Fellowship Point: A Novel

Let me say right out, I am a restless reader who routinely abandons well written books that don't engage me, or hi octane not-so-well-written books that grab my attention temporarily merely the way a car accident does. FELLOWSHIP POINT got me and held me. It is a story of a believable and deep friendship between two women--very different from one another, both flawed, both still wrestling with life, their pasts, their present and their awareness of a limited future but a future they intend to live fully. I loved Alice Elliott Dark's humor, her mastery of omniscient narration for TWO characters (not one, which is pretty unusual), plus her her warts-and-all approach to character, her plot surprises, the allusions to real life and real literature, and the way unbidden thoughts come to her characters, as they do for all of us, and her inclusion of intergenerational friendship, which most writers overlook, though I imagine they such friendships play a part in the lives of most of us. Reading the novel was entering a universe, and so the storyline and the characters stayed with me even when I was off living my daily life. Apparently the book took Dark a couple of decades--not a surprise, given the emotional and narrative archeology of the book. I loved it and won't forget Agnes or Polly or Maud either. The only thing that made me stop and wonder in a way that took me away from the text is why Dark spelled glamour as "glamor". Anyone know?

Like Agnes and Polly, I too am in my early 80s and my closest friend has been my confidante and comforter since grade school. Therefore, I recognized and empathized with Agnes and Polly's comments and concerns about aging and their occasionally difficult relationship. The writing style was beautiful. The plot has been discussed in many other reviews. Therefore, I'll confine my comments to the ending while trying to be nonspecific enough to avoid a spoiler. Alas, the final 50 or so pages regarding Agnes, Polly, and Nan were so impossible to believe that it seemed as if a different author (most likeLy one from Hallmark) had been hired to write them. No way could this have happened! The ending was almost an affront to an intelligent reader.

I’ll admit, I found the first half of Alice Elliot Dark’s “Fellowship Point” a task that I had to push through—but my instinct told me to persevere, and the payoff was greatly rewarding and even empowering. I’ve read close to thirty novels this year, all of them literary, but I would consider “Fellowships Point” in my top two favorite. I’m not going to write a summary of the novel—others have don’t that here and you can read the synopsis in the book’s description. With that said, I encourage you to read this extraordinary work; stay with it because everything ties together in a beautiful climax and conclusion. “Fellowship Point” has inspired me to write, to value friendships and family, and to respect the natural beauty of this world.

I read a great many books. I studied "reading and writing". I have been published. I am now fantasizing about sitting at the feet of Alice Elliott Dark and learning how in the world she made this book and its characters temporarily more vital and engaging than the people around me! I was completely absorbed in the story of this decades-long friendship lived on this centuries-old land that they shared. It is a masterwork in structure and character development. Bottom line? A stunning plot, crafted with beauty and honesty. I usually respond to books with my mind, but this one engaged my mind and an entire spectrum of emotions. It is possibly trite to simply say that "I didn't want it to end." And yet, it is the truth.

It’s hard to assign the right number of stars to this novel. For starters, the writing is outstanding. This is one of those rare books where the sheer beauty of the language will cause the reader to pause and reread a passage, just to savor the author’s skill. In addition, it’s very gratifying to read a story about two women in their senior years—lifelong best friends Agnes and Polly—who are living meaningful, active, fun, and interesting lives with their friends and families, and who both have rich inner lives. Sadly, all this potential for a powerful novel is lost in the morass of the plot. The novel begins very tediously; so slowly in fact that I came very close to giving up on it. It then picked up the pace and became interesting in the middle, bogged down again at the end, and worst of all, pulled several astonishing rabbits out of the hat in the last 50 pages to wind everything up in an improbably happy ending. The most serious narrative misstep happens when Agnes, writing in a journal fashioned as a letter to her deceased sister, mentions in passing that decades ago she was accidentally responsible for the deaths of two people. The author has us peering over Agnes’s shoulder for the entire book; it’s incomprehensible that Agnes seemingly isn’t the least bit bothered by this incident. Polly finds out about it decades later, telling Agnes she isn’t to blame. And so? This is one of those instances where I’d love to sit down with the author and discuss why she even bothered including this truly shocking twist in the story, only to attribute so little impact to it in the life of a central character. Regretfully, I can’t say I’d recommend this book despite its masterful writing. There’s just way too much to shovel out of the way before you find the rare and elusive ponies.

A deeply satisfying novel graced with crystalline prose, richly-drawn characters, a compelling plot, and gratifying consideration of life’s meaning by the narrator, an extraordinary woman writer struggling to complete her final novel. Among the many themes so beautifully examined in this novel is the complexity and transcendent beauty of the bonds between our closest friends and family. This is a contemplative novel to savor slowly and thoughtfully.

Though not one I would've chosen if not for my book club, I am glad I read it. It was quite a journey for Fellowship Point and those who loved the place .

Characters are real, well-developed, setting is perfect...one of my favourites!

状態もきれいで予告通りに届きました。

The diaries went way too long..I found some very boring.

著者は巻末の Acknowledgement を、次のように締めくくっている。 As a child I learned that I lived on land where indigenous peoples had lived for hundreds of years. I never stopped thinking about this and wondering what to do about it. The question found its way into this novel. I hope we all find a just answer. アメリカ、Maine 州 の北部の半島 Cape Deel に Fellowship Point と呼ばれる地域がある。森林や海岸地帯が昔ながらの自然のままに残されている景勝地だ。数軒の cottage は、先祖代々移り住んできた人々の自然と共生する安らぎの場所でもある。物語は2000年 〜 2003年、80歳を超えて、一帯を観光のために開発しようとする者たちに対抗して、この地をトラストに委ねようとする Agnes と Polly を中心に始まる。 Agnes は1人暮らし、祖父や父親から受けついできた敬虔なクエーカー教徒であり、著名な絵本作家として名を馳せ、一方では誰にも明かすことのないペンネームで大人向けの小説も書き続けている。時折、1960年代の彼女の秘密が、亡き妹への手紙という形で描かれる。ある日突然彼女の静かな生活の中に入り込んできた Virgil と幼い娘 Nan。Virgil も writer だった。Agnes は放浪の父娘に温かく接するうちに、やがて愛が芽生えたかに思われたが ～。 Polly は大学教授で哲学者の Dick と結婚し、3人の息子がいて、待ち望んでいた女の子を幼くして亡くしたことから心の奥底に悲しみを湛えてはいるが、裕福で家族を大切に暮らしている。 2人はそれぞれフィラデルフィアに住居を持つが、Cape Deel での日々と Fellowship Point をこよなく愛し、一時期断絶があったものの、生涯の親友であった。The best mirror is an old friend. 〈George Hervert〉と、Epigraph にある。 Cottage での暮らしには、近隣の他の人たちのゴシップや、Polly の成長した息子たちとの確執、使用人の Robert への信頼や慈しみ、友情など、様々な物語が紡がれる。 そして Agnes の編集者であり、精神を病んだ母親 Heidi に寄り添い、幼い娘 Clemmie を育てるシングルマザーの Maud が重要な立ち位置にいる。あるとき Agnes は幼い Clemmie に Nan の面影を感じて ～。 それぞれのエピソードが美しい自然とともに情感豊かに描かれ、感動的で惹きこまれる。とりわけ2008年の最終章で Agnes が亡き友に語りかけるところは、深い意味合いが感じられて、心に響く。 アメリカの先住民に関することがらも知ることが出来た。Wabanaki という種族についても。 人種差別とともにアメリカが今なお歴史的に抱えてきている課題であろう。