Official Review: The Anchor House by Spencer Margaret

Kayla Cook · Post by **Kayla Cook** » 23 Apr 2020, 22:59

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "The Anchor House" by Spencer Margaret.]

3 out of 4 stars

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The Anchor House by Spencer Margaret is a story of healing, redemption, and self-discovery. Winnie Spade is a young woman who sets out to find a new home—and ultimately herself—after her marriage falls apart. Hitchhiking across the country, Winnie is finally brought to Manitou Lake, a small Minnesotan town where she finds a fresh start and solace from her troubled past. The friends she makes there eventually become her family, and when their way of life is threatened, Winnie must find her inner strength and use the lessons she learned from her friends to not only fight back but help hold her surrogate family together.

Filled with timeless wisdom and beautiful prose, this is one piece of literature that will always hold a special place in my heart. It teaches many valuable lessons without coming off as “preachy.” At first, when I learned that one of the major characters was a preacher, I feared that the spirituality presented in the work would be overbearing. It wasn’t. While being an integral part of certain characters’ development, the spirituality was well-balanced with the other aspects of the novel. Furthermore, the various beliefs presented weren’t specific to any one religion or unveiled in a way that felt forced. It's possible that not everyone will agree with the philosophy and ideas shared in the book, but they felt very universal to me.

The characters were dynamic and well-rounded—Winnie more so than the others since the novel was written from her point of view. However, she was a very perceptive, thoughtful character, so the reader wasn’t inhibited by her. Rather, her insights into the other characters were enlightening. Winnie was the perfect character to narrate the story, as she was unique but still relatable. Even the antagonist was fleshed out, allowing the reader to understand the reasoning behind his actions. The dynamic between the central characters was absolutely stunning. It was refreshing to read about people helping to pull each other through the crises they faced rather than tear one another down. While The Anchor House might appeal more to women than to men, in general, because of the female main characters, the beauty of the writing and the philosophy found in this novel may interest a wider audience. One thing I found very interesting was that the author divided the book into seasons. In certain ways, each season reflected the challenges and changes the characters (especially Winnie) faced during each time.

For the most part, the prose flowed well and the events were in sync. The way everything came into focus at the end was miraculous. There was one scene that I found oddly placed, though, and that scene was Winnie’s first flashback. It came out of the blue. I’m not deducting points for that, as I understand that memories often surface at odd times, but that memory didn’t have a clear trigger, which made it feel disconnected from the rest of the story. As a result, I was somewhat lost while reading the scene. It further threw me when I discovered it was isolated. That flashback was so out of place that I expected more to follow, as its placement implied that the character was so traumatized that her memories would attack her at any time. Unfortunately, I also found several errors. Most were tense errors. Some were to do with spelling and grammar. Because the story was told in first person, some of the supposed errors I came across could have been the author’s way of making the narrator’s voice more authentic. However, when the author made a habit of using a certain style and then suddenly altered that style, I started wondering how many mistakes were really in the text.

Due to the inconsistencies and other errors I found, I am rating this 3 out of 4 stars. I’d give it 3.5 stars if I could for how well I connected to the plot and the characters, as well as all the other positive aspects I discussed. There were some mentions of drug use and domestic violence, but there wasn’t anything really graphic in the novel. Profanity was rare. While many children might not grasp some of the concepts discussed, young adults may still enjoy it. I’d say it’s suitable for those ages fifteen and older and for more mature kids down to the age of thirteen, perhaps. For some, The Anchor House might lead to a lot of soul searching while others might simply get wrapped up in the flowing prose. I consider this work to be literary fiction because of its focus and depth, and I believe fans of that genre will greatly enjoy it. That said, I usually prefer genre fiction and mainstream fiction and I still loved this novel, so this work may appeal to those outside the usual literary fiction audience.

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The Anchor House
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hasincla · Post by **hasincla** » 25 Apr 2020, 08:56

Sounds like a beautiful book to read. I do enjoy when enlightening ideas are blended into a story rather than crammed down your throat, it's so much easier to consume and understand. Thank you for your honest review!

