South of Superior by Ellen Airgood
June 9th 2011 by Riverhead Hardcover
Hardcover, 384 Pages
Review Copy
A debut novel full of heart, in which love, friendship, and charity teach a young woman to live a bigger life. When Madeline Stone walks away from Chicago and moves five hundred miles north to the coast of Lake Superior, in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, she isn't prepared for how much her life will change.
Charged with caring for an aging family friend, Madeline finds herself in the middle of beautiful nowhere with Gladys and Arbutus, two octogenarian sisters-one sharp and stubborn, the other sweeter than sunshine. As Madeline begins to experience the ways of the small, tight-knit town, she is drawn into the lives and dramas of its residents. It's a place where times are tough and debts run deep, but friendship, community, and compassion run deeper. As the story hurtles along-featuring a lost child, a dashed love, a car accident, a wedding, a fire, and a romantic reunion-Gladys, Arbutus, and the rest of the town teach Madeline more about life, love, and goodwill than she's learned in a lifetime.
Mini-Review
Madeline knows a few things. One her grandfather was a jerk and two, that she really doesn’t want to get married. So leaving Chicago, something she never planned on doing to move to Michigan on a whim of a letter is shocking to her friends and fiance but for her surprisingly not. Madeline is deep down very bitter and angry with her grandfather due to his refusal to take care of her and that over the course of her childhood she received cards from him signed in the pen of his long time girlfriend Gladys, but never any communication. Madeline’s torn over her mother abandoning her and her grandfathers distance and her confusion over family history she wants answers to. All this doubt and confusion leads her back to a small town in Michigan after Gladys writes to her for help concerning an elderly sister and this time around she will get the answers she deserves. Much to Madeline’s surprise the town not only offers answers, but the healing of her heart and new romance around the corner.
This was a very cute and witty read. The pacing was leisurely making for a fabulous beach read and seeing how it was based in Michigan gave it another thumbs up from me. Living in Michigan myself I usually tend to love books that reference the Great Lakes or the UP. Something about the small towns across this state and the atmosphere from living near the water make for great reads that could be next door. Madeline’s descriptions of the winter and the water reminded me so much of my favorite place in Michigan that I couldn’t help but love the setting. Overall while predictable, South of Superior was an enjoyable read.
Madeline knows a few things. One her grandfather was a jerk and two, that she really doesn’t want to get married. So leaving Chicago, something she never planned on doing to move to Michigan on a whim of a letter is shocking to her friends and fiance but for her surprisingly not. Madeline is deep down very bitter and angry with her grandfather due to his refusal to take care of her and that over the course of her childhood she received cards from him signed in the pen of his long time girlfriend Gladys, but never any communication. Madeline’s torn over her mother abandoning her and her grandfathers distance and her confusion over family history she wants answers to. All this doubt and confusion leads her back to a small town in Michigan after Gladys writes to her for help concerning an elderly sister and this time around she will get the answers she deserves. Much to Madeline’s surprise the town not only offers answers, but the healing of her heart and new romance around the corner.
This was a very cute and witty read. The pacing was leisurely making for a fabulous beach read and seeing how it was based in Michigan gave it another thumbs up from me. Living in Michigan myself I usually tend to love books that reference the Great Lakes or the UP. Something about the small towns across this state and the atmosphere from living near the water make for great reads that could be next door. Madeline’s descriptions of the winter and the water reminded me so much of my favorite place in Michigan that I couldn’t help but love the setting. Overall while predictable, South of Superior was an enjoyable read.
Rating
South of Superior is recommended to adult readers and for those who enjoy a good beach read. Contains: language, romance, friendship, learning to forgive and some mild adult content.
3.5/5- Contemporary
Thanks to Riverhead and TLC for review copy.
This sounds good. I adore the cover.
ReplyDeleteI've been wanting to read this!
ReplyDeleteCute, light and witty sounds good to me. Sometimes you just need a book like that to relax. Great review :)
ReplyDeleteYay Michigan! My parents live in Michigan (Traverse City) and I absolutely love visiting up there, it's gorgeous:) This sounds like a cute and fun read, and since I'm heading up to MI over the summer, it would be perfect to take with me to the lake!
ReplyDeleteI have to be in just the right mood for leisurely paced books, but I love reading books that take place in my homestate, so I can relate to your thumbs up to the references. It always makes a book feel more special to me for some reason.
ReplyDeleteI love reading books set in my local area - glad to see I'm not alone in this!
ReplyDeleteThanks for being on the tour.