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Women and Children First
A gripping literary puzzle that unwinds the private lives of ten women as they confront tragedy in a small Massachusetts town.
Nashquitten, MA, is a decaying coastal enclave that not even tourist season can revive, full of locals who have run the town’s industries for generations. When a young woman dies at a house party, the circumstances around her death suspiciously unclear, the tight-knit community is shaken. As a mother grieves her daughter, a teacher her student, a best friend her confidante, the events around the tragedy become a lightning rod: blame is cast, secrets are buried deeper. Some are left to pick up the pieces, while others turn their backs, and all the while, a truth about that dreadful night begins to emerge.
Told through the eyes of ten local women, Grabowski’s Women and Children First is an exquisite portrait of grief and a powerful reminder of life’s interconnectedness. Touching on womanhood, class, and sexuality, ambition, disappointment, and tragedy, this novel is a stunning rendering of love and loss, and a bracing lesson from a phenomenal new literary talent that no one walks this earth alone.
Nashquitten, MA, is a decaying coastal enclave that not even tourist season can revive, full of locals who have run the town’s industries for generations. When a young woman dies at a house party, the circumstances around her death suspiciously unclear, the tight-knit community is shaken. As a mother grieves her daughter, a teacher her student, a best friend her confidante, the events around the tragedy become a lightning rod: blame is cast, secrets are buried deeper. Some are left to pick up the pieces, while others turn their backs, and all the while, a truth about that dreadful night begins to emerge.
Told through the eyes of ten local women, Grabowski’s Women and Children First is an exquisite portrait of grief and a powerful reminder of life’s interconnectedness. Touching on womanhood, class, and sexuality, ambition, disappointment, and tragedy, this novel is a stunning rendering of love and loss, and a bracing lesson from a phenomenal new literary talent that no one walks this earth alone.
336 pages, Hardcover
First published May 7, 2024
About the author
Alina Grabowski
4 books132 followersAlina Grabowski holds degrees from the University of Pennsylvania and Vanderbilt University. WOMEN AND CHILDREN FIRST is her debut novel.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 411 reviews
May 15, 2024
3.75⭐️
“Your choices have to mean something, even if they mean something terrible.”
The tragic death of a local teenager at a house party sends shockwaves through the small (fictional) town of Nashquitten, Massachusetts.
Touching upon themes of social class and inequality, ambition, family, friendship, gender identity and sexuality, abuse, guilt and grief, Women and Children First by Alina Grabowski is a slow-moving yet immersive character-driven novel.
Structured in ten chapters (each from a different character’s perspective) in total, divided into five “Pre” and five “Post” Lucy Anderson's death. It should be noted that though the narrative revolves around the death of Lucy Anderson, she does not feature as a main character – yes, we can attempt to create a portrait from the fragments provided through the limited perspectives of our narrators and piece together the events that led to the tragic events on that fateful night, but the focus of this novel is the impact of tragedy on certain individuals, and the community, from the perspectives of its female members – women and children.
Among the voices we here from are : a sixteen-year-old who went to school with Lucy and worked with her cousin and was in a romantic relationship with a teacher; a guidance counselor who tries to do right by her students only to have her concerns dismissed by the school principal who is unaware or rather chooses to ignore the possibility that her own daughter might have been abused by an authority figure; the president of the PTA who hides her daughter’s misdeeds; Lucy’s best friend who was away when the tragedy occurred; Lucy’s schoolmate who witnessed the tragedy and is haunted by the events of that night; a young woman from an affluent family in the community who is the housemate of the school’s guidance counselor; and her childhood friend who witnessed Lucy’s father’s grief on the night of Lucy’s death; and Lucy’s mother for whom Lucy’s death was a turning point in her life in more ways than she had anticipated.
Of the ten voices, not all were close to Lucy. However, in a small town, you know people who know people – there is a sense of interconnectedness despite the apparent disconnect – less than six degrees of separation. Those who knew Lucy personally grapple with their loss on a personal level - Lucy’s mother, her teachers, her friends and her peers struggling with grief, guilt, and regret while those who know of her are either compelled to draw parallels and take stock of their own lives or choose to remain indifferent beyond a certain point. We do get to know these characters intimately – their ambitions, their personal struggles, and their secrets. The characters are flawed and thus realistic and though you might question their actions and their reactions, the author gives us enough insight into the characters to attempt to understand them.
The powerful prose and the emotional depth with which each of these characters is explored renders this a thought-provoking read. I found the “Post” half of the narrative more engaging than the "Pre" chapters. The narrative in the first half of the novel came across as a tad disjointed, but not so much that detracts from the overall impact of the novel. What keeps me from giving this novel a higher rating is the fact that the ending felt abrupt and left me with quite a few unanswered questions, but overall, I found Women and Children First by Alina Grabowski to be an impressive debut novel and I look forward to reading more from this author in the future.
Many thanks to Zando for the digital review copy via NetGalley. All opinions expressed in this review are my own. This novel was published on May 7, 2024.
“I used to think that everyone was on the same page, that we agreed being human meant taking care of one another. But now I understand that a lot of people—maybe most people—think that being human just means taking care of yourself and those you’ve already decided have value.”
Connect with me! ✏ Instagram ✏ My Blog ✏ The StoryGraph
“Your choices have to mean something, even if they mean something terrible.”
The tragic death of a local teenager at a house party sends shockwaves through the small (fictional) town of Nashquitten, Massachusetts.
Touching upon themes of social class and inequality, ambition, family, friendship, gender identity and sexuality, abuse, guilt and grief, Women and Children First by Alina Grabowski is a slow-moving yet immersive character-driven novel.
Structured in ten chapters (each from a different character’s perspective) in total, divided into five “Pre” and five “Post” Lucy Anderson's death. It should be noted that though the narrative revolves around the death of Lucy Anderson, she does not feature as a main character – yes, we can attempt to create a portrait from the fragments provided through the limited perspectives of our narrators and piece together the events that led to the tragic events on that fateful night, but the focus of this novel is the impact of tragedy on certain individuals, and the community, from the perspectives of its female members – women and children.
Among the voices we here from are : a sixteen-year-old who went to school with Lucy and worked with her cousin and was in a romantic relationship with a teacher; a guidance counselor who tries to do right by her students only to have her concerns dismissed by the school principal who is unaware or rather chooses to ignore the possibility that her own daughter might have been abused by an authority figure; the president of the PTA who hides her daughter’s misdeeds; Lucy’s best friend who was away when the tragedy occurred; Lucy’s schoolmate who witnessed the tragedy and is haunted by the events of that night; a young woman from an affluent family in the community who is the housemate of the school’s guidance counselor; and her childhood friend who witnessed Lucy’s father’s grief on the night of Lucy’s death; and Lucy’s mother for whom Lucy’s death was a turning point in her life in more ways than she had anticipated.
