Casey's prose is lush and meaning-full, and his characters are so real as to feel as if he's only transcribing a world seen directly in front of him, except in that the interior thoughts are so true that he'd need to be a mind-reader, as well. As with Spartina, this book brings to life a whole cast of characters whose interconnected lives are as humorous as they are heartbreaking, and there's a certain romance brought to the depiction of the natural world here, especially.

Perhaps there were a few too many similar names and characters to keep track of, and perhaps it ended with less closure than I'd have liked, but all told, I really enjoyed this.

Recommended for readers of general/literary fiction, but you should start by reading Casey's Spartina. ( )

If you are expecting Compass Rose to be the further adventures of Dick Pierce then you will be disappointed. What Compass Rose does, however, is take up the story from a whole other viewpoint, following the women in Dick Pierce's life. That is the beauty of this sequel - you hear the voices that were part of Dick's story have their own story, stories just as compelling and demanding to be heard. Spartina is about ambition and the recklessness that often comes with ambition. Compass Rose is about the daily business of living, whether ambition is alive or not. Casey is a marvelous writer. ( )

compass rose by john casey
Dick 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. ( )

I loved this book. I loved SPARTINA too, and this follows those characters and that spectacular place. John Casey has the ability to get inside his characters' heads in an amazing way, and make them breathe. Highly recommend. ( )

Interesting study of personalities in a small New England town. Sequel to Spartina. The people are very well drawn, but in the end not as powerful as Spartina for me. ( )