Q&A with Josh Lanyon discussion
This topic is about
Stranger on the Shore
Quarterly Rereads
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Stranger on the Shore - May 2022 reread
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Although what I look for in my own work might not be what readers look for!
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I like recommending this one of yours to new readers if I can! I think someone else mentioned that this was a great entry novel, and I have to agree. It's got everything you usually do, but all in one package.
Looking forward to it!
This is still my favorite! I may not participate a lot in the discussion, but I sure as heck will enjoy the reread. :)
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I quite clearly remember falling in love with this book the first time I read it. And I've been back to it several times since. In a way, for me, it's a sort of double enchantment—I also love The Great Gatsby. One of the things I adore in Stranger on the Shore is Josh's wonderful—even poetical!—description of the Winden House and its surroundings as well as the fascinating, unique atmosphere of the beautiful Arlington estate. I've always felt that that is a lovely homage to Griff’s dear talisman, The Great Gatsby. In fact the whole story sparkles ‘old charm’ while dealing with thought-provoking themes that’ll never get old-fashioned: trust, commitment, hopes and dreams, being true to oneself.
Here's one of my very favorite quotes from the book:
“‘Intimacy issues’ is code for ‘I haven’t met the right person.’”
“And what is ‘trust issues’ code for?”
Pierce held his gaze. “I’m afraid to believe I’ve met the right person.”
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Although what I look for in my own work might not be what readers look for!"
I went back to read my review of the book from the year 2014. This is how the review ended: This is definitely something I'll be reading over and over again. Reading a book like this leaves my heart full of affection and thankfulness towards the person who created something this lovely. Stranger on the Shore left me with all that and with the feeling of total, complete satisfaction.
So I think it's safe to say at least some of your readers feel the same way you do about this book. :-D
Stranger on the Shore is definitely one of my favorites amongst your standalone novels. Side by side with Snowball in Hell and Come Unto These Yellow Sands.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VsKTG...
The book is a lot like its theme song: beautiful, mysterious, soothing, wistful, gentle and a bit melancholic, but nevertheless full of hope and joy and love. Isn't it?
My first time reading it. Started today, already 35% in. It has a kind of sombre feeling that I really like.
I have a wild theory, which will be wrong probably. 😅
Johanna wrote: "Here's a link to the book's theme song Stranger on the Shore by Acker Bilk:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VsKTG...
The book is a lot like its theme song: beautiful, mysterious, soothing, wis..."
This is one of those pieces you've heard for years but never knew the title. Lovely piece.
The book is one of my favorites and I do a relisten once a year. Maybe it's time.
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I'm doing it in audio this time around, so far I'm really enjoying the tone that the narrator is setting... and the tension is mounting!
I finished. 😱 And I loved it. It's just ended too soon.😅I could've easily spent a 100 or more pages with this family.
Pierce and his sister are the best tho. I like how close they are. 🤭
My absolute favourite among all of Josh’s books, the one I reread and relistened to the most. Even knowing how the story is going to evolve, I still feel emotional and amazed every time I read it, like the first time. I agree with Josh when she said this is one of the best written of her books. I always like her style, but in this one, I don’t know… The atmosphere she created, the description of the setting… the mansion, the gardens, colours and sounds… It’s like I’m there, at the Arlington Estate; I can smell the ocean, I can hear the music, I see the guest cottage and the bridge and the trees. I can see the party, the nursery. I feel the sadness, that sense of tragedy and horror that only the idea of something terrible happening to a child can cause.
And then, the characters, past and present, all with their own quirks and secrets, and the way the story unfolds. It's genius, in my opinion. It’s emotional, gripping, intriguing and intricate. A perfect gem of a book.
I think both the setting and the history of events in this one, both so integral and embedded to the plot, add a weighty foundation that really works very well. evocative. enjoying the reread.
Nice that someone is reading for the first time...be careful @gabi, this thread might have spoilers :)
oh I see you finished, never mind
Yes, I sailed through it fast. 😅
Pierce is described as quite the metrosexual [is that the right term) at least to start...beautiful suits, silk ties, careful grooming, possible waxing....attractive and sleek. I can't offhand think of what other characters Josh has that come off that way....let's see...Taylor, in Blind Side series?
@gabi and was your wild suspicion correct?
