Terri-Lynne DeFinoReseñas

What a clever book!

Three elite writers and one of the leading editors find themselves together waiting out the remainder of their days at a retirement home for writers and those in publishing, fondly referred to as “the Pen” (pun intended). Alphonse, a legendary author and philanderer, has just arrived and becomes smitten with orderly Cecibelle, a young woman scarred both inside and out. Using Cecibelle as his muse, Alphonse starts writing again, something he hasn’t done for over a decade. When Olivia and Switch learn of Alphonse’s new manuscript, each jumps in and writes alternating chapters. Editor Judy lends her editorial skills, and the fun begins.

The book written within is just as entertaining as the novel itself. Truly a fun, unique spin and so well-written. I loved all the characters, those who the book was about, and those within the book that the characters wrote.

This is a wonderful read.

A book that has recipes and an epilogue. A lovely story about old people, love, mental illness and alternative relationships. A good read for sure½

This book not only has many stories to tell, it also literally has another book written by the characters as well. Original, uplifting, and at times heartbreaking. The characters in this book really are characters and they each have their own story to tell, their own secrets to keep, their own fight with the past, and their own fear of the future and how quickly it seems to be arriving. Each character bolsters the others and brings out more than they would ever be without one another. Beautifully written, wonderful to read, and impossible to forget.

While I am 1/2 Italian, I am not Jersey Italian, so some of this was foreign to me. I did laugh at some of the descriptions of the terms, and the infighting and meddling in each other's lives. Part of the story was very sweet and loving, and other parts were a bit over the top.
This is basically a story of a messy Italian family, multiple generations of men and women - butting into each other's lives, usually with a whole lot of love. There are some issues - pregnancy, depression, aging, and more, but overall not too taxing.
For anyone with a large family, this is a love story to you!

The story is a bit disjointed and jumps around. Being part Italian and growing up in NJ I liked the Jersey Italian words and have used some of them in regular speech.

This was a light and fun story about the Palladino family. It spans several generations and all the stories are all interesting. I particularly liked Sylvia's storyline. If you are looking for a good family story that isn't heavy and dark then this is the perfect book. Thanks to NetGalley for the digital ARC.

Like most novels within another novel, I found this book confusing at best and tedious at worst. I really felt it plodded along and I was constantly looking down at the percentage (Kindle version) to see how far I was. When I do that, I’m struggling to finish it. Like most books within a book, much of the narrative technique seemed gimmicky and forced. I wish I had passed on this.

My first 5 star of this year I think. I LOVED LOVED LOVED this book! I'm always attracted to books about books. This one is a book about books and authors and lovers of books and a book within a book, story within a story within a story!!! Without giving anything away, this story is set in a Home for Elderly writers, editors, publishers, and anyone with any connection to books. The orderlies that take care of these patients are all from the fringes of society and live there with the patients, and in doing so they all become very close. They create a very unlikely family and this is what is so endearing about this book. There is so much going on in this book, several different story lines, but the author ties everything together seamlessly. Not only is it a great work of literary fiction, the writing is beautifully done, almost poetic. Its also a romance and a story of redemption and healing for pretty much every character. The entire story was wrapped up very cleanly without a lot of questions left hanging (which I hate). I would highly recommend this to anybody who loves books.

This book had potential but just didn’t live up to it.

