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mbenzz's review against another edition
1.0
What a disgusting piece of garbage. The ONLY reason I read/skimmed through to the ending was to see what became of this miserable couple.
Henry and Effie are on their honeymoon in Cape May. WHY Effie chose to go in the off-season, one will never know, but the place is deserted. They meet another couple, Max and Clara, and Max's younger sister Alma. Clara is wild and over-the-top, and always drunk. She openly has many affairs (Max being one of them) behind her much older husbands back.
Alma is more reserved, but also incredibly flawed (I think the author was trying to paint her as sympathetic and damaged, but she just comes of as snotty and entitled).
What follows is a very boring, then very sexually graphic account of how Henry and Effie continue to make poor decision after poor decision. Henry is a full on piece-of-shit. He's a disgusting sex-addict who has zero regard for the feelings and well-being of his wife, and Effie is no better for staying with him.
I get that the times were different in 1957, and given the condition she found herself in after the honeymoon, leaving him wasn't an option, but that just made the story even more depressing. The final chapter is an epilogue of sorts that quickly goes over the whole of Henry and Effie's life together.
Basically, they were absolutely miserable with one another, and neither of them remand faithful.
What a total waste. All of it. Waste of a marriage, waste of good paper and, most importantly...
WASTE OF MY TIME.
I will never understand all the glowing reviews this book received before it was published. This is one of the worst books I have ever read.
Henry and Effie are on their honeymoon in Cape May. WHY Effie chose to go in the off-season, one will never know, but the place is deserted. They meet another couple, Max and Clara, and Max's younger sister Alma. Clara is wild and over-the-top, and always drunk. She openly has many affairs (Max being one of them) behind her much older husbands back.
Alma is more reserved, but also incredibly flawed (I think the author was trying to paint her as sympathetic and damaged, but she just comes of as snotty and entitled).
What follows is a very boring, then very sexually graphic account of how Henry and Effie continue to make poor decision after poor decision. Henry is a full on piece-of-shit. He's a disgusting sex-addict who has zero regard for the feelings and well-being of his wife, and Effie is no better for staying with him.
I get that the times were different in 1957, and given the condition she found herself in after the honeymoon, leaving him wasn't an option, but that just made the story even more depressing. The final chapter is an epilogue of sorts that quickly goes over the whole of Henry and Effie's life together.
Basically, they were absolutely miserable with one another, and neither of them remand faithful.
What a total waste. All of it. Waste of a marriage, waste of good paper and, most importantly...
WASTE OF MY TIME.
I will never understand all the glowing reviews this book received before it was published. This is one of the worst books I have ever read.
chrissip184's review against another edition
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
j3rkin's review against another edition
1.0
I should have been wary of the “recommended by Women’s Day readers” sticker when I picked this book up. It’s got some spicy scenes that are definitely on the milder side, but overall this is not what I expected when I saw the cover and read 1/2 of the blurb on the back. I’m giving it one star, because it really wasn’t the book for me… If you’re in to this kind of thing, and enjoy reading Women’s Day, this could be you’re thing?
deanab's review against another edition
2.0
1950’s Cape May, a couple enjoying their honeymoon. Couldn’t wait to read this as the setting is practically in my backyard. However, this book, mostly filled with graphic scenes of sex, could have taken place anywhere. Very little reference to the setting. I only gave it 2 stars because I really enjoyed the ending. There was so much more detail and interesting facts about the main characters in those last pages than in the entire story. If you are looking for a love story with maybe some intrigues that takes place in Cape May, this probably isn’t it.
lilianmelanie's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
laura_storyteller's review against another edition
challenging
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
novelvisits's review against another edition
4.0
{My Thoughts}
What Worked For Me
Naiveté that Fit the Era – Cape May tells the story of Effie and Henry a very young couple on their honeymoon in a largely deserted beach town. It’s September of 1957 and the two are just as you might expect a pair of recent high school graduates from a small town to be. They know little of the world, little of themselves and even less of each other. But, they’re not afraid to explore what’s out there. Effie spent summers in Cape May and is eager to share her love of the resort town with Henry who is on his very first foray outside of Georgia. After the awkwardness of their first sexual encounter, the two venture forward with gusto and find desire is something they share. They also find that they have little to say to each other. This is a couple who got married not for great love, but because it seemed the next thing in life to do. With long empty days, the stress of being always alone nearly sends them home early, until one evening they stumble upon a raucous party right down the street. With just a little convincing, these two naïve southerners quickly find themselves swept up in a world they never could have imagined.
The Rich Behaving Badly – What’s more fun than the very wealthy throwing caution to the wind and kicking up their heels in high style? Chip Creek did this so well with his characters, Clara, Max and Alma. This little pack fills their days and nights with pitchers of gin and tonics, boating, music, dancing, games, and laughter, only sleeping when they can absolutely carry on no longer. After days of boredom and loneliness, Effie and Henry are thrilled to be included in the carefree world of their newly found friends and are quickly up to speed with the others. Even the affair going on between Clara and Max only scandalizes the two for a short time. Quiet, loner, secretive Alma, the enigma in the group, completely mesmerizes Henry. This is a whole new world for Henry and Effie and they love it! Returning to Georgia begins to look pretty dull.
