East Hope [Paperback]

Katharine Davis (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 3, 2009

A ?captivating novel of loss and recovery?(Katheleen Maloy, author of Every Last Cuckoo) and new beginnings, set in a small town in Maine.

Several months after her husband?s sudden death, and troubled by one night?s indiscretion, Caroline Waverly seeks refuge in the house she?s inherited in East Hope, Maine. There she finds the courage to face the consequences of her choices?her precarious finances, her alienated college-age son, and the man she left behind.

Will Harmon also puts his old life behind him, arriving in East Hope to run the local used bookshop. As he questions his desires and struggles with his failing marriage, Will yearns for the wisdom to do what is right.

Then Caroline walks into Will?s bookstore, and they establish a tentative friendship?with the promise of something more. As they seek to rescue what is most important in their lives, they cling to a distant hope?for understanding, for family, and for love.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Katharine Davis has taught French, worked at the National Gallery of Art and raised two children. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 18 and up
  
• Paperback: 323 pages
• Publisher: NAL Trade; Original edition (February 3, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0451225872
• ISBN-13: 978-0451225870
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.4 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,119,264 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Katharine Davis began writing fiction in 1999. Capturing Paris (St. Martin's Press, 2006) was her first novel. Recommended in Real Simple Spring Travel 2007, the novel was also included in the New York Times suggestions for fiction set in Paris. Her second novel, East Hope, published by New American Library in 2009, won the Maine Writers and Publishers Alliance 2010 Award for Fiction. A Slender Thread, her third novel, will be published by New American Library in August, 2010. She is an Associate Editor at The Potomac Review. Her website is www.katharinedavis.com. and she can be reached at [e-mail].

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A sheer delight, March 23, 2009

By 

Anne Levy-Lavigne (Alexandria, VA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: East Hope (Paperback)

East Hope is a delight to read, full of characters so finely drawn that we follow them through their travails and triumphs with worry, anticipation, and quiet satisfaction at every step along their paths. The setting is so integral to the story, and so richly detailed, that we see the light and feel the cold and drive through the snow and taste the fish chowder along with the characters. These are real people with real problems, and real ups and downs in coping with them, sometimes well and sometimes not. The plot has more twists and turns than a maze, and it's a can't-put-it-down reading experience. As a fellow fiction writer, I am filled with admiration for Katharine Davis's writerly skill. Read it -- you'll be glad you did!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A charming modern day love story, March 23, 2009

By 

Nature Girl (Oklahoma) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: East Hope (Paperback)

"East Hope" is the story of two people, each dealing with personal pain and having to re-make their lives. Caroline's husband, Harry, has died of a heart attack, leaving her a financial mess that forces her to sell their home in Maryland and search out a quieter, simpler life in Maine. Will is a professor at a women's college in Pennsylvania, until a false accusation causes him to have to leave his job. He takes a job managing a book store in a small Maine town, while his wife fast-tracks her career in New York City and their problems become as wide as the distance that separates them. Will and Caroline trade complicated city lives for a more quiet pace of life, where only the most important things matter. This is a love story, but a modern love story, complicated and full of reality. The author excels at describing the beauty of the coastal Maine town, its sturdy and caring inhabitants, and the careful hope of two broken people. I look forward to more from Katherine Davis (her previous novel, "Capturing Paris" was a delight also).

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Loved the book, hated the ending, April 4, 2011

By 

SeaShell (Route 66, Oklahoma) - See all my reviews

This review is from: East Hope (Paperback)

East Hope really kept my interest throughout the book. In fact, I couldn't put it down. The author's speech was somewhat simplistic, but I felt this was just regional flavor, and I enjoyed it. The characters seemed mostly believable. But then came the last page, which I felt was just such a let-down. It seemed that the writer just got tired of writing and walked away, letting the reader fend for themselves. It could use another 3 chapters and a different ending. But. . . I'll look for this author again, because with that exception, I enjoyed her writing very much.