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Beachcombing for a Shipwrecked God by Joe…
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Beachcombing for a Shipwrecked God (edition 1997)

by Joe Coomer

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2607101,727 (3.88)13
Nine weeks after losing her husband, Charlotte escapes to a wooden motor yacht in New Hampshire, where her shipmates are an aging blue-haired widow, an emotional seventeen-year-old, and the ugliest dog in literature. A genuine bond develops among the three women, as their distinct personalities and paths cross and converge against the backdrop of emotional secrets, abuse, and the wages of old age. Off the boat, Charlotte, an archaeologist, joins a local excavation to uncover an ancient graveyard. Here she can indulge her passion for reconstructing the past, even as she tries to bury her own recent history. She comes to realize, however, that the currents of time are as fluid and persistent as the water that drifts beneath her comforting new home.… (more)
Member:cemming
Title:Beachcombing for a Shipwrecked God
Authors:Joe Coomer
Info:Touchstone (1997), Paperback, 256 pages
Collections:Your library
Rating:****
Tags:None

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Beachcombing for a Shipwrecked God by Joe Coomer

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Showing 1-5 of 7 (next | show all)
This is a lovely, quiet book about relationships between women--in this case, three women at different periods of their lives who come together to support each other while living on a houseboat. It's not sentimental or maudlin but rather a realistic look at how we deal with tragedy and the unexpected, whether that be a surprise pregnancy and abusive boyfriend, the death of a husband, or our own mental decline, by just soldiering on. There is a lot of archaeology in this book (and I think a recent visit to the Jamestown dig helped me understand what was going on in those parts), and also a lovely tribute to [Anne of Green Gables]. For me, it was surprising that this book was written by a man, but that is what can happen when women characters are depicted as just people--it helps us see how much we all have in common and how our friendships can sustain us sometimes even better than our romantic or family relationships. ( )
  sturlington | Aug 25, 2019 |
I wanted this book to be longer, but enjoyed it greatly. After a friend suggested we read this for our book group, I'm interested in reading more of Joe Coomer's work. The characters feel so real, it's the kind of story that meshes with your memories and you wonder if you actually knew them and witnessed the events. ( )
  niquetteb | Sep 20, 2014 |
Slow going at the beginning, this book is actually an interesting tale/saga of 3 women at liminal points in their lives: alzheimers, widowhood and pregnancy. Not terribly realistic but a story told well....something along the lines of Nevil Shute. ( )
1 vote julie10reads | May 30, 2011 |
such a rewarding story, three women so different in age, background, situation develop the most amazing relationship amongst one another, and adventure to boot. We experience emotion and frustration through the beautifully written prose and brilliant weaving of plot. ( )
1 vote nggray | Nov 9, 2008 |
intriguing characters; you come to care about these 3 women of different generation sharing a houseboat and learning from each other.

This was my first Coomer but definitely not my last. ( )
1 vote BCCJillster | Dec 31, 2007 |
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Gracious heavenly Father,...Please let me stay at Green Gables; and please let me be good-looking when I grow up.  I remain, Yours respectfully, Anne Shirley, Anne of Green Gables (I.M. Montgomery)
Glinda: Are you a good witch -- or a bad witch?
Dorothy: Who, me?  Why -- I'm not a witch at all. 
The Wizard of Oz, screenplay, Noel Landley, Florence Ryerson, Edgar Allen Woof
What meanest thou, O sleeper? - Jonah I:6
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I came across a love of moving water, an ebbing tide parting on the plumb bow of an old boat, and the sea passing swiftly along the waterline carried bits of seaweed, the body of a dead bird, a dark brown leaf, and a love that seemed necessary to me, to be near that abrasive current, the green sweel and nascent gurgle.
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Nine weeks after losing her husband, Charlotte escapes to a wooden motor yacht in New Hampshire, where her shipmates are an aging blue-haired widow, an emotional seventeen-year-old, and the ugliest dog in literature. A genuine bond develops among the three women, as their distinct personalities and paths cross and converge against the backdrop of emotional secrets, abuse, and the wages of old age. Off the boat, Charlotte, an archaeologist, joins a local excavation to uncover an ancient graveyard. Here she can indulge her passion for reconstructing the past, even as she tries to bury her own recent history. She comes to realize, however, that the currents of time are as fluid and persistent as the water that drifts beneath her comforting new home.

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