Book Description:
Prejudice and intolerance are a way of life in this fictional tale set into the historical
reality of 1912 Maine. Turner Buckminster has very recently arrived and already he can't
stand the small coastal town of Phippsburg. Within the first few days, the town's unfavorable
impression of him is set; not only is he unable to hit a baseball thrown the Maine way, but he
acts in a manner unbecoming to a minister's son, earning himself a summer's worth of playing
hymns on the organ for crotchety Mrs. Cobb.
Ostracized by most of the town's inhabitants, Turner meets Lizzie Bright Griffin, who lives
on nearby Malaga Island, which was settled by former slaves. Turner and Lizzie become
fast friends despite resistance from the town as well as from Turner's minister father,
who is already feeling the backlash of his son's transgressions from his new congregation.
Phippsburg town elders and Turner's father wants the residents of Malaga to leave so that
their town can be turned into a tourist hot spot, and they're willing to do just about
anything to make that happen.
Schmidt's lyrical language describing the seasons and the sea
breeze makes the setting come to life, making it another character that weaves its way
throughout the entire story. Flashes of humor, temper, and an aching melancholy--this
is a title that should be in all libraries.
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