Elisabeth OgilvieRecensioni

Cayman 2024 - #5 - I loved this book! Another Ogilvie book down......I'm slowly running out of them......dread! This was just full of unexpected twists and turns of a young marriage gone awry on the coast of Maine in a small village and the accompanying tragedies. Definitely a 'chick book'.....but Ogilvie's descriptions of Maine coastal life, traditions and the normalcy of the ocean and fishing culture into all of their everyday lives is always haunting to me. I got very caught up in the story.....and could not put it down. Maybe not for everyone..(.u know.....those that can figure out what is gonna happen 20 pages in).......but definitely for me!

We were stationed in Rockland, Maine, and living on Owl's Head peninsula when I read this book. So, sure, I could relate. I would say Elizabeth Ogilvie had the writer's dream-life. All I can say, is...I WANTED HER LIFE!

Naples, FL 2023 #4 - Following up on the previous Ogilvie i read earlier, we are transported back to Applecross, Maine and Cape Silver with what seemed to me a fast-paced story of an outsider buying a historic property at the entrance to the cape, very unwilling to accept the 'warm' New England welcome to the neighborhood. He just wanted to be left alone. Disturbances occur......and then a series of small serious trouble, and then tragedy.....as seen from a longstanding 4th generation young couple care-taking the wildlife refuge Cape. And as always, the oceanside life of the Maine coast is chronicled so beautifully by Ogilvie, be it island life or mainland. Very startling turns of events continue to occur. Certainly a bit sappy and dated, but still a joy for me to read and imagine being there.

Very much enjoyed this sappy romance amidst a frightening series of events pervading the tranquility of the unspoiled environment of Cape Silver on the coast of Maine. Early 20's Mirabell gets the opportunity to house & dog-sit for her aunt & uncle for 2 autumn months on their idyllic farm on the cape across from Applecross Harbor where she summered every summer as a child. Her old beau from that time period has also returned to the only other house on the cape at the other end, with a nature preserve in between. While this did not take place on an island as do most of Ogilivie's books, this might as well have been considering the isolation and difficulty getting around on the cape. Surprisingly, the mysteries and tragedies taking place after her arrival led to many possible explanations and theories, but they were constantly in upheaval as to the cause and reasons. I was always interested in trying to figure it out, and was somewhat surprised as to how it all finished out. Getting there thru the head of the frightened, stubborn 20-something year old Mirabell, who did not always make the wisest decisions, and was usually stubborn for all the wrong reasons, did get occasionally tedious, but Ogilvie's mastery of Maine coastal life trumped it all. Very enjoyable read for me!

This novel is the third in a series written in 1947, and continues to bring the delightful imagery and fine character development that were present in the first two. The last book ended with the beginning of World War II, and as expected, this one deals with the island coping with the absence of so many of her men--gone to the war. Among those missing from the island is Nils Sorenson, serving in the Pacific and leaving Joanna to run things at home and deal with the loneliness and trials of a remote island existence.

By way of adding some intrigue to the story and exploring the depths of Joanna’s feelings, we are presented with a new man on the island, Dennis Garland. I must say, Ogilvie knows how to draw a man on paper with whom any woman would find herself enamoured. It is the quite strength of her men that appeals so much to me, I know, and the effect they have on a woman who is strong in her own right. They never have to bluster or brag and there is a depth of emotion as deep as an ocean beneath that surface of calm.

I find the imagery of Bennett’s Island intoxicating, and Ogilvie does what few writers can do--she makes you use all your senses, so that you hear the waves as well as seeing them, feel the chill of the cold mornings or the lift of the winds, taste the lobsters on the table and the blueberries on the vine, and smell the salt in the air and the fragrance of the lilacs on the doorstep.

A light salty wind blew against her body, cooling it under the light cotton dress. She lifted her hair from the back of her damp neck, loosened it from her scalp with her fingers. The ridge was the same, the sea was the same; Matinicus Rock rose out of the water as it had always done, and even the fact that there was a gun crew out there, and newly built radio towers, couldn’t change the everlastingness of the rock itself. It was the same with the Island. It had existed before Joanna had, it would exist long afterwards. In the life of the Island, her life was only a sigh.

This finishes the trilogy, but this does not complete my relationship with Elisabeth Ogilvie. She wrote a number of other books and I am looking forward to finding them and, hopefully, enjoying them with the same enthusiasm I have found for these.

What a gem!

