From the author of The Salt House and This Is Home comes a profound novel about the power of community and a small town’s long-buried secrets as a group of New England islanders come together for a recently orphaned girl. On Ichabod Island, a jagged strip of land thirteen miles off the coast of Massachusetts, ten-year-old Sky becomes an orphan for the second time after a tragic accident claims … second time after a tragic accident claims the lives of her adoptive parents.
Grieving the death of his best friends, Leo’s life is turned upside down when he finds himself the guardian of young Sky. Back on the island and struggling to balance his new responsibilities and his marriage to his husband, Leo is supported by a powerful community of neighbors, many of them harboring secrets of their own.
Maggie, who helps with Sky’s childcare, has hit a breaking point with her police chief husband, who becomes embroiled in a local scandal. Her best friend Agnes, the island busybody, invites Sky’s estranged grandmother to stay for the summer, straining already precarious relationships. Their neighbor Joe struggles with whether to tell all was not well in Sky’s house in the months leading up to the accident. And among them all is a mysterious woman, drawn to Ichabod to fulfill a dying wish.
Perfect for fans of Celeste Ng and Ann Leary, My Kind of People is a riveting, impassioned novel about the resilience of community and what connects us all in the face of tragedy.
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My Kind of People is a beautifully written novel full of all of my favorite things. I love it when a location is so real and vibrant that it becomes a character in its own right, and as the inhabitants of Ichabod Island rally around a twice-orphaned child, the island itself definitely plays a role. While there is a mystery playing out that keeps the pages turning, this novel is fueled by a wonderfully diverse and lovable cast of characters. As in real life, the story holds tragedy, hope, love lost and love found, personal crisis and growth, laughter, tears, rivalry and loyalty, and triumph.
I loved this book so much that I went and bought the author’s other 2 novels. I think I discovered a new favorite writer!
I left a review on Amazon and on my IG.
This is the third book I’ve read by Lisa Duffy and I really believe her books just get better and better. This is another book that I found myself completely captivated with right now…another book that just fed my soul and I think that right now these are the types of books that I need.
This book will push all your emotions and I loved that. The different characters go through a range of emotions throughout this book and I could feel that coming off the pages. It always amazes me that an author can evoke such strong ranges of emotions through the written word and Lisa Duffy is clearly a master at this.
I loved the characters, some that I immediately took an instant dislike to but eventually warmed up to, and some I loved right off the bat. Each of these characters had their own challenges they were facing, which makes them all so real and relatable. As we get to know them and understand their challenges, you can’t help feel for them and want to see them find some way to overcome their obstacles.
There are secrets and hot button topics that are featured in this story, but they are not what drive this story. Rather, it is the way the neighborhood comes together to care for and help this little girl who has seen so much upheaval in her short life. It really plays on the adage, “it takes a village” and it is so appropriate here.
This is one of those books that I became so invested in the characters and the story that I did not want it to end. I could not put this book down and enjoyed every minute I spent with these characters. I highly recommend picking up this book – it might be an emotional read, but it was totally worth it!
Sky’s adopted parents have been killed in a tragic car crash. So she is an orphan for a second time. Leo becomes Sky’s guardian. It takes the whole community to come together to help Leo and Sky.
Sky is a child which tore up my heart! She has had such a tragic life but that has not stopped her from being caring, and respectful. Then there is Leo! Oh, what a great guy! He takes Sky in at risk of his marriage and does his best to give her the love she needs. Plus, there is more to Sky’s story than what the reader is lead to believe.
On top of these great characters and this fantastic story is this setting. I had never heard of Ichabod Island but it is now on my bucket list!
To say I loved this book is an understatement! I devoured this story. I read it in one day and I have already purchased Lisa Duffy’s The Salt House.
Need a great summer read…oh my…THIS IS IT!
My Kind of People is Lisa Duffy’s third novel and she continues to be one of my favorite novelists. The author of The Salt House and This Is Home further develops her abilities to pen compelling novels with her third. This book is a beautifully written story about an island, a little girl and the way the adults around her feel, think, grow and interact. Lisa develops her characters in such a way that they become part of your life. The plot makes you anxious to find out what happens. Highly recommend Lisa’s third novel.
