Brilliantly funnyok in modern society and the distance between what we are and what we say we are. Insightful, honest and surprisingly cunning. I loved this book.
— Maria Semple
AuthorWhere are you Bernadette
Sometimes we are not ready to jump. We need to push a little. When Darcy Clipper, the heroine of time, suffers a serious blow, she finds herself in a brave new world of makeovers, radical decisions and revolutionary changes. Witty, cinematic and honest, COMMUNITY BOARD is an exciting delight.
- Christina Baker Kline
#1 New York Times bestselling authorExiles
New York Times bestselling authorThe Last Romanticsis a wise, topical, generous novel about unplanned isolation and newly formed community.
praises
for the SOCIETY COMMITTEE
"Conklin delivers a triumphant third novel with Darcy's intelligent, introspective voice at its heart. Her unconventional adventures (often funny but always interesting) make you realize the importance of community and the importance of presence and participation."
- List of books
“The world is falling apart and everything that can go wrong practically does in COMMUNITY BOARD, Tara Conklin's high-profile, bittersweet novel whose wit will warm the hearts of readers... COMMUNITY BOARD is a smart message about one woman trying to come to terms - and rebuild – your broken confidence through four seasons in the changing landscape of a small town. Darcy may seem like a poor soul, but her sharp, bright, enlightened mind—and her mischievous, charmingly endearing narrative voice, complete with wacky emails and community posts—will easily win the hearts of readers who wholeheartedly cheer for her rediscovery. ".
- Shelf awareness
"Conklin created a moving look at a community where people realize they are better together than alone."
—Kirkus
"Timely and hilarious! For all its crazy glory, COMMUNITY BOARD is a sweet and surprisingly compelling story for our times."
— Jonathan Evison
New York Times bestsellerAuthorSmall world
"Oh, how I enjoyed this wonderful, irresistible novel! A perfect comedy of manners, a balm for hard times, a charming coming-of-age story." COMMUNITY BOARD is ultimately the literary equivalent of a warm hug.
—Joanna Rakowa
Best selling book authorMy Salinger Year
“Tara Conklin's brilliance leaps from the pages of this bizarre, delicious delight. I loved every second of this great look at the community and the online board that connects them."
— Jane L. Rosen, authorEliza starts the rumours
"I can't believe how good this book is! Tara Conklin amazes again with her funny, honest and extremely original story. She writes about depression and grief with such ease, and her mesmerizing sentences immediately draw you into this unusual and funny community - a community I'm sorry to leave behind. Read!
—Room stage
New York Times bestselling authorA woman is not a man
Reviews of bookstores
"I haven't had this much fun since I read WHERE ARE YOU GOING, BERNADETTE?" Tara Conklin has given us a funny, quirky novel about what happens when your life is unexpectedly turned upside down and you have to find a way to live. The COMMUNITY BOARD represents each of us when we fall and need to pick ourselves up to continue. Add in a community board that posts weird and bizarre messages (think the next-door neighbor app), troublesome neighbors, spy drones, missing pets, and parents who sneaked off to Arizona to survive. Darcy's life may seem like a disaster, but many things are going well. This book is a pure gem."
— Marilyn Robbins, The Bookies Bookstore LTD, Denver
"I read another of Tara's books and really enjoyed them. It's nothing like that. I absolutely could not leave him! Laugh out loud, fun, fast and wonderful! We need more laughter in the world and that's what I needed this weekend. Incorporating news from one of those social media sites, making our lives almost laughable, we root for the main character as she tries to break out of isolation after her annoying husband Skip leaves her for Bianca with long purple nails. I liked it."
—Suzanne Lucey, Page 158 Books, Wake Forest, Sjeverna Karolina
“COMMUNITY BOARD is about Darcy Clipper, who returns to the house she grew up in when her world comes crashing down. I loved the epistolary format and the wild neighborhood forum posts. From Darcy's inner dialogue with her beloved potter (Fred Fern) to the family she creates along the way, THE COMMON BOARD alternately moved me to tears and made me laugh out loud. If you've ever been through an emotionally difficult time (and who hasn't?!), this book is for you.”
— Jessica Nock, Main Street Books, Davidson, North Carolina
"A quirky story about a small town that conquers from the very beginning. A "plucked from the neighborhood" community board caricature of small-town life, bringing together a multi-generational cast of characters determined to let good prevail.
—Adah Fitzgerald, Main Street Books, Davidson, North Carolina
"Darcy Clipper proves that you can come home. It may not be the same, it may not be comfortable, but it will be your community; and it can feel like a hug. Tara Conklin's stunning COMMUNITY BOARD is packed with quirky characters, standout scenarios, and an exciting story that is sure to make readers look at their neighborhood in a new way. Surf this board for a fun ride!”
