Summer People

by Elin Hilderbrand    

I really like reading novels by Elin Hilderbrand (see previous posts for The Island and The Blue Bistro).
How does she pronounce her name, by the way? Is it like Ellen or is it with a long 'e' like Eelin?


Anyway, I found this book at the used book store and thought it would make a really good summer beach read (even if the closest 'beach' to me is Lake Ontario!) While I started reading it on the beach, I finished it in my bed, but the bulk of it was read on my deck with a cold drink in hand. This book (and others written by Hilderbrand) is set in Nantucket and all I REALLY want to do right now is go to Nantucket!! (My good friend is vacationing there right now and I am insanely jealous!) One day when I hit it big with my own novel I will buy a house in Nantucket and live out my summers there....oh, a girl can dream!

To the book....I had a difficult time getting into this one - maybe because there were teenagers involved? - but once I did I really struggled to put it down. Hilderband hit on some real issues facing this family - the death of a spouse, father and friend; teenagers and sexual responsibility; acceptance; forgiveness; family secrets; the past; and the question of how to move on after tragedy. The characters were so perfectly woven together, even their quirks seemed to bind them together by the end of the novel. It affirmed the beliefs that life does not stop for tragedy, and sometimes pain is necessary for growth. This was not a happy, feel-good story, but it does have a happy ending with good closure (as long as you read the Epilogue).

Happy reading!

The Island by Elin Hilderbrand

Wow.
I've only read one other book by Elin Hilderbrand (The Blue Bistro), and I thoroughly enjoyed it. So, naturally I had high expectations for this one - and Elin did NOT disappoint. She writes in such a way that I feel like I KNOW each character. She is such an expert at characterization. The plot is simple yet deep, and I like that because it allows the reader to really become acquainted with each character and their particular situations.

Birdie is recently divorced from millionaire Grant Cousins and is enjoying the company of a new man, Hank, whose wife has fallen ill to Alzheimer's and permanently resides in a caretaking facility. Her daughter, Chess, calls in the middle of the night to tell her that her wedding to perfect man Michael Morgan is off. Chess moves back home with Birdie in Connecticut, and Birdie decides to take Chess to her family's summer home on Tuckernuck island, off the island of Nantucket. Birdie's other daughter, Tate, who makes a very nice living as a computer consultant, calls to tell Birdie she is coming to the summer house, too. At the last minute, Birdie invites her sister India, whose famous sculptor husband committed suicide fifteen years ago. Together these four women set off to Tuckernuck, leaving the fast pace of the mainland for a more primitive existence on an island without electricity and warm water. Each woman carries with her a secret, along with the hope that Tuckernuck will save them from themselves.

With the end of the book comes some kind of closure for each character, depending on her need. But, it also provides hope for the future, a revival of sorts. Additionally, Hilderbrand's novels have instilled in me the 'itch' to spend part of a summer in Nantucket. So, if you have any connections or advice on where to inexpensively stay for a week or so, please be so kind as to share. I've got Nantucket on the brain for summer 2012!

(I have to thank my friend Rebecca for not only turning me on to Ms. Hilderbrand, but for also being my supplier!)

Despite its thickness, this book is a fast read. And it will leave you feeling warm and fuzzy afterward :) Enjoy!

The Blue Bistro

Have you read The Help by Kathryn Stockett? This book is nothing like The Help in content, BUT it is just as captivating. I couldn't put it down! The Blue Bistro takes place in Nantucket and it spotlights a young woman with an inability to settle down. Meet Adrienne (yes, I occasionally thought of Rocky while reading). She's been in the hotel business for some time, but never in the restaurant business. She goes looking for a job and finds herself at The Blue Bistro. Meet Thatcher, the owner, who happens to be looking for an assistant manager, but finds more than that. Adrienne immediately spots his watch, which she guesses to be a $10,000 Patek Philippe. On her first night at the restaurant Adrienne finds her new boss, Thatcher, to be actually quite, well, bossy. He doesn't like her outfit and he orders her around all night. She came to Nantucket with three rules written on a napkin: (1) Become self-sufficient (2) Do not lie about past (3) Exercise good judgment about men. It seems like they would be easy to follow...