Spartina (1989)

Dick Pierce is a fisherman in New England. His family owned land on a picturesque spot overlooking the water but his father had to sell it to pay bills.

Now, that land is being developed and Dick is having a hard time with the fishing business and catching enough fish to make a living and complete building a boat that is is labor of love.

The story discusses the difficulties of being a self-employed fisherman in New England and the temptation that someone might have who has a boat and there are illegal substances that might be transported.

The story is also a good study of a person's life, their dreams and disappointments. ( )

Dick Pierce has issues. As the gruff, mostly unpleasant central character in John Casey’s well-crafted novel, Pierce scrapes out a marginal living in a working class Rhode Island fishing community. His dream of leaving behind his piecemeal existence rests on finishing the fishing boat he has been spent years building in his backyard. However, his single-minded focus on that goal has threatened to estrange him from his wife and family. That obsession also leads him to make some questionable decisions involving wildlife poaching, drug running, an extramarital affair and navigating into the storm of the century.

I enjoyed Spartina, more for the quality of the writing than for the story itself. In fact, I found the plot to be a little thin and ultimately a bit melodramatic; at times, the relationship between Dick and Elsie seemed more suited for a made-for-TV movie than for a first-rate piece of fiction. Nevertheless, Casey is a wonderful story-teller who draws a thoughtful and unflinching portrait of his protagonist. Although the author is somewhat less successful in developing some of the supporting characters (e.g., Dick’s wife May, his best friend Eddie), this book still provides a compelling view of a deeply conflicted man going through a mid-life crisis. It is a memorable tale that feels true to the mark from beginning to end. ( )

This was a winner of the National Book Award, and a very well-written book. The writing is better than the plot, but not by much. The plot features a main character, Dick, who is building his magnum opus, a 50+ foot handmade wooden commercial fishing boat. The boat, named Spartina, is perhaps to outsiders the main event in Dick's life, however throughout the book Dick is involved with a small group of colleagues and his family which provide plenty of drama. The book includes thriller-type action at times: drug-deals, extra-marital affairs, and a storm-of-the-century hurricane.

Although the writing is strong, the book turns into a Diane Lane/Richard Gere type movie full of feelings, emotions, dialogue, almost love/life story. This bogs down a bit and the author barely saves it--this happens in the middle of the book and I almost gave up on it. But the author brings it around in the end. ( )

This is a quick enagaging read about a man in crisis-mode--not the crises of a major disaster, but of the problems that come from living. He'll infuriate you at times, but in the end, you'll enjoy the story and the writing here. If you like reading books that take place around and employ the scenery of the Chesapeake Bay, or if you'd simply like an easy read that provides an entertaining escape, I'd recommend this book highly. ( )

3225. Spartina, by John Casey (read 3 Aug 1999) This won the 1989 National Book Award for fiction, and I am sorta doing those winners. It is full of boat talk, which is not a high interest of mine,and the central character was not admirable. There were good chapters on a hurricane at sea, but in general I felt my time could have been better spent. ( )