Sarah McCoyRecensioni

I so enjoyed this book! I had forgotten how the Anne books made me feel, but all of that came flooding back. This book feels like a letter from an old friend. I believe LM Montgomery would proudly approve.

I have seen some strong negative reviews here, asserting that McCoy’s Marilla doesn’t match up with Montgomery’s. I disagree. People change with age, and life can harden them through heartbreaks and hardship. I think the gap between this book and Anne could have provided just enough time, loneliness, and unfulfilled dreams to change Marilla. McCoy lays the foundation well. Any Anne fan should read this.

Thank you Sarah McCoy for writing this! I have also wondered about “what happened” and your version does honor Avonlea. I really enjoyed this telling of Marilla and Matthew and a young Rachael Lynne.

I had this book on the TBR shelf for awhile and it was a nice easy read, let me down at the end a bit. I thought it would get to be a little more sinister, but the background to the island was very well described!

This book uses historical fiction and modern day fiction blended together to tell a beautiful story of two women who's lives connect through an unexpected doll's head found in the cellar of a home. It is fascinating how Sarah McCoy weaves the stories together to tell the story of a very famous event in history... the Harper's Ferry Incident... to bring us face to face with the daughter of John Brown, Sarah, and her quiet but poignant story in the history of our nation. I don't want to give too much away but if you love historical fiction as well as stories with great characters and stories that are messy and imperfect like real life then this is a great read for you. It is not all tied up in a pretty perfect package. It is real people living with hard things and they don't always make the best decisions along the way but there is healing and reconciliation and resolution in surprising ways.

Prepare to be swept away to the private and exotic Mustique Island in the Caribbean. The story is set in the 70’s, however, the warmth and depth of the writing and storyline this could have been written in multiple eras.
A mother’s love will always remain, no matter the circumstances or the age and differences of their children.
Tender, tenacious and filled with vivid imagery, this is a must read to take you away this summer.

I knew little about the abolitionist John Brown and his family, so I appreciated the author's research into this unique family. I also felt the two stories, that of 19th-century Sarah Brown and contemporary Eden Anderson, intertwined neatly, resulting in a compelling narrative. That being said, I completed this book wanting something more. In a few scenes, I felt like the revelations were a bit of a letdown for all the buildup and explained entirely too quickly. Overall, an interesting book and likely of interest to those interested in Civil War-era historical fiction.

What a fantastic book . . . until the last chapter or two. Felt artificial, contrived.

I thought this was a great story and I agree, if not has heartily as some, that the "current" story was not as strong or as interesting as the story of Elsie during the war. The ending was a bit abrupt. I would, however, recommend this to friends.

A haunting story told with warmth and comfort. Right up there with Sarah's Key!

Looking with a critical eye, I don't know that I could say that every single beat of this story and it's characters adds up. Looking with my rose colored glasses, I absolutely loved the chance to return to Green Gables, and learn more about dear Marilla. A lovely, heartwarming read.

I probably need to shy away from anything that is written about Nazi Germany, but there is so much potential for good material there and so much excellence in some of the things already written that I find myself being pulled in again and again. Can you say "cliche"? You cannot humanize a man who runs a concentration camp by having him kill a fellow soldier who kills a Jewish woman while arresting her husband. Why can't you tell the story of a normal German family who find themselves almost automatically joining the Nazi party, but aren't fanatics, without having the story of a saved Jew interwoven? I doubt the American servicemen were so charming that every German girl fell hopelessly in love with one look. She might have explored the Lebensborn Progam, which is introduced as a side track, and take a route that isn't already over-trodden, but she didn't.

I'm sorry to say that I found her characters stilted and I never felt connected to any of them. The bouncing between then and now, with the parallel stories of Elsie (our WWII German) and Reba (our modern day American) distracted rather than added to the story. Had she stuck to Elsie's story alone, I might have remained a bit more engaged, but the stops and starts killed whatever chance there was of caring for the characters.

Then there was the attempt to draw similarities between the Nazi treatment of Jews and the mission of the border patrol in Texas. She may see those as two sides of the same coin, but it was ludicrous in my mind. Two very different issues that should be treated as such. One group is trying to destroy an entire segment of the population by murdering them...the other is trying to protect a national border from illegal entry. You might find flaws in the later and you can surely find tragedy there, but they are far from having anything in common.

I considered DNFing at several points but stuck it out to the end. It didn't really matter, she had lost me far before the end.

I've seen tv-versions of ANNE OF GREEN GABLES, but I have never actually read the books. However, that didn't stop me from wanting to read this book about Marilla Cuthbert, before Anne came into her and Matthew's lives.

