Compass Rose

Compass Rose (2010) by John Casey. The author creates a complete world, set in southern Rhode Island, and populates it with characters who will surely be familiar to readers of his previous book, "Spartina." Spartina is the name of a boat, and it can't quite be coincidence that so is Compass Rose. Both of the boats are built by Dick Pierce, one of the central characters of the books, but in "Compass Rose" it is Elsie Bittrick who stands out. Her and May Pierce, and Mary Scanlon, and Rose -- the infant girl born to Elsie who grows up in the course of the book. Although a world populated with so many characters is a little hard to penetrate at first, it pays dividends for the persistent reader. I became thoroughly involved in the lives of the characters of South County, the fictional locale where they all live and work, and I was hungry for more when the book ended. All of their stories are left unfinished -- just as in life. If Casey writes a follow-up book to this one, I will surely seek it out. Grade: B+