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A review by camilleisreading24
The Lobster Kings by Alexi Zentner
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.