Lisa Duffy

The Kelly family lives in a fishing town in Maine where they have been renovating their dream home on the oceanfront called, "The Salt House." As the family is hit with a tragedy, they all deal with grief in different ways and their dreams are put on hold.

"Somehow we'd managed to survive losing her, each of us in our own way. But now we had to figure out how to live without her. Together."

Jack puts all his energy into his lobster business, staying away long hours and always coming home late and exhausted.

Hope is a writer who hasn't been able to write since the tragedy occured. She has spent an entire year not working and crying through the days in a fog of grief and dispair.

Jack and Hope's marriage is in shambles and may not survive. They have two daughters, Kat and Jessica. Kat is eight and worried about her family. Jessica is about to turn seventeen and when she meets a boy that has ties to her father's past, the shit hits the fan.

A great read for anytime, but perfect for the summer.… (más)

Yes, Lisa Duffy's new novel, My Kind of People, is the latest of my summer listens. I'd love to live in that house with a view of the ocean!

Everyone on Ichabod Island knows the story of ten year old Sky. She was found as an newborn abandoned at the local fire station. She was adopted by the couple that found her. But, she's lost those parents as well - to a car accident. In their will, they've asked their friend Leo to raise Sky.

Leo loves Sky, but this is a huge transition for all of them. Leo's husband Xavier doesn't want to leave their home in the city and can't get used to this new situation.

That sets the stage for My Kind of People, but there's much more to this story. There are a number of other plot lines that intersect with Leo and Sky's story. Maggie often looks after Sky, but her own life is in turmoil. A relative of Sky's arrives on the island as well - what are their intentions? And every small town has a busy body doesn't it? Duffy has created a particular odious woman named Agnes. She's pretty easy to dislike. There are also chapters from a mystery woman scattered throughout the book. Who is she? Sky's friend Frankie and local handyman and neighbor Joe complete the cast.

I really liked Leo. He's kind, thoughtful and caring. Maggie is the female version of Leo, also very easy to warm up to. Sky is well depicted and I really enjoyed the conversations and interactions between Frankie and Sky. Xavier was hard to like, despite Leo's love for him.

Duffy has written a wonderful story of love, loss, friendship, family, hope, happiness and more. (And you might just need a tissue or two....)

I chose to listen to My Kind of People. I've said it before, but I'll say it again - listening to a book is immersive - I feel much closer and involved in the story. My Kind of People employed four narrators - Joniece Abbott-Pratt, Nancy Linari, Madeleine Maby and David Sadzin. They were all really good and matched the mental images I had created for the characters. I always enjoy having more than one reader - it's more 'real', if you will and feels like those conversations are really happening. Leo's voice was warm and caring, Sky's voice was childlike and Maggie was just comforting. The mysterious woman sounded well, mysterious! They all had clear speaking voices and interpreted the author's work well. The emotion and timbre of the story was also well depicted.

I thought about the title after I finished listening to My Kind of People. Each character in the book would have a different take on who their 'kind of people' would be. Duffy has created some wonderful characters that I would be happy to have in my life. And it made me think about my circles of people. Those of you who love character driven novels or television shows like This is Us, are going to love My Kind of People.… (más)