Of the ten voices, not all were close to Lucy. However, in a small town, you know people who know people – there is a sense of interconnectedness despite the apparent disconnect – less than six degrees of separation. Those who knew Lucy personally grapple with their loss on a personal level - Lucy’s mother, her teachers, her friends and her peers struggling with grief, guilt, and regret while those who know of her are either compelled to draw parallels and take stock of their own lives or choose to remain indifferent beyond a certain point. We do get to know these characters intimately – their ambitions, their personal struggles, and their secrets. The characters are flawed and thus realistic and though you might question their actions and their reactions, the author gives us enough insight into the characters to attempt to understand them.
The powerful prose and the emotional depth with which each of these characters is explored renders this a thought-provoking read. I found the “Post” half of the narrative more engaging than the "Pre" chapters. The narrative in the first half of the novel came across as a tad disjointed, but not so much that detracts from the overall impact of the novel. What keeps me from giving this novel a higher rating is the fact that the ending felt abrupt and left me with quite a few unanswered questions, but overall, I found Women and Children First by Alina Grabowski to be an impressive debut novel and I look forward to reading more from this author in the future.
Many thanks to Zando for the digital review copy via NetGalley. All opinions expressed in this review are my own. This novel was published on May 7, 2024.
“I used to think that everyone was on the same page, that we agreed being human meant taking care of one another. But now I understand that a lot of people—maybe most people—think that being human just means taking care of yourself and those you’ve already decided have value.”
Connect with me! ✏ Instagram ✏ My Blog ✏ The StoryGraph
July 29, 2023
I received an ARC of this book via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
I am inclined to think that this book just wasn't for me, because while I was genuinely interested all throughout about how the different narratives weave together, I couldn't help but feel that it was way too disjointed for my liking. The narrative moves so fast that we aren't given sufficient time to really sit with and understand a single character before moving on to the next. I finished the book not really understanding what the point of it was.
I am inclined to think that this book just wasn't for me, because while I was genuinely interested all throughout about how the different narratives weave together, I couldn't help but feel that it was way too disjointed for my liking. The narrative moves so fast that we aren't given sufficient time to really sit with and understand a single character before moving on to the next. I finished the book not really understanding what the point of it was.
December 22, 2023
Thank you Netgalley and Zando, SJP lit for the ARC in exchange of an honest review.
Here’s what happened: I was there. So was she.
I came home.
She didn’t.
To start with, this was completely confusing story. I had to try very hard to understand who is who. Maybe it would have been helpful if there had been a guide to understand the relationships of all the women mentioned with each other. There are two sections pre and post (death).
First pre part is narrated by 5 different women and later post part is narrated by other 5 women. To be honest I was not interested in the story till about first 50-60 %, the main plotline that is death of the girl doesn't really make you feel anything because book does not let you relate to her in first half. Lot many times I thought I will DNF this book but when I take projects here on Netgalley, I try to give my 100 % to every book. And then my perspective for the book changed, I was touched and wounded by the words. By what was happening.
The young girl in the small coastal town dies and ten women tell their part of the story. For some Lucy's death changed their lives. For some even that did not matter. I was feeling why some of these women are so heartless but then isn't that the how it goes? This book is very close to reality so it might feel brutal but people do move on. Those who didn't know the real you do get on easily, those who knew you take a while but they do too because that's life.
First I couldn't really make point of the book but then slowly I realised that we readers were slowly moving towards death of the girl, first watching from far drifting towards her as we came to know her through people. First for people she was just an acquaintance and then closer till we come to know POV of her best friend and her mother.
This is quite different book, I'm not sure if everyone will be able to enjoy it as I did but it is heartbreaking and memorable. And I'm pretty sure that this book is going to stay with me much longer than I would like.
To give you brief account of the characters
* Jane
“I’m sorry,” I say automatically. The three stupidest syllables on the planet.
Jane knew Lucy and had met her sometimes in school.
* Natalie
“Morals are just something you pretend to have until it’s too hard to uphold them.”
I’ve always been terrible at staying. Change is easy, because it untethers you from who you were before.
Natalie seems even farther from Lucy. She is someone who's friend's roommate was a teacher to Lucy.
* Layla
Women really shouldn’t move faster than a light jog, after all.
We’re all just edging toward the drop of a cliff and watching one another do it!
Layla is the teacher, who is compassionate towards students. She tries to help students with everything she has.
* Mona
Exhaustion was the better choice over fear—focus on the tragedies you’d already endured, rather than wondering if you’d be the subject of one.
Mona is the roommate of Layla. She is also friend of Natalie.
* Marina
Sometimes it’s easy to blame yourself for things that happen to you.
Marina works with Mona. She is present at the scene and tries to save Lucy only to fail. And it has affected her in terrible ways.
* Olivia
I should’ve known that when adults say “someday,” what they really mean is “never.” And that when they tell you not to break something, it’s because they already have.
Olivia is kid of the school principal. She mostly appears as a destructive force but she isn't really one. But she is always placed in situations like those.
* Rae
You only ever see your interpretation of them—not who they actually are.
Rae is a kid of a woman Charlie, Lucy's father loved. She tries to support Charlie.
* Maureen
“Faith doesn’t require proof. Trust does.”
But what I don’t realize yet, what is only slowly dawning on me, is that nothing dies on the internet. Everything, immediately: eternal.
Maureen is President of school PTA. She is single mom of two. Her older girl went to school with Lucy. The reveal in her pov was shocking and unraveling.
* Sophia
I guess the thing about bad people is that they have to keep on living their lives until we decide what to do with them.
Sophia was Lucy's best friend. She is close to Brynn, Lucy's mother. Later she befriends Jane. Her brother Graham lives in New York and he also had a bond with Lucy. She stays with her father and her mom has left to be with another man so she is not close to get anymore. She is still trying to get over her best friend's departure.
* Brynn
A character would say something like: Do you ever miss a life you never had? And the other character would reply: Only when I for-get I’m living in this one. And I would wonder if people were now reading novels to enhance the mystery around the human condi-tion rather than unravel it.
They don’t tell you how easy it is. To wake up beside someone, their heavy arm draped over your shoulder, and realize: Oh, it’s gone.
Brynn is Lucy's mom. She had no life prior to Lucy's death but she is trying to do more with life.
Some other quotes I have loved
Your choices have to mean something, even if they mean something terrible.
Boys don’t understand how painful it is to have someone steal the parts of you that should remain private. Pain means bones and blood to them. Something they can point to. Something someone else can see.
“I’ve had nine overdoses, four rapes, five bomb threats, three suicide attempts, and six deaths in the past five years. And that’s just what got reported.” She brings her thumb to her mouth and chews on the knuckle. “Every year I think I’ll get better at protect-ing them. And I don’t.”
How do people without best friends live? Half of life is just wait-ing to tell something to the person who knows you best. And if you don’t have that person, you wait forever.
