Customer Reviews

The Mailbox: A Novel

5 star:		(27)
4 star:		(21)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The Mailbox was reminiscent of a Nicholas Sparks story- it had all the same sort of elements. There's heartbreak, redemption, second chances, young love, and renewed love. For Ms. Whalen's first book, this was a pleasant read. There is a mailbox at Sunset Beach, North Carolina. It is called the Kindred Spirit. There are notebooks and pens for visitors to share their stories with the Kindred Spirit who reads what they write. It becomes a place of special meaning to Lindsey and Campbell. It is somewhere Campbell brings Lindsey during their first summer together. She begins a yearly devotion to writing to the Kindred Spirit and sharing her feelings, dreams, desires, and heartbreaks.

The story spans 1985 - 2004 through flashbacks and some of Lindsey's letters. From this background we learn that Lindsey is currently in the aftermath of a painful divorce. She is packing to take her two kids to Sunset Beach, a trip that used to made as a family. This is their first sojourn, minus Grant, her now ex. Being at Sunset Beach always brings back memories of her first love at fifteen, with Campbell, a local. He is still there, divorced himself with one daughter. You know that it is only a matter of time before they run into each other. In this sense, the story is predictable. You can see what is going to happen. But their reunion journey is still a sweet and touching thing to witness. I enjoyed the flashback portions that help weave in what happened in the interim years. The only thing that I didn't quite understand is why the story stopped at 2004. I was expecting there to be an epilogue at the end that was "Present Day" but there wasn't. It would've made more sense since this is published in 2010 for the years to go to at least 2009... This is a small thing I know but it was a bit odd.

Overall it is a worthwhile read. For those that enjoy the sentimental and sweet romance stories of Nicholas Sparks, you will enjoy The Mailbox. It is Christian fiction but it is not preachy in the least and the religion aspect is only mentioned never a main focus. It is a clean romance. The story made me curious about the Kindred Spirit mailbox (there are directions to finding it at the end of the book). It reminded me in some ways of the Lake House movie- how something so small can have the ability to unite and bring together two lives... The Mailbox is a light reading that is a breeze to get through in 1 day. Enjoy spending that day at the beach with Campbell and Lindsey! (The only reason I'm not giving this 5 stars is because while it was an enjoyable read, it wasn't so much so that I would ever feel drawn to re-read it.)

This is a book that has all the components of a wonderful, summer read. A beach, a beach house, a family in turmoil returning to find their balance, a mailbox in the sand that contains paper and pen to write heart-felt letters to the Kindred Spirit. Based upon an actual mailbox in North Carolina, the idea of following one woman as she experiences young love and then matures into a woman with a husband and children is really interesting. Considering how much potential there is here, the novel just doesn't measure up.

While there is nothing offensive here or overtly bad, the narrative lacks spark. The author had all kinds of opportunity to capture the sense of place but doesn't. Descriptions of the location are minimal and flat. For example: when the main character repeatedly goes to a peer that has huge emotional ties for her, the description of the locale is that waves crashed against the peer and gulls screamed overhead. That's it. No description beyond that and no following of her to the peer - she just walked there (that's pretty boring time after time). I can't get a mental picture of the beach house she is living in and can't describe what the characters even look like. They may have been described but I don't remember, which isn't a good sign. We are constantly told how the characters feel versus being shown - another violation of one of the primary rules of writing fiction.

I'm sorry to say, but the novel comes across as generic and largely uninteresting. Good subject, strong possibilities, but the novel is totally bland.

I read religious fiction only when I have to or when there's nothing else to read (or do). So naturally, I review them with extreme prejudice. But, honesty must prevail: The Mailbox is a pretty good read, especially for being Whalen's first book.

The story spans 2o years of a woman's life, beginning at the age of 15 and punctuated by an annual ritual with a mysterious mailbox. In my opinion, three things make the book:

1. The past and the present are skillfully woven together. The interview notes at the end of the book give credit for this to the editor's foresight in how to make this happen. Instead of tying the story sequence chronologically, the sequence of events are revealed naturally through the voice and recollection of the character.

2. There is no obvious predictability. While the formula of a religious novel seems to always demands a happy ending, this one has a couple of twists that make up for the predictable last chapter where-yes-they live happily ever after.

3. Makes the reader want to visit The Mailbox in Sunset Beach, North Carolina. I found appealing that the story is based on a real thing in a real place. Its realistic setting and generous autobiographical sprinkling throughout the book shaved off some of my prejudice against religious fiction. I can see how it can be a viable medium of spiritual growth. A few more of these, and I may be challenged to attempt at writing one myself.

To tell you more would be to tell you the whole story. So go ahead and get yourself a copy, read it, and tell me if you too think that Roderick was an angel stirring up some the drama.

(I received this book free from David C. Cook. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.)

The Mailbox is a wonderful novel. Written very well, we go back in time and then in the present but you don't even notice. The way Ms Whalen writes this, you will want more and more..