Ediomis_Enwongo01 · Post by **Ediomis_Enwongo01** » 25 Apr 2020, 10:20

Sustaining the flow of thought and idea in any novel, and at the same time maintaining its tempo is a prized asset to any good read. This makes the book a delight to read. A good review indeed! Thumbs up.

JKO · Post by **JKO** » 25 Apr 2020, 11:32

Winnie are sounds like an interesting woman. I'd like to read about her and her newly found family at Manitou lake. This is an awesome review. I enjoyed reading it. Thanks.

Kayla Cook · Post by **Kayla Cook** » 25 Apr 2020, 13:51

hasincla wrote: ↑25 Apr 2020, 08:56 Sounds like a beautiful book to read. I do enjoy when enlightening ideas are blended into a story rather than crammed down your throat, it's so much easier to consume and understand. Thank you for your honest review!

Thank you for your comment! I'm glad you enjoyed the review! It certainly was a beautiful story.

Kayla Cook · Post by **Kayla Cook** » 25 Apr 2020, 13:54

Ediomis_Enwongo01 wrote: ↑25 Apr 2020, 10:20 Sustaining the flow of thought and idea in any novel, and at the same time maintaining its tempo is a prized asset to any good read. This makes the book a delight to read. A good review indeed! Thumbs up.

Absolutely--consistency and balance are major contributors to a great book. Thank you for leaving a comment; I'm glad you enjoyed the review!

Kayla Cook · Post by **Kayla Cook** » 25 Apr 2020, 13:57

JKO wrote: ↑25 Apr 2020, 11:32 Winnie are sounds like an interesting woman. I'd like to read about her and her newly found family at Manitou lake. This is an awesome review. I enjoyed reading it. Thanks.

This story is definitely full of great characters. I'm happy you liked the review! Thank you!

Post by **Ngozi Onyibor** » 25 Apr 2020, 18:41

The sounds like a story with lots of depth. Winnie is such a brave woman and I hope she gets a happy ending. Great review.

Adanna Inya · Post by **Adanna Inya** » 26 Apr 2020, 09:50

I'm taken by Winnie's strength. And I love that her character was relatable, consistent and compelling. I hope it works out well for her and her surrogate family.

Kayla Cook · Post by **Kayla Cook** » 26 Apr 2020, 22:10

Michelle Fred wrote: ↑25 Apr 2020, 18:41 The sounds like a story with lots of depth. Winnie is such a brave woman and I hope she gets a happy ending. Great review.

It definitely had a lot of depth and Winnie is certainly a character you can root for. Thank you, I'm very happy you enjoyed the review!

Kayla Cook · Post by **Kayla Cook** » 26 Apr 2020, 22:12

Adanna Inya wrote: ↑26 Apr 2020, 09:50 I'm taken by Winnie's strength. And I love that her character was relatable, consistent and compelling. I hope it works out well for her and her surrogate family.

I was impressed by her, also. She's an amazing character. Thank you for leaving a comment!

Nzube Chizoba Okeke · Post by **Nzube Chizoba Okeke** » 28 Apr 2020, 17:33

Sounds like a wonderful read. I find it interesting to follow up with Winnie's story; the entire healing, redemption and self Discovery. Thanks for the honest review.

Kayla Cook · Post by **Kayla Cook** » 28 Apr 2020, 20:34

Zee_Zee wrote: ↑28 Apr 2020, 17:33 Sounds like a wonderful read. I find it interesting to follow up with Winnie's story; the entire healing, redemption and self Discovery. Thanks for the honest review.

It was an excellent story. I'm glad you liked the review; thank you for leaving a comment!

kdstrack · Post by **kdstrack** » 29 Apr 2020, 20:40

I find this story line intriguing. I can understand her heartbreak over her marriage. What about the rest of her family? Did she abandon them because of her marriage? Did they blame her for her failed marriage? You have piqued my interest!

Kayla Cook · Post by **Kayla Cook** » 29 Apr 2020, 23:04

kdstrack wrote: ↑29 Apr 2020, 20:40 I find this story line intriguing. I can understand her heartbreak over her marriage. What about the rest of her family? Did she abandon them because of her marriage? Did they blame her for her failed marriage? You have piqued my interest!

You'll have to read it to find out!

It was a very interesting read. I certainly wasn't disappointed!