Maine Characters: A Novel

· Sold by Penguin
1 review
Ebook
400
Pages
Tools
Eligible

About this ebook

A May 2025 LibraryReads Pick

Named Most Anticipated by Today.com, New York Post, Bustle, PureWow, and BookRiot

From beloved author Hannah Orenstein, this love letter to lake life is “the Parent Trap for adults,” the story of two half-sisters who meet for the first time at their father’s cabin in Maine after his unexpected death.


Every summer, Vivian Levy and Lucy Webster spend a month with their father at his lake house — separately. Raised in New York City, Vivian is an ambitious sommelier with a secret that could derail her future. Lucy grew up in a tiny Maine town, where she now teaches high school English while watching her marriage unravel. They’ve never met. While Lucy envied her half-sister from afar, their father kept Vivian in the dark.

When Vivian arrives at the lake to spread his ashes and sell his cabin, she's shocked to find Lucy there, awaiting his return. In an ideal world, they’d help each other through their grief. Instead, forced to spend the summer together, they fight through a storm of suspicion and hostility to untangle the messy truth about their parents’ pasts. While Lucy is desperate to hold onto the house, Vivian is scrambling after a betrayal. After thirty years apart, is it too late for them to be a family?

For fans of Carley Fortune and Elin Hilderbrand, this sister story set on a lush lake brims with the undeniable heart, depth, charm, and humor that have endeared Hannah Orenstein to legions of readers.
A May 2025 LibraryReads Pick Named Most Anticipated by Today.com, New York Post, Bustle, PureWow, and BookRiot From beloved author Hannah Orenstein, this love letter to lake life is “the Parent Trap for adults,” the story of two half-sisters who meet for the first time at their father’s cabin i...

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Ratings and reviews

1 review
Paula Pugh
May 20, 2025
Tense and creative, Maine Characters is a story of love and loss, regrets and reconciliation. The strained relationship of half-sisters takes center stage as they come to terms with the death and trouble caused by their father. Lucy grew up with her single mother, knowing about her father’s other family and of her step sister. Vivian was in the dark about her sister’s existence, only guessing of the possibility. They grew up in completely opposite circumstances and come face to face when Vivian
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About the author

Hannah Orenstein is the author of Maine Characters, Meant to Be Mine, Head Over Heels, Love at First Like, and Playing with Matches, as well as the Deputy Editor of Lifestyle and Wellness at Bustle. She splits her time between Brooklyn and Maine.
Hannah Orenstein is the author of Maine Characters, Meant to Be Mine, Head Over Heels, Love at First Like, and Playing with Matches, as well as the Deputy Editor of Lifestyle and Wellness at Bustle. She splits her time between Brooklyn and Maine.

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