We have a just recently divorced mother of 2, who is going to her aunt and uncle's beach house where she spent her summers as a teenager and has taken her family every year since. She hopes to get away to recouperate after just getting through with the divorce. However she has an old love that lives full time at Sunset, Campbell and can't get him out of her head.

Campbell has had a daughter and been divorced, and of course the 2 meet up again. However the real story is the whole mailbox, betrayal, what does God really want for us and how does that fit in with our plans? Of course it isn't our plans that we need to follow, it is His.

This book was such a blessing for me. Grace and mercy pour out of this book and are the central themes. You will want to buy a copy for everyone you know. This is sure to be a summer hit!

"The Mailbox" takes you to the coast of North Carolina where young love begins with a promise and ends in betrayal. With characters that are like friends and themes that are true to life, Whalen captures the power of hope, the sting of disappointment, and the lure of romantic mystery. This story stays with you long after the last page is turned. I sometimes still find myself thinking about Lindsey and Campbell, wondering how they are doing.

I loved this book! She does a great job of drawing you into the characters lives even to the point of feeling like you've been to see the mailbox yourself. Everyone should throw this in their beach/pool bag this summer....what a great vacation/staycation book!

I don't always like reading romances but I do love a good love story. And this book is a beautiful love story. It's the story of two people who were meant to be together, misfortune happens along the way, and then they are brought back together under the most unlikely of circumstances. It's a story that;'s been told numerous times but Marybeth Whalen's debut brings a new take on the story that's fresh, realistic and a joy to read.

The parts of the story where Lindsey and Campbell are teens read just like a YA book. In fact a whole entire book could have been written about their summers as teens and marketed as a YA book and would be FAB. These segments are written in flashback form, including the letters that Lindsey has been writing to her Kindred Spirit throughout the years. Through these flashbacks and letters the reader is able to see everything that happened between the couple as well as different perspectives of each person that the other did not know about. I found both of their stories to be both enthralling and sad at the same time. Campbell thought he was doing the right thing to own up to his mistake and instead found himself losing almost everything. Lindsey tried to move on with what she thought was a good guy and instead saw her marriage crumbling.

This story is unique in that both Campbell and Lindsey are divorcees. While this is not unusual in real life at all, for a Christian fiction book this is breaking new grounds as divorce is usually a taboo topic. For me, I'm glad it is included because it's very realistic and it happens to everyone even Christians. It's not something that should be avoided at all especially in the situations of what Campbell and Lindsey's spouses did.

Overall, I was completely enthralled with the characters, the plot and the mailbox itself. I could totally picture the setting, of the beach and the houses there. It made me yearn to go visit the mailbox myself as my hometown is just a few hours away, it's totally possible to make a visit next summer. This is a wonderful and lovely debut and a book that I will think about a lot in the years to come. I am looking forward to more books from Whalen and hope that they will be able to capture the magic and love from this outstanding story. HIGHLY recommended.

Loved, loved, loved this novel. I love the Outer Banks of North Carolina. It's been far too many years since I was there, but I have very fond, warm memories of spending time on Okracoke and Cape Hatteras. So, the North Carolina beach setting of this story was appealing to me. I've never been to Sunset Beach, which is south, near the North/South Carolina border, but I certainly want to go now. I want to visit the Kindred Spirit mailbox, which is a real mailbox on Bird Island.

The story is told through narration and letters spanning a period of 20 years. Lindsey and Campbell are the classic teen summer romance separated by choices and time. Reunited once again, they each have baggage and issues to work through with ex-spouses and angry, hurt children. But, both also learn that God knows and loves them and they each realize they've been given a second chance at love.

The description of the mailbox and the real person who secretly cares for it and keeps the letters was fascinating. I know nothing about the real mailbox or if there is a person who retrieves the letters and keeps it stocked with writing supplies. I almost hope so, because it seems like such a tender, sweet thing to do.

I would have loved more exploration about Nikki's history, which is something she hints at with her father, but is something we never learn.

In many ways, this should simply be a sappy Nicholas Sparks-esque piece of drivel. But, instead, it's a thoughtful, heartwarming, well written story. I'd say it's a terrific debut novel and I look forward to many more from Marybeth Whalen.

I am not usually a fiction reader, I was curious to see if I would like it. My 16 year old daughter grabbed the book first and started it on the way to our beach vacation. She rarely put it down until she finished it in two short days.. She loved the book. I got it next and finished it in one sitting, granted I was on vacation and could just sit and read with no interuptions. I enjoyed every aspect of the book. As I finished one chapter I could not wait to see what would happen next. The underlying message in the book is refreshing. This book is appropriate for the young and old, male or female. It is just a fun read. It is an amazing book for the authors first fiction. Way to go Marybeth. I can't wait for the next one to come out.

