Chapter 1 Summary

Spartina won the 1989 National Book Award. It is the story of a middle-aged fisherman, named Dick Pierce, who sees his heritage begin to disappear in a world of tourism and big business. He is determined to carry on the tradition of New England fishermen by providing for his family on his own land and in his own boat. As he struggles to support his family and attain money to finish the boat he is building in his back yard, he does some foolish things. His temperament has made it difficult to deal with the people most able to help him, and he feels he must isolate himself from them in order to maintain his independence. When he begins an affair with a lady who shares his interest in maintaining the traditions of the coastal town, she becomes the catalyst he needs to see...