Joanna Bennett was born and raised on an island in Maine, settled by her grandfather and bearing his name, Bennett’s Island. She is the only daughter, in a family with six sons. In the first chapter, we are told that the island is now deserted, but we are not told why, then Ogilvie begins to tell us Joanna’s story, and the story of what happened to an island that was vibrant and alive with a thriving lobster industry.

High Tide at Noon’s finest character is Bennett’s Island. Elisabeth Ogilvie makes it come alive: the flora, the fauna, the sea, and the people, that hardy brand of sea-going families that were once the backbone of our country. She builds characters that have depth and breath.

I have traveled several times to Tangier Island off the coast of Virginia. It is a small island with a population that has roots going back many generations; fishing is its mainstay. I could recognize the same kind of hardiness and entrenchment in Ogilvie’s people. They seemed real, because Elisabeth Ogilvie was one of them. She was familiar with the men and women who populated Maine’s islands and she puts her love and understanding of them down on paper with skill, finesse and love.

When I selected this book for my Women Writers Challenge, I did not know it was the beginning of a trilogy. I usually try to steer clear of series books, but after reading this one, I put the other two on order immediately. I certainly will not leave Joanna where she is sitting at the end of this book, I have to know how her future unfolds and what becomes of Bennett’s Island. I can’t help thinking, despite how hard life can be in this kind of environment, that we are all missing a lot who live inland and cannot sleep with the beat of the surf in our ears.

Elizabeth Ogilvie’s second novel in her Tide Trilogy finds Joanna Bennett exactly where we left her in the first book of the series. It felt like a seamless story that required no time to re-enter--no significantly elapsed time, no gaps to fill. The breezes of the island began to blow, but this time they built themselves into gales, and they were gales of a personal, internal nature.

It was satisfying to see where Joanna was off to, and while things were left in a very positive light at the end of the first novel, there was struggle ahead, which makes for a more interesting story and a more realistic one as well. After all, Shakespeare has already assured us

for aught that I could ever read,
Could ever hear by tale or history,
The course of true love never did run smooth;

And who would Elizabeth Ogilvie be to deny that?

I am thoroughly enjoying these books, and having a little crush on Nils, the handsome and strong Swede, who never has to raise his voice to be heard. I have grown fond of many of the salty characters on Bennett’s Island, Maine and love having a glimpse of what life would have been in such a remote place in the 1940s.

We leave the Bennetts and Sorensons as America enters the Second World War, with Stevie, the youngest brother, off to the Philippines. I cannot help thinking the next book will be a heartbreaker.

Tenants Harbor - 2022 #3 - Nothing beats reading an Ogilvie Maine coastal island book than sitting staring at Maine coastal islands! Another winner for me capturing the joys, perils, smells, struggles, & sheer beauty of island life. Lyle and Thora are childhood sweethearts, married young, and now with 4 daughters younger than 13......working very hard to survive as a lobsterman in a tiny cottage with no modern amenities on an island offshore. While many of these Ogilvie pieces revolve around the relationships with the other island dwellers, they seem to be the only inhabitants of this particular island, although relatively close to the mainland. This is more about the struggles put on a marriage and family, when it seems that something is always going awry. This is very heavy on the daily routines and efforts of a family of 6 to get up, stay warm, stay dry, get to the mainland for school, the tedium of keeping house, laundry, cooking, cleaning, gathering food, etc. all under extreme financial hardship. A wonderful focus on old books, an omnipresent cat 'Missy' who is constantly providing comfort to all, the details of island life as only Ogilvie can capture, and a story line with a bunch of unexpected surprises throughout. Chick book? Yup.....probably. But i don't care......I was whisked away to a different place....well, actually one i was practically looking at across the cove from our rented cottage in Mid-coast Maine on a cold January day.....and i am grateful for the journey......

Owls Head 2021 - #4 - Loved this beautiful hardcover volume with its original dust-jacket and clear protector. This is a seldom-encountered Ogilive and i only recently finally found a copy, as i continue my quest to own and read every book Ogilivie has written. As i have said before, the coastal Maine island life that she captures is absolutely haunting to me, and i cannot seem to get enough.....she lived it and no one does it better. I was blessed to read 90% percent of this staring across the channel to a Maine island from a brief winter vacation coastal hideaway which made it even better. This story was captivating and i never quite knew what was coming and i did not want to put it down. So, i didn't! Lots of unexpected twists and turns as the harsh reality of island life seemed to guide the tale. Probably one of my favorites of hers. Very glad i found it!½