Normally, I would fight this. But sometimes you see another human and sense what shaped them, like looking at a painting and discerning the brushstrokes. No one protected her. And this is something our own daughters will neve*r *understand. That we were never girls, not really. For a moment we were children, yes. But a girl and a child are not the same. A child is a pet. A girl is prey.
I used to think that everyone was on the same page, that we agreed being human meant taking care of one another. But now I under-stand that a lot of people—maybe most people—think that being human just means taking care of yourself and the those you’ve already decided have value.
In my personal opinion, no one needs closure; they need to accept that whatever they wish still existed is actually dead in the water. But if you go around telling people harsh truths, they tend to get offended.
Everyone talks about easily influenced people like they’re weak, but I think clinging to your own thoughts and feelings is a different kind of weakness. I like being pulled into someone else’s world.
Here’s what happened: I was there. So was she.
I came home.
She didn’t.
To start with, this was completely confusing story. I had to try very hard to understand who is who. Maybe it would have been helpful if there had been a guide to understand the relationships of all the women mentioned with each other. There are two sections pre and post (death).
First pre part is narrated by 5 different women and later post part is narrated by other 5 women. To be honest I was not interested in the story till about first 50-60 %, the main plotline that is death of the girl doesn't really make you feel anything because book does not let you relate to her in first half. Lot many times I thought I will DNF this book but when I take projects here on Netgalley, I try to give my 100 % to every book. And then my perspective for the book changed, I was touched and wounded by the words. By what was happening.
The young girl in the small coastal town dies and ten women tell their part of the story. For some Lucy's death changed their lives. For some even that did not matter. I was feeling why some of these women are so heartless but then isn't that the how it goes? This book is very close to reality so it might feel brutal but people do move on. Those who didn't know the real you do get on easily, those who knew you take a while but they do too because that's life.
First I couldn't really make point of the book but then slowly I realised that we readers were slowly moving towards death of the girl, first watching from far drifting towards her as we came to know her through people. First for people she was just an acquaintance and then closer till we come to know POV of her best friend and her mother.
This is quite different book, I'm not sure if everyone will be able to enjoy it as I did but it is heartbreaking and memorable. And I'm pretty sure that this book is going to stay with me much longer than I would like.
To give you brief account of the characters
* Jane
“I’m sorry,” I say automatically. The three stupidest syllables on the planet.
Jane knew Lucy and had met her sometimes in school.
* Natalie
“Morals are just something you pretend to have until it’s too hard to uphold them.”
I’ve always been terrible at staying. Change is easy, because it untethers you from who you were before.
Natalie seems even farther from Lucy. She is someone who's friend's roommate was a teacher to Lucy.
* Layla
Women really shouldn’t move faster than a light jog, after all.
We’re all just edging toward the drop of a cliff and watching one another do it!
Layla is the teacher, who is compassionate towards students. She tries to help students with everything she has.
* Mona
Exhaustion was the better choice over fear—focus on the tragedies you’d already endured, rather than wondering if you’d be the subject of one.
Mona is the roommate of Layla. She is also friend of Natalie.
* Marina
Sometimes it’s easy to blame yourself for things that happen to you.
Marina works with Mona. She is present at the scene and tries to save Lucy only to fail. And it has affected her in terrible ways.
* Olivia
I should’ve known that when adults say “someday,” what they really mean is “never.” And that when they tell you not to break something, it’s because they already have.
Olivia is kid of the school principal. She mostly appears as a destructive force but she isn't really one. But she is always placed in situations like those.
* Rae
You only ever see your interpretation of them—not who they actually are.
Rae is a kid of a woman Charlie, Lucy's father loved. She tries to support Charlie.
* Maureen
“Faith doesn’t require proof. Trust does.”
But what I don’t realize yet, what is only slowly dawning on me, is that nothing dies on the internet. Everything, immediately: eternal.
Maureen is President of school PTA. She is single mom of two. Her older girl went to school with Lucy. The reveal in her pov was shocking and unraveling.
* Sophia
I guess the thing about bad people is that they have to keep on living their lives until we decide what to do with them.
Sophia was Lucy's best friend. She is close to Brynn, Lucy's mother. Later she befriends Jane. Her brother Graham lives in New York and he also had a bond with Lucy. She stays with her father and her mom has left to be with another man so she is not close to get anymore. She is still trying to get over her best friend's departure.
* Brynn
A character would say something like: Do you ever miss a life you never had? And the other character would reply: Only when I for-get I’m living in this one. And I would wonder if people were now reading novels to enhance the mystery around the human condi-tion rather than unravel it.
They don’t tell you how easy it is. To wake up beside someone, their heavy arm draped over your shoulder, and realize: Oh, it’s gone.
Brynn is Lucy's mom. She had no life prior to Lucy's death but she is trying to do more with life.
Some other quotes I have loved
Your choices have to mean something, even if they mean something terrible.
Boys don’t understand how painful it is to have someone steal the parts of you that should remain private. Pain means bones and blood to them. Something they can point to. Something someone else can see.
“I’ve had nine overdoses, four rapes, five bomb threats, three suicide attempts, and six deaths in the past five years. And that’s just what got reported.” She brings her thumb to her mouth and chews on the knuckle. “Every year I think I’ll get better at protect-ing them. And I don’t.”
How do people without best friends live? Half of life is just wait-ing to tell something to the person who knows you best. And if you don’t have that person, you wait forever.
Normally, I would fight this. But sometimes you see another human and sense what shaped them, like looking at a painting and discerning the brushstrokes. No one protected her. And this is something our own daughters will neve*r *understand. That we were never girls, not really. For a moment we were children, yes. But a girl and a child are not the same. A child is a pet. A girl is prey.
I used to think that everyone was on the same page, that we agreed being human meant taking care of one another. But now I under-stand that a lot of people—maybe most people—think that being human just means taking care of yourself and the those you’ve already decided have value.
In my personal opinion, no one needs closure; they need to accept that whatever they wish still existed is actually dead in the water. But if you go around telling people harsh truths, they tend to get offended.
Everyone talks about easily influenced people like they’re weak, but I think clinging to your own thoughts and feelings is a different kind of weakness. I like being pulled into someone else’s world.
June 25, 2024
The book goes between POV and timelines but I really did not enjoy this one. Maybe it was the subject matter but it took a lot for me to finish it.