Marilla Cuthbert is only thirteen-years-old when her whole life is turned upside down. Her beloved mother dies in childbirth and she's suddenly the one responsible for all of the tasks of a farm wife: cooking, sewing, and overseeing Green Gables. Of course, she has her brother Matthew and her father Hugh, but the loss of her mother will stay with her for the rest of her life. As she grows up, Green Gables is her main focus, but friends and family will draw her out into the world. And, she will even find that there may be someone out there who could be more than and a friend...

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It took me awhile to get into this book. It has the prequel problem where it can be hard to invest in the story when you know that things go wrong in the future. That said, once I got over it, this was a good story. The Marilla of this story grew into the Marilla we know from Anne's stories in a convincing and compelling way. (Rachel Lynde's character wasn't quite as convincing.) The story had a delightful number of call outs for fans of the Anne books from the obvious (currant wine and amethyst brooches) to the more subtle (sewing, knitting, and crochet skills).

I wish the plot hadn't made significant historical events so prominent. Not because the author didn't handle it well. She did. The historical events were integrated in a way that made it believable that they would touch an out of the way village on Prince Edward Island. Rather, this is a personal preference of mine where I like my classic literature shared universe novels to read more like contemporary novels than historical fiction. In historical fiction, the main characters generally end up interacting with grand History. In contemporary novels, life is just life.

Overall, this was a lovely read.

Fictitious story is loosely based on a real-life Texan woman named Billy Ray Mitchell. Willy May Michaels, a beauty queen, meets and marries a wealthy Brit and heads to England in 1943 at age 16. Soon after the couple has 2 daughters, but her husband is unfaithful and they divorce. After receiving her settlement, he dies, and she sails the world. Eventually, a friend asks her to come to Mustique Island, the playground of the rich and famous. In the 70s, Willy May tries to reconnect with her grown daughters, Hilly and Joanne. Hilly is wilder than Joanne, takes drugs, becomes pregnant. Joanne is more reserved, musical, and falls in love with Tim, who she met when Mick Jagger came to the island. This story follows these 3 women through their loves, their mistakes, their commitment and dedication to each other - once lost, but found again.
This book is getting a lot of hype.

Willy May is searching for a place to escape. She has had her fill of marital scandals and failed relationships. Once she encounters Mustique Island, she knows this is the place for her. She decides to put down roots and build a new home. She hopes this will encourage her daughters to visit and to build a strong mother-daughter relationship.

Ok first off, this book was prefaced too me as being like Jessica Anya Blau…ugh…NO! Not even close. This book really had no plot. Took forever for anything to happen. And yes…I know I am in the minority. It has some really good reviews. Now, I did enjoy the escape. It is a great escape read. I enjoyed learning about the island and I could just picture the landscape and the ocean. But, nothing really happened in this book until near the end.

The name dropping made the book for me. I especially enjoyed reading about Princess Margaret. She was a partier first class!

Need a good escape read…this is it! Grab your copy today!

I received this novel from the publisher for a honest review.

It's January, 1972, when Willy May's boat arrived on Mystique Island. It was a private island owned by an eccentric Englishman who carefully choose the people he allows to build homes on the island. Willy May is a rich recently divorced (and then made a widow) and is looking for quiet place to spend some time. She is a former Texan who ended up married to British nobility and has two daughters. She's soon caught up in all of the drama and extravagance that exists on the island and decides to build a house there.. The land that's picked out for her is directly across the bay from Princess Margaret's house. Princess Margaret is Queen Elizabeth's younger sister and she was well known as a party-girl back in the 70s. Her home on the island was her place to have fun out of the eyes of the British press and her sister.

Willy May also wants to rebuild her relationship with her two daughters. Hilly is a well known model who is on the back side of her career. As she gets older, the jobs are doing to younger women. She's also good about avoiding reality and using pills to get her through her day. Joanne is a musician and is finishing college. Hilly and Joanne quickly get pulled in to the extravagances and drama that takes place on the island. Willy May soon learns that it isn't money that's the most important part -- it's family that is worth more than any amount of money.

Many of the characters in this book are based on real people - from the owner of the island to Princess Margaret to Mick Jagger. The author does a great job of making them part of the story while making sure that Willy May and her daughters aren't overshadowed. Also, the scenery on the island is described so well that you can imagine being there on vacation. I did some searching on goggle to see if you can rent houses on the island and found out that you could but you'd need lots of money. Princess Margret's home rents for $34,000 a week.

I definitely enjoyed this book about the lives of the rich and famous during the early 1970s. I didn't like Willy May at first but I began to enjoy her character once her daughters were on the Island and I could see what a caring person she was. The three women realized that their family was more important than all of the partying and celebrities on the island.

