Maine

I very much enjoyed Maine by Courtney Sullivan which follows the lives of four related women who holiday in Maine each summer.  Each chapter is headed by the name of the character from whose perspective the story will be told in that chapter and it is interesting how they view themselves and the other characters.  Alice is the oldest, in her eighties, and the widowed matriarch of the family.  She carries a heavy guilt concerning  the death of her sister.  Kathleen is Alice's daughter and is estranged from most of the family and now lives on the other side of the country.  She returns to the east when her daughter Maggie needs her.  Another character is Ann Marie, Alice's daughter-in-law, who considers herself a better daughter to Alice than her biological daughters.  The family have taken their holiday home for granted for years but that changes as the story develops.  A fascinating look at lives and relationships. 4/5