Scan barcode
camilleisreading24's review against another edition
4.0
Tag line-- King Lear with lobster fishermen.
Atmospheric story about the Kings family, who have fished lobster off Loosewood Island for hundreds of years. The price for their bounty is a curse that takes the life of each generation's firstborn son.
Current patriarch Woody Kings is getting old, and his eldest daughter Cordelia is ready to take on the family mantle. But with the threat of lobster fishermen in nearby James Harbor encroaching on the Kings' territory and an influx of drug dealers peddling meth, Cordelia is inheriting an uncertain throne. Add in sibling rivalry and unrequited love for her married stern man, and you get a riveting story of one woman's determination to protect her family's legacy and livelihood.
This book was beautifully written and so evocative of the ocean. I liked Cordelia's voice and appreciated the fact that her character is complex. She says and does really shitty things at times, and is realistically complicated. The Shakespearean inspiration isn't overdone, and the history of the island and the family as told through Brumfitt Kings' paintings was a very effective device. Would definitely recommend this one especially as a summer read.
Atmospheric story about the Kings family, who have fished lobster off Loosewood Island for hundreds of years. The price for their bounty is a curse that takes the life of each generation's firstborn son.
Current patriarch Woody Kings is getting old, and his eldest daughter Cordelia is ready to take on the family mantle. But with the threat of lobster fishermen in nearby James Harbor encroaching on the Kings' territory and an influx of drug dealers peddling meth, Cordelia is inheriting an uncertain throne. Add in sibling rivalry and unrequited love for her married stern man, and you get a riveting story of one woman's determination to protect her family's legacy and livelihood.
This book was beautifully written and so evocative of the ocean. I liked Cordelia's voice and appreciated the fact that her character is complex. She says and does really shitty things at times, and is realistically complicated. The Shakespearean inspiration isn't overdone, and the history of the island and the family as told through Brumfitt Kings' paintings was a very effective device. Would definitely recommend this one especially as a summer read.
dakotars's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
4.0
00qmj's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
eric_roling's review against another edition
5.0
This was a delightful surprise. An engrossing tale about a lobster fishing family on the fictional Loosewood Island, located between Maine and St. Johns. The Kings family has been leading the lobster fishing tradition on Loosewood Island and trace their heritage back to an ancestor who painted a number of famous and prophetic paintings of the island. The father feels the weight of the crown as struggles over fishing rights and drugs rise up. But the center of the story is his daughter Cordelia Kings, who runs her own boat and as a woman must struggle to earn the respect of the island as the next Kings. I found her to be strong, independent, but still vulnerable and realistic. There was a lot to enjoy and digest in this story.
nomadreader's review against another edition
4.0
(originally published at http://nomadreader.blogspot.com)
The basics: The Lobster Kings is the story of the Kings family, who have lived and fished off of Loosewood Island, Maine for generations, beginning with Brumfitt King, a famous artist. The current generation of Kings, and the focus of most of the novel, are patriarch Woody and his three daughters, but mostly Cordelia, who loves the sea as much as her father.
My thoughts: There's an ethereal quality to the writing and setting of this novel that captured me from the novel's first pages. Zentner's writing has a calm fluidity that perfectly matches the maritime setting and the novel's pace. Big moments happen in short, unassuming sentences, which I quite enjoyed, but it sets a specific tone for this novel.
Despite the presence of many tragic and depressing events, the novel itself isn't marred by those emotions. Zentner's writing matches the demeanor of the Kings: there's an acceptance of how life is, which might be tragic by many standards, but is the norm for generations of Kings.
The verdict: The Lobster Kings is a gripping and absorbing family saga. The characters haunted me as I read, and they made this novel impossible for me to put down. As I read, I felt like I was living with the Kings on Loosewood Island, and this novel showcases Zentner's gift for writing about places with a strong setting.
The basics: The Lobster Kings is the story of the Kings family, who have lived and fished off of Loosewood Island, Maine for generations, beginning with Brumfitt King, a famous artist. The current generation of Kings, and the focus of most of the novel, are patriarch Woody and his three daughters, but mostly Cordelia, who loves the sea as much as her father.
My thoughts: There's an ethereal quality to the writing and setting of this novel that captured me from the novel's first pages. Zentner's writing has a calm fluidity that perfectly matches the maritime setting and the novel's pace. Big moments happen in short, unassuming sentences, which I quite enjoyed, but it sets a specific tone for this novel.
Despite the presence of many tragic and depressing events, the novel itself isn't marred by those emotions. Zentner's writing matches the demeanor of the Kings: there's an acceptance of how life is, which might be tragic by many standards, but is the norm for generations of Kings.
The verdict: The Lobster Kings is a gripping and absorbing family saga. The characters haunted me as I read, and they made this novel impossible for me to put down. As I read, I felt like I was living with the Kings on Loosewood Island, and this novel showcases Zentner's gift for writing about places with a strong setting.
melwyk's review against another edition
3.0
Pretty good read: lots of issues to discuss in a later review. (see full review here)
There were many things I didn't like about it though, the jumble of magical realism with an attempt at tough manly elements -- I just feel I've read books like this before that were done much better. If this was not published as "literary" it would fall in with all the many, many similar gothic suspense tales I've read by women which are not sold as "literary" even though they deliver the tropes of this kind of book better.
There were many things I didn't like about it though, the jumble of magical realism with an attempt at tough manly elements -- I just feel I've read books like this before that were done much better. If this was not published as "literary" it would fall in with all the many, many similar gothic suspense tales I've read by women which are not sold as "literary" even though they deliver the tropes of this kind of book better.
zoemig's review against another edition
The Lobster Kings is the second novel by Alexi Zentner, whose debut was nominated for the Governor General’s Literary Award. It is set on the fictional Loosewood Island, a sort of no-man’s-land on the east coast border of the US and Canada, where for 300 years the Kings family has lived, both blessed and cursed by the ocean. Cordelia is the oldest child, and she is set to inherit it all, but along the way there are meth dealers, sibling rivalry, and her own heart to combat.
Zentner's writing is powerful and evocative as he brings a mythic struggle to life in The Lobster Kings. It was really interesting to be immersed in the lives of fishermen, and the female perspective was a unique twist. There is a touch of the surreal in the book, and I really preferred the aspects of the story that centre on the family, rather than the meth dealing. Ultimately, The Lobster Kings was a riveting story filled with powerful characters, with the most powerful being the ocean itself.
Zentner's writing is powerful and evocative as he brings a mythic struggle to life in The Lobster Kings. It was really interesting to be immersed in the lives of fishermen, and the female perspective was a unique twist. There is a touch of the surreal in the book, and I really preferred the aspects of the story that centre on the family, rather than the meth dealing. Ultimately, The Lobster Kings was a riveting story filled with powerful characters, with the most powerful being the ocean itself.