If you want to read an easy, quick novel, this is one that won't take you very long at all!!
She is one of my favorite "beach read" authors and although I haven't read all 15 of her books, I have read several and each one has been very well written.
STORY SUMMARY
The King family and Pancik family have been best friends for years. They live on Nantucket Island, off the Cape Cod coast.
The Pancik family consists of Grace, who has the most beautiful gardens on Nantucket Island and her husband Eddie who is a real estate broker. They have twin daughters, Allegra and Hope. Hope is the studious, serious one and Allegra is a social butterfly aspiring to be a model.
Madeline King is an author who is married to Trevor Llewellyn, an airline pilot for the plane that runs from Hyannis to Boston each day. Their teen son Brick, is dating Allegra.
Both families get together often, but this summer....things are a bit different.
Grace is dealing with her gardener, Benton Coe, a well-known and well-liked landscape artist, and hopes to get her yard shown in the Homes and Garden section of the Boston Globe. Benton and she have a great friendship, working often together in the gardens. One thing leads to another and soon they are embroiled in an affair. Grace believes she is in love with her gardener.
Meanwhile, Madeline is dealing with a case of writers block. She just cannot come up with a story line.....until Grace confides in her about the affair. All of sudden, Madeline has a story!!
Eddie, who is not doing well financially due to the slow housing market on Nantucket Island, begins to explore a little "side job" and one in which he could land in jail!!
Allegra and Brick have a falling out due to another boy in Allegra's life.
Soon......some rumors begin to fly on this little island because of all the local busybodies...and Madeline and Grace need to set the record straight. But...sometimes, the truth of what is happening is worse than the gossip.
What will happen to these families?? Will their friendship survive??
MY THOUGHTS
There were a lot of characters to keep track of, but the author does a great job in introducing each one. The book doesn't have chapters, but it is divided into sections, with each section being the voice of either Eddie, Grace, Madeline, or Hope. Also, to represent the local gossips, there are sections titled "Nantucket".
The book's setting and descriptions of the towns/villages/beaches is superbly done. I've never been to Nantucket but I've read many stories based on that island or on Cape Cod and I always get such a clear picture of what the island life is like....and friends who have been there have told me it is exactly as described. Many wealthy homes, many locals who cater to tourists, etc.
I like how fast-paced the story was and how quickly the various dilemmas resolved themselves. I especially loved that Eddie did have to deal with the consequences of his choices and bad decisions and that the family stayed intact. That was well written!
The main themes in this story seem to center around marriage, friendship, betrayal, forgiveness, "coming of age", and the lengths people will go to in order to find financial security or wealth. I love how in the end, everyone realizes what really is important in life...and that it is NOT wealth.
In my opinion, this book is appropriate for ages 17 and older.
On a scale of 1-10, with 10 being the highest, I rate this a 9.
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