To celebrate Boiled Over‘s release, we’re talking about all things Maine Clambake series this week. Today, the Wickeds are reflecting on what we love most about Barb’s Agatha-nominated series.
Liz: I’m in love with the setting of this book. I’ve always loved the Maine coastline, and to be able to escape into that small, seaside town with the added bonus of the clambake island is priceless. I also really enjoy Julia Snowden, the main character. I like reading about the inner struggles of people trying to balance family loyalty with independence. I’m looking forward to seeing Julia evolve as the series continues.
Jessie: I loved the stoic realism of the characters in Clammed Up and I am looking forward to visiting with them again in Boiled Over! I really enjoy reading books that explore family relationships and that feels to me like the heart of this series. In addition, the struggles the Snowden family faces running a challenging business in a challenging economy immediately inspire my support and empathy.
Edith: The characters Barb draws intrigue me. They are small-towners, for sure, but they all have depth, and secrets, and quirks. Barb also draws the setting so you can taste the salt air and see the rough but beautiful scenery of the rocky Maine coast. I’ve spent time on a small Maine island in that area and feel like I’m right back on Great Gott’s Island. Can’t wait to read Boiled Over.
Julie: I love the challenges Barb has set up for herself as a writer, and watching her overcome them. A major setting on an island that people need to travel to and from? No problem. Food and recipes as part of the mix? No problem. Creating a world that people like to visit, but that also is affected by our economic times? No problem. Reading Barb’s work is a lesson in craft, and I love trying to figure out how she does it.
Sherry: What’s not to love? Barb can plot, create great characters and dazzle us with her sense of humor. I love Gus and his restaurant and his rules. He’s such a unique character. Gus not only provides humor but also support.
Barb: Aw. You guys! It makes me so happy everyone enjoys hanging out in Busman’s Harbor.
Like you guys have said, I loved the characters. But I also loved how twisty and complex the plot in the first one became. I can’t wait to dig into the second one.
(And this is coming from a guy who doesn’t like sea food so would never go on a clam bake himself.)
Thanks, Mark! Hope you enjoy Boiled Over.
I read Barb’s series because I like to pretend I am Julia Snowden. I want to live in Maine (in the summer!) and eat breakfast at Gus’s with Chris. I also am determined to do my own grocery shopping and whip up one of those recipes from the back of the book!
Which will put you one up on the author!
While I’m stuck in Arizona—my own fault because I ignored good medical advice and listened to bad medical device—Barb keeps me solidly rooted back home in New England with terrific stories about all that Yankee stuff that, despite my multiple ethnicities, made me who I am.
Love you, Barb! xoxoxo
Love you, too Reine, and all your “Yankee stuff.”