A whimsical, moving novel about a retirement home for literary legends who spar, conjure up new stories, and almost magically change the lives of the people around them.
Alfonse Carducci was a literary giant who lived his life to excess—lovers, alcohol, parties, and literary rivalries. But now he’s come to the Bar Harbor Home for the Elderly to spend the remainder of his days among kindred … kindred spirits: the publishing industry’s nearly gone but never forgotten greats. Only now, at the end of his life, does he comprehend the price of appeasing every desire, and the consequences of forsaking love to pursue greatness. For Alfonse has an unshakeable case of writer’s block that distresses him much more than his precarious health.
Set on the water in one of New England’s most beautiful locales, the Bar Harbor Home was established specifically for elderly writers needing a place to live out their golden years—or final days—in understated luxury and surrounded by congenial literary company. A faithful staff of nurses and orderlies surround the writers, and are drawn into their orbit, as they are forced to reckon with their own life stories. Among them are Cecibel Bringer, a young woman who knows first-hand the cost of chasing excess. A terrible accident destroyed her face and her sister in a split-second decision that Cecibel can never forgive, though she has tried to forget. Living quietly as an orderly, refusing to risk again the cost of love, Cecibel never anticipated the impact of meeting her favorite writer, Alfonse Carducci—or the effect he would have on her existence. In Cecibel, Alfonse finds a muse who returns him to the passion he thought he lost. As the words flow from him, weaving a tale taken up by the other residents of the Pen, Cecibel is reawakened to the idea of love and forgiveness.
As the edges between story and reality blur, a world within a world is created. It’s a place where the old are made young, the damaged are made whole, and anything is possible….
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I absolutely loved this book, from the beginning to the end. Actually I didn’t want it to end. It’s two amazing books in one; 1. the life of the authors who are ending their days at the Retirement Home and 2. a beautiful story being written real-time by 3 of those authors. The staff at the retirement home are featured in this wonderful novel and are pivotal to the entire story. The fact that the novel is based in Bar Harbor, Maine was what got my attention originally, but the story hooked me.
I highly recommend this novel.
Beautifully written, charming, engaging, whimsical, the reader often needs to suspend belief to willingly step into this world within a world within a world. Realistic? Sometimes. Believable? Always! The author has created a story with characters who love and support one another through the most trying time of their lives. Our hearts accept the sorrows and misgivings that our left-brained heads dismiss. Set in Bar Harbor, Maine during the 1990s, we meet Cecibel (the Muse), Alfonse (the celebrity author) and a cast of characters right out of a Hollywood movie. These characters draw one another out, ignore limitations and flaws, encourage and support, and give unconditional love during a time of great vulnerability. Accepting each other’s quirks and checkered pasts, this retirement home is a place of positivity and love. No need to apologize for being you. It is a place to blossom and create, to cooperate and respect, to allow and accept.
Young, beautiful Cecibel works as an orderly. Half of her face is horribly disfigured by fire, so she uses her hair to keep that part of herself hidden from the world. Elderly, larger than life author Alfonse, comes to this special place to live out the short time left of his life. We meet famous authors Olivia and Raymond, editor Judith, social misfits, orderlies Sal and Finlay, and kind, welcoming director Dr. Kintz, who conspire to make one another happy in this world within a world.
The acclaimed authors decide to write a book set in New Jersey of the 1950s where each one adds a chapter based on what’s already been written, thereby changing the flow of events so the next alternate writer must re-think the plot to keep the story going. Sub-plot characters Cecily, Aldo, Enzo and Tressa plot, scheme, and lie to achieve their ends and maintain their dreams. As in real life, this love triangle, a metaphor for the authors’ lives, twists and turns as each creator (author) envisions a different outcome, but finds themselves at a loss to demand that the other authors abide by their personal vision. As in real life, someone always comes along to throw a wrench in the works, changing the outcome, sometimes for the better, sometimes not. This cooperative effort gives each one a reason to get up in the morning. The whole is equal to the sum of its parts. The result is bigger and better, different from what was originally envisioned, but richer for the contributions of each influencer.
Authors struggle to make the abstract real—to communicate the truth with its nuances and emotions. This is the truth about writers as expressed by the author through Alfonse’s voice, “He couldn’t have written the magic of these moments, not if given another century to try. Life could never be contained by words. It could only be expressed to the best of one’s ability, in the hopes of capturing a tiny spark and giving it away.”
