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Compass Rose (2010)

by John Casey(Favorite Author)

3.31 of 5 Votes: 3

ISBN

0375410252 (ISBN13: 9780375410253)

languge

English

genre

Fiction

publisher

Knopf

review 1: Finally! A sequel to SPARTINA, the 1989 National Book Award winner. It usually takes John Casey about 10 years between new novels, and we had to wait 20 years for this sequel—but every sentence is expertly crafted, every element carefully thought-out and brilliantly executed without flash or dazzle.COMPASS ROSE (perfect title!) makes me think of the feminist T-shirt saying: A Woman Needs A Man Like A Fish Needs A Bicycle. Rose, the teenaged drama queen, is the center of this small fishing community in Rhode Island. (“Face it, Mom,” Rose says, “we live in a tiny ecosystem.”) In orbit around her are the women who are raising her, primarily Elsie and May, but also an extended network of unofficially godmothers. Still in orbit, but at a Plutonian distance, is her b... moreiological father, Dick.Not wanting to miss thing, I appreciated that COMPASS ROSE picks up about where SPARTINA ended (after the best description of a small vessel trying to ride out a deadly hurricane since Sebastian Junger’s THE PERFECT STORM). The laconic Dick Pierce may be a master boatbuilder and seaman, but on land he’s no match for the women in his life. His teenaged sons, Charley and Tom, don’t fare much better. This story is all about the women, and Casey writes with precision and empathy about the complicated thoughts, feelings and dreams of these wives, mothers, daughters and lovers.I also recommend Casey’s first novel, AN AMERICAN ROMANCE, which came out way back in 1977 and completely hooked me even then on his extraordinary abilities as a novelist.
review 2: compass rose by john caseyDick Pierce is now focusing on the women in his life: his wife May.Elsie the woman who born their daughter Rose. She allows him to bring the baby to his house for hours during her life as Dick has two boys at home. Everybody loves Rose.Land deals, ship being broadsided and sinking, and some sex scenes make this a really good read about family life and living on the island and making a living from the sea. less

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