it could’ve been. It felt choppy and disjointed at times.

I’ve never before read any of J. Courtney Sullivan’s work. I found her prose and dialogue well-executed, her settings well-described, and her research extensive. While it's clear the story is fictional, Ms. Sullivan's knowledge and command of the subjects she tackled seemed first-rate. Jane Flanagan discovers an old Victorian house that is on a bluff. It has been abandoned for a long time. There are still remnants of the past such as clothes and dishes. She becomes fascinated with this house and uses it to hide from her difficult mother. Twenty years later Jane is an archivist for Harvard. She is on suspension from her job and separated from her husband after an alcohol fueled episode made her persona non grata. When Jane returns home she is employed by Genevieve, the new owner of the house. Genevieve has totally transformed the place so it's almost unrecognizable. Genevieve is convinced the house is haunted and she wants Jane to research the house and the women who lived there over time. Jane uncovers a long history that goes back several hundred years. Jane is bored and decides to do some research on her hometown. Originally the town had been home to an indigenous people. Jane is an historian. She is fascinated with the history of the tribe. Jane is also fascinated by the possibility that there are ghosts that live in some of the older homes. She and her friend go to a medium convention. They hear about past life regression and are intrigued by the stories. This is an interesting book with fun and fascinating stories. Thanks to the author, publisher and Netgalley for the opportunity.

Jane Flanagan discovers an old Victorian house that is on a bluff. It has been abandoned for a long time. There are still remnants of the past such as clothes and dishes. She becomes fascinated with this house and uses it to hide from her difficult mother.
Twenty years later Jane is an archivist for Harvard. She is on suspension from her job and separated from her husband after an alcohol fueled episode made her persona non grata. When Jane returns home she is employed by Genevieve, the new owner of the house. Genevieve has totally transformed the place so it's almost unrecognizable. Genevieve is convinced the house is haunted and she wants Jane to research the house and the women who lived there over time. Jane uncovers a long history that goes back several hundred years.
The novel meanders at times. To me it was well worth the effort to become enmeshed in the background that included spirits, mediums, past lives and Native American history. In recent years I've become fascinated with learning more about Indigenous people, even though it makes me extremely sad.
The author captured Jane's legacy of alcoholism and how the past so often affects the present and future. The women who came before from the house are fascinating in their own ways. Reese's Book Club has picked out a thought provoking read with THE CLIFFS. I recommend this book to all who enjoy a compelling tale.

A thought-provoking story exploring women, family and native culture. I liked the concept of this story and the multiple POVs, the historical and contemporary. After all, one’s journey is the combination of their country, culture, family, relationships, and choices; it’s history and it’s messy. This would be a really good book for a book club to spark some very interesting discussions.

Thank you NetGalley and Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage and Anchor for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Cliffs
Author J. Courtney Sullivan
Available now!

Thank you, @booksparks, @jcourtsullivan, @aaknopf, for my #gifted copy of the summer #booksparksambassador #src2024 fun! And thank you, @netgalley and @aaknopf for the #gifted e-arc. Yes, I realize that I am quite behind, but I assure you, this book is worth the wait! I loved Sullivan's Friends and Strangers and Saints for All Occasions, so I was thrilled for the opportunity to read The Cliffs.

Set on the seaside cliffs of atmospheric Maine, The Cliffs is a memorable novel filled with themes of family, especially mothers, secrets, marriage, how the past shapes us, alcoholism, and our legacies. I was so engrossed in this thought- provoking story that weaves together human relationships and stories of women over centuries. I truly did not want this one to end. Insightful, well- researched, and fascinating.

I thought I was getting a book about a mysterious house and the people involved with it. What I got instead was a lesson on the reparations owed to American Indians. And while I definitely don't disagree with that, that was not the book I thought I was going into. This one also drives home the chaos and affects of alcoholism. Again, I didn't realize that was going to a be a central theme, but essentially the entire book revolves around it. I was mostly bored through it all. But it did have sort of a surprise ending that I liked. Definitely not my favorite Reese pick.

The Cliffs by J. Courtney Sullivan has something for everyone - mystery, messy family relationships, and very well researched historical information! The depth of the story will entice many readers to keep turning pages late into the night. I found the historical information to be fascinating. It touched upon history that I'm familiar with but have not had the chance to delve deeper into. Very well done!

Thank you to NetGalley, J. Courtney Sullivan, and Alfred A. Knopf Publishing for the opportunity to read and review this novel. I look forward to purchasing copies for my family and friends. It will also be an excellent book club selection!