A retirement home strictly for famous writers in their old age, set in Maine in 1999 sounds like a good premise for a story. The home is the brain child of now dead writer Cornelius Traeger whose witty quotes front all the contemporary chapters. Moreover, there is a story within a story here as 4 of the "inmates" in the Pen who were once good friends (and some lovers) decide to collaborate on a new book in their late years. Olivia Peppernell is the spunky, pot-smoking (for medicinal purposes!) old woman whose books took on some women's issues in the day, reflecting her own life of being controlled and spoken for except when she was writing. Raymond Switcher is a salt-of-the-earth guy, steady and reliable and not the typical fast-lane best-seller author who is contrasted in Alphonse Carducci, the most famous of the group and a handsome, playboy type whose wit and brilliance were legendary in his day. Expert editor Judith Arsenault completes the quartet. They each pass a journal around among them and each writes a portion of a story set in the late 40s and 50s - a tale of forbidden love and passion and misunderstanding. Judith transcribes. They are working against their own frailties and the clock as Alphonse is ailing. However the staff there plays a role too -- Cecibel Bringer is an orderly who is the muse for Alphonse. She is beautiful - on half her face, the other half horribly scarred and "melted" from an auto accident. She finds romance with Finlay Pottinger, the handyman on the property who has his own sordid past of serving time for killing the teacher who abused him. So actually there are 3 stories here, I guess. Each develops expertly and the organization is very clear, which is appreciated because it's pretty complex. What is most interesting is the creative process among the writers and their camaraderie and their determination to create one last thing of beauty and meaning before they leave the earth. Pulled along in their wake, Cecibel and Finlay are also transformed creatively and the Pen fosters growth and healing even in the last stages of life. Charming and sweet with some humor and clever twists that manage to avoid triteness.

This novel tells a story within a story, the story within made up by the retired authors who live inn the home, and inspired by one of their caregivers, who we are told over and over and over has a mangled face, but only one side of it. Unfortunately, both stories bored me. I could feel no connection to the characters, at least for the most part. And the story was way too drawn out and full of cliches. Just tell the story, and move on, please. I did finish the book, but I could have spent my time with much, much better books.

This story about a retirement home is populated with deep, dimensional characters. Impressively well-written and believable.

Excellent book. During some parts it reads like a Harlequin romance, but the story and the ending more than compensate.

The title of The Bar Harbor Retirement Home for Famous Writers (And Their Muses) intrigued me when I ran across it in my Library’s online catalog of audiblebooks. I could easily picture in my mind what such a place might look like, and I could just imagine the kind of conversations that would be heard there every day. But as it turns out, even though I was pretty much right on both counts, I still didn’t really enjoy this one very much. And that is mainly because the novel being written within Bar Harbor Retirement Home has such a predictable romance-novel plot, that I dreaded those long sections of the book during which that story is told.

Alfonse Carducci was one of the literary giants of his day, but now he’s come home to die in the retirement home he and his male lover designed both as a retreat for themselves and as a place that famous writers, agents, editors, etc. could spend their final months and years in the company of likeminded people. Alfonse’s life has been one of excess, and now he is paying the price for the reckless way he lived his life. However, it is his chronic writer’s block that depresses Alfonse even more than his shaky health. But things take a sudden turn for the better when Cecibel Bringer, a young orderly, comes into Alfonse’s life.

Cecibel has emotional baggage of her own due to an accident that left her so disfigured that she never allows anyone – even her favorite author in all of the world, Alfonse Carducci - to see the ruined side of her face. The ever-flirtatious Alphonse almost immediately begins to work his magic on Cecibel, and as the young woman falls more and more in love with the old man, she begins to lose her self-consciousness about her appearance. At the same time, Cecibel unknowingly works her own magic on the elderly author. Now, Alphonse has found his muse, freeing him to co-author a novel alongside two other retired “giants” of his day.

This is the origin of the “novel within a novel” that I found to be too predictable and by-the-numbers to be represented as the work of three of the supposed greatest writers ever produced by this country. And when the fictious novel is given as much space as the actual novel, and the plots of the two began to intersect closely, I lost interest in both of them.

Bottom Line: This one disappointed me, but that is probably because I am not even remotely a fan of romance novels; fans of that genre are likely to have an entirely different take on this one. Too, I expected a very different novel than the one I got, and the letdown resulting from my high hopes crashing to the ground may very well have amplified my level of disappointment in Bar Harbor Retirement Home. I suspect that the author knows her target audience well - but I am not one of them.½

Book club book- enjoyable read. Story within a story (I liked the story being written in the story best!) Being Italian I also enjoyed many of the ethnic references.½

This charming novel contains two stories: one about the retirement home and its residents and staff, the other the love story the residents write together, inspired by young Cecibel Bringer, the caregiver and muse of the most famous resident of all. Writers and the writing life, a beautiful old home in Maine,and two love stories make this a lovely entertainment.