Started this on my Maine Island 4th of July camping trip....My first Ogilivie actually read on a Maine island! This is the 7th in the Bennett Island series, and the story was a little sappier than I wished, but there was still so much of the lobstering, fisherman culture and island descriptions, that I was disappointed when it was over. There are always unexpected turns of events that crop up in these books that allow me to overlook the silly.....and i was not always clear where it was heading, so not as predictable as i thought it might be. This is my 22nd (!) Ogilvie and I am sad that my 'to read' list is shrinking away slowly.... I think I'll slow down a bit to make them last....½

Continuing in my quest to read all that Ogilvie has written, i pulled down the next in her Young Bennetts series of teen books. Not expecting much, it was a quick read, but i was pleasantly surprised. This young adult book covered a fair amount of insight into the feelings of loss relating to both the unexpected death of a parent and a betrayal of young love. But best of all is the Maine island setting, with daily lobster hauling adventures, unpredictable winter island weather, the necessary camaraderie of fellow inhabitants to survive, and the smells, sounds and tastes of the isolated environment that has haunted me my entire life.....thank you again Elisabeth Ogilvie!½

St. Barts 2020 #3 - Thoroughly enjoyed this book...remarkable because my sense was i would not. It is another Ogilvie off my list to read....and sadly, the list grows smaller. My island obsession was fully satisfied with this one, a tale of turn-of-the-century life on Drummond's Island, 25 miles off the coast of Maine. Seafair, a young music instructor rather spontaneously takes up an offer by one of her college students to join her for a summer at home on Drummond's Island. Her student friend Miranda is not necessarily a likable character, but certainly lively and completely manages to disrupt most everyone around her, especially her 3 male cousins that live in the family homestead. Seafair is unwittingly dragged into all of the goings-on, and is forced to play a major role in helping this family cope with all of the struggles that come their way. Love triangles, dances, lobstering, clambakes, sailing.....and daily life described in brilliant detail as only Elisabeth Ogilvie can do it. The food, the chores, the flowers, the sounds, the fish, the weather, the trees, the ocean, the clothes, the beach, the cliffs, the harbor, the boats.....even letting the dog in and out. It just feels like you can see it, smell it, taste it......it feels like you are there! A few major story turns and dips, never quite going where i thought, which is good, and some very unexpected startling develpments at the end which i was not expecting at all. Thank god i did not read the cover flaps ahead of time! An Ogilvie book has been a tradition on my island vacation every year and this was a pleasant surprise!

"Boiler plate" format novel, not one of her best. Hidden secrets destroy lives.
[read 2003-15 yr ago]½

St. Barts 2019 #5 - Continuing in my quest to read all of Elisabeth Ogilvie, next in line was this one. I try to bring one every year on my Caribbean Island vacation so i can get another fix of my island obsession, but this book does not take place on an island.....but it does take place in Maine, my now-home for 30 years. And no one quite captures life in Maine (and especially on the islands!) with a charm to surpass that of Ogilive. Is this Pulitzer material?? No...but nor did i expect it to be....nor should anyone else. And the romantic story, ....with the lost young lady escaping to the peace and tranquility of a small town in Maine to find herself, and the unknown story of her family, rents a cottage on a farm inhabited by the dashing and handsome and carefree son, who turns out to be a great singer.....of course it is a wee bit shallow and sappy.....but the charm of Maine sings through loud and clear. And i will also say that the subject matter went a bit more modern and adult than i was expecting, and the story had several startling twists and turns, none of which i saw coming. That is a great thing for me! found it hard to put down near the end. Thank you Ms. Ogilvie for all of your works.....glad there are still more to go!

St. Barts 2018 #7 - My island vacation would not be complete without an Elisabeth Ogilvie Island book, and next up was Strawberries in the Sea. Basically featuring new characters with some of the familiar old Bennett Island stand-by's in very peripheral background roles....but Ogilvie's grip on the feel, taste, & smell of primitive Maine island life is still there loud and strong, which is why i love them so much. This story was not the best, but did create a believable sense of what a woman forced to divorce a wandering husband may go through and how she works to recover from that trauma. Lots of food, boats, fishing and chores....all the basic staples of island life off the coast of Maine. A little sappy, yet not necessarily the 'happily ever after' ending i expected. It's all good.....½

Continuing in my quest to read all of Ogilvie's works, next up was 'The Face of Innocence." Odd piece, but one that grabbed me oddly and i cranked through it quicker than normal. A seemingly happy housewife is jolted into confronting a horrible past that she has kept from her family and all who now matter to her....and the threat is real that her world could literally be turned upside-down......lots of sappy emotional stuff that Ogilvie does fairly well, but also a lot of dumb decisions by our main character that made me often say out loud 'Just tell him!" But then there would be no need for the book. The end takes an odd unexpected twist for me which is always a good thing.....but to me, the lesson is that the longer you hold something in, the more dangerous it becomes and the more difficult it is to resolve. Enjoyed it way more than i thought, especially looking at my 'glamorous' cover (A huge pet peeve of mine!!!!). Sadly, Maine was only mentioned 2-3 times in the entire book....BOO....no one does Maine quite like Elisabeth Ogilvie! There are other Maine-themed Ogilvie books still to be read on my shelf......i survived.½

Jennie discovers her handsome soldier husband wasn't the perfect man she thought him to be. There are two more books. This one does leave thing hanging.

