The Gin & Chowder Club by Nan Rossiter
The Gin & Chowder Club by Nan Rossiter
paperback 275 pages
published by Kensington June 2011
ISBN-13: 9780758246677
This book was an Unputdownables Early Reader Group choice.
Type: {Commuter Read: format lends easily to starting/ stopping.}
Rating: {I’m Lovin’ It: Very entertaining!}
Why You’re Reading It:
- You love Cape Cod.
- You’re looking for an original story.
- You want a page-turner that you can escape into.
What I Thought:
The Gin & Chowder Club is a complex and original story that is an incredibly quick read. Nan Rossiter is a master of description and has a gift for making the reader feel as if they are in the story. I am eager to get across the country for a better look at Cape Cod now! The two families that are featured in this book are so real that you feel as if you know them (yet you would never wish their situation on anyone you actually do know). A story that doesn’t give us a clear hero or villain, it lends itself to be a good book for discussions. Each of the main characters have been written with strengths and flaws alike. The Christian faith plays a bigger role in this book than I was expecting (or perhaps usually care for), but Rossiter has incorporated the realness of humanity by weighing faith against life. What happens when someone who has been raised to be a good Christian, Ivy League young man of 1961 (complete with shaking his father’s hand instead of hugging, being ultra respectful of his mother, being chummy with his father’s friends, and donning the required Cape Cod wardrobe of polos and khakis with his tan — think the Kennedy clan here), ends up having an affair with the wife of one of his father’s best friends?
As he struggles between the new found feelings of his own manhood versus the Christian teachings his mother instilled in him in his boyhood, readers are able to get to know Asa in an intimate way. It was easy for me to connect with Asa; bookish and less social than his older brother. He chooses who he loves carefully and isn’t someone who dates around, which makes his relationship with Noelle that much more intense. His struggle to do the right thing is often overshadowed by his human desire to have what he wants, a battle most of us are familiar with.
Added bonuses are sprinkled throughout the book. Dog lovers will fall in love with Martha, who will remind many of their childhood four legged friends. And book lovers will fall in love with the way Rossiter references books and poets… each time she slips in a literary reference it feels like a little secret gift to the reader. As much as I would have loved to have seen some of these characters fleshed out even more, the length was perfect and the reading was good; trying to stretch it out wouldn’t have served the plot and, as much as I love knowing about characters, I enjoy a moving plot line. The first half of the book is a nice set up, and the second half flies by!
Those of you posting your Early Readers Group review: If there are spoilers in your review, please make sure to mark, Spoiler Alert!, or something to that effect, at the top of your review. Thanks!
Early Reader Review by Kim
The Gin and Chowder Club is Nan Rossiter’s first book. She is the author of a number of children’s books, including Rugby & Rosie and Sugar on Snow. The Gin and Chowder Club explores the complexity of relationships throughout different life stages.
From the title and the cover, I was expecting a book similar to The Jane Austen Book Club, where people experience life events told through gatherings. I was quite surprised when, a few chapters in, a secret affair between an “older” married woman, Noelle, and a young college bound student, Asa, becomes the centerpiece of the novel.
I found the Gin and Chowder Club to be very readable. The chapters are generally short and the story-line moves along. With deftness, the author takes on large themes such as love, infidelity, family relationships, forgiveness and spirituality.
I believe the development of the characters could have been stronger. In particular, the reader is left guessing about the issues between Noelle and her husband, Nate—issues which led her to allow for an intimate relationship with a young man she had watched grow up. However, the author is at her best in the development of Asa and her description of the feelings of first love.
Overall, The Gin and Chowder Club is a nostalgic read, perfect for vacation.
Thanks for the review, Kim! Glad it entertained you.
It was a nostalgic read (that’s the perfect word). Even the way she wrote Asa’s memories felt sweetly nostalgic to me (especially the ones about Annie!). I read your other comment about the books (below), I haven’t read some of the ones she mentioned and it makes me want to read them now!
The Gin and Chowder Club is a perfect light summer reading and it is well written. However, I think the plot had the potential to go further, the story could have been more catchy and that the characters were too passive.