Over the course of 20 years, Lindsay Adams visits the same beach house owned by her aunt and uncle. Over that same span of time, she leaves a yearly letter at the end of each summer in the mailbox tended by the Kindred Spirit. Lindsay's first visit comes when she's just 15 and she meets an amazing boy named Campbell Forrester, who quickly becomes her first love. Though Campbell lives on the island and Lindsay further away, they make a pact to continue their relationship over the year, to be reunited in the summer. After a couple of years visiting the beach and Campbell, things take a drastic turn when Campbell gets sucked into a relationship with another girl. Lindsay is heartbroken but continues to visit the beach and the mailbox, avoiding Campbell for many years. Now Lindsay is returning to the beach after a painful divorce that has left her a single mother. When she comes across an old friend of Campbell's, she admits to herself that she is curious about her first love and takes pains to run into him again. Campbell is living a lonely life with his mother and teenage daughter, and is thrilled to have encountered Lindsay again and possibly have a second chance. But there are things in both of their pasts and present that will present some serious roadblocks to their happiness, and only with the help of God will they finally be able to reconcile and share each other's lives. Both tender and touching, Whalen creates a tale of lost and found love amid the everyday struggles of a life that continues to march along ceaselessly.

Late last year, I had the great honor of meeting Marybeth Whalen at one of the SIBA dinner events. After introducing ourselves and finding out a little about each other, she asked me what types of books I like to review. I mentioned that I read almost everything but there were a few exceptions, one of them being Christian fiction. Much to my chagrin, Marybeth told me she is a Christian fiction author. She told me a few things about her book The Mailbox and also about the book she was currently working on, and I had to admit I was intrigued. I explained to her the reason I generally don't enjoy Christian fiction is because at times it can feel a little sanctimonious and the messages are always batted expansively over the readers' heads. Marybeth replied that she often feels this way as well and that she strives not to do these types of things in her stories. It pleased me greatly to hear this, and as the weekend wore on, I kept running into her in unexpected places and we had more in-depth conversations about both her life and her books. I knew I wanted to read her book and see how she handled faith within the constructs of her story and she was nice enough to provide me a copy to review. When I read the book, I thought, well now this is the type of Christian fiction that I can get behind!

One of the first things I noticed about the characters was they were very original and socially dynamic. There wasn't anything about them I couldn't relate to, and though they had their feet firmly planted into the Christian world, they were flawed and troubled and didn't go on mini-rants about religion and spirituality. They were also not too wholesome to feel connected to, and Lindsay had a lot of both internal and external strife that she was trying to work through. These characters weren't goody-goodies and they weren't obsessively preachy about their beliefs. They didn't alienate other characters or, more importantly, the reader by being flawlessly even-tempered and morally overpowering. As the story begins to wind its way along, Whalen's characters reveal themselves to be people troubled by the past and burdened by the future. They come to discover their lives are filled with conundrums and half-realized dreams. They were engaging people, dealing with isolation, loneliness and heartache, and they struggled mightily with their pride and their expectations. In other words, these were the type of people that just about anyone could relate to and become invested in. I also think Whalen has an incredible gift for the creation of her male characters, which is not often the case with female authors. Campbell wasn't overly macho, nor was he overly sentimental.

The faith aspect mostly centered around the characters' prayer life. Instead of using her creative space to preach, Whalen instead lets the characters speak for themselves and shares how they use prayer to combat the sadness and futility of their lives. I liked this because I'm a big prayer person and feel it was a realistic portrayal of how spiritual people deal with the adversity that life throws at them. The praying also reminded me a lot of the praying I do. Instead of being formal, rigid and structured, it was more like a conversation on the fly with God. The characters spoke to Him as if He were a friend or mentor instead of an all-powerful entity that's not easily approachable. Their prayers felt real because it felt unforced and unconstructed. It was a tool they used to cope with their lives and it felt honest. I actually liked the fact that Whalen was humble enough to include this aspect in her story and it was perhaps the reason I felt especially close to the characters.

Though this book was ostensibly a love story, it also had a lot to do with moving forward in life after tragedy strikes and how life can throw a monkey wrench into carefully laid plans. The characters were not the type of people who lamented and obsessed over lost opportunity but instead they moved forward without blame or accusation. There was a feeling of perseverance and stolidness in this tale, and though most of the characters were dealing with harsh emotional issues, they all had healthy attitudes about themselves and their predicaments. The book really touched on a lot of important issues, such as infidelity, anorexia and jealously, in a way that was easy to relate to and understand. There would be quite a lot here for a book club to discuss and disseminate. Of course, I was rooting for Lindsay and Campbell to finally reunite, but before that happened, they had some serious issues to confront and they had to learn to forgive one another, not only to move forward into the future, but to heal the wounds of the past.

This book was refreshing not only in the way it portrayed its characters and their plights but in the way it encompassed the spirituality of its potential readers. It showed me that being a Christian is not about being morally smug and alienating others, and that's something most Christian fiction authors don't even attempt to accomplish with their books. It's not about being better or more spiritual; It's about finding the peace and acceptance that can heal your broken life, and learning that at its best, spirituality doesn't have to separate us at all. I thought Whalen did a great job with this book and I'm eager to read what she is working on now. I think she really gets it, and I think even those who don't share the same spiritual beliefs would get a lot from the story she tells. Recommended.