The Good Women of Safe Harbour

First off, I loved that this book is set in Newfoundland, a beautiful province and culture that is high on my travel to-do list. In this debut, Bobbi French pulls her readers into the heart of this close-knit province and tells a story that follows Frances, a woman who was recently diagnosed with a brain tumour. 

Frances lives a solitary life and through flashbacks readers understand how her past influenced the woman she became. There is a small cast of characters, and my favourite part of the book was easily Frances' relationship with teenage Edie. I love intergenerational friendship! As Frances' life unfolds, French addresses emotional issues that will make this a heartwarming story for many readers. 

But despite the topics and relationships, I didn't find myself emotionally connected to the characters or the poignant topics that brought many other readers to tears. I'm a hard 'tear duct to crack' so to speak so I'm chalking this up to an 'it's me, not you' thing because despite its blurb that says this is 'a story that is impossible to read with dry eyes', leave it to me to be the outlier and the one person who was not brought to tears.

I loved the premise of this debut and how it focuses on the bonds between women, the endurance of friendship, the different forms of family and the power of forgiveness. This is a heartfelt story and an impressive debut that will appeal to many readers.

My Rating: 3 stars

Author: Bobbi French

Genre: Contemporary Fiction, Canadian

Type and Source: Trade Paperback from public library

Publisher: HarperCollins Canada

First Published: March 8, 2022

Book Description from GoodReads: An unforgettable, life-affirming novel about a woman living on her own terms at last and reclaiming the friendship of a lifetime, for readers of The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Frye and Me Before You

Frances Delaney is staring down the last days of her life. Looking back over her fifty-eight years with wit and no small amount of regret, she sees not the life she wanted but the one that happened. An idyllic childhood in the small Newfoundland fishing town of Safe Harbour was darkened by the loss of her father at sea, an unwanted pregnancy and a betrayal by her closest friend, Annie Malone. Frances and Annie were inseparable, and this rupture rocked Frances to the core. In the aftermath, she fled to St. John's and a solitary life nothing like what she and Annie had dreamed of as their grand escape. Now, with the help of her young, optimistic friend Edie, Frances begins a journey toward resolution and back to Annie and Safe Harbour. With these good women in her corner, Frances can at last chart her course to living on her own terms, right to the very end.

A powerfully touching celebration of friendship and forgiveness, The Good Women of Safe Harbour is about a woman who finally gives herself a chance to love and be loved. It's a story that is impossible to read with dry eyes.