Coastliners
from Joanne Harris, the bestselling author of Chocolat, comes a heartfelt, lyrical and life-affirming novel of courage and conviction
-
-
3.8 • 18 Ratings
-
-
- £3.99
Publisher Description
From the pen of international multi-million copy seller Joanne Harris, Coastliners is a powerful novel of a hardy island community fighting the encroaching seas. Written with her characteristic vivid descriptions, expert characterisation and sensuous language, this is a real treat for fans of Victoria Hislop, Fiona Valpy, Maggie O'Farrell and Rachel Joyce.
'A winning blend of fairy-tale morality and gritty realism' -- INDEPENDENT
'Sensuous, evocative...you can almost feel the sand between your toes and taste the salty air' -- HEAT
'I was hooked by page 2. Brilliantly written' -- ***** Reader review
'This book kept me gripped from start to finish' -- ***** Reader review
'Page turner to the last page' -- ***** Reader review
*************************************************************************************************
On the tiny Breton island of Le Devin, life has remained almost unchanged for over a hundred years. For generations, two rival communities have fought for control of the island's only beach.
When Mado returns home to her village after a ten-year absence, she finds it threatened, both by the tides and by a local entrepreneur. Worse, the community is suffering from an incurable loss of hope. Taking up the fight to transform the dying village, Mado must confront past tragedies, including the terrible secret that still haunts her father.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Family history meets village rivalry in Harris's poignant fourth novel, an understated passion play set on the provincial French island of Le Devin. Madeleine Prasteau leaves her Paris apartment to return to the island village of Les Salants, where she discovers that her father, a widowed boat owner, is going downhill along with the village itself as the rival town of La Houssini re grows and prospers. Despite her father's chilly greeting, Madeleine spruces up the family home, and when she meets an attractive, mysterious stranger named Flynn she gets involved in a project to save Les Salants by building a homemade reef to restore the fast-eroding beach. The project gets complicated when Madeleine realizes that Flynn has ties to Brismand, a rival of her father's, who controls local commerce in La Houssini re. The reef project succeeds, but with a bitter aftertaste when Madeleine's older sister, Adrienne, moves back to the island and her father becomes infatuated with Adrienne's children. Sibling rivalry fades to the background when Madeleine learns that Flynn's ties to Brismand extend into her own family history, and she discovers that Flynn was an integral part of a romantic triangle involving her father and Brismand. Harris develops her beguiling story in layers, drawing Madeleine into the village life she loves and loathes while exploring the nuances of island living. Despite the narrowly focused setting, Harris exposes a wide range of passions and emotions as Madeline gets involved with Flynn against the effective backdrop of the various family and village rivalries. This book lacks the lurid erotic power of Chocolat, but Harris compensates for the lowered levels of passion and eros by writing with power and grace about the family ties that bind. 6-city author tour.