In the end, literally and figuratively, Cecibel opens herself to love and life, no longer hiding behind her hair. Alfonse rewards Cecibel, whose saga has evolved into an unforeseen dimension, with personal wealth. Lives are lived in dignity.
My only problem with this book for me, is the ambiguous ending of the love triangle subplot where Tressa brings her niece to the port to meet Aldo’s ship. I hate open-ended conclusions!!! I can’t rant and rave too much without plot spoilers, so I will stop here.
I thought it was excellent.
What a perfect surprise. I’ve never read anything quite like this book. The author provides a clever story line with surprises at every turn. It’s really worth a read. No spoiler alert here …
I enjoyed the story within a story. Good characters. A nice read that stays with you. .
Beautifully written; the characters lives are rich while seemingly deprived. A hard to explain book, but a book to savor. I wasn’t hurrying because I hated the idea of finishing!
Interesting twist on a fictional retirement home for writers. Why are all the mature women the only horney ones in books?
This wonderfully entertaining novel is about lived and lost loves among now elderly writers and editors at The Bar Harbor Retirement Home for Famous Writers who happen to be reunited when they come to live out their days there. None of them are actively writing or working any more until one of them, Alfonse, is moved by a muse he discovers in Cecibel Bringer when he, the last of an old order of famous authors moves in to the home. Cecibel is a beautiful and kind but reclusive orderly, whose own past has also left her damaged and full of painful regret. Alfonse has always been her favorite and most admired author, and the two strike up a touching relationship. Alfonse is inspired to begin a story–which becomes a novel within the novel–as other famous authors begin passing the notebook between them to add chapters, even as their own lives deline. The story within the story mirrors some of the aged authors’ past in that it is one of youthful rapture and suffering, unbearable choices, heartbreaking losses. The writing in this novel is as lush and passionate as the stories themselves. A creative, original, enjoyable romance with an unexpected ending.
I’m never sure about 5-stars, but I couldn’t NOT rate that with this book. DeFino puts you right into the struggles of the protagonist and conflicts with other characters. The flawed characters (because, hey, nobody’s perfect) are so real as is the setting. You feel as if you’re there as a resident in the home and in the Bar Harbor area with the scenes so vivid. I learned of this book and thought it sounded fascinating. And that, it is.
I’m not sure I have ever read anything quite like this book, but I enjoyed it immensely! The characters were painfully human and typically flawed, yet likable. The story was bittersweet. I thoroughly enjoyed it and absolutely recommend it!
Lovely book with interesting characters.
Hopefully we will, one day, be aged. Reading this book opens a portal into the realm of the aged living in a residential, upscale, institution. It shows how having a purpose in life is so very important. I loved the characters and the premise.
A charming tale about said retirement home, the newest occupant of which is a famous writer named Alfonse Carducci. His biggest fan happens to work there as an orderly. Cecibel Bringer is smart, hardworking, and damaged—both physically and emotionally. Alfonse suffers a supreme case of writer’s block, brought on perhaps by the fact that he is dying. Magically, Cecibel enables him to write again. Three other residents of the Home join forces with Alfonse to write a new novel—two of the others take turns writing from a character’s viewpoint, and the fourth member of the group is a once-famous editor, now in the early stages of Alzheimer’s. The story plays out a bit too leisurely, and the author tends to overuse pet words like “chuffed” (as in, “Alfonse,” she chuffed, “I know you can do better.”) Overall, however, this is an enchanting story about relationships and the healing power of love.
One of the best books I have ever read. Anyone who love to write can easily envision this retirement home and wish that it was a real option for their golden years.
a good read
I loved this book! The idea, the plot and the characters were all spot-on!
I loved the premise of this book and was prepared to fully enjoy being a fly on the wall in the fabulous retirement “home” for people with writing or publishing talent. I felt let down, however. I wasn’t able to feel or identify with these characters. I was disappointed, though I’m sure many others wouldn’t be.
I loved this book. It had me laughing and crying. I was drained and sad when it ended. I grew attached to the characters. I wanted more.
The book was an original concept. I found the characters realistic and bizarre. I enjoy that.
I enjoyed this book so much … such lovely elderly characters.