Thrown Out: Stories from Exeter (A Literary Collection) [Kindle Edition]

Jennie Coughlin (Author), Denise Haskins (Editor)

Book Description

Praise for THROWN OUT: Stories from Exeter

"The title story, "Thrown Out," about a young man's struggles with his gay identity, is such a powerful piece."

Terri Giuliano Long, award-winning author of In Leah's Wake

Other 5-star reviews 

"Any book that makes me late back from lunch has to be good!"

Anne M. 

"I would swear I know her characters in real life."

Stacey Greenberg

"...from the intrigue of Bones of the Past, it is clear that Exeter has its own stories to tell."

Breezy

"The characters are strong and rich, and the story flows so brilliantly that I just want to pack up my life here in Australia and move myself to Exeter."

Rebecca Egan

 

Overview for THROWN OUT: Stories from Exeter

Exeter looks like a small, quiet New England town, but beneath the surface are secrets and lies, grudges and regrets. 

Young teens go exploring one summer afternoon and find bodies dumped in the marsh...

A gay man must confront scars from his past if he wants to take a chance on happiness...

One grandfather is forced to the sidelines when his grandchildren are in trouble...

When a lawyer accepts a challenging case, he risks losing the woman he loves...

 

More praise for THROWN OUT

"The storylines were compelling and spanned over 40 years. They touched on tough subjects such as homophobia, town secrets, spousal abuse and fear of commitment."

Kimberley

Kimba the Caffeinated Book Reviewer 

"...the characters were brought to life from the very beginning, so the story was extremely powerful.  I could feel Chris' pain on every page as he struggled with what he was going to do."

Mark Baker

Amazon Honor Roll reviewer

Get THROWN OUT today

Take Jan Karon's Mitford, but add in an edge. Listen to the whispers about the Irish mob. Avoid the easy answers when Exeter residents run head on into the tough questions of life.  

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Coughlin's writing style is crisp, succinct, and that makes these characters as close as if you're sitting next to them in the bleachers at a softball game. ... Exeter is a place you need to visit." 

-- eFiction Magazine

About the Author

Jennie Coughlin first won awards for her coverage of small towns in Massachusetts while working at community newspapers there, and now uses a different kind of storytelling to showcase life in fictional Exeter, Massachusetts. In addition to her work as a reporter, editor and columnist at small newspapers, she was Virginia's USA TODAY correspondent for a few years. 

The flavor of small college towns with lots of history and strong arts communities comes through in her stories about Exeter, a small mill town in the Blackstone Valley. The name is a nod to her hometown's history, but Exeter isn't based on Franklin or any of the other small towns she's lived in -- reality in those places is far too unbelievable to make good fiction.

Product Details

• File Size: 226 KB
• Print Length: 88 pages
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
• Language: English
• ASIN: B005LKKU0E
• Text-to-Speech: Enabled
• X-Ray: Not Enabled
• Lending: Enabled
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #718,537 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A glimpse of small town America September 12, 2011

By Anne M

Format:Kindle Edition

As someone who has only really experienced small town America on tv, I had no trouble at all picturing myself as a fly on the wall in Jennie Coughlin's Exeter, eavesdropping on the residents at significant moments in their lives. Almost instantly I found myself caring about these people and wanting to know what happened to them between the events in these stories. Any book that makes me late back from lunch has to be good!

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Character Driven Short Stories November 11, 2011

By Mark Baker HALL OF FAMETOP 500 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:Paperback

This short collection contains four stories set in the fictitious college town of Exeter. It's a place where everyone knows everyone, at least those who don't attend the college. That can be good when neighbors need help, but it also means that history is never forgotten.

Over the course of these stories, we get to meet several of the residents. "Bones of the Past" finds Riordan sharing memories of the summer bones were found in the marsh with town newcomer Ellie. In the title story, we watch Chris struggle with his past as he takes a step forward with his boyfriend Dan. Riordan helps out F.X. O'Leary find a way to help his grandkids in "End Run." And in "Intricate Dance," we flash back to the late 60's and a few months that set the tone for Riordan and Becca's relationship.

Even though Riordan plays a big role in three of the stories, I would be hard pressed to call him the main character. Each story really focuses on a different resident which some of the others making cameos in each other's stories. While the plots are good, the focus is on getting to know the characters. Each story is set in a different time period, and that is stated up front, so there is no confusion.

The weak link of the book is "End Run" which stops before I think the story is over. I also found the antagonists to be flat characters and not nearly as well developed as our heroes.

Still, this was an interesting look at a small town, and I would definitely head back for a longer visit to Exeter.

NOTE: Jennie Coughlin is a friend who sent me a copy of the book in exchange for my honest review. If I hadn't enjoyed it, I would have simply not reviewed it.

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Small town story September 20, 2011

By Sara L. Stephens

Format:Kindle Edition

Thrown Out is an excellent look into a small town. I was raised outside of a pair of towns that had the total population of 1000. It was definitely an experience to move into the 'big city' when I left home. This book gives you a very good picture of what it's like to grow up in a small town with its short stories. Each story brings out facets of the characters' lives, making them each rich, realistic people who 'pop' right out of the page. I love the teacher, the lawyer, the boys, and I definitely love to hate Joe. If you like reading about small towns or about rich, colorful characters, read this book.

More About the Author

Jennie Coughlin first won awards for her coverage of small towns in Massachusetts while working at community newspapers there, and now uses a different kind of storytelling to showcase life in fictional Exeter, Massachusetts. In addition to her work as a reporter, editor and columnist at small newspapers, she was Virginia's USA TODAY correspondent for a few years.


The flavor of small college towns with lots of history and strong arts communities comes through in her stories about Exeter, a small mill town in the Blackstone Valley. The name is a nod to her hometown's history, but Exeter isn't based on Franklin or any of the other small towns she's lived in -- reality in those places is far too unbelievable to make good fiction.