You know how when you read a book or two by an author, really like them, and decide you will read all of the author’s future books? Well, Sarah McCoy is one of those authors for me. I read her two historical novels with the traditional split time lines and liked them, then went back and read The Time it Snowed in Puerto Rico which I found charming and very different. Later, I read Marilla of Green Gables which was so beautifully written. Sarah McCoy moved up a notch after that one. With that being said I looked forward to her newest, Mustique Island, and was delighted to receive a Goodreads early reader edition. The brief summary probably would not have grabbed me if it was by an unknown author, but I figured McCoy would make it something special.

I am very sorry to say that she did not. So disappointing. The book was very slow with so little energy and a plot that was barely a plot. Loosely based on a real historical character, a mom of two grown daughters relocates to this Caribbean island and her daughters join her at various times as their relationships are explored. McCoy throws in Princess Margaret and Mick Jagger, but they do not figure in the story or have any meaningful role. She spends pages describing a lunch but gives a mere paragraph to the birth of a baby. The plot does pick up about three quarters into the book but not enough to salvage it. It could have been so much more. In the acknowledgements, McCoy mentions rewriting this book four times. I wish she had tried for a fifth.½

Ok, I give this high points for being extremely readable, and an interesting modern and progressive take on some of the politics and history that was taking place in Canada in a pre-Anne timeframe. I particularly enjoyed the racial politics. I quite enjoyed this book.

That said, the only thing that ties it to Anne of Green Gables is that she’s writing in the setting and using the same characters — it’s like Stephanie Barron’s Jane Austen mysteries — related and highly enjoyable, but not really authentic, although to be fair, I think Stephanie Barron is a little more believable. I’m not trying to be harsh, but frankly all of LM Montgomery’s heroines are extremely invested in the question of marriage, whatever role they choose in the matter — you can be absolutely assured that they will spend at least half the book making their feelings plain. That Marilla, at 15, with a serious beau would not have thought about the possibility of marriage until her friend Rachel brings it up is a modern writer’s complete rejection of some of the most persistent values of the time. I’m ok with that, in fact I found it refreshing, and I enjoyed the note in the back where McCoy claims the book as her own and distinguishes it from Montgomery’s work. If you are looking for a real return to Avonlea, I would caution you that this may not be exactly what you are looking for. However, if you’re a modern grown up lady who is slightly horrified upon re-reading your favorite tales of childhood and discovering the extreme gender roles and restrictions therein, you might have a really good time with this.

A prequel to the Anne of Green Gables series this book focuses on Marilla and Matthew and their early lives. It was like visiting an old friend. Prequels are dangerous things especially one about such a beloved character. This book rings true and was very enjoyable.½

I enjoyed the book after I had gotten through the first part with Eden, as that was difficult to take. I liked the back & forth between Sarah and Eden and finding the things in common between the times. The history was fascinating. I also enjoyed the author's explanation of the process of writing the book.

I am such an Anne of Green Gables fan and was thrilled to hear there was going to be a book about Marilla! This takes us back to Marilla and Matthew as teenagers, as Marilla is growing up, the same age Anne was when she came to live with them. Heartwarming and sad at times, we see all the familiar characters, the Blythes, Rachel, as well as the fond Avonlea familiars like raspberry cordial and currant wine. This had realistic portrayals of the time period and political history (and thank you, Sarah McCoy, for a lifelike portrayal of migraine and headache disease!) The relationship between Marilla and Matthew, her shy but devoted brother, and the briefly mentioned “beau” from the Anne of Green Gables series, John Blythe are center stage. And even though we know what will ultimately happen in the end, this is a treat to add to all Anne enthusiast’s collections.

Please excuse typos/name misspellings. Entered on screen reader.

Sarah McCoy imagines Marilla’s life before Anne came along…including a romance with Gilbert Blythe’s father.

A nice expansion on the world of Avonlea and the making of Anne’s future family. It is gentle world with a close-knit family and community. It is a life that is tightly tied to the seasons and farm work. But the strains from the outside can be felt even here.

The strengths of this book lie in the relationships Marilla has with others: her brother Matthew, becoming best friends with Rachel, her aunt Izzy, her mother Clara, and the romantic arc with John. She journeys through the ebb and flow of each relationship and becomes more of the version of her we know from Anne of Green Gables.

I thought the broader political and social aspects were very infodumpy and somewhat thinly portrayed, but they did provide a plot backdrop to ground the passage of time and against which Marilla and the other characters developed the story's moral spine.

I really liked that the book's sections were modeled after the books in the main series. It was a nice structural tie-in.

Overall I am glad I read this book and thought it was a fitting prequel to the Anne of Green Gables series.½

If I ever thought of Marilla's backstory, this wouldn't have been like this- but this probably works better. It's a story where the known ending looms in the distance, and it's bittersweet to read the book with that expectation. Still, the anticipation also means that every plot point holds extra meaning for Anne fans like myself. I think that even L.M. Montgomery would be pleased with this assessment of Marilla's character.

Book received as part of a Goodreads Giveaway for an unbiased review.