Leo comes to Ichabod Island to be the guardian of his best friends ten-year-old daughter after they were killed in a car crash. He comes from busy big town Boston to an island where the neighbors are all in your business, gossip runs wild, people don’t hold their tongues and always know what is best for you, and the place that he was born but never really fit into. But mostly there was a sense of community, of love, and support. The people of Ichabod Island genuinely love Sky and want what was best for her.
The characters are not perfect. There is alcoholism, mental illness, cheating but there is also love, friendships, hope, and family. Each character was likable in their own unique ways, some harder to like than others. They were real, they were true, and they each had their own reasons for being how they were, and I was not the person to judge them. I was curious as to their backstories and where their lives would lead them. There was anticipation with each new chapter as to what mystery would be shared and who it would affect most.
Lisa Duffy is a must-read author. I recommend reading all of her books.
This newest Lisa Duffy dramatic, fictional tale left me in awe; totally captivated by Ichabod Island and it’s inhabitants from beginning to end. I feel honored to have been granted the opportunity to read this stunning book. Duffy intricately weaves this powerful story of friendship, love, grief, and hope through the musings and overturned lives of the fascinating people who find themselves lost and in need of finding themselves on Winding Way.
As I type I smile fondly at the the normal people in this book who find themselves in the most ordinary of real-life circumstances. Events that happen to real people that really are ordinary but to the people for which they’re happening these circumstances are life altering in ways one can’t ever anticipate until they are thrust upon them. It’s a heartbreaking yet uplifting book on how we move forward in life and how we deal with a new normal.
I especially love the story crafting and meticulous plotting of Lisa Duffy. Her writing never becomes tediously invested in mundane details or labors over situations. Her words flow so effortlessly from page to page always taking you forward. This is my second book by this gifted author and the structure always builds upon an air of mystery with her characters. It takes questions of “what if” or “what happened” for the protagonists that propel the story while always letting the unknown linger until the ultimate conflict and resolution. Duffy doesn’t write thrillers or complete mysteries just ordinary people in character driven, drama type stories allowing readers to become fully invested. It grants us intimate access to follow a path of discovery and exponential growth right along with her engaging, eccentric, and sometimes even a little enigmatic characters, both primary and secondary.
My Kind of People is infused with emotion. It’s simply about a group of people and their stories within the confines of their present upturned lives with a beautiful, curious setting that affords readers the chance to get lost within the boundaries of the binding thanks to the thoughtful and gorgeous writing. For lovers of contemporary fiction, this is a book I highly recommend as it’s now one of my 2020 and ultimate favorite stories.
Vacationing on an island usually makes one think that life there must be idyllic, and for the inhabitants of Ichabod Island, off the coast of Massachusetts, life does seem pretty good. Until the unthinkable happens and a much-loved family is torn apart by a strange accident. This loss triggers events that lead to exposed secrets and many changes.
This book took me by surprise. It was so engaging that I read it in one sitting. The story of orphaned Skylar Pope and the people who love her is a sweeping story of family, friendship and love.
I loved the characters! They are very relatable and engaging. There are a few colorful characters thrown in to spice up the story. What story set in a small town doesn’t have at least one quirky or colorful character?
My Kind of People is a well-crafted story; I enjoyed how the point of view toggled between a mysterious voyeur, Sky, and the adults in her life. Ms. Duffy is definitely a skilled storyteller. She set an emotional path of discovery for many of the characters in this book. Even though there is a lot going on in terms of the various issues of the main characters, it is not overwhelming. It feels like a slice of life in a small town; you know a little too much about your neighbors’ business and your circle is small enough that you can easily keep all that juicy gossip straight.
With a plot that flows at a perfect pace, realistic dialogue, and great characterization, there was no way I wasn’t going to fall in love with this uplifting tale. My Kind of People is a small-towns-with-big-secrets story that takes readers from loss and grief to hopeful new beginnings.
#MustRead2020 #FamilyDrama #SmallTownStory
Lisa Duffy, author of “My Kind of People” has written an intriguing, captivating, memorable, emotional, and thought-provoking book. The genres for this book are fiction and women’s fiction. The story takes place in the author’s present and goes back to the past when it pertains to the characters or events. The author describes her characters as complex and complicated. There are secrets that affect people in this story. Some of the characters are very helpful and kind. The story takes place on Ichabod Island, off Massachusetts.