The narrative is set in the 60s and it tells us the story of two people who felt in love and who decided to challenge their personal believes. Asa was a young man who had a crush on a woman about 15 y older than him, Noelle, and who was married to a dear family friend, Nate. She approached him first because of her maternal unfilled instincts but eventually their intellectual complicity led to a forbidden love. The plot is not really original, but could have been explored differently. I have missed fire and passion, suspicion and real guilt. It was all there, but raw, not marinated: the feelings and consequences were not really a surprise. The strong moral and religious values, stated over and over again in order to excuse the main characters behavior (yes, we really understood they were fine people and did not mean to hurt anyone on purpose), did not add up anything useful to the story. And the fantastic scenery… so unexplored, why?
Nevertheless, this is a relaxing fiction book, that allows the mind to escape everyday life problems and work issues. The writing technique is definitely there. So I honestly hope the next book will allow the author to further explore human nature and the intensity of her characters feelings.
Amazon review: http://www.amazon.com/review/RLSD1WXA5F8P7/ref=cm_cr_rdp_perm
Thanks for the review! Sounds like there was a mixture of good and bad in there for you, but overall you were entertained. Thanks for reading along and giving it a shot!
I would call this Christian fiction. Way too many Bible passages, prayer and the story focusing on a family that was very religious. AND they are quite the lushes, with drinking a strong thread throughout the entire story. And on top of that a high school senior having a summer affair with a married woman. The cover of the book drew me in and the location was also a summer draw. I am not religious and I don’t drink. I just thought everything around this story was too contradictive.
Thanks for the review, Kathryn! I’m sorry this one wasn’t to your liking. That happens. Thanks for giving it a try, though.
I’m sort of surprised over some of the reviews I’ve read as part of this club. Some really didn’t like it. Although I felt completely different when I finished the book, they brought up some issues that I never even noticed. I guess this might be one of those books that either strikes you or not.. for me, I really enjoyed it.
I noticed some of the things that are being mentioned, but it didn’t distract me enough to make me not enjoy the book. The rich descriptions, the pace of the story, and many of the characters hooked me. I liked your review of it — in particular the point that you made about how this story worked so much better in the 1960′s than it would today. Like you said, the charm would have been lost with texting and e-mails, etc.
Yes, the references to books that were contemporary to the time period of Gin and Chowder and are now modern classics was great. It made me remember being a teenager myself–back when I had lots of time to read and I had parents taking care of the house! I miss the days of devouring classics and Gin and Chowder brought me back to that time and made me remember books I haven’t thought of in years!
Early Review by Sally
The Gin and Chowder Club is an easy, quick, and light summer read. I live in NYC and I read the whole book while on the train and it definitely made my commute fly by. For the most part, the book held my attention throughout and I was genuinely intrigued about what would happen at the end.
I enjoyed the Cape Cod setting immensely and the detailed descriptions definitely made me want to visit. I also liked the book/reading motif that was threaded throughout the story. As a passionate reader, I am always eager to hear about (even fictional) people’s opinions on books! I had less positive feelings about the characters though. I think the premise was extremely interesting: a straight-laced, religious college student has an affair with an upstanding family friend’s wife. However the characters often came across as unrealistic or a little too wholesome to me. There was a disconnect between Asa and Noelle’s personalities and their actions for me. The author is careful to paint them in a very positive light and yet they do this irredeemable thing. While I think it’s definitely possible for ‘good’ people to do ‘bad’ things, I wanted more of an explanation about their attraction to each other. Part of this might be explained by the fact that the book is set in 1961 and the author was trying to capture a particular time and place (which I think, overall, she is successful in doing,) but at times I thought the tone of the book was mismatched with the plot. I also didn’t love the ending, I felt like it veered into melodrama and that the last few chapters of the book moved much too quickly in comparison to careful plotting of the first 3/4 or so.
All that said, I am happy that I had a chance to read the book and I would recommend it to someone looking for an enjoyable summer read that has more substance than pure chick lit. I also think readers who enjoy stories set in New England should definitely check it out.
Thanks for your review! So funny, because I love that the build up was slow and the conclusion was fast. Isn’t it interesting how the same thing can work so differently for people? I agree — great book to read if you love New England!
Here’s my review: http://abookishaffair.blogspot.com/2011/07/gin-and-chowder-club-by-nan-rossiter.html
Spoiler Alert!