— Pamela Klinger-Horn, bookseller at The Valley, Stillwater, MN
"Tara Conkin writes a book that speaks so clearly to the experiences of incarceration and transition to a caring community that collectively affected many in 2020. He does so by describing the feelings in a completely different story, after Darcy's breakup, Clipper returns to his small, white, rural idyllic hometown and sleeps in the winter sleep in his home. Its connection with the community is through the bulletin board, which provides a clear connection with the characteristics and values of the citizens. As Darcy uncertainly ventures out into the world, he meets a group of characters whose experiences, mistakes and strengths become a positive examination of who we are as people, the redemptive power of community. This book is a pleasure, but it stays with you long after you turn the last page."
— Kimberly Davis, The Country Bookshop, Southern Pines, Karolina Północna
"Terrified after her husband announces he is leaving her for another woman, Darcy returns to her hometown to the house her parents recently abandoned. First, he goes into self-imposed isolation, where he begins to doubt himself. Then she meets a family that changes her life. It's a completely unique story about finding your community – whether it's just a few people you meet or an entire city. Laughing out loud is fun and totally relative. I highly recommend it to those looking for a fun and entertaining read."
—Kristen Beverly, Half Price Books, Dallas, Texas
"Where do you go when your world is falling apart? You go home, of course, and even if your elderly parents moved to Arizona without telling you, the neighbors are building a Disney-sized playground, and weird-looking human bones have been dug up next door, well, it's still home This weird, wonderful, cuddly book might be my new favorite thing to recommend when someone is looking for something "simply wonderful."
—Angie Tally, The Country Bookshop, Southern Pines, Karolina Północna
“Darcy Clipper is approaching 30 when her husband decides to walk away from their predictable and vanilla life. Heartbroken, she flees to her childhood home in Murbridge, Massachusetts, only to discover that her parents have moved to Arizona without telling her. Feeling abandoned and lost, she sinks into self-isolation, surviving on her mother's 2,000-pack of canned food and a vast collection of National Geographic magazines. It follows the town's online community board, where the reader gets an insight into the local people, some crazy, some lonely, some with darker ulterior motives. So Darcy begins his comic forays into society. Tara Conklin is a brilliant writer. This novel is wickedly funny and honest."
— Damita Nocton, The Country Bookshop, Southern Pines, Karolina Północna
“Darcy Clipper is approaching 30 when her husband decides to walk away from their predictable and vanilla life. Heartbroken, she flees to her childhood home in Murbridge, Massachusetts, only to discover that her parents have moved to Arizona without telling her. Feeling abandoned and lost, she sinks into self-isolation, surviving on her mother's 2,000 cans of canned food and a vast collection of National Geographic magazines. It follows the town's online community board, where the reader gets an insight into the local people, some crazy, some lonely, some with darker ulterior motives. So Darcy begins his comic forays into society. Tara Conklin is a brilliant writer. This novel is wickedly funny and honest."
— Damita Nocton, The Country Bookshop, Southern Pines, Karolina Północna
"A charming book set in a small town in New England where a 30-year-old woman is lost in her life and how she comes through it all intact. A story with a happy ending and I liked that."
—Beth Carpenter, Country Bookstore, Southern Pines, Sjeverna Karolina
Where do you go, you ask, when the world is falling apart? When the immutable facts of your life—the mundane, trivial, obvious little things that filled every second of every day—suddenly disappear? Where to go in such tragic and unexpected circumstances?
I went home, of course.
MURBRIDGE COMMUNITY PUBLICATION
FREE: 500 cans of corn. I accidentally ordered them online. I really hate corn. I would like to help with the upload.
REMINDER: use your own damn trash can for your damn household waste. I'm looking at you, Peter Luflin.
REMINDER: monthly meeting of the Supervisory Board this Friday. Items on the agenda: 1) removal of sludge; 2) bell tower maintenance; 3) ice rink monitor as a thank you gift. Questions? Contact Hildegard Hyman,HHMurbridge@gmail.com
Darcy Clipper, a prodigal daughter of nearly 30 years, returned home to Murbridge, Massachusetts after her life took a turn for the worse. Darcy is confident that Murbridge will welcome her home and provide a safe space where she can heal her wounds and hold her grudges, real and imagined.
But Murbridge, like so many other things Darcy had thought constant and unchanging, had changed. And while Darcy's first impulse may have been to cocoon herself in her childhood bedroom, surviving on Chef Boy-R-Dee and canned chickpeas, it's human nature to do two things: seek out meaningful human relationships and respond to anonymous postings on the Internet. As Murbridge begins to take shape around Darcy, online and in person, Darcy will consider America's most fundamental question: What can his community seek? And what does she owe her in return?