Review: Montauk by Nicola Harrison

Genre: Fiction

I read this one over the July 4th holiday after having it since its publication week! It was one of my most anticipated reads of the season and definitely surprised me.

I didn’t love this one as much as I thought I thought I would BUT it is worth finishing and I really enjoyed the second half of the book. The first 200 pages were a struggle for me, because they were very reflective and introspective; I was waiting and waiting for some plot and action. I’ve learned I am not drawn to character driven novels—I want to know WHY their story is being told!

• What I Liked:
  Harrison is a very cinematic writer; there isn’t a detail that is left without a picture perfect description. I found this a little exhausting, BUT she really did justice to Montauk (the place) and it’s people. So in the long wrong, it’s totally worth it.

• I would recommend this if you love descriptive, thoughtful writing and flawed protagonists. But if you’re looking for a light beach read, I wouldn’t necessarily say this is *light*. It is deeply thought provoking, especially for women in 1938. It’s romantic, tragic, and has some great moments of humor. Overall, I’m very glad I finished it and I did enjoy it!

CW/TW: infidelity, loss of a loved one, violent storm

Character Authenticity: 4/5 Steam: 2/5 Overall Rating: 4/5