When I first saw this book I thought it would be a nice summer read – a light chick lit type of book. And I was right about it being a light read, however it bordered more toward the Christian lit genre than chick lit. I wasn’t expecting to read a book peppered with religion throughout, which is pretty much what I got. Now, I’m not one to read Christian lit normally, so I’ll admit that my opinion about this book may be skewed – nonetheless, here goes.
This is a book about infidelity and the ways in which it impacts lives. Asa has known Uncle Nate forever and has grown fond of his wife, Noelle (she’s fifteen years younger than Nate and is his second wife – Annie, his first wife passed away years ago). Except, this fondness is starting to turn into lust and well, you can imagine where that takes the story. Noelle kisses Asa (she tells him they are just friends) + Asa can’t get Noelle out of his head = an affair is born. Hearts are broken and a baby is born. Oh, and there is a death, which I’m sure is supposed to tug at your heart strings, but it just made me roll my eyes. Why did I roll my eyes? Because I knew who was going to die and what would happen afterward – it was so obvious! I hate when you already know what is going to happen before it happens – it makes for a boring read.
I admit it – I didn’t really care for the book. The writing was good, but it didn’t really hold my attention. I pretty much read the book in one sitting and found that I was happy when it was finally over. I just felt that the story lacked personality and the characters were cliched. In fact the plot was so unoriginal that I felt like I was re-reading a story. The only things I did like were the book cover (I love hydrangeas) and the bits and bobs that mentioned To Kill A Mockingbird and A Separate Peace – that’s pretty much it. This is not a book I will remember.
Thanks for your review, Nadia. I’m so sorry it was such a bad experience for you. Hope you’ll come by and try again with another book offered — maybe we can find something you’ll love!
A little bit of a spoiler alert****This book is a great beach read, but I also enjoyed it while curled up on the couch with the air conditioner blasting and a gin and tonic beside me. I was, however, having a hard time trying to decide whether I liked this book or not. The author does a great job of placing us within the families. I loved the closeness and happiness there, but then there was the inevitableness of the pending affair. I didn’t want it to happen and kept putting the book down to keep it from happening! I loved the connectedness of the generations and the history of the “Gin & Chowder Club”, however, something was missing. And then I realized it had to do with Noelle’s character. I could understand why Asa was drawn to her – she was beautiful, interested and he was lonely, but why was she drawn to him. We just weren’t given enough to see that happening. I know she fell in love with him, but what ever caused her to look at him that way in the first place? Kudos to Ms. Rossiter for helping us to feel Asa’s broken heart when he returns to school after learning of Noelle’s pregnancy. Anyone who has suffered a severely broken heart could feel his intense agony coming through the pages. I know some have criticized the Bible verses and Christian values portrayed in this book, but as someone hailing from the rural south I can tell you there are still those healthy, stable Christian families out there, you have to look for them and they aren’t perfect, but they are there. I did enjoy this book for the simple reason that sometimes it is just nice to know that love can conquer all and that even a terrible tragedy can have a happy ending. And as a side note: I enjoyed the dog character, Martha. As a lover of old dogs, I loved to see the family’s simple inclusion and accommodations for their old friend.
Thanks for your review, Cynthia! I’m glad you liked it overall. I also wondered why Noelle wanted to be with Asa. I’m a year younger than her character and I can’t imagine wanting an 18 year old. But then I started thinking, I also can’t imagine having an affair — so I guess I was going to have to suspend my reality and suspect she just wanted him because he was sweet and smart (and possibly because he wanted her above all others and she suspected that her husband still wanted Annie above all). I could be totally wrong (and probably am) but that’s how it worked itself out in my head!
Actually this makes a lot of sense. Like Cynthia, I couldn’t totally understand Noelle’s attraction to Asa. I knew it had something to do with her husband being widowed and still having love for Annie, but I really like the way that you described it: he wanted her above all others and her hubs kind of didn’t. I can definitely relate to that.
Noelle also dreamed of having a child…and, sadly, Nate had not been able to make that happen for Annie or Noelle…
(Spoilers) Isn’t the first approach of Noelle to Asa related to David? So she was attracted to him first because of her mother instinct. That’s what I got from the story!
By the way, I’m loving all the opinions and the debate!
That’s funny…I never thought of that. In my mind, Noelle’s attraction to Asa was completely unrelated to David or a mothering instinct!
