What readers think of The Guest Book, plus links to write your own review.

What a book! This engrossing and ingeniously plotted three-generation family saga will take you back to a time and place of incredible wealth, gracious manners, and deeply-guarded secrets.

It's 1936. While the rest of the country is in the depths of the Great Depression, New Yorkers Ogden and Kitty Milton—young and fabulously wealthy—buy a vacation home in Maine. Well, it's more than that. They buy an entire island. And Crockett's Island is a slice of paradise on Earth, which is exactly what Kitty needs to distract her from one of the worst tragedies a family can suffer. They put on a brave face and proceed to live the good life, while taking care to bury the worst of their secrets and lies. But this is also the story of "the other"—Jews, blacks, and the poor—and how the Miltons' privileged and pampered lives will be forever changed, and actually seared, by their prejudice, racism, deep-seated fears, and tragic mistakes.

This is a structurally complex literary novel that jumps around in time, but instead of being jarring, it works. And that is due to the skill and creativity of author Sarah Blake, who uses the back-and-forth leaps from one year to another to set up cliffhanger plot developments that will keep you reading. The characters—and there are many—are so colorfully drawn with such distinct personalities that it's easy to keep them straight. Blake's vivid and bold descriptions of the sights and smells of the island, the sound of the lapping salt water, the scent of bayberry in a copper vase, the brass notes of jazz in a crowded club, and the oppressive heat of a New York City summer will instantly transport you to these places.

In addition to being an important literary accomplishment, this is a really good story that is creatively told and brilliantly captures a bygone era with insightful life lessons for us all.

After reading the last page, I thought Wow! Great writing! Incredible characters. Full of life philosophy. The best description of inner racism and entitlement I’ve ever read. I couldn’t put this book down. Others told me this book went back and forth between years and was confusing. I did not find that hard to follow and it enriched the story. As I read I could feel the story building like a huge wave to come crashing in at the end. How does Ms. Blake do that? Highly recommend that you read this book,

This is a generational novel brimming with social criticism, pointing out sins and injustices of the past and questioning what can be done about the past. What is the point of studying the past if we can neither change it nor learn from it? How culpable are those who refuse to see evil where it exists? What is our obligation to the past, to Negroes, to Jews? Is a truly classless society possible?
These are a few of the questions “The Guest Book” raises.

The lives of three generations of Miltons spanning most of the 20th century on the Eastern Seaboard sometimes appalls, always intrigues, and never bores. Grappling with personal tragedies and triumphs set within the context of a cosmic shift in American societal attitudes, some of the Miltons do their best to embrace change, while others cling to a way of life embodied by their family island retreat that remains a constant though the decades.

The author, Sarah Blake, is a stunning writer and an extraordinary storyteller. Highly recommended for individual fans of family sagas and book clubs.

This book tells the story of a family through the times of life. I enjoyed every bit from start to finish. I find that the longer it has been since I have finished it, the more I appreciate and think about it. The characters (there are many) are interesting, unique, and relatable. The stories of family and friends being together ring true. I loved reading about how this family evolves over time. Great book, wonderful setting, interesting characters. What more could you want?

Thank you to BookBrowse for sharing this wonderful book with me. It was beautifully written and the characters were human and deeply compelling.

The book follows the Milton family through three generations from 1935 until the present. Kitty and Ogden are from prominent, upper crust New York families. Ogden runs a private bank that he inherited from his family and Kitty is a devoted wife and mother, both believing that perfect manners and their insular and quiet life are what matter most.

1959 brings both a Jewish man and a black man into their orbit and their prejudices are shown. The author uses the stereotypical mannerisms for both men. Len being gregarious, money grubbing and noisy and not knowing his place in their polite society. Reg is portrayed as the angry black man.

I finished The Guest Book wanting to start reading it again. It's a perfect discussion book for my book club.

Wow... just finished this wonderful book and I miss it already. Beautifully written, this story is of love, class, race and our own individual blindness to all of these. The setting on The Island makes the perfect backdrop for the tale of sameness and change. I loved it.

From the first paragraph on the first page I was hooked by how beautifully written this book is. The Guest Book by Sarah Blake is about the Miltons, starting in 1935, and their history is about wealth (including an island they bought off the coast of Maine), power, tragedy, and secrets. Through nearly five hundred pages, like any detective, I was curious as to how each character would evolve while all that happens within the family is shadowed by a World War that's going on and the racism against Blacks and Jews that permeated our country. From the first words to the last words I was not disappointed.