Somewhere off the Coast of Maine Book

A 3.5 stars rounded up to 4 as it suited my mood and read quickly. Very much a first book, which the author took to Bread Loaf as what she thought were short stories, and her writing instructor told her they were chapters in a novel. It is an enjoyable and easy to read book, but the characters felt a bit flat, as if she needed 60s archetypes--hippie earth mother, flower child who suffered later mental illness and tragedy, good girl who rebelled a little and became a buttoned down business type...the men were nearly interchangeable, except some talked more than others. So much time was spent on a Rebekah and Sparrow, but it felt as if the author really wanted the mothers to be the heart of the story & spent too much time on the frame. The characters did not not feel as if they emerged organically from the story, they felt like mannequins upon whom the story was hung. I liked her settings and descriptions, and feel she has talent, but she needs to mature...interested to try another book and see if she improves.