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.

A Victorian summer house – Leeway Cottage – is the one constant in the life of Annabee Sydney Brant Moss. Covering the time period from 1924 to 1993, this book explores the relationship between two people who are very different. Annabee grows up the privileged only child of a father who dotes on her and a mother who seems to resent her. They live in Ohio but have a summer home on the coast of Maine. Laurus is a Dane, a musician who left Europe for New York, but who has a strong sense of responsibility towards his family and his countrymen.

In general I like character-driven novels, and I really enjoyed this look at a marriage through the eyes of two very different people. Sydney had my full sympathies when she was still a child show more called Annabee. But as she matured I liked her less and less. It was interesting to see the great influence her mother had on her despite her efforts to distance herself from Candace. Laurus was more of an enigma. A musician and a patriot, he chafed under the restraints imposed by the war, but still felt a patriotic duty to serve. His facility with languages and deep knowledge of Europe made him valuable to the Allied forces, but his fame meant he had to remain at a distance. That forced restraint seems to have never left him, however.

I’m struggling with how to describe the book because I really don’t want to give an entire synopsis, and there is much that happens. The story covers several decades, after all, though much of the action is concentrated during the World War II era. I found the scenes dealing with Laurus’ family back in Denmark during the war particularly compelling, and I definitely wanted more of this story. But Gutcheon uses multiple points of view and moves back and forth in time as people remember past events, so I’m left feeling as if I’ve only scratched the surface.

I am reminded that there are many stories in the people around me; that what we see of a person – even one we think we know well - may be only the tip of the iceberg. show less

The characters in this book were so believable, not especially loveable, but certainly believable. The story ranges from Sydney's childhood to her death and the road from being an emotionally scarred child to a an emotionally scarring mother and grandmother. Unfortunately, so often we become the very people we have despised earlier. The plot involving the Danish resistance during WWII was very interesting and one that I have not run across in any other historical fiction. The writing was readable, precise, and compelling.

The only reason I gave this a four star rather than five was the rushed feeling I got during approximately the last fourth of the book. It almost felt as we were fast-forwarding just to get to the end. And, although the show more chapter of Nina's horrific experiences in a German concentration camp helped explain her personality, it almost seemed a bit gratuitous, but it did provide a sharp contrast to the selfish and shallow yet sad Sydney.

I would recommend this to any lover of historical fiction especially during WWII and after. show less

i bought this on a discount table and did not expect much so i was very pleasantly surprised at this well written story.story moves between a coastal cottage are in Maine and NYC. it moves back in time to Nazi occupied Denmark and post war USA. the characters of Sydney and Laurus are well defined and reached out to me. I could understand them both. I was sorry that sydney degenerated into not such a nice person as i quite liked her character at the start. She was always interesting though as was her mother Cassandra. i really enjoyed this book

I had a little reading getaway, and this was the book I chose--how fun to read something like this in one sitting! The kind of book you really sink into. A really interesting mix of a family novel and history (Denmark in WWII)--Gutcheon did a great job of seamlessly mixing the two.

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 show more 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. show less

Based on the title, I expected a breezy family saga or summer story. This turned out to be a very interesting, and a little bit complicated, story about loyalty and motivations in several generations and across countries. The main character, Annabelle (eventually known as Sydney) is introduced as a child, and moves from sweet protagonist to troublesome matriarch against the backdrop of her youth and marriage to Danish Jew Laurus Moss. Love of country, spouse, children amidst the betrayal of WWII is intriguing. I learned a lot about Danish resistance and Scandanavian culture.