The Bar Harbor Retirement Home for Famous Writers (and Their Muses) is a home for only writers to,live out their final days. We meet several and learn their stories. The characters are quirky and fun with lots of mysterious secrets. The writers get together and write their great book. A sweet story about love and forgiveness.½

I got this book from LibraryThing's Early Review program, in exchange for an honest review. I picked this book solely for the title. I wasn't sure what to expect, maybe an alternate universe sci-fi thing, but it turned out to be a very quaint romantic comedy. I was pleasantly surprised and enjoyed it.

Set in a fancy country house turned into an assisted living facility on the coast in Maine where the elderly giants of the literary world come to live out their last days. Alfonse Carducci was one of the greatest and he comes the the home not having written for many years. There he finds his muse (an orderly named Cecibel Bringer). He (and eventually a couple of his compatriots) get inspired by his muse, his biggest fan, Cecibel to right a new story and the rest of the book switches between modern times and his story set in the 50's.

Not necessarily award winning work but a really nice story with interesting characters and a nice literary twist. A worthwhile read.

"I didn't make the arrangements with Dr. Traegar because I thought you were a suicidal murderer who needed to be to be locked away, Cecibel. I did that because you did."

8/10

S: 8/18/18 - 8/29/18 (12 Days)

The Short of It:

I’m a sucker for stories about writers.

The Rest of It:

The Bar Harbor Retirement Home is home to a group of retired writers and what a group they are! Some have had relationships with one another, others have collaborated with each other, and some are still collaborating as they live out their final days.

What makes this story entertaining is that there is a story within a story as Alfonse Carducci, writes what could be his final story, and this new work of his is inspired by his caregiver, Cecibel. Cecibel, although much younger than Alfonse cannot help but be smitten with him. As a fan, she finds his work thrilling. There is just something about his charm and wit that hold her captive.

Usually, I am not a fan of the “story within a story” device but in this case, I didn’t mind it. Carducci writes what is essentially a love story and again, not something I’d typically enjoy but I did find myself wanting to know how that story would end.

The ending didn’t go the way I expected it to but all in all, it was an enjoyable read.

For more reviews, visit my blog: Book Chatter.

Thanks to the publisher for this book.

Sorry to say, I couldn't finish this book. I wanted to like it since it's about writing and past authors, publishers, editors in a retirement home. I thought the characters would be interesting but they were not. The book focused on many characters but mostly on Cecibel (couldn't get that name wrapped around my tongue) and her muse Alfonso. He was the greatest author in her eyes and she was a disfigured woman who loved working there because she could hide her accident scars. I didn't read far enough into the book to see what type of accident she was in and how she came to work there.

I have a weakness for stories about books and writers, and on just about every level this book delivered for me. It was well written and moving and filled with a terrific cast of characters.

I enjoyed this concept of literary giants in their final years combining forces to write one last book. It was a fun read with intertwining stories, supportive relationships and light-hearted squabbling. The residents brought together in the Bar Harbor Retirement Home, each have their own life accomplishments which blend meaningfully with their caregivers with issues of their own to resolve. Great character development throughout. The endings (yes, there are two of them because there is a story within the story) were a bit abrupt, yet managed to wrap up loose ends.

Novels involving writers, books, libraries, and bookstores have long fascinated me. In The Bar Harbor Retirement Home for Famous Writers (And their Muses)Terri-Lynne DeFino has blended much of this literary lore into an interesting and fun read. According to the jacket, DeFino was born and raised in New Jersey, but she moved to Connecticut where she lives with her husband and her cats. She wrote a series of genre romance novels, and this is her first literary novel.

