The historical fiction I most value reading educates me regarding places and events and exposes me to different perspectives. J. Courtney Sullivan’s novel does just that while revealing the intertwined history of a house and multiple families, and their respective legacies.

This book would have benefited from a stronger edit in spots, in my humble opinion, where historical facts could have been better woven into the story or the tale would have been more impactful by pruning its meandering nature here and there.

That said, I am glad to have read this fascinating novel, and will seek out Sullivan’s backlist and future works.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Knopf for a complementary ARC. Opinions are my own.

A Harvard archivist, Jane Flanagan, returns after 20 years to a town in Maine that is an important part of her personal history. The story centers around a particular purple Victorian home on a cliff and the back story of its various inhabitants. Hewitt did her homework. Lots of history, including that of early European settlers, and the indigenous people who were uprooted from their land and denied their ancestral legacy. Injustice and the genocide of Native American civilization lies at the heart of this historical novel replete with the haunting of mysterious ghosts who are unable to Rest In Peace.

The story meanders and character details stop, start again only to change again. It becomes a full time job just to follow the constantly varying time frames, characters and situations. Some of it is written text book style, which felt like a college level lecture on topics such as the history of Native Americans or the Shakers. Everything in this book is interrelated, it’s just that making the connections was often such a tedious job that I lost interest. In the hodgepodge of important issues is also is the scourge of alcoholism with its effects not only on the alcoholic but also children, spouses and other relationships. Whew. Just too much digression for me.

I felt like there was more than one book in this mix. Only the kitchen sink was missing, giving the reader the task of sorting things out and putting them back together. So much research by the author became , sadly, only a two star read for me.. My thanks to NetGalley and Knopf for providing an ARC in exchange for my review. The Cliffs was published on July 2 2024. It’s possible you will enjoy it more than I did.

This book very beautifully wove the stories of different women together. But it also dove into some really interesting educational topics. I think some people might find the history and culture lectures boring but I loved them!

I would have enjoyed this book more if there was less preaching about Native rights, and more involvement of Native rights activists in the action! Jane Flanagan is an academic, and an alcoholic. She has alienated all of her supporters except for her childhood best friend and she is back in her hometown trying to scrape together a new life. Unfortunately, her new life looks just like her old one.

I was interested in Jane's personal story, but at the midpoint of the book, I just felt like there were too many strands to this story that I wasn't interested in following. Spiritualism, the Shakers, Native Rights. I felt like Sullivan was trying to tell too many stories in one book.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I was pretty apprehensive about reading this book because I’ve seen a lot of criticism of it but I was really pleasantly surprised and I really liked it a lot. I understand the elements that people disliked but I overall found the book fascinating and was able to overlook it’s faults (some of the commentary came off as very self righteous and preachy and some of the historical elements could have been tightened up.)
The Cliffs tells the story of Jane, an academic, who is at a crossroads at her life and struggling. Her mother has recently died, her marriage and career are imploding. She retreats to her childhood home in Maine where the story takes place. This book explores the history of one particular home that Jane has always been fascinated with and has an unknown family connection to. The history of the home and the stories of the different women connected to the home are really fascinating and I especially enjoyed learning a little about the indigenous history of the area.
This book is not without its flaws but ultimately is really interesting and comes together in a satisfying way. Thank you to Netgalley and Knopf for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

A story of strong women living their normal, messy, tragic lives and how they are interconnected by one beautiful cliff in Maine. A great story of how the choices we make in the face of loss can shape us and define us and what we can do to remake ourselves when the opportunities come.

This one was just okay for me. It might have been the reading mood I was in at the time though. I'll definitely give this one another go at some point. While I enjoyed some of it, the book just moved a bit slower than what I was hoping for.

TLDR:
This is a fantastic book for book clubs and a great read for fans of literary fiction and character driven books. I loved it.

Thank you Knopf for this review copy of The Cliffs. I LOVED this book and am sad it took me this long to get to a J Courtney Sullivan (an author long on my must read pile). I am so glad I got to read this book early and know this will be a top read for me this year. PRH audio also provided me a free copy of this on audio (though I mostly read this book since I had the review book earlier than the audio).

Stand outs
1. I love literary fiction and Sullivan's writing is top notch. Character driven books with strong plot, and books that make a place/house a character itself, really resonate with me. I love thrillers and romcoms but the books that always standout as top reads are books like this, ones that delve into characters, make them feel real and flawed and layered, and give them some complex challenges to explore.

2. Themes on women's lives. An early and well developed theme is how women's lives and stories often get lost to time. This is such a powerfully explored theme as underneath the themes on social class, marriage, mental health, women's lives... is the idea of not wanting to be forgotten, to leave a mark and to have had a life that matters. Sullivan offers this idea without being overtly pushing a reader to engage with this theme, making it more a subtle and nuanced theme that really stands out.