May 25, 2024
A wicked intense, gritty, moving, and innovative read. As someone who lived for a time in a Massachusetts coastal town that was at once claustrophobic and yet full of all the vast possibilities suggested by the oceanic horizon, I really appreciated this atmospheric debut novel that explores the impact of the shocking death of artistic high school student Lucy through the perspectives of women of various ages and in different roles all throughout the town. Each woman gets her own chapter: we hear from mothers (including Lucy’s), other relatives, the high school guidance counselor, the PTA president, the bartender and former babysitter, friends and classmates of Lucy’s at various levels of closeness to her, etc. All of these women also know and are connected to one another to some degree, so the end result is like one of Lucy’s fantastic thickly layered abstract murals or the enigmatic new secret photography project she was working on when she died, exploring different and private or hidden aspects of her selves from oblique angles. This was a very interesting and creative passion project of a debut novel and I’m super glad I read it. I coulda just kept on reading more chapters until I’d heard from every woman in town! It’s not perfect and it doesn’t need to be and I could list some nitpicks but they are irrelevant. Would love to see what this talented author’s future has in store for us.
May 7, 2024
When the sudden death of a young teen girl at a house party affects a small coastal Massachusetts town, WOMEN AND CHILDREN FIRST tells the impact it has on ten different women/girls (that knew her-or-of her) in that community. The story deals with grief, coping, sexuality, family and relationships. Each characters story is told in one chapter, giving you a small glimpse into their life. All overlap in another’s POV.. very typical of small town life. Her death touches everyone in different ways, showing their lives before and after it happens, some not caring at all to others feeling their own connection to what it means to lose someone they cared for. This is very character driven (which I love) but even so I never fully got the chance to understand/relate to the characters as it felt disjointed due to the many characters and short glimpses of them. Sadly it ended abruptly and left me wanting more. 3 stars — Pub. 5/7/24
I received a copy from the publisher through NetGalley. All opinions are my own.
I received a copy from the publisher through NetGalley. All opinions are my own.
January 16, 2024
I have been trying to come up with a way to describe this novel which is comprised of multiple first person point of view characters - both girls and women - each narrative centering around the death of a local teenaged girl. It wasn't until the final sentence of the novel - which I won't spoil here - that it came to me via the author's own words. The story feels like a kaleidoscope - confettied, fractured, yet also circling in surprising patterns, at the center of which is Lucy (the girl who died).
I always caution my writing students when they consider alternating first person perspectives: it's tricky to pull off. But Grabowski skillfully and clearly delineates each of these characters. And from those at the periphery of Lucy's story to her own grieving mother, we circle closer and closer to Lucy and to understanding what happened to her.
The one byproduct of so many points of view (and none of them repeated or returned to) is that the reader's time with each character was limited to a single chapter, making it difficult to invest in any of them. But ultimately, the cumulative effect is the vivid portrait of a town, of a community, and of a single lost girl.
Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the opportunity to take an early peek at WOMEN AND CHILDREN FIRST.
I always caution my writing students when they consider alternating first person perspectives: it's tricky to pull off. But Grabowski skillfully and clearly delineates each of these characters. And from those at the periphery of Lucy's story to her own grieving mother, we circle closer and closer to Lucy and to understanding what happened to her.
The one byproduct of so many points of view (and none of them repeated or returned to) is that the reader's time with each character was limited to a single chapter, making it difficult to invest in any of them. But ultimately, the cumulative effect is the vivid portrait of a town, of a community, and of a single lost girl.
Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the opportunity to take an early peek at WOMEN AND CHILDREN FIRST.
April 28, 2024
if women and children first by @alinagrabowski_ isn't on your radar, then it should be.
this novel took me by surprise in the best way and i absolutely loved it. the writing is stunning, immersive and gripping.
WACF unpacks the events of a teenage girl's murder, told through the perspective of 10 different women and its impact on them. each chapter also has its own unique voice because each one is told from the perspective of a different character.
i loved this novel so much, the writing is gripping and beautiful and i loved the different perspectives of each of the characters and how they intersected.
if you like a fast-paced novel, you won't find that here but because there are several different POVs, it keeps it interesting.
even with several different POVs, the novel doesn't get confusing.
if you love a lit-fic heavy novel with elements of mystery, WACF is absolutely worth picking up.
thank you @alinagrabowski_ for the gifted copy! WACF comes out on may 7.
this novel took me by surprise in the best way and i absolutely loved it. the writing is stunning, immersive and gripping.
WACF unpacks the events of a teenage girl's murder, told through the perspective of 10 different women and its impact on them. each chapter also has its own unique voice because each one is told from the perspective of a different character.
i loved this novel so much, the writing is gripping and beautiful and i loved the different perspectives of each of the characters and how they intersected.
if you like a fast-paced novel, you won't find that here but because there are several different POVs, it keeps it interesting.
even with several different POVs, the novel doesn't get confusing.
if you love a lit-fic heavy novel with elements of mystery, WACF is absolutely worth picking up.
thank you @alinagrabowski_ for the gifted copy! WACF comes out on may 7.
November 2, 2023
Zehn Frauenstimmen, die sich gegenseitig ergänzen, widersprechen und umkreisen, sowohl inhaltlich als auch strukturell: Alina Grabowskis Debüt ist nichts zum einfach weg lesen, sondern erfordert, allein schon aufgrund der vielen Charaktere, einiges an Aufmerksamkeit. Aber dran bleiben lohnt sich, denn die wechselseitigen Verbindungen zwischen den Müttern, Töchtern, Kolleginnen und Freundinnen sind oft unbequem, aber dadurch auch sehr lebensnah.
Mehr zum Buch in unserer ausführlichen Besprechung @ Papierstau Podcast: #282
Mehr zum Buch in unserer ausführlichen Besprechung @ Papierstau Podcast: #282
May 5, 2024
First and foremost a huge congratulations to my new friend @alinagrabowski_ on writing this novel. It is a huge stunning accomplishment. YOU WROTE THIS THING!!! Thank you to @sjplit @sarahjessicaparker on finding this and getting it into my hands too—holy cow this BOOK!! Out May 7th!
So, my first thought a chapter into this book was “wow this is really great.” About halfway in, I had the same thought. “Wow, no seriously, this is REALLY GREAT.” I finished the book and all I could think was “oh my gosh. This is REALLY. Great.”
Not many books, especially debuts start great, stay great, end great, and are overall just sharp, witty, dark, biting and powerful feminist knockout novels written like the author was born knowing how to put a novel together. Alina Grabowski does it. Every character pops off the page. Every interaction largely palpable and realistic. Every theme nuanced, thoughtful, and fresh. Have I sold you yet?
The only comparison I have here is Julia Phillips’ debut novel “Disappearing Earth.” Maybe with a dash of Kimberly King Parsons, too.
Told through the eyes and voices of 10 women in Nashquitten, Massachusetts, this novel revolves around a tragedy that echoes through the town.
It’s heavy in sense of place, delves into the meaning of being a woman, inhabiting a body and a mind, being a part of a community both accepting, changing, holding you up and tearing you apart all the time.
It shines in its details, the noticings, the way every character is fully who she is and no one else—lovely and spiteful and loved and hated. You’ve met these people. But I assure you, you’ve never read this book. The details aren’t just details for their own sake, they add up and snap together to a true, big, soaring and satisfying novel in the truest sense of the word—a project that seeks to understand humanity as a group by learning about each and every person that makes it up.