Cecibel is a young woman who survived a horrible auto crash, which left one side of her face seriously disfigured. She is self-conscious about her wound, and she tries to hide it with a “Veronica Lake hair style.” She works in the Bar Harbor Retirement Home. Cornelius Traegar was a wealthy writer, and he developed the idea of the Bar Harbor home. Only those with a background of writing, editing, and other literary pursuits are eligible. When Cornelius dies, he leaves his exquisite private suite to his friend, Alfonse Carducci. Alfonse pursued, and is pursued by many women, including several women now residing at Bar Harbor. Cecibel admires Alfonse and she develops a crush on him. Olivia is a well-known novelist who resides at Bar Harbor, where she self-medicates with marijuana to relieve a seriously painful condition. This novel has some wonderfully funny passages.

Dr. Kintz watches over his patients who could, at times, be cantankerous. DeFino writes, “‘If you insist on calling me Olivia,’ Mrs. Peppernell said evenly, ‘I shall call you Richard. Or Dick, if that is your preference.’ // ‘Would it make you happy to call me Richard?” // ‘It would make me happy if you would use the title I earned with sixty-two years of marriage. And it would make me even happier if you would stop speaking in the royal ’we.’ Now go away, Dick. I am finished being monitored for today’” // ‘Good day.’ He bowed his head. If he glanced Cecibel’s way, she didn’t know. She turned her face to the wall before he could. […] Poor Dr. Kintz. Only a week in the Pen and he still had no idea what he was in for. Those who left made sure not to tell. Those who stayed knew better. // ‘Fetch my medicine, will you dear?’” (2). The “Pen” is the nickname the residents adopted.

When Alfonse arrives, he locks himself in the magnificent suite left to him. Mrs. Peppernell is his fist visitor. DeFino writes, “‘You have to open your door sooner or later, Alfie. You know better than to hope I’ll just go away’ […] Laboring to the door, he took deep, even breaths. He rested his hand on the knob. Shoulders as straight he could get them, he opened the door. ‘Livy.’ Her name gushed out of him in a breath he hope she heard as the joy it was, and not his failing lungs. ‘You gorgeous creature. Come in, come in.’ // Old. So old. Weren’t they all? But Alfonse saw her still that menace with the red hair and whipcrack blue eyes, transposed over the frail frame. He recalled curves and softness and a willingness to let him explore every lovely inch” (10).

Of course, his friends all wondered if Alfonse had one last great story in his waning days. Terri-Lynne DeFino’s Bar Harbor Retirement Home for Famous Writers (And their Muses) is as charming and fun a read as anyone could want. 5 Stars

The Bar Harbor Retirement Home is a story of love and lust among four old friends and three employees. The concept of the tale and the author's writing enabled me to stay with the book. I found several of the relationships difficult to imagine in reality.

Three patients are literary giants of a bygone era become reacquainted and start to collaborate and taking turns being the voice of a lover's triangle. The book within a book is a predictable tale and becomes extremely boring.

The interaction between the three employees is the most intriguing of the book. Sal, Cecibel, and Fin have secrets that hide their pain which bonds them. The reader feels for all three and less for the literary giants. Enjoy the book for their story.

I chose this book because of its irresistible title – and this is one case in which the title summarizes the story pretty well. Two famous writers – who have been lovers in the past – are in “The Pen,” where one of them, Alfonse Carducci, has come to die. The other, Olivia Peppernell, has a lot more living to do. Even though all the residents were somehow involved in the writing business, there is not a lot of writing going on.

That ends when Olivia and Alfonse start a collaboration – a joint effort in which they alternate writing chapters of the story. Soon others are involved. Readers are treated to the chapters of the story within the story. It’s hard to decide which is the more compelling narrative.

But the star of the story is Cecibel Bringer, an orderly, a damaged young woman who fusses over the residents – and who has a bad case of hero worship when it comes to Alfonse Carducci. Slowly over the chapters, all the characters’ backstories are revealed.

I thought the book, especially the second half, moved a bit slowly and the author seemed to be going over old ground time and again. That didn’t deter me from reading to the last page – and from enjoying the journey … or both the journeys.

Review based on publisher-provided copy of the book.½