January 1, 2016
Rogers' sequel to the heartfelt Red Ruby Heart in a Cold Blue Sea (2012) continues the engaging story of Florine Gillham, whose mother disappeared when Florine was 12. This tale opens in June 1971 on the night before Florine's marriage to Bud Warner, a childhood friend. Florine is almost nine months pregnant, and the birth of their daughter, Arlee, follows at the end of the month. Florine and Bud live in her grandmother's old house, one of only four cottages on the Point, a finger of rocky land jutting out from the Maine coast. The other three homes belonged to Florine's deceased father and are now inhabited by Florine's stepmother, her best friend Dottie's family, and Bud's parents and sister. Rogers' novel is packed with the highs and lows of this young couple and of their immediate families and old friends over the next several years. But it's also steeped in the beauty and harshness of the Maine coast itself, which permeates everything that transpires. Fans of Kristin Hannah and Debbie Macomber will embrace Rogers' emotionally satisfying story of female friendships and the unbreakable ties of family.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2016, American Library Association.)