I love the way that Lisa Duffy describes the personalities of her characters and the vivid descriptions of the scenery. The Islanders who live on Ichabod Island are a small diverse community, where everyone seems to know everyone. There are some disagreements and manipulative and nosey people.
A tragedy that cost the lives of a couple leave an orphaned little girl. The will stipulates that Sky, the little girl will only go to Leon as her legal guardian. Leon and his husband are finding difficulties with this arrangement. Most of the small community or neighborhood helps out as much as they can.
The author discusses the importance of a cohesive community, neighborhood, friendships, family, emotional support, and love. I would highly recommend this novel for readers who enjoy a thought-provoking novel.
I was completely swept away and captivated by the story of young Sky and all the people who loved her. This riveting book embodies poignant family drama, with complex characters and a plot that was captivating and unputdownable. My emotions were fully engaged—this is a novel that I read with my heart and soul. I was brought to tears by this profoundly moving novel of resilience and family.
I loved My Kind of People! I treasured getting to know every character. They all felt so real and I got to know them so well that they felt like old friends, especially Sky, Leo and Maggie. Lisa Duffy has a beautiful way of writing about relationships and marriage, the give-and-take of hope, disappointment and competing needs. Each couple (or set of friends) has unique challenges, yet the themes are universal. Being from Massachusetts, I’m partial to New England stories, and this book has a terrific sense of place on Ichabod Island. I was immersed in the neighborhood—for all of the small-town gossip, parties, backyard barbecues, and camaraderie. No spoilers, but the book also has a few surprises in the end which I enjoyed.
This is an awesome novel that is touching and moving. It tells the stories of neighbors who influence each other’s lives while watching out over a young girl. Their stories converge to form a fantastic novel.
What a great read! I had high expectations going into this one because I really enjoyed “This Is Home”. Ms. Duffy has written another wonderfully character driven novel set on an island off of Massachusetts. She does it all right, the atmosphere, the characters, the intricate plotting, I loved it all.
Sky is a precocious ten year old who is trying to figure out what her life will be like now that her parents are both gone, killed in an automobile accident. She was an orphan, adopted as a newborn and no one knows her background, or do they?
Leo has been a friend of Sky’s father since they were young, they both grew up on Ichabod island. Sky has known him all of her life and now her parents have appointed him her legal guardian. He had been living off of the island with his husband but is definitely willing to step up. He loves Sky, he’s just not sure if he will do the right things as a parent. His husband Xavier has no desire to move to the island, the city is his home. Leo goes through a lot of changes throughout the novel, parenting, finding a job he can do from home, living without the husband whom he loves. I enjoyed the way the character evolved.
There is so much going on that I flew through the pages. Maggie, Sky’s neighbor, has been a part of her life growing up. She has two grown sons who are not around and a husband who has already cheated on her once. She is realizing for the first time that she has the ability to change what is making her unhappy. She has always been a good friend to Ann and Brian, Sky’s parents and thinks that Leo will be a great dad.
Agnes is the town historian and into everyone’s business. Her ancestors were some of the first on the island and she’s very proud of that fact. Agnes and Maggie have been friends for 20 plus years but lately Agnes’s opinions are beginning to corrode their friendship.
Joe is a local construction company owner who is sidelined because of a fall. He sees and hears a lot of what is going on in the neighborhood while he is out tending his garden. He seems to be always ready to lend a helping hand and is holding a secret which he’s not sure should be revealed.
Frankie is Sky’s best friend and together they will weather the storm of changes.
Then there is the mystery person, whose thoughts are flowing throughout the book. This person is troubled and ill but has returned to the island for a purpose, we will find out what that is.
Whew, I’m ranting, but the characters have embedded themselves in my mind and this is one of those books that I just didn’t want to end. I found the characters to be believable and well developed and I found myself rooting for them all. In this case a community really is ready to help raise a child — Sky.
I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a well written drama. Small towns often hold big secrets!
I received an ARC of this novel from the publisher through Edelweiss.
The novel is set to publish on May 12, 2020, watch for it!