This blew me away. Get a copy of this one before it’s loaded up with award stickers, they’re on the way.
So, my first thought a chapter into this book was “wow this is really great.” About halfway in, I had the same thought. “Wow, no seriously, this is REALLY GREAT.” I finished the book and all I could think was “oh my gosh. This is REALLY. Great.”
Not many books, especially debuts start great, stay great, end great, and are overall just sharp, witty, dark, biting and powerful feminist knockout novels written like the author was born knowing how to put a novel together. Alina Grabowski does it. Every character pops off the page. Every interaction largely palpable and realistic. Every theme nuanced, thoughtful, and fresh. Have I sold you yet?
The only comparison I have here is Julia Phillips’ debut novel “Disappearing Earth.” Maybe with a dash of Kimberly King Parsons, too.
Told through the eyes and voices of 10 women in Nashquitten, Massachusetts, this novel revolves around a tragedy that echoes through the town.
It’s heavy in sense of place, delves into the meaning of being a woman, inhabiting a body and a mind, being a part of a community both accepting, changing, holding you up and tearing you apart all the time.
It shines in its details, the noticings, the way every character is fully who she is and no one else—lovely and spiteful and loved and hated. You’ve met these people. But I assure you, you’ve never read this book. The details aren’t just details for their own sake, they add up and snap together to a true, big, soaring and satisfying novel in the truest sense of the word—a project that seeks to understand humanity as a group by learning about each and every person that makes it up.
This blew me away. Get a copy of this one before it’s loaded up with award stickers, they’re on the way.
May 1, 2024
Happy pub week to this wonderful novel.
Grabowski's novel unpacks the events surrounding the sudden death of a teen in a small depressed MA town. The story is told through the voices of 10 women - young and old, who are adjacent to, part of, on the periphery, or deeply impacted by the young girl's death. The storytelling is circular - the individual narratives dip in and out of time, going backwards and forwards, moving the plot along while also retelling certain events from different perspectives. There is nothing rudimentary about the very modern tragic story that Grabowski novel unspools, yet it is also a tale as old as time - young girls on the cusp of womanhood, older women reflecting back on their youth. Throughout, I wanted the girls to listen more to the mothers and the mothers to listen more their daughters! Highly recommend for lovers of women-first literary fiction, Thank you to NetGalley, Zando Projects, and SJP Lit for the e-Arc.
Grabowski's novel unpacks the events surrounding the sudden death of a teen in a small depressed MA town. The story is told through the voices of 10 women - young and old, who are adjacent to, part of, on the periphery, or deeply impacted by the young girl's death. The storytelling is circular - the individual narratives dip in and out of time, going backwards and forwards, moving the plot along while also retelling certain events from different perspectives. There is nothing rudimentary about the very modern tragic story that Grabowski novel unspools, yet it is also a tale as old as time - young girls on the cusp of womanhood, older women reflecting back on their youth. Throughout, I wanted the girls to listen more to the mothers and the mothers to listen more their daughters! Highly recommend for lovers of women-first literary fiction, Thank you to NetGalley, Zando Projects, and SJP Lit for the e-Arc.
June 28, 2024
“On the last Saturday in May, I drown in my sleep.”
A very strong opening line from a very strong debut novel. I was completely mesmerized by this look into the lives of 10 women in New England loosely tied together by the death of a teenage girl. The mystery unspools slowly and, brilliantly, this novel isn’t as much about the sad event at its center as it is about what society does to women and girls. I found the characters very compelling. Yes, I was left wanting a little more from/about each of them, but I applaud the author’s choice to leave us wondering and with more questions than answers. That’s a lot of trust for an author to grant her readers, especially in a first novel. Bravo.
A very strong opening line from a very strong debut novel. I was completely mesmerized by this look into the lives of 10 women in New England loosely tied together by the death of a teenage girl. The mystery unspools slowly and, brilliantly, this novel isn’t as much about the sad event at its center as it is about what society does to women and girls. I found the characters very compelling. Yes, I was left wanting a little more from/about each of them, but I applaud the author’s choice to leave us wondering and with more questions than answers. That’s a lot of trust for an author to grant her readers, especially in a first novel. Bravo.
June 28, 2024
"Because their sense of responsibility was so nonexistent that they didn't even feel shame about the party..."
I don't think I fully understood the profound message of this touching book until about the halfway point. Grabowski does a fantastic job exploring relationships and the vulnerability of young females. Despite the tragic theme, these ten stories expose some sobering questions with one being have we failed in trying to protect each other? We should all be moved and strive to do better. "No one protected her. And this is something our own daughters will never understand. That we were never girls, not really. For a moment we were children yes. But a girl and a child are not the same. A child is a pet. A girl is prey." After finishing the book, I immediately turned back to the beginning to sift through the stories again, making more connections. I think this would be a great book club selection. Impressive debut!
I don't think I fully understood the profound message of this touching book until about the halfway point. Grabowski does a fantastic job exploring relationships and the vulnerability of young females. Despite the tragic theme, these ten stories expose some sobering questions with one being have we failed in trying to protect each other? We should all be moved and strive to do better. "No one protected her. And this is something our own daughters will never understand. That we were never girls, not really. For a moment we were children yes. But a girl and a child are not the same. A child is a pet. A girl is prey." After finishing the book, I immediately turned back to the beginning to sift through the stories again, making more connections. I think this would be a great book club selection. Impressive debut!
February 3, 2024
Thank you NetGalley for providing me with an ARC to review.
2.5 stars, rounded down - however I believe my rating has to do with my personal expectations, and thus may be a tad too subjective.
I was incredibly drawn to Women and Children First from the get-go. From the blurb, the book promises to be an 'exquisite portrait of grief and interconnectedness', and as someone who worships books on the aforementioned, needless to say I couldn't wait to start reading this. However I quickly came to realize that perhaps this book would not be what I expected it to be.
The writing was fast-paced and yet nothing of substance was really being said, it felt as though I was in a perpetual state of 'Okay, and?' The novel felt as though it sought to cover so much in such a short period, and so the end result was an unfortunately disjointed experience that I could not connect to. I did not really - feel - any grief, I was rather just told of it.
Also, quite frankly, too much dialogue. But then again, that might be a personal preference issue.
2.5 stars, rounded down - however I believe my rating has to do with my personal expectations, and thus may be a tad too subjective.
I was incredibly drawn to Women and Children First from the get-go. From the blurb, the book promises to be an 'exquisite portrait of grief and interconnectedness', and as someone who worships books on the aforementioned, needless to say I couldn't wait to start reading this. However I quickly came to realize that perhaps this book would not be what I expected it to be.
The writing was fast-paced and yet nothing of substance was really being said, it felt as though I was in a perpetual state of 'Okay, and?' The novel felt as though it sought to cover so much in such a short period, and so the end result was an unfortunately disjointed experience that I could not connect to. I did not really - feel - any grief, I was rather just told of it.
