Good Harbor by Anita Diamant
Anita Diamant, whose rich portrayal of the biblical world of women illuminated her acclaimed international bestseller The Red Tent, now crafts a moving novel of contemporary female friendship.
Good Harbor is the long stretch of Cape Ann beach where two women friends walk and talk, sharing their personal histories and learning life's lessons from each other. Kathleen Levine, a longtime resident of Gloucester, Massachusetts, is maternal and steady, a devoted children's librarian, a convert to Judaism, and mother to two grown sons. When her serene life is thrown into turmoil by a diagnosis of breast cancer at fifty-nine, painful past secrets emerge and she desperately needs a friend. Forty-two-year-old Joyce Tabachnik is a sharp-witted freelance writer who is also at a fragile point in her life. She's come to Gloucester to follow her literary aspirations, but realizes that her husband and young daughter are becoming increasingly distant. Together, Kathleen and Joyce forge a once-in-a-lifetime bond and help each other to confront scars left by old emotional wounds.
I decided to pull this one off my shelf and give it a second reading. Cancer, infidelity, and books are the main themes and while I zipped through it quickly, it's not one that's going back in my permanent collection. I read this in 2001 and wrote a short post about it here.
Her books all seem very much slanted towards the Jewish way of life. Must be fascinating reading
ReplyDeleteMystica, I've only read this one and The Red Tent, but I would agree with you. I enjoyed learning more about the Jewish traditions that Diamant included in this novel.
DeleteI've only read The Red Tent which I did enjoy. I think this could be good but probably sad! I'll stick with scary books for this season! :)
ReplyDeleteIliana, as Deb & JoAnn mentioned, it's pretty ho-hum. I think you can skip it.
DeleteI remember being wowed by The Red Tent. I looked for this one right away when it came out, but I found it to be just so-so.
ReplyDeleteDeb, that was my reaction both times I read it.
DeleteI remember reading this, too, but not liking it anywhere near as much as The Red Tent. I also read The Last Days of Dogtown, which I liked more than Good Harbor. The Boston Girl is supposed to be very good on audio, but who knows when I'll get to it. There may never be another Red Tent!
ReplyDeleteJoAnn, The Red Tent was such a hit with readers, but so different from this one. I may still give The Boston Girl a try some day.
DeleteI loved Diamant's Red Tent and still think about it/reference it years after reading it (I really want a red tent in which to hang with women for a week). Too bad this one isn't as good.
ReplyDeleteHelen, it really was a wonderful novel, wasn't it. I wish this one was as good, but it was still worth reading twice.
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