3. I loved the way Jane and Genevieve's stories developed, how Sullivan gave them both depth and backstories, challenges, that connect with many readers (issues with alcoholism, marriage/long term relationships, themes on motherhood, social class/money).

Overall I enjoyed this book but it was definitely a slow burn. Parts of this book felt a little too long and meandering for me and it took me awhile to get used to the main character Jane. However, if you stick with it there are a lot of interconnected stories themes here that reward you as they all come together. Not my favorite J. Courtney Sullivan book but still an enjoyable read!

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley & really enjoyed it! It takes place in a fictional town in southern Maine and centers on the history of a house on a cliff. But there is so much to the history of women who occupied this home over the many, many years. I love that there was so much information about the Indians who once occupied this land, their customs, beliefs, and yes, some horrible things that were done as the 'new comers' took their land. There's a lot of growing for the main character as she discovers what happened in this house, this town & within herself.
#NetGalley

The Cliffs
by J. Courtney Sullivan
Pub Date: Jul 02 2024

The Cliffs was a very interesting read, not what I'd call a thriller though. It took awhile to get into the characters and the story but after I did I was glad I stuck with it. There were a lot of stories about loss, grief and even ghosts! A lot of twists and going from the past to the present. Great history information. It's not a fast read but a worthwhile read.

Synopsis:
A novel of family, secrets, ghosts, and homecoming set on the seaside cliffs of Maine. Enthralling, richly imagined, filled with psychic mediums and charlatans, spirits and past lives, mothers, marriage, and the legacy of alcoholism, this is a deeply moving novel about the land we inhabit, the women who came before us, and the ways in which none of us will ever truly leave this earth.

Many thanks to #TheCliffs #NetGalley and #Knopf #Pantheon #Vintage and #Anchor for providing me with an E-ARC of this book.

The Cliffs is the 1st book I have read by J. Courtney Sullivan

Jane Flanagan has returned to her hometown after a scandal that has endangered her job at Harvard and her marriage to David. Jane was raised in a town in Maine by her alcoholic mother, and as often happens in familes with alcoholism, Jane too has issues. Her drinking caused her to black out at a work party and behave badly. When her mother passes away, Jane returns to her hometown to lick her wounds and prepare her mother’s house for sale. While hiding out, she meets Genevieve the wife of a wealthy Bostonian who has renovated an abandoned historical house that Jane used to explore as a teenager. The house was abandoned with all the owner’s belongings in it, as though they woke up one day and just walked away. Genevieve believes that the house is haunted and hires Jane to investigate the house’s history. Jane researches the history of the house and the women who lived and loved there with all the trials and tribulations that they endured.

Thanks to Netgalley. The publisher Knopf Pantheon and the author for the chance to read and review this book.

I really enjoyed the Native American portions of this novel, as well as the POV from Eliza and the visit with the medium/Camp Mira. I did not, however, enjoy Jane. I found myself stopping when I got to her chapters and giving myself a break.

I got more than I bargained for with this book! I thought this was going to be about an old haunted house, but it was so much more. Set on the seaside cliffs of Maine, the house has become full of secrets of days gone by.

Jane, an archivist at Harvard, grew up in the area and loved to go visit the each when it was empty and between owners. Now Jane has returned home to lick her wounds from her drunken behavior at a business event. She also faces the dismal task of getting her deceased mother’s home ready to sell.

While home, Jane meets Genevieve, the new owner of the house on the cliffs that she loved so much. Genevieve has updated the house. She thinks the house is haunted and hires Jane to research the past of the house and the land it sits on.

In the process, Jane discovers much about the history of that region of Maine, the Native Americans who lived there and much about her family and herself.

I liked most of the book, however by the end, I felt like the author tried to throw too many hot topics in the mix. I am planning to visit Maine in the future and I love knowing some of Maine’s history.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Knopf for allowing me to read an advance copy. I enjoyed the book and am happy to offer a review and recommend to other readers.

As long-time fan of J. Courtney Sullivan's novels, I had high expectations for THE CLIFFS, a story of a particular house on the Maine coastline told through the life and times of its people, from the current day all the way back to the time before Europeans stepped on shore. She blew past all those expectations with gripping characters, a keen sense of place, and brilliant plotting and pacing so I never felt like I knew what was going to happen and stayed up way too late reading. This book felt like a passion project for Sullivan, with all the research required and respect she gave to those without voices--and it delivered the passion, the power, the lasting impression on this very happy reader. I received a copy of this book and these opinions are my own, unbiased thoughts.