Also, quite frankly, too much dialogue. But then again, that might be a personal preference issue.
April 12, 2024
It takes a minute but hang in there, it gets so much better!! The beginning of this book was kinda hard to get through because I felt bored, but what I didn’t realize is that all of the information is necessary for the rest of the story. Overall, a great read! I’m so glad I didn’t give up. A story that will leave you in tears, the happy kind. Happy reading!
May 13, 2024
An exceptional debut.
Ostensibly, this is a novel about a local high school girl‘s death. It is told - in ten chapters divided into two parts, pre and post Lucy‘s death - through the eyes of ten different women who knew Lucy, some better than others. And yet Lucy, and what happens to her, is never the focus of the novel; especially in the first part of the book, she is often mentioned merely in passing, by people not especially close to her. The more the book progresses - and especially in the aftermath of her death -, the closer the narrators were to Lucy, going from mere acquaintance or school guidance counselor to Lucy‘s best friend, and finally, her mom, spiraling inevitably towards those whose lives are shattered the most by her death.
While Lucy‘s death is the central point towards which and from which these stories grow and these women evolve, Lucy herself is still, at best, a side character. Center stage take three groups of women who interacted with her to varying degrees and whose lives are intertwined in the way those of people living in a small town generally are: teenagers on the cusp of adulthood, their mothers, and young, childless women still finding their way. The men, if mentioned at all, are often useless, sometimes downright predatory.
The idea behind the old maritime saying „women and children first“ - that is, to first save those viewed as more vulnerable and, at the time when the phrase was coined, less capable - is put on its head in this book because here, it‘s the women, young and older, who shoulder it all: the secrets, the blame, the responsibilities, the grief, the shame.
„Women and Children First“ deals with heavy subjects such as death, sexual abuse, substance abuse, and abandonment without ever feeling too dark, or unrealistic. I was stunned by this book. It is wholly original and captured in poised, vivid, beautiful writing. A truly remarkable debut.
Thank you to NetGalley and SJP Lit for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.
„Women and Children First“ is slated to be published on May 7, 2024.
Ostensibly, this is a novel about a local high school girl‘s death. It is told - in ten chapters divided into two parts, pre and post Lucy‘s death - through the eyes of ten different women who knew Lucy, some better than others. And yet Lucy, and what happens to her, is never the focus of the novel; especially in the first part of the book, she is often mentioned merely in passing, by people not especially close to her. The more the book progresses - and especially in the aftermath of her death -, the closer the narrators were to Lucy, going from mere acquaintance or school guidance counselor to Lucy‘s best friend, and finally, her mom, spiraling inevitably towards those whose lives are shattered the most by her death.
While Lucy‘s death is the central point towards which and from which these stories grow and these women evolve, Lucy herself is still, at best, a side character. Center stage take three groups of women who interacted with her to varying degrees and whose lives are intertwined in the way those of people living in a small town generally are: teenagers on the cusp of adulthood, their mothers, and young, childless women still finding their way. The men, if mentioned at all, are often useless, sometimes downright predatory.
The idea behind the old maritime saying „women and children first“ - that is, to first save those viewed as more vulnerable and, at the time when the phrase was coined, less capable - is put on its head in this book because here, it‘s the women, young and older, who shoulder it all: the secrets, the blame, the responsibilities, the grief, the shame.
„Women and Children First“ deals with heavy subjects such as death, sexual abuse, substance abuse, and abandonment without ever feeling too dark, or unrealistic. I was stunned by this book. It is wholly original and captured in poised, vivid, beautiful writing. A truly remarkable debut.
Thank you to NetGalley and SJP Lit for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.
„Women and Children First“ is slated to be published on May 7, 2024.
March 28, 2024
Unfortunately, I did not finish this book. I gave it my best shot but around 20% in I completely lost interest. I think this story is for a less mature audience than a middle-aged woman, but I wouldn’t want my young daughters reading it either. Some of the statements were completely unwarranted, a lot of the paragraphs rambled, switched between characters and timeframes. Her description of her mother is what completely turned me off. My time is too valuable to waste it on unpleasant reading. The best I can do is 2 stars for effort.
Zando SJP Lit along with NetGalley provided this Galley edition for no requirement other than my offer to provide an unbiased review. This one comes in with 2 stars.
Zando SJP Lit along with NetGalley provided this Galley edition for no requirement other than my offer to provide an unbiased review. This one comes in with 2 stars.
May 15, 2024
I'm not sure why I struggled with this one so much as I usually love multiple points of view in a novel. When a teen dies after a house party, the entire town searches for answers but there are few clues. We get ten different perspectives from the female townspeople, all ranging in age from children to adults. It's nice seeing the vantage points from different ages as we all know how one scene can appear odd to one person and common to another. So while I enjoyed much of it, I just found my mind wandering more than it should.
Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC!
June 24, 2024
...sometimes you see another human and sense what shaped them, like looking at a painting and discerning the brushstrokes. No one protected her. And this is something our own daughters will never understand. That we were never girls, not really. For a moment we were children, yes. But a girl and a child are not the same. A child is a pet. A girl is prey. - MaureenI always laugh when someone starts a review with “I don’t know what I just read” but I’m going to start exactly the same way. Lucy - fragile, vulnerable, talented, forward-thinking - has died in a mysterious fall off a roof during a raucous party. We hear ten voices - teens who were friends or acquaintances with Lucy, mothers of a few of those teens, Lucy’s immature high school guidance counselor, and Lucy’s mother herself, all very real voices, each of whom saw varying facets of Lucy’s life. Each one has something important to say about Lucy, about life, and about themselves.
“Morals are just something you pretend to have until it’s too hard to uphold them.” - MonaThere was an overwhelmingly number of significant characters, and I had to make a chart of each one and how they had interacted with Lucy and with each other to keep them all straight in my head; it was a struggle for this reader to keep putting the pieces together to see the whole picture. I’m going to give this 5 stars because the book as a whole seems to have turned out to be more than the sum of its parts, and make a note to reread the whole thing in the future (keeping my meticulous notes of course) to see if I can understand more.
“I’d forgotten how tiring it gets to be around someone who thinks entertaining you and connecting to you are the same thing.” - Natalie
March 29, 2024
This debut novel is certainly a beautifully written book. It's the story of a tragedy, a suicide by a young woman, and how it affects those around her, not only those closest to her but those who were peripheral to the victim's life. Alina Grabowski tells this story in a very unique way. We see what happened through the viewpoints of ten women, five before the suicide, five after. It's a puzzle, really, and it does take some patience to put it together. Perhaps I didn't have the patience for it as I have to admit that I put the book down fairly early on and then didn't pick the book up again for some days. I actually read another book before coming back to this book. Perhaps I was just not in the right mood for this story at the time.
