This was a really nice story about a lady who, finding herself strapped for cash, opens up her beautiful old Nantucket house to short term tenants in the summer.

Into this house come various individuals, all seeking to find themselves and Nan, sees beyond the surface, and in her own way, helps them come to terms with who they are. There is, of course, a little surprise along the way, someone dead resurfaces, and will the conniving real-estate developer fool Nan into selling her house?

A cheery little lazy afternoon read. ( )

Mindless perfect summer read.
What happens with 3 couples meet at a house in Nantucket?
Quick, fun, jello for the brain. ( )

Seems Jane has grown up in with her characters. This book was a bit slow to start for me, but once in Nantucket, she had my New England soul with her. I enjoyed the different vignettes of the stories and how they ended up all interwoven--the married man who was secretly gay, the woman who was divorced and trying to find herself, the grand dame of the house's son who was fresh out of an affair, etc. and how everything eventually meshed together on that tiny island thru friendship and love. I also enjoy the afterlog if you can call it that. Well done Jane, good job. ( )

The Review

Before I became a book review blogger, I absolutely loved (and was lost in) the simplest of fiction. I knew that I loved to read and I adored visiting book stores to pick out the hidden gems. Over the past year, my reading has evolved. What I mean by this is that I’ve read a number of really wonderful literary works that much of the fun/light reading has paled in comparison. On the flip side of this is the fact that I’ve also been feeling weighted by heavy reads. There has to be a perfect medium… a balance, of sorts, where the novel is well written and yet absorbs my heart into a story. Guess what? The Beach House was just that for me! This story of romance, family, tragedy, and redemption just kept my mind busy during a couple of dark days which would have normally sent me into a long nap or a television craze. I wanted to read this book… so much so that I kept my eyes open when I got sleepy just to find out what happened next.

Hallelujah!

Hallelujah!

I needed this book to revive my lust for reading and it did just that.

The Beach House was a very well-written piece of fiction that just gave me pure pleasure. Some readers like romance or mystery… or even the classics. Those books are what they crave. I think that Women’s Fiction, Romance, and ChickLit are just my favorite genres to dive into. And, I need more of them in my reading diet to keep me a happy reader. The Beach House reminded me of that part of myself that I’ve been ignoring.

So, what else can I share about what I liked about Jane Green’s novel? She does a great job at character development, story lines, multiple characters, and keeping the reader’s attention for the duration of the book. Albeit a tad predictable, it was a very enjoyable read. This is THE PERFECT SUMMER poolside, airplane, or beach read for a gal who is ready to lose herself in a good story. There is enough here to make you both sad and happy for the characters in the novel. Jane Green writes good fiction and I’m looking forward to reading another!

I’d love to hear about your opinions of this book, Second Chance or Dune Road if you’ve read them…

The Rating

On Sher’s “Out of Ten Scale,” I would rate this book an 8.5 out of 10. Why? Because I just flew through it. I was emotionally involved in the storyline and just plainly felt excited about reading what was coming up next. What would I have done to make this a 10? Well, I think that the story summary on the back of the book gives away too much of what will happen. I always had a feeling about a “surprise visitor,” however I would have preferred it truly being a surprise without knowing that one was coming. Also, if the author/editor made minor edits to the paragraphs the novel that would indicate whose storyline you were shifting to, that would have made the read more seamless. Other than that, I just relaxed and went for the ride. It was pleasure book that I sorely needed and craved. Kudos to Jane Green… I want to read more! ( )

My local library, from whence I borrowed this book, provides comment slips for readers to rate and comment on new novels. The slips are tucked in to the back of the new novels, so that as one peruses the shelves, s/he can see what others thought of certain titles. The ratings and comments for this latest Jane Green book were mixed. Some enjoyed the whimsical tale, while others felt it was predictable and cliched with simplistic writing. For the latter readers, I must say that they obviously have never read a Jane Green novel before. She doesn't write deep, original stories. She writes cotton candy--fluffy, predictable, straightforward tales.

That said, even knowing that Green is not capable of great works of literature, I did find this to be poorer than her other novels. I felt she was trying to expand her writing a bit, but sadly failed. Green is a British author and her other novels have been set in Britain with British characters. This novel, however, was set in Nantucket and had American characters. Unfortunately, Green did not write quite capture the American essence of her characters. The dialogue was too formal and precise. Basically, it didn't sound like most Americans.

Also, even expecting cotton candy, the conclusion of the book was a bit too sacchrin even for my taste. Thankfully, it was all so predictable, I was able to glaze over the last 50 pages without missing anything important. ( )