Elizabeth Castellano Books In Order
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| Save What's Left | (2023) | Description / Buy at Amazon |
Elizabeth Castellano is a bestselling literary fiction author who is best known for her debut novel “Save What’s Left,” which she published in 2023.
She grew up in the small town of North Fork, where she loved to studiously observe the many quirks of the residents.
The tiny hamlet had once upon a time been a major center for oyster fishing overlooking Cautchogue Harbor but has since become more urbanized with unprecedented development.
Her debut novel was a critically acclaimed work that has been called a love letter to Castellano’s hometown. Elizabeth penned it as a work full of characters who share the many experiences of people we know interspersed with a comedy of errors.
Since her novel has become so popular, she has found herself very busy as she is often invited to give book readings to book clubs and in libraries all over the United States.
After Elizabeth Castellano graduated from New Suffolk’s Littel Red Schoolhouse alongside half a dozen classmates, she proceeded to Southland High School, where she was involved in clubs and focused on the arts.
At only five years old, she had her first Broadway title “Les Mis.” It was from this that he got so interested in storytelling in any format from theater to books. In college, she realized that not everyone was proficient at reading music or stretching canvas.
Attending the Maine-based Bates Colege, Castellano got her bachelor’s degree in fine arts majoring in theater. Her theater background would later on play a significant role in helping her write natural-sounding dialogues in her newfound career as an author.
She believes this has to be from the fact that when one is penning a play, it needs to not sound rigid but natural. After graduating from college, she moved to New York City, where she survived doing odd jobs and writing on the side whenever she could.
During this time, she began dabbling in the writing of children’s and middle-grade books but at some point, she thought that it would be best to graduate to writing for adults.
It was all something of a culmination of what she had always wanted to do ever since she was a kid.
When she was in high school and was editor of the school paper, people used to stip her and told her that they found “The Suffolk Times” which she edited to be very funny and relatable.
While she went to college and majored in the arts, she never considered herself a writer, even though she used to write a lot throughout her young adulthood years and into her early thirties.
It was only after the pandemic which forced her back home that she finally acknowledged that her hometown and its surroundings would make for a great novel.
Growing up in her teenage years, she was also inspired by Elaine Romagnoli her neighbor who was a New York nightclub owner and activist who made her home in an oyster shack across the street.
She used to spend a lot of time with Romagnoli as she found her a very interesting and fun person who told a lot of great stories. Back home and with nothing to do, she sat down and began writing, even though she had no creative writing training.
She was fortunate enough to find an agent in short order and not long after, she sold the novel to Knopf Doubleday who offered a two-book deal.
Elizabeth Castellano’s novel “Save What’s Left” is heavily inspired and influenced by her small hometown.
She has said that location has always been a huge inspiration and asserts that nothing was a bigger catalyst to her writing than having first-hand experiences that she would then turn into an intriguing storyline.
It is a humorous beach read that comes with an unexpected twist. It tells the story of a woman who moves to a small beach town searching for tranquility, only to find herself entangled in a neighborhood feud.
Her novel was greatly inspired by her many experiences living and growing up in North Fork, which was then nothing but a tiny little hamlet.
She was also intrigued by the idea of taking the genre of beach reads and turning them on their head by offering insider perspectives by providing a peek behind the scenes.
While we often believe that beach towns are perfect in every way so that you get something of a little paradise, nothing could be further from the truth. The reality is that beach towns are often just smaller towns with better views.
Just like any other town they also have their committees, meetings squabbles over bad neighbors, parking permits, and picnic tables.
“Save What’s Left” by Elizabeth Castellano has to be one of the most interesting literary fiction novels in recent times.
At the opening of the novel, Tom the husband of Kathleen Deane informs her that he is unhappy with their marriage and his life in general and this leaves her confused.
The couple has been living in Kansas and have been together for more than three decades. Tom has decided that he will be leaving to go find himself while Kathleen does not know what she wants.
Kate leaves home too and heads to Whitbey a small town on the east coast. She had been receiving postcards about the small beach town community from Josie her childhood friend for years and now believes it is the time to check it out.
But she soon realizes that Whitbey life is nothing like what she had been led to believe. Moreover, Rosemary her neighbor is a cantankerous woman and Kathleen’s emails to the town’s supervisor go unanswered.
The worst thing is that there is a monstrosity known as the Sugar Cube being constructed next to her quaint little cottage. The more she fights against the construction, the more she gets entangled in the politics of Whitbey.
She soon discovers that life in the small town is not the fairytale she believed it was but it might just be what she needs.
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I don’t typically comment on audio books, but I must say how much I enjoy Elizabeth’s sense of humor. This book had me laughing out loud several times. I was disappointed when I searched for other novels and learned that Save What’s Left is her debut novel.
I look forward to reading other works by Elizabeth.
Really enjoying this read! Love Kathleen and can relate to her on many levels! Looking forward to her next book!!