I will give "Women and Children First" 4/5 stars. Thank you to NetGalley for this advance copy.
I will give "Women and Children First" 4/5 stars. Thank you to NetGalley for this advance copy.
May 20, 2024
"women and children first" is a gripping mystery about love and grief that is narrated from the perspectives of several women following an unfortunate event in their community. in her outstanding debut, Alina Grabowski captivates us with her incredible talent as she explores the hardships of truly knowing those that are closest to us. i enjoyed this book and am looking forward to more from this author, but i do think that seeing things from lucy’s point of view would have tied everything together.
3.5 / 5
3.5 / 5
April 26, 2024
Thank you to Zando, SJP Lit and Netgalley for sharing a advance copy of this book.
3.75/5 ✨
It’s very rare. To be feeling something as deeply as someone else at the exact same time. Rarer still for you both to know it
It’s always seemed strange to me— that we’ve not only agreed to a single narrative but that we aspire to disrupt it as little as possible. Divorce, career change, tragedy: all generally undesirable aberrations. I wanted something different
I honestly thought I was going to not finish this book when I started it. I'm not a huge fan of reading really depressing stories, so it's not an indictment on the author or the writing. But once I understood what the author was trying to do with the story, it got me hooked. I love the way each narrative is stitched together like a quilt, but it isn't without some faults. I didn't enjoy the bits where the author wanted the readers to wonder about who a certain character is or their relationship to the character we are familiar with, without explicitly describing their relationship until later, which made me feel like the author is holding a carrot over my head asking me to beg for it (it's an irony that one of the character in the book does this exactly to another character) the wait is worth it, because the story is so interesting, but I would have appreciated it if it were more clear. Also there are some questions that aren't answered or explained clearly like why a certain character hates trains (even though there was a mention about something in their past, the author could have mentioned what exactly happened instead of keeping the readers in suspense and just ignoring it at the end)
Because this story is told through ten different characters, there are instances where I didn't like reading a character's POV and there are other moments where I felt it would have been nice if another character's POV was extended to more pages. Even though the story was depressing from start to finish, devoid of any hope, there are moments within it that were beautiful.
3.75/5 ✨
It’s very rare. To be feeling something as deeply as someone else at the exact same time. Rarer still for you both to know it
It’s always seemed strange to me— that we’ve not only agreed to a single narrative but that we aspire to disrupt it as little as possible. Divorce, career change, tragedy: all generally undesirable aberrations. I wanted something different
I honestly thought I was going to not finish this book when I started it. I'm not a huge fan of reading really depressing stories, so it's not an indictment on the author or the writing. But once I understood what the author was trying to do with the story, it got me hooked. I love the way each narrative is stitched together like a quilt, but it isn't without some faults. I didn't enjoy the bits where the author wanted the readers to wonder about who a certain character is or their relationship to the character we are familiar with, without explicitly describing their relationship until later, which made me feel like the author is holding a carrot over my head asking me to beg for it (it's an irony that one of the character in the book does this exactly to another character) the wait is worth it, because the story is so interesting, but I would have appreciated it if it were more clear. Also there are some questions that aren't answered or explained clearly like why a certain character hates trains (even though there was a mention about something in their past, the author could have mentioned what exactly happened instead of keeping the readers in suspense and just ignoring it at the end)
Because this story is told through ten different characters, there are instances where I didn't like reading a character's POV and there are other moments where I felt it would have been nice if another character's POV was extended to more pages. Even though the story was depressing from start to finish, devoid of any hope, there are moments within it that were beautiful.
June 16, 2024
A well-written, emotional mystery about women and teenagers in a small Massachusetts town dealing with the tragic loss of one of their own. Each chapter was essentially a brief snapshot of a few days in the life of each female character, as they struggled with their guilt and loss and tried to understand what happened. The characters were solid and believable, and the circumstances dealt with known adolescent and parenting troubles that unfortunately exist in our modern world. This was a novel loaded with secrets and heartache, and at its core, demonstrated the power of human connection in this world.
May 10, 2024
Women and Children first is probably the best debut I've read in 2024 so far. Our setting is a small Massachusetts town that is rapidly decaying and then a young woman suspiciously dies at a house party. The community is shaking from both their loss of job stability and then this jarring event. Our story is really the story of ten women of this town that are affected, in some way, by these events. We get into the heads of these ten women as they experience the grief, loss, and attempts at solving the puzzle of what happened.
I loved this book. Not because of the mystery, but because of the way these ten lives were interconnected and the way the community's story was told. The bad reviews I've seen have said this was "disconnected", but I could not disagree more. Yes, we do move from POV to POV and yes, I sometimes wanted to stay with one woman longer than Grabowski allowed us, but this is very much a story of interconnectedness and her structure highlighted that brilliantly. I was gripped from the beginning and sad to leave the world created behind. This was so sharp and so beautiful.
Read if you liked Disappearing Earth or want to piece together a puzzle slowly, carefully, and with some bite and a lot of heart.
I loved this book. Not because of the mystery, but because of the way these ten lives were interconnected and the way the community's story was told. The bad reviews I've seen have said this was "disconnected", but I could not disagree more. Yes, we do move from POV to POV and yes, I sometimes wanted to stay with one woman longer than Grabowski allowed us, but this is very much a story of interconnectedness and her structure highlighted that brilliantly. I was gripped from the beginning and sad to leave the world created behind. This was so sharp and so beautiful.
Read if you liked Disappearing Earth or want to piece together a puzzle slowly, carefully, and with some bite and a lot of heart.
March 18, 2024
I'm honestly gonna need to do a second reading of this so I can fully appreciate the interconnectedness of all these characters. Each chapter really shines on its own, lending a fully fledged character in ~30 pages with some intense portrayals of life. I found myself engrossed in each section but then forgetting who people were. Either way, this book is written beautifully and handles different POVs extremely well. I can't wait to convince all my friends to read this one come May.
March 18, 2024
Women and Children First by Alina Grabowski
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this eARC.
In the quiet coastal enclave of Nashquitten, Massachusetts, tragedy strikes. A young woman's life is cut short at a house party, leaving behind a web of unanswered questions and fractured lives.
Women and Children First weaves an intricate tapestry of grief, love, and interconnectedness.
The narrative unfolds through the eyes of ten local women, each grappling with their own demons, desires, and regrets. As they confront the loss of the young woman, their lives intersect in unexpected ways. The town's industries, once the heartbeat of Nashquitten, now echo with sorrow and suspicion. Grabowski masterfully captures the essence of a community bound by history, secrets, and shared pain.
The prose is both lyrical and raw, painting vivid portraits of these women as they navigate grief's treacherous waters. From the grieving mother to the stoic teacher, from the betrayed best friend to the enigmatic confidante, each character reveals layers of vulnerability and resilience. Their stories intertwine, revealing the delicate threads that connect them all.
