I really did not like this book. It started well, hence the two generous stars, but about halfway through when WWII ended the book fell apart for me. My favorite characters turned into unrecognizable bores. The final straw was the account of a concentration camp toward the end of the book. I know the camps were terrible and I enjoy a lot of holocaust fiction but this was over the top for me. It lacked any hope or humanity. ( )

I found this an absolute page-turner, with very memorable characters. The third in the series (this is the second) is Goodbye and Amen. ( )

Because I read & enjoyed Beth Gutcheon's "More than you Know" & "Leeway Cottage" takes place in the same locale (the coast of Maine) i thought Leeway Cottage would be in the same style as "More than you Know" only taking place in the middle of the 20th century rather than in the beginning. While sharing some of the same residents of the Maine village - The grocer, the librarian - the books are quite different in their outlook. The main character of Leeway Cottage, introduced as a child called Annabee who later changes her name to Sydney, is from the group of summer visitors whose permanent home is in the midwest & whose economic status is far higher than any native of coastal Maine. Annabee is drawn as a sympathetic character, who is attracted to the life of the musicians & artists of a neighboring summer colony. Her mother is the typical rich matron to whom wealth & status is everything & we cheer Annabee (now Sydney) as she confronts her mother & marries a pianist from Denmark. Here the novel takes a turn away from the summer colony social scene. WW2 arrives & Denmark is invaded & taken over by Nazi's. Sydney's husband Laurus joins the OSS & spends the war years in England aiding the Danish resistance. Because they are half Jewish, Laurus's family are pursued by the Nazis. Laurus's young sister, Nina becomes a resistance fighter & some of the book's best scenes are in the contrast of the sheltered life of the Summer cottage residents & Nina's attempts to survive the occupation. After the war, Sydneys character changes as she becomes more & more like her mother & the two constantly compete to one-up each other. The book closes as the 3 grown children of Sydney & Laurus prepare to sell Leeway Cottage. ( )

I've read a number of books that treat the Holocaust in various ways. This was unique in my reading because of the juxtaposition of a very privileged American life that experienced WW II in one way as opposed to an immigrant who experienced it in a very different way. And all of this was wrapped up in a rich multi generational story of a family. I really liked it and it brought some of the tragedy of WW II home in a way that I hadn't felt for awhile, without being just horrific. ( )