Shining Sea, Anne Korkeakivi
Shining Sea, Anne Korkeakivi
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Shining Sea

Author: Anne Korkeakivi

Narrator: David Pittu

Unabridged: 8 hr 41 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 08/09/2016

Synopsis

An arresting and absorbing novel that spans decades, drawing us into the turbulent lives of a family in Southern California after the sudden death of the father.

Beginning in 1962 with a shocking loss, Shining Sea quickly pulls us into the lives of forty-three -year-old Michael Gannon's widow and offspring. Brilliantly described and utterly alive on the page, the Gannon clan find themselves charting paths they never anticipated, for decades to come. Told with a cinematic sweep, Shining Sea transports us from World War II to the present day, crisscrossing from the beaches of Southern California to the Woodstock rock festival, from London's gritty nightlife in the eighties to Scotland's remote Inner Hebrides, from the dry heat of Arizona to the fertile farmland of Massachusetts.

Epic, tender, and beautifully rendered, Shining Sea is the portrait of an American family-a profound depiction of the ripple effects of war, the passing down of memory, the making of myth, and the power of the ideal of heroism to lead us astray but sometimes also to keep us afloat.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Angela M on September 16, 2016

This is about a loving family dealing with grief, facing the impact of that grief and loss of a loved one and facing how their memories and early perceptions affect them. These are characters who come across as real with their imperfections because who among us is perfect? Michael , Barbara and thei......more

Goodreads review by Jill on August 16, 2016

Life doesn't always go the way we want it to. Dear loved ones die and others can disappoint us by their choices and mistakes they make. And, we can disappoint others, as well. Life's a crapshoot, any way you play it. In Anne Korkeakivi's marvelous new novel, "Shining Sea", her portrait of a family i......more

Goodreads review by Marina on July 13, 2016

Beautiful, poignant vignettes and great sense of character, melodic and yet very precise language. A sweeping family saga over many years, but it nevertheless remains subtle, understated and avoids sentimentality. Just lovely!......more

Goodreads review by Susan on March 31, 2016

Loved, loved, loved this book that traces the lives of a SoCal family over three generations and how war affected them all, either directly or indirectly. Korkeakivi has a gift for exquisite prose, a unique voice, and a mesmerizing ability to capture the way our lives are intertwined in so many comp......more

Quotes

"This absorbing generational story...explores complex dynamics and captures the mood of different decades in America. Korkeakivi's cogent insight into family relationships and the impact of personal loss, as well as how the times we live in effect who we are, shines through.... Each character's story is rich and excellently crafted.... In the end, Korkeakivi seamlessly brings her themes full circle-heroism, the importance of family, and giving back to the world."—Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"[An] impressive story about how a family will band together and perhaps drift apart to live on."
—Sarah Bracy Penn, Harper's Bazaar

"An absolutely transcendent novel about great love and great loss, with a majestic sweep from WWII to Woodstock to modern times. About the memories that change-and save us-and the connections one extraordinary family breaks and remakes. So alive, the novel virtually breathes."—Caroline Leavitt, author of Is This Tomorrow and Pictures of You

"I tore through it. Shining Sea is a beautifully drawn testament to everyday heroism and to the power of the family to persevere in the face of tragedy and turbulent world events."—Charlotte Rogan, author of The Lifeboat

"I could tell you how in Shining Sea Anne Korkeakivi masterfully explores the impact grief, and war, have on a family. But I will just say this: I loved this book."—Ann Hood, author of Comfort: A Journey Through Grief and The Italian Wife

"When I finished reading Anne Korkeakivi's stirring second novel, Shining Sea, I had to double-check the page count--how could such a huge, multi-generational saga be told so skillfully in less than 300 pages? But Korkeakivi does so, and does it so well, never losing her grip on the reader's attention. The canvas is large, but so are the characters and, most importantly, Korkeakivi's talent which brings them to life. I really, really loved it."—David Abrams, author of Fobbit

"Shining Sea is a novel of clap-demanding authorial grace. Its drama is eloquent, its message resonant. The truly remarkable Anne Korkeakivi has written a laudable and relentless novel."—Chigozie Obioma, author of The Fishermen

"A panoramic novel tracing generations of the Gannon family illuminates the aftershocks of war in the 20th century.... The effortless prose and vining plot make for a winsome tale of kinship and growth. Endearing characters carry a sinuous story of family bonds."
—Kirkus Reviews

"A gut-wrenching story about war, family, and the persistence of memory, Shining Sea will take you all over the globe without so much as leaving your reading chair."—Sadie L. Trombetta, Bustle

"An engaging and moving multi-generational epic."—Largehearted Boy

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