I did not meet one person in this book that I liked. Usually there is one. They are all narcissistic whiners. All are so self-centered it is a hard book to like. neonjake

I was so excited to read "Maine" and after turning the last page, I felt my expectations were plainly set too high. Sullivan tried to nail the funny, lovable and sad characters that come from so many dysfunctional Irish Catholic families of Boston, but in the end she missed. They often felt phony and too forced. The images of the grittiness of working-class Boston and the beaches of Maine didn't shine through. In the end, the plot being so close to home was what made me not appreciate "Maine" for its lack of authenticity. Maybe if I lived in Nebraska or California I would've bought what she was selling.

Very well written book, love to explore the lives of the women and their interaction with each other and the circumstances in which they have been placed. Having been to Maine, I can picture the surroundings, and the particular lifestyle of that area. GOOD READ !!

Surprisingly good.

There were too many internal monologues for my taste - background character information that would have been better left in the author's research notebook. Could have been more.

Enjoyable book. Not your average "beach read" about families at their summer homes

Maine is not always a place in this book but a representation of what the family, in the story, aspires to. A dysfunctional Irish-Catholic family has a summer cottage, a property the patriarch won in a card game. the matriarch, Alice, now in her 80s, is a selfish, stuck-in-her-ways, old woman who has no appreciation for her extended family and clearly her family feels the same way about her. For pretty much all of them, the only thing in the family they really love is the their beach house in Maine which represents status, freedom and escape. The story of the family and it's dysfunction is told through several generations of the family including: Alice, her daughter Kathleen, her daughter-in-law Ann Marie and her granddaughter Maggie. This is not a literary tour de force but there is sense of tragedy, angst and real family tension that leaves the reader more than little uncomfortable in spots. I kept thinking of similar people in my own family. in the end, i liked this book but I didn't love it. I would think it would make a good book club selection - if only because at the end I know that, like me, you will be wanting to discuss the book with somebody!

I, too, expected more after reading some great reviews of this novel. A nice, fast beach read, but not particularly well-written and none of the characters really resonated with me. Not bad, just disappointing.

This book is a wonderful exploration of family values during one particular summer at the beach in Maine. Great read.

not a bad book, but not about Maine. Very little drama actually takes place there. I found the ending unsatisfying and too many loose ends not tied up. It was okay but wouldn't recommend it.