[SPOILERS] That’s interesting. When I read the dialogue between Noelle and Asa about David I got the impression that as Noelle assumed the role of David’s mother (and suffered with his loss) and because David was about the same age of Asa, her maternal instincts had been the “trigger” of her first approach to young Asa. This was my personal interpretation when I read it.
I’ve been looking forward to today for several weeks! When Wallace invited me to be the inaugural author for the Early Reader Group I was thrilled (what new author wouldn’t be drawn to the possibility of so much publicity?)
Well, the day has finally arrived and I’d like to thank each of you for taking the time to, not only read The Gin & Chowder Club, but also to write a review! This has definitely been a learning experience for me, and although some of the reviews are not as glowing as I was hoping for, I’m thankful for your honesty. To those of you who were disappointed with my first effort, I hope you won’t give up on me! And to those who couldn’t put the book down…well, you guys warm my heart!!!
Thank you especially to Wallace…for everything!
I love the new Unputdownables banner!
Nan, thank you so, so much for being the first brave soul to do this! I really appreciate you giving out 10 (11, counting me) of your books. I also commend you because I can’t imagine how hard it is to put your work out there in the public sphere and have readers give their opinions. I think this is one of the reasons I have yet to finish MY book!
So, again, thank you so much. (And glad you like the new design!)
You’re going to single-handedly be responsible for my Boston?Cape Cod trip reading list. First John Adams, and now this.
Haha… I’m trying.
Have you read Brunonia Barry’s books? They’re set in Salem (just above Boston) also feature the town as a big character. Fun to read if you’re traveling that way.
Those Brunonia Barry books are wonderful and I am from the area, in Salem often, and they are pretty darn on point! Much recommended!
Now I’m going to have to read Brunonia Barry…sounds fun! Let me know if you’d like me to send a copy of G&C before your trip!
Oh my, I started this book on my plane flight from DC to Denver, continued it through the airport in Denver, and then didn’t put it down until I finished the book on the flight from Denver to Montana. What I’m trying to say is that I couldn’t put it down. You have Asa, a young man just on his way to college, falling head over heels for Noelle, a close family friend that he’s pretty much grown up around. It’s definitely intriguing.
Asa seems a little confused. He knows he shouldn’t pursue Noelle but he does. Noelle knows that she has to be the adult in this situation but she’s inexplicably drawn to Asa and doesn’t do anything to stop their torrid love affair. I don’t know if it was just the young man/older woman scenario that made me make this connection but this book definitely has the same flavor as The Graduate. It’s forbidden love and with Asa’s family and Noelle and her husband being so close, both Asa and Noelle know they’re playing with fire.
On one hand, I found myself getting kind of angry about Asa and Noelle not realizing what the potential consequences could be if they got caught. On the other hand, them getting closer to each other seems to have somewhat of an otherworldly pull that you can see how they get so tied up in each other.
Bottom line, this book will keep you reading until you figure everything out. Make sure you set aside a lot of time before sitting down to read this book.
My Review:
4 out of 5 stars
Thanks for your review, Meg! I felt the same way — I read this book in two sittings! Something with the actual physical layout of the chapters made it even more compelling (i.e. something about those short chapter at the end made me compelled to keep turning “just one more” page when I should have been going to bed). Glad you liked the book!
http://www.amazon.com/review/R1SSZOM2EHF37H/ref=cm_cr_rdp_perm – Amazon Review
http://my.barnesandnoble.com/communityportal/review.aspx?reviewid=1735001 – Barnes and Noble.
Wish I would have liked it more =( I had high hopes for this one.
My review of this book is double-edged. First, what I enjoyed about it.
The Gin and Chowder Club began with what a summer read should be. With beautiful descriptions of the Cape, the ocean, good food and strong family relationships I settled down to enjoy a relaxing, idyllic story.
Now, I’ve read books with affairs in them. While I have moral objections to the subject matter I expected to be able to handle it thinking that, typical of this type of literature, a lesson would be learned.
Be careful there are some spoilers ahead.
Instead, what I got was a book that almost bordered on Christian Literature (many verse references, bible passages, a strong church background, pastors daughter (and can I just say I hate that stereotype being one myself), prayer and a Godly home portrayal), but that threw out all of that base groundwork to focus around a story that was so clearly out of character for the people involved.
