Maine by J. Courtney Sullivan

If you're expecting a book that tells a story about the history and people of Maine, forget this one. A more appropriate title would have been "The Summer Cottage." Maine basically focuses on a cottage and the lives of four women (Alice, Maggie, Kathleen, and Anne Marie). A secret family tragedy spins Alice off into an unwanted life as a wife, mother, and grandmother. The ripple effect of her early life decisions leads her daughter, Kathleen, to break away. Kathleen's daughter, Maggie, faces her own life altering decisions, and Anne Marie, as an in-law, never quite feels part of this family.