By: Nancy Thayer
ISBN: 9781101967041
Publisher: Random House
Publication Date: 5/31/2016
Format: Other
My Rating: 3 Stars
The charms of Nantucket tempt a woman to leave her established life in Kansas City—but with a piece of her heart, and a love interest, in each world, she discovers she must look within to choose the right path. Every summer since college, twenty-nine-year-old Jenny has traded the familiarity of the Midwest for the allure of Nantucket. Now an established university professor in Kansas City, she finds herself caught between two lifestyles and two very different men. She chooses Nantucket and the glamorous life she associates with it, unaware that the summer will take an unexpected turn, and she will have to let her heart decide what it truly wants.
My Review
A special thank you to Random House and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Nancy Thayer returns to the island of Nantucket with THE ISLAND HOUSE, with her summer beach installment-- the story of two best friends, Courtney and Robin. From children, loves, secrets, friends, and family and lots of summer drama. (a lot of players; not a lot of depth). Meet the Vickerey Family, the Summer Children, the Family Friends, and the Cowboy. • Vickerey Family: Alastair- father, Susanna- mother, Henry-oldest child, Robin-youngest daughter, James-second son, Iris-second daughter. • Vickereys’ Summer Children: Valerie-Henry’s friend/love, Jacob-Henry’s best male friend, Courtney-Robin’s best friend, Callum Findlay-James best friend, Pearl-Iris’s best friend. • The Family Friends: Quinn Eliot, Christabel-Quinn’s daughter • The Cowboy: Monty Blackhorse The summer children -what Susanna (now 60) called her four children’s best friends who spend every summer in the Vickery home, even though those children were adults and had been for years. Courtney is returning to Nantucket for Suzanna’s sixtieth birthday. She had come to the island eleven years ago and every summer since. Nantucket was like her second home. James Vickerey was the real reason for returning. She had been in love with him since she first met him. After what happened to them, she knew she had to return to the island for one more summer. However, Monty Blackhorse adds to her confusion. From the Midwest, now an accomplished university professor, at twenty-nine, she is caught between two men and two different lifestyles. She is here in Nantucket to figure it all out. From family, secrets, lovers, friends, mental illness, passions, romance, and relationships. A light fluff summer beach read. Sorry guys you are reading this once again. As I have mentioned previously, I really enjoyed Nancy’s older books (have read them all)—was a huge fan; however, over the last several years, the author has steered away from her earlier absorbing, engaging, and suspenseful style. The same with Elin Hilderbrand. I keep reading and waiting, and it is not happening. Guess I need to move on. Please go back and find your earlier groove. It worked! Your fans miss your earlier work. I have read other similar feedback from fans. I keep hoping and waiting.
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About the Author
Nancy Thayer is the author of twenty-three novels, including Summer House, The Hot Flash Club, Beachcombers, Heat Wave, Summer Breeze, and Island Girls.
Her books concern the mysteries and romance of families and relationships: marriage and friendships, divorce and love, custody and step parenting, family secrets and private self-affirmation, the quest for independence and the normal human hunger for personal connections.
Nancy Thayer’s work has been translated into many languages, including German, Finnish, Hebrew, Russian, Turkish, French, Portuguese, Spanish, Dutch, Serbo-Croatian, Swedish, Danish, and Polish. Her novels have been condensed or excerpted in several literary reviews and magazines, including Redbook and Good Housekeeping, England’s Cosmopolitan, Holland’s Viva, and South Africa’s Personality.
Nancy Thayer has a B.A. and M.A. in English literature from the University of Missouri at Kansas City. She was a Fellow at the Breadloaf Writers’ Conference. She has lived on Nantucket Island year-round for twenty-eight years with her husband Charley Walters. Her daughter is the novelist Samantha Wilde.
