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Learn moreBookseller recommendation
“What an unexpected surprise! This debut is a quirky, hilarious, laugh-out-loud read. If you've ever thought about moving to a tiny beach community, make sure to read this first to see what could all go wrong. Castellano's writing style was refreshing and unlike anything I've recently picked up. Recommended for readers who like Maria Semple, Mary Kay Andrews, and stories based in small towns with unpredictable small town drama. ”
— Jenny • E. Shaver, bookseller
GMA BOOK CLUB PICK • ONE OF PEOPLE MAGAZINE'S BEST BOOKS OF SUMMER • An outrageously funny debut novel about a woman who moves to a small beach town looking for peace, only to find herself in an all-out war with her neighbors.
“Irreverent and unexpectedly tender, this story takes neighborhood feuding to new heights and finds beauty and reinvention in unlikely places." —Oprah Daily
"Brings a tongue-in-cheek tone to the beach read genre."—TIME
When Kathleen Deane’s husband, Tom, tells her he's no longer happy with his life and their marriage, Kathleen is confused. They live in Kansas. They’ve been married thirty years. Who said anything about being happy? But with Tom off finding himself, Kathleen starts to think about what she wants. And her thoughts lead her to a small beach community on the east coast, a town called Whitbey that has always looked lovely in the Christmas letters her childhood friend Josie sends every year.
It turns out, though, that life in Whitbey is nothing like Josie’s letters. Kathleen’s new neighbor, Rosemary, is cantankerous, and the town’s supervisor won't return Kathleen’s emails, but worst of all is the Sugar Cube, the monstrosity masquerading as a holiday home that Kathleen’s absentee neighbors are building next door to her quaint (read: tiny) cottage. As Kathleen gets more and more involved in the fight against the Sugar Cube and town politics overall, she realizes that Whitbey may not be a fairytale, but it just might be exactly what she needed.
Save What’s Left can best be described as the “un-beach read.” It pulls back the curtain on life in a beach town, revealing the true cost of a pretty view. Told from the candid and irreverent perspective of a newcomer turned local, this is a story of forgiveness, fortitude, and second chances.
ELIZABETH CASTELLANO grew up in a beach town. She lives in New York. Save What's Left is her debut novel.
Reviews
ONE OF PEOPLE MAGAZINE'S BEST BOOKS OF SUMMER • A MOST ANTICIPATED BOOK: Today.com, The Skimm, Southern Living, She Reads, Good Housekeeping • A MUST READ BOOK: New York Post, USA Today"Irreverent and unexpectedly tender, this story takes neighborhood feuding to new heights and finds beauty and reinvention in unlikely places. A wickedly funny debut."
—Oprah Daily
"When her marriage goes bust, Kathleen heads for Long Island, where the challenges of owning a beach house—okay, a converted oyster shack—fuel a series of unfortunate, yet absolutely hilarious, events."
—People
"With its wisecracking protagonist—Kathleen Deane, still reeling from her husband Tom’s declaration that he was unhappy with their Kansas life and marriage—Save What’s Left brings a tongue-in-cheek tone to the beach read genre."
—TIME
"Debut novelist Elizabeth Castellano has a fresh, funny new voice."
—Katie Couric Media
"You’ll laugh out loud as [Kathleen] goes to war against the development (and her neighbors), and cheer her on as she figures out just what she needs."
—The Skimm
"In this hilarious farce, we realize that paradise really is anything but when you actually live there."
—Good Housekeeping
"Don't miss this hilarious sendup of beach town politics."
—Newsday
"The novel walks the line between funny and outright wacky, and Kathleen's battles will resonate with any homeowner."
—the Star Tribune
"Devilishly astute."
—East End Beacon
"I loved every page of Save What’s Left—this voice, this eye, this story, its originality and wit, its offbeat social satire, its loopy cynicism, and a whole town’s good intentions gone awry. Fighting city hall has never been so delicious. Brava, Elizabeth Castellano. I can’t wait for your next book."
—Elinor Lipman, author of Ms. Demeanor
"Save What’s Left is an absolute delight. It’s laugh out loud funny and full of heart. I loved it."
—J. Courtney Sullivan, New York Times bestselling author of Friends and Strangers
"Laugh-out-loud funny, Save What’s Left is a novel about life in a town that makes the perfect escape."
—Today.com
"Castellano's wickedly funny debut unfurls in miserable yet gleeful detail the soul-sucking nightmare of owning a house on the Long Island oceanfront. . . . Clearly, the key requirement for successful beach house ownership is a (possibly illegal) sense of humor. Bring it on!"
—Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
"Castellano turns the beach-read genre on its head in her clever debut. . . . Kathleen’s character and worldview are impeccably drawn, thanks to Castellano’s idiosyncratic and assured voice. This witty send-up is a winner."
—Publishers Weekly Expand reviews