Joanne Provo

What Have I Been Reading?

Lucy by the Sea

The characters and setting will be familiar to those who have read Strout's other works. Lucy abandons her NY apartment and moves to Maine with her ex-husband during the pandemic, encountering a distrust of outsiders while managing to develop a few friendships. Written in a conversational style that captures the fears and hopes that we grappled with during those uncertain days.

The Frozen River

An engaging story based on the life of Martha Ballard, a mid-wife in the late 1700's. Her daily diary chronicles events including births, social encounters, a murder and her relationship with her husband and children. It was a time when there was little justice served for women who suffered abuse from their perpetrators. Martha worked tirelessly to rectify those wrongs, eventually taking things into her own hands.

Small Things Like These

Set in a small Irish town in the weeks leading up to Christmas a coal merchant makes an unsettling discovery during his deliveries, finding a young girl shivering in a convent coal shed. He learns she has been separated from her baby and banished. Haunted by memories of his own upbringing he braves the consequences of a town controlled by the church, determined to do the right thing. This short story packs a big punch with beautiful writing and imagery.