Full disclosure: I was given an ARC of this book from SparkPoint Studio in exchange for an honest review.
Family sagas are a mainstay in the literary world. They explore the interactions within the clan and how they come to terms with secrets buried within. The details may change, but the dynamics remain the same. The Pearl Farmers by Stacey Gordon is the latest in the family saga genre. It’s a good story with a well-defined environment and fleshed out characters.
The Pearl Farmers is a multigenerational story about three sisters carrying on their family’s pearl farm in small-town Tennessee. Three estranged sisters – Helen, Anna, and Penn Lockshire – are bound by the shimmering, but fragile legacy of their family’s freshwater pearl farm business in rural Tennessee. When the business that once made them famous collapses, the sisters are pulled back into each other’s lives. This also forces them to reckon the skeletons in the closet, including the complicated truth about their inheritance. Soon, what began as a fight for survival becomes a reckoning with the myths that shaped them and the secrets buried in their family’s past. From the discovery of a rare pearl in 1981 to the struggles of a failing farm in 2008, the Lockshire sisters must navigate love, loss, ambition, and forgiveness to decide whether their heritage is a blessing to preserve, or a burden to leave behind.
Before reading this book, I knew nothing about pearl farming. I didn’t realize how intricate it was and the vast variety of pearls that could be cultivated. It was interesting to learn about. Also, the way this was written into the story was natural because Gordon seamlessly weaves in the information throughout.
One of the novel’s strengths is the images it describes of the where and when. It primarily takes place in either Tennessee or New York City. In the former, I could imagine the small town environment and the historic Lockshire home right by the lake. With the latter, I was able to picture the busybody and stressful nature in that city, especially with the Great Recession on everyone’s minds when the story takes place. I love how that historical event centers what the characters are going through. This is especially true with Helen since she’s the one who is running the pearl business by herself when readers first meet her.
The novel alternates between 1981 and 2008. It primarily takes place in the latter, but in certain moments, Gordon flashbacks to the former to see why a particular sister feels the way that she does and how it affects her presently. In addition, I like how each sister has their own individual chapters like how they are isolated from each other. As the book progresses, they slip into each other’s stories, showing how they can come together.
Another strength of this novel is the characters, particularly the sisters. Helen, Anna, and Penn have distinct personalities that readers can easily understand why they don’t necessarily get along and why they feel the way they do about certain events. Helen is the eldest and in charge of the business, but it hasn’t been doing so hot since people are not buying pearls as much as they should. On top of that, she has questions about their parents and their past and is juggling a relationship with a guy named Boris. Anna is the definition of middle-child syndrome. She feels like she doesn’t belong in the family, yet she chose to stay in the town where she grew up in. Penn is the youngest who discovers the pearl that launched the business in the 1980s. Her parents touted her around like a rare gem, but she feels the pressure to live up to expectations, especially how her family calls her “the secret sauce,” so she leaves for the East Coast to pursue filmmaking. I wondered how the sisters would find a way back to each other.
Anna was my favorite character. She felt like she was in the shadow of other people, so she tried to strike out on her own. Yet, she married and had kids with someone who eventually left her for someone else, so she has to reclaim her independence while reconciling with her family history. I like characters who start off as passive, but grow their confidence throughout.
The Pearl Farmers by Stacey Gordon is a good family saga book. The story, environment, and characters are refined enough to keep readers engaged throughout. These kinds of stories are nothing new, but I pondered how the sisters were going to get back together despite their differing personalities. I would recommend it to those who love family sagas and stories dealing with the economic hardship, family businesses, and pearls. The Pearl Farmers will be out tomorrow, November 3, so get it where you buy your books.
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