Lost Innocence – As one might expect, playing hard and pitchers of G & T’s day after day can lead to some ill-advised choices. Clara and Max are accustomed to bending the rules for their own pleasure, but for Effie and Henry it’s a whole new game. I enjoyed watching the rapid dissolution of this couple’s moral compasses. With the freedom of no one looking over their shoulders combined with a vast menu of new experiences, their world naturally expanded with sometimes shocking results.
“He was at the top of a hill, where he could see his past, present, and all of his futures, and every future was real, because he had not chosen any one. He would have to choose at some point, he knew, but for now they were all arrayed before him, so present he almost felt like he could touch them.”
What Didn’t
A Bit One Sided – Though using third-person, Chip Cheek chose to tell his story from the perspective of Henry. For me this did a disservice to Effie, whom I would have liked to know a little more about. Her changes were perhaps even more interesting than Henry’s, but as a reader I was too often left wondering what she was really thinking and why she made certain decisions. I also found her treatment at the very end of the book a little harsh and perhaps not fair.
{The Final Assessment}
Overall, I enjoyed Cape May very much, though there weren’t many layers to it. It was a simple story of an ill-planned vacation that turned a honeymoon awry, but it was fun to watch all the crazy goings on. I’d have liked to see the end tied up a little differently, but even with that I think Cape May will make a great light summer read for your own beach vacation. Grade: B
Note: I received a copy of this book from Celadon Books and NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.
For more reviews & bookish news: https://novelvisits.com/
What Worked For Me
Naiveté that Fit the Era – Cape May tells the story of Effie and Henry a very young couple on their honeymoon in a largely deserted beach town. It’s September of 1957 and the two are just as you might expect a pair of recent high school graduates from a small town to be. They know little of the world, little of themselves and even less of each other. But, they’re not afraid to explore what’s out there. Effie spent summers in Cape May and is eager to share her love of the resort town with Henry who is on his very first foray outside of Georgia. After the awkwardness of their first sexual encounter, the two venture forward with gusto and find desire is something they share. They also find that they have little to say to each other. This is a couple who got married not for great love, but because it seemed the next thing in life to do. With long empty days, the stress of being always alone nearly sends them home early, until one evening they stumble upon a raucous party right down the street. With just a little convincing, these two naïve southerners quickly find themselves swept up in a world they never could have imagined.
The Rich Behaving Badly – What’s more fun than the very wealthy throwing caution to the wind and kicking up their heels in high style? Chip Creek did this so well with his characters, Clara, Max and Alma. This little pack fills their days and nights with pitchers of gin and tonics, boating, music, dancing, games, and laughter, only sleeping when they can absolutely carry on no longer. After days of boredom and loneliness, Effie and Henry are thrilled to be included in the carefree world of their newly found friends and are quickly up to speed with the others. Even the affair going on between Clara and Max only scandalizes the two for a short time. Quiet, loner, secretive Alma, the enigma in the group, completely mesmerizes Henry. This is a whole new world for Henry and Effie and they love it! Returning to Georgia begins to look pretty dull.
Lost Innocence – As one might expect, playing hard and pitchers of G & T’s day after day can lead to some ill-advised choices. Clara and Max are accustomed to bending the rules for their own pleasure, but for Effie and Henry it’s a whole new game. I enjoyed watching the rapid dissolution of this couple’s moral compasses. With the freedom of no one looking over their shoulders combined with a vast menu of new experiences, their world naturally expanded with sometimes shocking results.
“He was at the top of a hill, where he could see his past, present, and all of his futures, and every future was real, because he had not chosen any one. He would have to choose at some point, he knew, but for now they were all arrayed before him, so present he almost felt like he could touch them.”
What Didn’t
A Bit One Sided – Though using third-person, Chip Cheek chose to tell his story from the perspective of Henry. For me this did a disservice to Effie, whom I would have liked to know a little more about. Her changes were perhaps even more interesting than Henry’s, but as a reader I was too often left wondering what she was really thinking and why she made certain decisions. I also found her treatment at the very end of the book a little harsh and perhaps not fair.
{The Final Assessment}
Overall, I enjoyed Cape May very much, though there weren’t many layers to it. It was a simple story of an ill-planned vacation that turned a honeymoon awry, but it was fun to watch all the crazy goings on. I’d have liked to see the end tied up a little differently, but even with that I think Cape May will make a great light summer read for your own beach vacation. Grade: B
Note: I received a copy of this book from Celadon Books and NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.
For more reviews & bookish news: https://novelvisits.com/
jshina's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0