Port Anna
An enchanting debut novel exploring second chances & blossoming romance in a charming port town in Maine
Perfect for fans of J. Courtney Sullivan’s The Cliffs and Catherine Newman’s Sandwich
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Support your local book bookstore. Mine are Blue Hill Books in Maine, and FlyLeaf Books and Purple Crow in NC.
Port Anna is at its heart a fairy tale.
A fairy tale about rediscovering oneself and seeing the world anew after so much has been ripped away. It more than scratches that itch so many of us have for escape, for northern coastal life, for the comforts and quirks of a small town. You'll be swept up in its sweetness, its humor, and its magic.
About the Book
Just about everything has gone wrong for Gwen Gilmore. She’s lost her mother, her teaching job, and been dumped by her—albeit not that great—long-term boyfriend. Adrift and out of options, she packs her life into her barely functioning car and makes the lonely drive north, to the only place she can think of going: her family’s aging cottage on the Maine coast, Periwinkle, which she’s recently inherited.
The cottage and Port Anna, the foggy Maine town of Gwen’s childhood, are unchanged in many ways. For Gwen, they are full of the ghosts of her past—boyfriends, forgotten creative dreams, and painful memories of a sister lost too young. Periwinkle is also home to some more literal ghosts: The Misses, friendly spirits who have long watched over the cottage, but who now seem strangely unsettled, slamming doors and moving furniture in the night.
Behind its charming façade, Port Anna has not escaped the realities of modern life. Family homes are being razed to make space for garish condos, the cottage, coveted by a relentless local realtor, is about to be condemned, and the unsolved disappearance of a teenage girl has set the town on edge. On the face of it, it’s an odd place to try to make a new start.
There are glimmers of hope everywhere, if only Gwen can open herself to possibility. Sparks fly with Leandro, an Argentinian artist, as aloof and witty as he is wildly attractive. Old friends and former flames come out of the woodwork, bringing with them new opportunities and chances to laugh again.
In the face of potential happiness, it seems some secrets refuse to stay buried. As the summer crowds return to the city and the locals hunker down for another harsh Maine winter, Gwen will be forced to make choices that will change her life forever.
Reviews
When you happen upon a debut book with no expectations or preconceived ideas and it’s wonderful-it’s like finding gold. Truly, there are so many books that I pick up and put down. This one though, this one sits perfectly and it’s sad to close that last page on the friends inside. For me that perfect bit of magical realism made it even more special. Wonderful words in a special house in a special town with special people, who could want for more.
@Cafebooks
With Elf in the background, I’ve been enjoying an ARC of Port Anna by Libby Buck. It’s a great book to read this time of year because the characters are advancing into the cold Maine Winter months, just like I am. Brrr!
@booksaregoodmmkay
I suppose you could resist this lovely debut novel, but why on earth would you want to? Buck gives us a story of a woman starting her life over in an austerely beautiful village on the coast of Maine where she was once a summer person. It’s a carefully-wrought portrait of a house, an intense year in a life, and of a small but complicated community that somehow, for all its layers and conflicts, comes with the magical warmth of Louise Penny’s Three Pines. What a pleasure.
Beth Gutcheon, best selling author of "Leeway Cottage" and "More than You Know"
A unfettered woman 'from away' seeks her own way home to Maine. Family ghosts, runaway teens, runaway real estate–Buck knows her coast.
Peter Behrens, bestselling author of “A Law of Dreams” and “Carry Me.”
Author Libby Buck weaves together mysterious changes, new and old romances and personal growth in a compelling small-town narrative. Libby’s debut novel tells an emotional journey of second chances and elements of the supernatural to highlight the drama of returning to an unfinished past.
Chapel Hill Magazine