First, there’s Noelle, a young woman married to a man many years her senior who has absolutely no respect for that man, nor his friendships and is willing to risk it all for a few moments in the sack – and then there’s Asa, a teenager, not even old enough to drink, being given beer and other alcohol freely, being encouraged by this older woman and forsaking his “strong, moral upbringing” with lies, an affair and straying from the path.
I was raised in a strong Christian home. I can tell you right now that it is not normal to do what Asa did and not feel strong, almost crippling guilt – especially considering that special care was made by the author to let us know that the lie he told his mother in one part of the book was the first of its kind. It simply is not that easy to forsake years of training, of examples, of strong, kind fellowship with a close-knit family to do something of this magnitude.
At the end, I felt blase and had a bad taste in my mouth. It seemed to me as if Nan Rossiter tried to go both ways for a novel of this kind – by giving it the gentle, heartwarming ending a summer read book should have, but also the intrigue and carelessness that would keep a reader wanting to read more. It just didn’t work – it seemed completely unreal and I was disappointed.
Thanks for your review, Lydia! I’m so sorry this one wasn’t your favorite. That’s a bummer when you’re hoping for one thing but it goes another way. Be sure to come back and enter again, hopefully we can find something that will strike your fancy!
I didn’t read this one along with the group but after reading your review and everyone else’s this sounds like a pick I would love to read this summer!
You should — it’s a really quick read, perfect for a day off when you can just sit still for a few hours and read!
I’d love to hear what you think!
I absolutely loved this novel. Nan’s writing makes you feel as if you are sitting on the Cape with a Gin in your hand and sand in between your toes. I had a hard time putting the book down as I wanted to know what was going to happen next. It is a book that reminds you how affected we are by love. How intense your first love is and how torturous love can be if it is forbidden. As I was reading through the book I felt like I could relate to every character in one way or another…even Martha the dog. If you are looking for a “happily ever after” book this is probably not the best pick for you but let’s face it when does life really end up happily ever after?!! A definite beach read or a good commuting read if you want to pretend you are at the beach!
Thanks for your review, Catherine! I agree with everything you said. Sounds weird (because obviously no one wants to end up in Nate’s position) but it made me want to have a Gin and Chowder Club of my own — preferably on Cape Cod in a beautiful house of my own!
I am really curious about the drinking aspect of the book. It seems that it actually shocked a few of you. However, it neither shocked me, nor bothered me. Is it because I am European (coming from a Southern country) and so I found all this drinking natural? No character was drunk or violent [SPOILER] and except for Asa’s depression period (which was understandable) it all seemed normal to me.
So: why were some people so concerned with the drinking descriptions?
Cheers
It honestly didn’t bother me at all either and I’m born and raised in the United States (in the middle of the country, actually, which tends to be pretty conservative). I didn’t think much of it, while reading. I don’t have a single friend who didn’t have drinks at parties in high-school or college, so it didn’t occur to me that this was a bad thing. Illegal, maybe, but not bad. My parents didn’t give us alcohol when we were underage, but I had friends whose parents let them drink.
However, there are different cultural pockets here in the US, and depending where you are, cultural norms can change drastically. It’s one of the great, yet mysterious, things about this country and one way that it seems to be quite different from others. Also, Europeans are absolutely more liberal in many ways than the United States in general, so it makes sense that readers here would notice the drinking in ways that Europeans wouldn’t.
Glad you brought this up, because I was curious about the effect on people as well. It’s a great discussion point!
I was very surprised by the reaction to drinking too. I grew up in rural Connecticut in the 80′s and underage drinking was very common. My circle of church friends (and other friends) love a glass of wine too…so I guess a person’s feeling on the subject stem from their awareness of and exposure to the very real prevalence of drinking in our society.
Reading your review makes me think that the Christian aspects could be a problem for me but I was still willing to give it a try.
Reading other comments, especially Kathryn’s ones, convinced me that this book is not for me. I never read Christian lit which is, by the way, not even a genre in France, due to our culture.
But the book cover is still beautiful !!
Salut Flo!
From where in France are you?
I’m going to Alsace tomorrow for the weekend (Strasbourg and surroundings) and if you are around I could lend you the book. If not, maybe in another time. I go very often to France, so maybe we can really find an opportunity for me to lend you the book.
À tout
Hi Nocas !
