Stiltsville
A Novel
-
-
3.7 • 53 Ratings
-
-
- $7.99
Publisher Description
“A wise and loving portrait of a marriage….Susanna Daniel writes beautifully of matters of the heart.” — Jennifer Haigh, author of The Condition
Against a vivid South Florida background, Susanna Daniel’s Stiltsville offers a gripping, bittersweet portrait of a marriage—and a romance—that deepens over the course of three decades. One sunny morning in 1969, 26 year old Frances Ellerby finds herself in a place called Stiltsville, a community of houses built on pilings in the middle of Biscayne Bay. It’s the first time the Atlanta native has been out on the open water, and she’s captivated. On the dock of a stilt house, with the dazzling skyline in the distance and the unknowable ocean beneath her, she meets the house’s owner, Dennis DuVal—and a new future reveals itself. Called “an elegantly crafted work of art and a great read” by Curtis Sittenfeld (American Wife, Prep) Stiltsville is a stunningly assured debut novel sure to appeal to readers of Anita Shreve, Sue Miller, and Annie Dillard, or anyone enchanted by the sultry magic of Miami.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
With its lush flora and constant sun, South Florida is the true star of Daniel's exquisite debut, which follows a marriage over the course of 30 years. In 1969, having traveled from Atlanta to Miami for a college friend's wedding, 26-year-old Frances Ellerby meets glamorous Miami native Marse Heiger, who introduces her to Dennis DuVals and his house on stilts in Biscayne Bay. Though Marse has set her cap for Dennis, he and Frances fall in love and marry within a year. "I had no idea then," Frances says, "what would happen to my love, what nourishment it would receive, how mighty it would grow." Dennis and Frances have a daughter, Margo, buy a house in Coral Gables, and their life together proceeds as a series of ups and downs, beautifully told from Frances's pensive, sharp perspective. As the years pass and Miami changes, so do Frances, Dennis, and Margo, and the nuances of their relationships shift and realign, drawing inexorably toward a moving resolution.
Customer Reviews
Not Captivating, More Like Normal Life
First of all, Susanna Daniel is an incredible writer. A wonderful storyteller.
Having said that, it took me about a third of the way through the book to realize that there weren’t going to be any page-turning, what-happens-next scenarios. Instead, the events that take place in the main character’s life, from the day she meets her husband until the last page of the book, are… every day life. There’s no other way to put it.
I kept waiting. For something. For someone to die by shark attack in Stiltsville. For someone to be accused of a dastardly deed. I figured out it would never happen. If you like to just read an excellently written story about normal life and good friends, and people who mean what they say and actually care about each other, this is the book for you. (I’m sorry this is kind of a spoil alert!)
Unfortunately for me, I like a little more intrigue in my stories. That’s why I gave it a three.
Stiltsville
This book was a book club selection, not one that I would have selected but, one that I enjoyed reading. The human touch given to the characters was quite touching a real sensitive insight into human nature. This is a writer that I will look forward to reading more of her books.