A somewhat disjointed story -- a slightly dated island romance involving an artist who has recently lost her partner to an unexpected death and her return to her island summer home where the 2 of them spent years of summers together. Interesting insight into the struggle of dealing with unexpected loss and the evolution from giving up to moving on. Crazy cast of way too many characters that kept jolting the story in new confusing directions so that there seemed to be no possible path to any sort of conclusion. Eventually we get there with a few unexpected, and certainly unlikely, surprises. I loved the island living, and Ogilvie's descriptive prose always makes me feel like i am there smelling the salt air. I was not too hot on the story.

St. Barts 2016 #8 - Thoroughly enjoyed this annual Ogilvie fix on my island vacation.....this one does not take place on an island, but on the Maine coast, which is still good for me....and they do once sail out to an island for a clambake, so all is well. Is this a sappy romance??? YES!!! Are most of the sentimental mental gymnastics that our main character Caro goes through a little silly??? YES!! But, the story line and mystery about the stone house in the woods intrigued me and kept me wanting more. I knew within 15 pages who the good guys were, and who the bad guys were, and who was ultimately going to win, but i was still interested. And of course life on the Maine coast is captured by Ogilvie in a hauntingly idyllic way that I cannot seem to get enough of. And my final beef is with the artists again who design the covers of these books who obviously never read the book! Our heroine of sorts is clearly described as an all-American girl with short brown curly hair - a good girl scout type. Then who in the dickens is the slinky dame with the long blonde hair running around outside at night in her nightie on the cover???? Honestly, I am getting tired of making these confounded brown paper bag book covers!!½

Finished this a month ago and never reviewed it......i cannot explain it, but i love these books.....it is the Maine coast, the goodness, the smell of the tides, the daily life routines of ocean people......and the sappy story lines. I think they are a transport mechanism for me back to cleaner purer times of my childhood and it does my mind and soul good to spend a little time there now and then! And this even had a little surprise twist at the end. Very glad i read it....

It's hard for me to be objective about this book. I loved it; I loved every bit of it. But that's possibly because it is so close to home. As someone whose family is from a Maine island very similar to the fictional Bennett's, this could be about my relatives. The copy I read actually belonged to my islander grandmother, a woman whose personality, speech, and mannerisms could have stepped from its pages. This book encapsulates how I feel about the people and geography of coastal Maine, and how I feel about islands, so perfectly that I can't help but love it.

Is it a compelling plot? Does it have compelling characters? Is it well-written? I would say yes to all of that. I think it is very much worth reading. But that may just be my islander speaking.

Let's get this out of the way first: a good deal of the subtext (and some just plain text) is about a woman learning her place. As in: yes, Joanna, the lead character learns how to be a good little woman and submit to her man. Okay, fine, yes. BUT, for me, it was more about Joanna relearning how to love.

I sometimes struggle with second books in a trilogy, as they frequently feel like filler. This doesn't have much action, but it deepens our knowledge of the characters in a really wonderful way.

And it is a really beautiful love story.

This series seems to be growing weaker as it moves along, but it is still enjoyable. This didn't have the emotional resonance that some of the earlier books had, but its quiet plot, nicely drawn characters, and strong sense of place still make it an enjoyable read.

Well...that was a bit of a let-down. I found the first two books to be excellent, and I assumed the slower pace of the second one was setting up a more active third book. No. Not the case. If anything, this is even slower than the second, with almost all action occurring either off-page or internally. I still think it's worth reading, especially if you enjoyed the first two, but for me this is the weakest of the trilogy.

I need to stop reading the books from this series. The further I get away from the stunning first and second, the more I dislike Ogilvie. One of the strengths of the first few was that the books were solidly tied to their place, but it wasn't about the place. This should be titled: How to Live on an Island: Aren't We Charming? She saves what tiny bit of plot she's managed to scare up for the last 30 pages of the book and by then, it's just too late.