Marquand rules

I've become a John P. Marquand fan since returning to Newburyport.

Point of No Return quickly became a favorite. Marquand's depiction of early 20th Century Newburyport--or Clyde, as he calls it--is striking, a vivid portrayal of what this city was like when it was largely free from Boston's gravitational pull. It helped me understand what our long-time natives miss so much.

But I also related directly to the protagonist Charles Gray, who, despite creating a successful life for himself by every measure, still couldn't escape some of the questions and decisions of childhood.

I enjoyed the Pulitzer Prize winning The Late George Apley as well,  but not as much as Point.

So I'm certainly looking forward to participating in the club created by Marquand's granddaughter, Beth Welch. (Read Victor Tine's Daily News article here .)

I, unfortunately, can't make the first session. I haven't read Wickford Point yet so it's just as well. But I did try to secure the book locally over the past week and I didn't realized all his works are out-of-print.

I'm sure I'll track down a used copy somewhere, or someone will return Wickford to the library after the March 4 discussion. But I find it disappointing that the works of Newburyport's most notable author are so hard to come by. If I'm missing something please let me know.