Little Great Island: A Novel

"He has so many ways to hope."

This sums up Sam, a lobsterman whose livelihood is being swept away by climate change. His daughter, Mari (recently escaped from a religious cult) stirs things up on this little Maine island with talk of sustainable farming. Greedy capitalists, a grieving widow and a lovesick alcoholic are just a few of the 12 point-of-view characters in Kate Woodwoth's Little Great Island. Did I mention that one of the characters is the island itself?

Woodworth deftly tackles this challenging literary form to create a page-turning, heartwarming and painfully real look at today's pressure points, seen through the prism of a close-knit community on a small island.

Her knowledge of the island's ecosystems, economy and culture show more shed light on a series of paradoxes which place the future of the island at risk. show less

This is a lovely book in which the setting is as much of a character as the people in the novel. A few chapters are written in an omniscient form, as if from the island's POV (trust me it works). Mari and her six-year-old son are fleeing her husband and the cult they've been living in. Mari returns to her home in Maine, Little Great Island. The island is suffering both environmentally and economically as the area is being overfished, causing many fishermen/women and lobster men/women to lose their only source of income. People are divided as to whether an outside corporation should be allowed to develop on the island. Will they bring more business to the locals or will the locals be chased off because of rising prices.

Lots of show more threads--how climate is changing people's livelihoods; sustainable farming; romance; caring for aging folks; and much more--and it all comes together beautifully and satisfyingly in the end. Enjoyed this book immensely. show less

Mari and her young son have run away from a cult. She returns to the tiny Maine island where she grew up. But, things have changed. The climate issues have made life much harder on this island. Mari is determined to try and correct what she can, even if it is a run in with one of her old friends.

As beautiful as the island sounds, and trust me, it sounds beautiful, this novel talked a bit too much about it. I know, I know…it was just a bit overloaded with ecosystems and climate changes. But, this is what draws you in because the setting is great.

Then there is Mari. She is broken in so many ways. She struggles to overcome her own trauma and to help her young son. Now, there is one part that bothered me a bit. When she runs away from the show more cult, her son’s mouth is hurting from something her husband did. She never looks in it, she never takes him to a doctor. She just mentions it quite a few times and does not really take care of it. This just didn’t fit. But, Mari and the cult issue is what kept this story moving for me.

This is 3.5 stars rounded up.

Need an atmospheric tale…THIS IS IT!Grab your copy today!

I received this novel for a honest review show less

I love any book set in Maine, a great place we vacationed for many years with our whole family! This problem the island faces of decreased fishing and all the problems a small community of families encounter makes you think through the problems wit them. There are many pros and cons on each side. Really makes you think!

Enjoyed this book! Autographed copy. Little Great Island in Maine. The Butterfly Diplomat. God’s Bounty.