J. Courtney Sullivan is one of my favorite authors because of the way she weaves multiple stories together. The connections she makes between the characters often result in a gasp. She is one of the best at it. While there are plenty of connections in The Cliffs, it's a weaker book because of the many stories she attempts to tell. She's introducing new characters in the second to last chapter! If Sullivan had picked a single earlier time period to link to, this would have read better. Instead, she's linking to Native Americans (Naomi's tribe), Shakers (Eliza/Hannah), and present-day with Jane, Genevive, Marilyn, Allison, and Clementine. There were too many backstories to include for this to keep my attention and it dragged at times. I skimmed Eliza's chapter and honestly, the day trip to Clementine could have been skipped entirely. Walter going missing was also unnecessary. I do like the history lesson Sullivan gives, however, it just didn't interest or excite me.

Thanks to NetGalley for a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

As someone who has enjoyed J. Courtney Sullivan's previous novels, I was looking forward to reading THE CLIFFS. One of Sullivan's strongest skills is her ability to bring place to life and to maintain a vivid sense of place. She's also an excellent writer at the line level. The house in this novel delivers on those skills. However, the rest of the book falls rather short. The key issues seem to be the number of POVs (5, which felt like too many here), the tangential subplots, and the "lecture-y" approach to issues raised in the story. The core of the THE CLIFFS is interesting, but, unfortunately, it's muddled by too many issues and too much research.

J. Courtney Sullivan's "The Cliffs" is a multi-layered novel that delves into family secrets, historical mysteries, and personal redemption, all set against the hauntingly beautiful backdrop of Maine's seaside cliffs. While the premise is intriguing, the execution leaves a bit to be desired, making for a mixed reading experience.

The story follows Jane Flanagan, who, as a teenager, discovers an abandoned Victorian house on a secluded bluff. The house, filled with remnants of its past inhabitants, becomes a refuge for Jane, offering an escape from her turbulent home life. Fast forward twenty years, and Jane, now a Harvard archivist, returns to Maine after a professional scandal threatens her career and marriage. She finds the once-abandoned house has been transformed into a modern, sterile residence by its new owner, Genevieve, who believes the house is haunted.

Genevieve hires Jane to uncover the history of the house and its previous occupants, leading Jane on a journey through time, uncovering stories of lost loves, tragic deaths, and artistic awakenings. These discoveries are interwoven with Jane's own struggles with her past and her attempt to rebuild her life.

Sullivan's strength lies in her ability to create a vivid sense of place and her exploration of complex themes such as colonialism, the legacy of alcoholism, and the impact of historical artifacts. The novel is rich with historical detail, and the intertwining stories of the house's inhabitants provide depth and intrigue.

However, the novel's pacing can be slow, and the multiple narrative threads sometimes feel disjointed. The transitions between the past and present are not always seamless, making it difficult to stay fully engaged with the story. Additionally, while Jane's character is well-developed, her personal struggles and interactions can come off as preachy and self-righteous, detracting from the overall narrative.

"The Cliffs" is an ambitious novel that tackles significant themes and offers moments of genuine poignancy and reflection. Still, its meandering plot and occasional lack of focus prevent it from being as compelling as Sullivan's previous works. Fans of historical fiction and multi-generational family sagas may find much to appreciate, but others might find it a bit of a slog.

Overall, "The Cliffs" is a solid but uneven read that will appeal to those interested in the interplay between history and personal identity, even if it falls short of its full potential.

4.5 for J. Courtney Sullivan's latest epic. This story has 5 POVs, however, it is mostly told from Jane's perspective. Jane Flanagan has been visiting an abandoned Victorian home that sits on a bluff overlooking the ocean in her small hometown in Maine since she was a girl. She discovered the house by accident and it becomes a respite from her volatile mother.
Fast-forward 20 years and Jane is back in her hometown, having just imploded her career and her marriage. Jane is trying to overcome her demons and sell the small cottage that her mother once lived in, having since passed away. The Victorian becomes a source of income and curiosity once again when the new owner hires Jane to find out the history of the home. You get 4 other POVs from women connected to the home and its history.
This is a fascinating look at family, alcoholism, spiritualism, and Native American history. The writing is beautiful and the story is thought-provoking.

*Special thanks to NetGalley and Knopf for this e-arc.*

I loved this book! At first it took a minute for me to get used to the back and forth and jumping around of different perspectives and times. But as the book went along and the threads started to tie together, it just felt like such a rich and layered story. I really liked and felt for the main character Jane, and the book ended in a good place. I read the sub plot about indigenous people the same day I visited a museum with an exhibit by indigenous people. It is inspirational.