This novel explores the fragility of life, the weight of loss, and the power of human connection.
Grabowski's writing is a symphony of emotions, evoking both tears and introspection. Her portrayal of Nashquitten feels authentic, its faded glory and hidden corners echoing the ache of its inhabitants.
The novel's title, borrowed from the maritime tradition of prioritizing women and children during emergencies, serves as a poignant metaphor. In Nashquitten, everyone grapples with their own emergencies—internal storms, fractured relationships, and unspoken truths. The tragedy becomes a catalyst for self-reflection, forgiveness, and redemption.
This wonderful book and chronicle of loss will leave an indelible mark on your soul.
Writing is captivating, and each narrator's individual stories add substance to this novel and I enjoyed one story told from numerous points of view.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this eARC.
In the quiet coastal enclave of Nashquitten, Massachusetts, tragedy strikes. A young woman's life is cut short at a house party, leaving behind a web of unanswered questions and fractured lives.
Women and Children First weaves an intricate tapestry of grief, love, and interconnectedness.
The narrative unfolds through the eyes of ten local women, each grappling with their own demons, desires, and regrets. As they confront the loss of the young woman, their lives intersect in unexpected ways. The town's industries, once the heartbeat of Nashquitten, now echo with sorrow and suspicion. Grabowski masterfully captures the essence of a community bound by history, secrets, and shared pain.
The prose is both lyrical and raw, painting vivid portraits of these women as they navigate grief's treacherous waters. From the grieving mother to the stoic teacher, from the betrayed best friend to the enigmatic confidante, each character reveals layers of vulnerability and resilience. Their stories intertwine, revealing the delicate threads that connect them all.
This novel explores the fragility of life, the weight of loss, and the power of human connection.
Grabowski's writing is a symphony of emotions, evoking both tears and introspection. Her portrayal of Nashquitten feels authentic, its faded glory and hidden corners echoing the ache of its inhabitants.
The novel's title, borrowed from the maritime tradition of prioritizing women and children during emergencies, serves as a poignant metaphor. In Nashquitten, everyone grapples with their own emergencies—internal storms, fractured relationships, and unspoken truths. The tragedy becomes a catalyst for self-reflection, forgiveness, and redemption.
This wonderful book and chronicle of loss will leave an indelible mark on your soul.
Writing is captivating, and each narrator's individual stories add substance to this novel and I enjoyed one story told from numerous points of view.
June 3, 2024
I really wanted to like this debut novel -- the Massachusetts scenery and the telling of the story through the lens of multiple people surrounding a mysterious death intrigued me. Unfortunately, I had a hard time keeping track of the characters and timeline - and didn't feel invested in most of their stories. I could however see this successfully being adapted as a mini series.
2.5 rounded up to 3.
Thank you Netgalley & SJP Lit for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.
2.5 rounded up to 3.
Thank you Netgalley & SJP Lit for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.
July 1, 2024
You probably never heard of Nashquitten, Massachusetts. It's a small coastal town and now that the fishing isn't there, getting smaller every year. It's the kind of place most kids can't wait to get out of. But Lucy Anderson won't get that chance. Bright and talented at art, she went to a drinking party and died there. There are rumors all over town about what happened but only a few know the truth.
We hear about Lucy's death and the rumors about that and the teenagers in general through the words of different girls and women. There is Lucy's best friend, the high school guidance counselor, the woman who was having an affair with Lucy's father. Her mother, the head of the PTA, the principal. There is the girl who stayed and tried to help Lucy and the ones that ran away. Each has another piece of the puzzle.
This is a debut novel although it's difficult to accept that such an accomplished work could be a debut. I loved the structure and the way that each woman's or girl's story had a hook that led easily into the next person's story. The death is the framework around which the story is built but there are lots of other stories as well. It's a story of disappointed lives and alienation both from the teenagers and the women who are adults and whose lives didn't turn out as they wanted. This book is recommended for literary fiction readers,
We hear about Lucy's death and the rumors about that and the teenagers in general through the words of different girls and women. There is Lucy's best friend, the high school guidance counselor, the woman who was having an affair with Lucy's father. Her mother, the head of the PTA, the principal. There is the girl who stayed and tried to help Lucy and the ones that ran away. Each has another piece of the puzzle.
This is a debut novel although it's difficult to accept that such an accomplished work could be a debut. I loved the structure and the way that each woman's or girl's story had a hook that led easily into the next person's story. The death is the framework around which the story is built but there are lots of other stories as well. It's a story of disappointed lives and alienation both from the teenagers and the women who are adults and whose lives didn't turn out as they wanted. This book is recommended for literary fiction readers,
May 2, 2024
An interesting character study especially on tragedy, community, and mother-daughter relationships! This novel was Thought provoking and I marked quite a few lines.
We get 10 different character POVs, we get to know some of them more than others but even then it still felt too short to really get to know anyone especially well. I didn’t like some character’s chapters compared to others and was left with a lot of unanswered questions.
I finished this in 2 days! I was so engaged and pulled into the lives of these young girls and women
We don’t ever really get answers but it makes sense for the book. Also even though there’s a lot of characters to keep track of, you get POVs from characters on the outer edges (not as close to the girl who passes) which adds depth and shows just how far the ripples of tragedy go in a community!
Dark, emotional read but despite this there were still some beautiful moments too. Overall I’d highly recommend if you like character driven, stories centered on a small community coming together, through the perspective of its women and teens.
Thank you to NetGalley and Zando for the eARC in exchange for my honest review!
TW/CW: adult/minor relationship, sexual assault, death, cancer, emotional abuse, drug use, alcoholism, grief
We get 10 different character POVs, we get to know some of them more than others but even then it still felt too short to really get to know anyone especially well. I didn’t like some character’s chapters compared to others and was left with a lot of unanswered questions.
I finished this in 2 days! I was so engaged and pulled into the lives of these young girls and women
We don’t ever really get answers but it makes sense for the book. Also even though there’s a lot of characters to keep track of, you get POVs from characters on the outer edges (not as close to the girl who passes) which adds depth and shows just how far the ripples of tragedy go in a community!
Dark, emotional read but despite this there were still some beautiful moments too. Overall I’d highly recommend if you like character driven, stories centered on a small community coming together, through the perspective of its women and teens.
Thank you to NetGalley and Zando for the eARC in exchange for my honest review!
TW/CW: adult/minor relationship, sexual assault, death, cancer, emotional abuse, drug use, alcoholism, grief
July 1, 2024
I don’t think the synopsis of this book is accurate. Do not go into this book thinking you are getting a mystery. This is a very literary novel surrounding the death of a young girl in a small town in Massachusetts. It gives perspectives from 10 women in town with varying degrees of connection to Lucy. I would say 3.5 stars. Writing was good but was not a propulsive read to me. Maybe wrong time for me. I love fast paced books in the Summer.
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