I live in Toulouse, which is not exactly located in the Strasbourg’s suburb
But thank you very much for the lending offer, even if our paths won’t cross this time ! If you want more sun, you’ll be welcomed in Toulouse 
Hi Flo, I wouldn’t actually categorize this as Christian Fiction and I don’t think Nan actually would have been able to publish with a Christian based publisher; as mentioned previously there is underage drinking and also sex scenes which are not usually acceptable in Christian Fiction. It does have a heavily Christian slant though, and if you are uncomfortable with that — it would probably ruin the book for you. I didn’t love that aspect of the book, but it didn’t distract me from the rest of the story.
Thanks for the details. France is a country where fictions with religious and / or faith issues are not on the market, so it’s a little bit difficult for me to make fine distinctions.
The last sentence of your comment is like poison because it makes me doubt ;p
That makes sense! It’s good to know what you like and what you don’t like.
Allez, Flo! There are books translated in French and/or written by francophone authors dealing with religion. Maybe, not in the same way… Can’t remember any specific one… But Eric-Emmanuel Schmitt has the Coran Flowers and The book about Pilates… And everybody reads Paulo Coelho in France!!!! :p Ok, Paulo Coelho is more esoteric! :p
What I meant is that, in general, French authors don’t write fictions dealing with religion (The Schmitt’s trilogy is an exception and has been written with specific goals. His books about Pilates seems to be just a copy of the Saramago’s “Gospel according to JC”, this latter dealing with religion in a controversial way & I’m not sure that a lot of French have read it ! BTW, it’s one of my faves books
).
Translations which have success are more esoteric books (Coelho, Brown, … this sort of stuff) than religious one.
Generally speaking, French authors don’t write (I mention only fictions) about prayers, beliefs, going to the church, and so on, which makes me say that there aren’t a Christian fiction market. But, of course, there can be exceptions
& I can totally ignore some aspects of the French books market but if you visit French reading blogs, I bet you’ll have hard times to find books dealing with theses subjects.
Sorry for this long answer !
@ Flo: I was being provocative! :p I completely understood what you said and as far as I can remember, except for the classics, this is also a style that doesn’t apply generally to the modern Portuguese literature. But for instance, Brazilian literature has much more religious references and I think that has just to do with the cultural context.
Anyway, Saramago has (had…) a very particular vision about religion, especially about Catholics, and the society in general. He’s also one of my favorite writers.
Funny you say that it has a heavily Christian slant…I did not pick that up at all when I read the book.
P.S. : I love your new design !!!
Thanks!! I’m excited about it.
Nan Rossiters’s The Gin and Chowder Club is a tale of love and betrayal, of temptation and redemption, of loss and forgiveness. This novel explores human fallibility and the grace bestowed upon us through faith and forgiveness.
When Asa falls in love with Noelle, the young wife of his father’s closest friend, he knows that he is jeopardizing a close relationship between their families that has lasted through several generations. But despite the guilt and the promises to break off the relationship before anyone else finds out or gets hurt, he and Noelle continue to see each other whenever they get the chance.
Rossiter did a wonderful job of fleshing out Asa’s character and the intensities and anguish of a first love. I had some difficulty understanding why an older woman would be interested in someone so much younger than herself, but again, Rossiter perfectly described Noelle’s guilt and the ways she compartmentalized the relationships she had with both Asa and her husband, Nate.
Though there is a religious overtone to this novel, I didn’t find it heavy handed and I didn’t consider this to be “Christian fiction.” I enjoyed the themes of forgiveness and redemption, and the power they have to set us free from our own guilt and despair.
I was surprised to see so many people here up in arms over the fact that Christian characters were having affairs and drinking. We all have our weaknesses, and for some, faith is a way to transcend them, overcome them, and learn from them. I thought this novel perfectly exemplified this lesson and imparted the importance of faith without being didactic or preachy.
Do I think a person can love two people at the same time? Absolutely! Does love sometimes not conform to social mores? Of course! If it feasible that Christians can find themselves in an adulterous affair and still be a Christian? I can’t believe this is even an issue…
Moving on, the description of Cape Cod left me wanting to drive across the country, drink some cold beer and have some creamy clam chowder. Visions of light houses, ocean spray, and stunning sundowns had me cursing this Texas summer/drought.
In enjoyed the atomospheric Gin and Chowder Club, and look forward to reading future Rossiter novels.