Cape Cod Fiction

Hi Everyone,

I recently relocated to San Diego and I have to say that I am missing Boston a great deal this summer. I was wondering if anyone had any recommendations of books that are set on Cape Cod or the islands. No mysteries or romances, just a nice read overlooking Dennis or Nantucket. Help please?

Thanks!

For fiction, all that I can think of off hand is That Old Cape Magic and The Maytrees.

Unless you want to go back and read Joseph Lincoln's old novels...

If you would consider non-fiction there is always The Big House: A Century in the Life of an American Summer Home and The Outermost House. Both are good reads.

Thank you so much for the great recommendations! I haven't read That Old Cape Magic or Maytrees are they good reads?

>#5, neither are what you would call "beach reads." They are both literary fiction with not much plot or story arc. I liked them both because of their atmosphere and good writing.

Caleb's Crossing by Geraldine Brooks
The Wedding by Dorothy West
Ahab's Wife by Sena Jeter Naslund
The Postmistress by Sarah Blake

Also I think at least one if not more of the books by Stephen L. Carter take place in part on Martha's Vineyard, although these would likely fall into the mystery category.

Even though it isn't about the Cape, I am quite evangelistic about the Non-fiction Dark Tide. It is about the Boston Molasses flood.

Molasses is used for making industial alcohol, which in turn is used for making armaments. In the run up to WWI, an industrial alcohol company erected an msultistory tall molasses storage tank in Boston's North End. The poorly constructed tank gave way pooring a fast moving wall of molasses onto the heavily populated streets. The first third of the book provides background and context. The middle third looks at the actual flood, rescue efforts and people involved. The final third focuses on the resulting trial and legal wranglings. The author had access to the actual court documents, deposition transcripts, etc.

William Martin's Cape Cod is a nice beach read in the "intertwined histories of two families over multiple generations and centuries" vein . . . a bit like something by Edward Rutherfurd on a smaller canvas. It has a mystery element, but (as in Martin's Back Bay and Harvard Yard, both set in the city) it's a treasure hunt rather than a whodunnit . . .

If you ever decide to switch to mysteries Philip Craig writes easy reading stories about the Vineyard.

I really enjoyed Susanna Sturgis' The Mud of the Place which is set on Martha's Vineyard. There's a mystery to keep the plot going, but it's really about the life of the year-round residents.