Giveaway
ABOUT THE BOOK
The bridge at Sagamore was closed when we got there that summer of 1956. We had to cross the canal at Buzzards Bay over the only other roadway that tethered Cape Cod to the mainland.
Thus twelve-year-old Lily Grainger, while safe from ‘communists and the Pope,’ finds her family suddenly adrift. That was the summer the Andrea Doria sank, pilot whales stranded, and Lily’s father built a house he couldn’t afford. Target practice on a nearby decommissioned Liberty Ship echoed not only the rancor in her parents’ marriage, a rancor stoked by Lily’s competitive uncle, but also Lily’s troubles with her sister, her cousins, and especially with her mother. In her increasingly desperate efforts to salvage her parents’ marriage, Lily discovers betrayals beyond her understanding as well as the small ways in which people try to rescue each other. She draws on her music lessons and her love of Cape Cod—from Sagamore and Monomoy to Nauset Spit and the Wellfleet Dunes, seeking safe passage from the limited world of her salt marsh to the larger, open ocean.
Genre: Contemporary Literary Fiction ~ Release Date: May 5, 2023
Praise:
“What happens when a writer plays cello in a professional orchestra for her entire career? Her prose soars. In Water Music, Marcia Peck traces one intricate, intimate melody through the symphonic complexity of a disintegrating family’s summer on Cape Cod. Music and love are interchangeable. Here is a book worthy of reading aloud—and cherishing.”
—Elizabeth Jarrett Andrew, author of Swinging on the Garden Gate
“Peck has written a moving and melodic triumph of imagination and story, a fine harmony of intimacies and passions.”
—Nicole Helget, author of The Summer of Ordinary Ways, The Turtle Catcher, Stillwater
My Thoughts
Water Music is a well-written coming-of-age story that takes place in the summer of 1956. It is told through the innocent eyes of Lily, a twelve-year-old girl who is spending the summer on Cape Cod with her family.
Peck’s debut novel is a beautiful blend of description woven into a touching story of family dynamics that are complicated and painful. To make it even more meaningful, it is loosely based on the author’s own experience.
There is a sense of fun and adventure for Lily, but at the same time, she is forced to grow in ways she couldn’t have comprehended. Family members who have been tamping down deep-seated emotions over the years are overheard sharing. And Lily not only hears things meant for adult ears but witnesses actions that cause her to grow up quickly.
If you enjoy coming-of-age novels that revolve around family members, then I would highly recommend you check this book out.
I received a complimentary copy of this book. However, opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Photo by Joel Larson
Marcia Peck’s writing has received a variety of awards, including New Millenium Writings (First prize for “Memento Mori”) and Lake Superior Writers’ Conference (First Prize for “Pride and Humility”). Her articles have appeared in Musical America, Strad Magazine, Strings Magazine, Senza Sordino, and the op-ed pages of the Minneapolis StarTribune. Marcia’s fiction has appeared in Chautauqua Journal, New Millenium Writings, Gemini Magazine, and Glimmer Train, among others.
Growing up in New Jersey with parents who were both musicians, Marcia set out to be the best cellist she could be. She spent two years studying in Germany in the Master Class of the renowned Italian cellist, Antonio Janigro. Since then she has spent her musical career with the Minnesota Orchestra, where she met and married the handsome fourth horn player.
Marcia has always been a cat person. But she has learned to love dogs—even the naughty ones, maybe especially the naughty ones.
Website: https://www.marciapeck.com/
Facebook: https://tinyurl.com/marciapeckFB
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/128305404-water-music
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Interesting plot. I would love to read Lily’s story.
If you like character driven,it is well done. Thanks for your comment.
This looks like a good book. Will definitely read!
Thanks for sharing!