The Second Home

I was going to give this book a three-star review because I saw an interview with the author and she said she appreciated those because she could “learn a lot from them.” But this book is too good for only three stars. Why do I say this? Well, while I’m happy to leave some books I am reading for the end of the day, I carried my copy of “The Second Home” with from place to place. In the two days it took me to read “The Second Home” I read it: in bed, at my desk, on the downstairs couch, in the comfy chair in the living room, while soaking in the tub, on the deck in the sunshine, even at the kitchen table while my kids were eating breakfast. These are just the places I remember. There may have been more. My point is that I wanted to stay in the world of “The Second Home.” I also know I liked the book because since I’ve finished I have been encouraging my wife to read it too so we can talk about it. I want to know what she thinks. I want to know what she thinks about what I think. So, if you are reading this review and you haven’t read “The Second Home” yet, I think you should. And Christina Clancy, if you are reading this review, bravo and thank you! I’m looking forward to your next book already…..

I thought The Second Home is very well written and also well edited. I\’ve been thinking about editing more because I just read a new book from an acclaimed writer that involved a complex family situation but I felt was just poorly edited in that it didn\’t flow well at all and was too choppy to follow easily or with enjoyment. I felt the writer/editing team did not serve that story well. The Second Home, on the other hand, was a very complicated family situation that flowed very well. I loved the understated approach to presenting many unconventional friend/family combinations that, if we\’re lucky, we all have in our family tree. I do love that both the story and the writing/editing made me think and analyze what I read. Being a near pathological reader I often don\’t take enough time before I dive into the next book; I rarely write reviews. I look forward to more of Christina Clancy\’s work!

I read this book in two days flat — from my bed, front-yard swing, car, bleachers at a baseball game, and near the kitchen sink while cooking dinner. As a full-time professor and mother of five, it\’s rare for me to complete a book so quickly if not under the pressure of a syllabus. The combination of family conflict, rotating (chapter-by-chapter) character development, withheld secrets for suspense, high tension, AND poetic descriptions of Cape Cod (not to mention Milwaukee for contrast) made this 48-hour reading bender the highlight of my summer! I\’ve already recommended or purchased this book for many family and friends.

I think this novel really succeeds at being what it is intended to be: a great read with satisfying dramatic twists and characters you want to visualize and mentally \”cast\” in the filmed version! But it goes beyond that, too, in its sense of place and attention to detail. I really felt the love for Cape Cod, even though I\’ve only been there a couple times myself. I heard the writer is coming out with a new book next year, and I\’m looking forward to seeing great things ahead for her!

I loved this book and the author’s creative writing. It was hard to start reading another book when I finished Second Home. The story remained in my mind for a long time.

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