@WMD yes, I was right, though not on the details. Pierce was asking the right questions, I've come to the same conclusion as him. ;D
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But GOSH... rich people barging in on you after a long journey and practically forcing themselves on you in various ways... oof. I'd be ready to punch someone by the end of the day if I were Griffen. lol.
I just finished the audio version, and I loved it!!! Jeremy York does a tremendous job.I remembered so many little things as they were happening, and then I was like, "Oh my gosh, YES!" It was a great way to revisit this spectacular mystery.
Plus, I actually live on Long Island, so it's always fun to read about characters going to familiar places. Josh, you definitely captured a big slice of the life here. Well Done!
oh, and I'm absolutely going to try a Black Velvet Cocktail ASAP!
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I'm not yet halfway through it, but still enjoying it. You're right, York does a tremendous job!
I'm just getting more and more frustrated with the Arlington family butting in and being annoying and all "but you will come to dinner, won't you?" and not knowing how to take no for an answer. lol.
I'm grateful for the reminder that Pierce has a sister though. She's not entered the picture yet, but I recall really liking her a lot, so I can't wait for a breath of fresh air from all these stuck up people. lol.
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I do wish we'd been there when "Brian" shows up and gives his "irrefutable" proof. I just want to see how he referenced all the things he supposedly talked about. Like Tiny Teddy. Did he call the bear that right away? Or did someone first recognize it and call out it's name so he knew what to call it?
Things I wish I'd been there to see!
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I'm about halfway through and am totally amazed at how much I've forgotten from my first read. I recall things as I read them, but apart from a few scenes near the end, I can't remember what's coming. I'm very glad we're doing these re-reads. I always love to re-read good books, but the TBR is always calling to keep me from doing it. I just need a good excuse to re-download and get started.Speaking of getting started, I hope you all noticed the dedication is, "To all the Goodreads gang." I know we all don't talk as much as we used to, but I check here every day for the latest updates, in this safe and thoughtful space Josh made for us. Thanks, Josh!
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We used to chat here constantly! And that's a great catch, I'd forgotten about that dedication.
I feel the same about rereading. There are so many things I'd love to reread, but I never seem to have the time with all the new stuff coming out!
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The coda is particularly interesting to me because like the book it leaves us with so many unanswered questions. It seems that Griff is living (visiting for the holidays?) at Winden House. He is still uncomfortable with the wealth and wealthy people, but is careful/thoughtful of Jarrett's feelings. Somehow Griff (and Pierce?) will sit down at a family holiday dinner — with Muriel, apparently forgiven for her actions and recovered from her breakdown? It all kind of begs another coda, but I also kind of don't want to know... I'd rather just imagine that Griff and Pierce somehow navigate all of this together.
http://joshlanyon.blogspot.com/search...
Karen wrote: "I finished my re-listen, along with my re-read. This is a beautifully constructed mystery/romance. I also re-read our long ago discussions and the coda. The coda is particularly interesting to me..."
Karen, thanks for posting the link to the coda. I would have to go looking for it, because I will want to read it, just as soon as I finish the book.
Jordan wrote: "Just found this interesting article about Stranger on the Shore: https://ig.ft.com/life-of-a-song/stra..."There is a pay wall, but you can read a bit of the article here: http://www.ftchinese.com/interactive/...
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I seem to recall it was the first novel I wrote after that sabbatical in 2014 (or was it '15?) BACK IN OLDEN DAZE. Actually, it's the book that convinced me to stop reading my own reviews because after it came out, I saw several comments about how I'd clearly "lost it" and so forth. :-D
Which was discouraging to say the least, especially since I loved it so much and had worked so hard on it. A few of you mentioned the "magical" feel, and the book had an enchanted feel as I was writing it. I was completely lost in the world of the Arlingtons.
Anyway, the book did exceptionally well. It was one of my all-time best sellers, so there you go.
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When I think of writing another standlone, this is the book I think of. Possibly for that very reason. It has everything I love.
It also has a somehow leisurely feel to it or maybe that's my own feeling because I'd had such a long break and then I'd written Blood-Red Butterfly, which was quite short, and then I launched into this--one of my longest novels, in fact.
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I quite clearly remember falling in love with this book the first time I read it. And I've been back to it several times since. In a way, for me, it's a ..."
That quote would make a great teaser! How did I miss that. :-D
I love going back to the old discussions too. In fact, even now, when I'm going to write a new installment on a series, I go back and read these old discussions.
