Good Harbour by Anita DiamantGenre; Fiction/Feel Good
Publisher; Allen&Unwin/Australia/2003
Pages; 251
Plot; Kathleen Levine, who has lived near Good Harbour for most of her life, is a housewife, a Mother to three sons and has been diagnosed with breast cancer. Joyce Tabachnik is a novelist, a mother to one daughter and she has recently bought a Good Harbour Holiday house to escape the confines of her seemingly dreary life and marriage.
Both women are unhappy in their current lives, lives which hold tredgedy and destructive secrets, and it is only after meeting each other one night at temple and forming a close friendship that they are able to confront their problems. This close bond forms as they stroll daily along the beach at Good Harbour and gradually open up to one another about their lives and problems, and through talking their own choices become clear, and through each other they are able to change their lives for the better.
My Thoughts; I put this book down a few hours ago and I still have tears in my eyes thinking about it. Every now and then a great book comes out about the power of friendship and companionship between women and this, to me, is one of those great stories.
I found all of the characters to be lovable and enjoyable people. When both of the women's marriages are in question, you still appreciate the husbands and their dilemmas, making it near impossible not to like them. Even Nina, Joyce's annoying teenage daughter, is likable because you can laugh at the difficulties of her age.
What is really great about stories like this is that either of these women could be the woman next door, making it an easy tale to relate to. There are no grand events or overly exciting action sequences, this is just a book about life.
With moments of laughter and moments of tears I think that this would be a great book for any woman to read. Any age, any place in life. This book is a reminder of how powerful, rewarding and fulfilling true and intimate friendship can be.
This fulfils Challenge Two of the Whats in a Name challenge of books with a body of water in the title! One down, many still to go!
My neighbor suggested this book to me a couple of years ago. I agree that it is very emotional.
ReplyDeleteAnd congrats on finishing a book for the challenge already!
Oh thank you! Yes I thought, what a better way to start the new year than with a good book!
ReplyDeleteAnd, yes, it is a very emotional book. I really enjoyed it. Maybe I should suggest it to my neighbour!
I love books like this. I call them comfort books LOL! Congrats on finishing your challenge .
ReplyDeleteNatalie :0)
Sounds like a good, cleansing read in many ways! I'll have to check it out some day when I feel like crying! HAHA!
ReplyDeleteAnother great review. Not sure I could read this one--it sounds so sad--but I recently read and reviewed Diamant's Day Into Night on my blog. It was fantastic.
ReplyDeleteNatalie- Thank you! Two books down, many more to go!
ReplyDeleteJenners- That is a great way to put it, "cleansing read", because that is just what it was!
Smallworld- "Day into Night" was good? I will have to read your review. I have also heard that Diamant's "Rent Tent" was a good read, I may have to seek out more of Diamant's work at the bookshop!
I enjoy a good cry and this sounds very powerful and filled with emotion. I'm definitely going to be trying it out! Thanks so much for your review =)
ReplyDeleteMishel; you are welcome!
ReplyDelete