Friday, April 27, 2012

Red Ruby Heart in a Cold Blue Sea; Morgan Callan Rogers

 
Author:  Morgan Callan Rogers
Publication Year: 2012
Publisher: Viking
Edition: eGalley
Source: NetGalley
Setting:  Maine
Date Completed: 4/26/2012
Rating: 4/5
Recommend: yes


Red Ruby Heart in a Cold Blue Sea, is a coming of age, debut novel which takes place in a small sea-side town in Maine, in the 1960s. It's a place where most of the year round residents know each other.
 
Growing up for most young girls is hard enough, but for Florine Gilham, the story's young protagonist, it is even more painful. The summer she was 12, her mother, Carlie, who worked as a waitress, disappeared during her annual trip with a friend to Crow's Nest Harbor. The lives of Florine, her father Leeman, a lobster-man are changed forever, and although Leeman's mother Grand, is wonderful, trying to fill the void however she can, there are just some aspects of mothering that leave her feeling helpless. You just can't replace the mother a child adored.  One day when Florine is desperate to get her mother back, she throws Grand's favorite possession, a "Red Ruby Heart Necklace" into the sea, pleading for her mother to come back.
 
Red Ruby Heart in a Cold Blue Sea is a touching coming of age story.  It's sad to see a child mourning the loss of a parent, and as a reader, I was anxious to see her come around and see a bit of sunshine, once again in her life.  The novel features several great small town characters, like Stella, Leeman's former girlfriend, who add new interest to the story. The author does a great job of painting, what seems to be, an accurate picture of what life was like in the summer of the 1960s in one small Maine, resort-town.
 
Readers who like coming of age stories, and books about small town life, especially one with a protagonist that will have you rooting for through and through, will enjoy this book.
 

7 comments:

  1. I can only imagine how hard it would be for a 12 year old girl to lose her mother. This book sounds touching.

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  2. This does sound touching. Excellent review, Diane.

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  3. Sounds like a heart-tugging novel, Diane. I like the setting.

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  4. I love all of the things you highlighted in a story! This one I think would be a great addition to my must-read shelf.

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  5. I love coming of age novels...especially ones set in Maine!

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  6. It sounds like a touching but melancholy read.

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  7. This one sounds sad but if I am in the right frame of mind I think I would like it. I like the setting of Maine and I can't resist a good coming of age novel with a young girl trying to find her way in the world.

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