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Even though I didn't have time to join in the discussion, I did the reread--to be honest, I got sucked in as I was looking for lines to use in teasers to promote the discussion. :-D But that's the proof I do really love this book. The fact, that I could get sucked into it even though I wrote it.
It's very emotional, I think, and quite sad. Because, as you say, something truly tragic happened--and from that tragedy sprang additional tragedies that might not have occurred had Fate gone a different way.
Even though it, of course, ends happily--it's not a happy ending that can erase or even mitigate much of what went wrong.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VsKTG...
The book is a lot like its theme song: beautiful, mysterious, soothing, wis..."
The first time I heard that song was in a noisy Irish pub, and I loved it so much I had to go and ask the sax player what it was. Even the title sounded magical. ;-)
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It has a kind of sombre feeling that I really like.
I have a wild theory, which will be wrong probably. 😅"
The clues are there if you're paying attention, so good job!
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Those were such great discussions!
But it's not just us. Book discussion in general has changed. Maybe it has to do with our shrinking attention spans or the fact that so many people are reading twice if not three times as much as they used to? Or maybe it has to do with the world itself feeling less suited to such genteel pursuits as leisurely book discussions? ;-D
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I think you're right. Pierce is the most sophisticated and cosmopolitan of my characters.
Taylor... That's interesting. You could be right. Although working as a fed has given him rough edges and the right to go without shaving when necessary. :-D
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The coda is particularly interesting to me..."
Yes. This is a story that, as much as I love it, feels to me like it ended at the right place. There would be a lot of negotiations ahead for Griff and a certain amount of frustration. But the bond between him and Pierce is pretty much unbreakable, and I feel Pierce would be his safe harbor.
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I still love this group so much. Yes, it's changed through the years--I've changed through the years and so has the world of publishing and books. But this is still a great place to talk books or whatever else is happening in the world.
Popping in here is sort of like phoning home. ;-)
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I do wish we'd been there when "Brian" shows up and gives his "irrefutable" proof. I just want to see ho..."
I would say Brian had Tiny Teddy with him when he showed up. Tiny Teddy would probably be the irrefutable proof.
And yes, that would be quite the scene! :-D
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it is very leisurely! I like that about it.
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Personally, I think it's great when an author can get sucked back into their own work on a reread! I love rereading my own work sometimes. YAY!! You succeeded tenfold there!
I know this is an old thread, but I have been thinking of Stranger on the Shore since I read it. Specifically I have some sympathy for Alvin. Alvin, who in actuality is Griff"s ( Brian's) cousin. They are both lost Arlingtons, in a way mirrors, but for Alvin his re-engagement with his family results in death and Griff finds love. I feel Alvin has been terribly used by Muriel, who even as an adult refuses to openly acknowledge her son and her intrigues lead to his death. It reflects a carelessness for others that is a theme in Gatsby and makes me think when Griff finally does write his book, I hope he will tell Alvin's story as well.
Byron wrote: "I know this is an old thread, but I have been thinking of Stranger on the Shore since I read it. Specifically I have some sympathy for Alvin. Alvin, who in actuality is Griff"s ( Brian's) cousin. T..."Yes, great observation! So true. I too feel bad for Alvin (not enough for me to like him, lol), but yeah, he was abandoned by Muriel years ago and only brought back when she needed him. And she may have wanted him, but not enough to acknowledge him as her own.
As for Griff, he might be a little too close to write the book now, but it may be good therapy to do it anyway.
I need a reread
Q&A with Josh Lanyon
Books mentioned in this topic
Snowball in Hell (other topics)Come Unto These Yellow Sands (other topics)
The Great Gatsby (other topics)
Stranger on the Shore (other topics)
We chose to pick four titles by Josh to reread this year. We are spreading them out, one book per season, and thus, we are choosing the books based on the seasons represented within the books.
Our May 2022 read has a Spring theme, and we voted on Stranger on the Shore!
For those who are interested, here is our previous discussion thread for this novel: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
Feel free to start reading and chatting about the book as soon as you would like! However, if you are new to Stranger on the Shore, please know that there will very likely be spoilers in this discussion, so read at your own risk. This is a reread for many of us, but new readers are more than welcome!
Happy Reading and Happy Chatting!