Summer House

The wealthy Wheelwright family meets each summer at their home on Nantucket. Matriarch Anne (called Nona by everyone) lives there year-round along with her LPN/housekeeper, Glorious. Nona's granddaughter Charlotte also lives there and maintains a prosperous organic garden. The men (who all work for the family-owned bank in Boston) commute to the island on the weekends while their wives and children move in for the season. This creates an opportunity for plenty of interesting interactions. I enjoyed reading about the multigenerational relationships.

I like Nancy Thayer's writing. I think she is spot on with her portrayal of extended family dynamics. I come from a large family and I easily related to a few things. Importance is given to show more the issues involving each main character - and they're all dealing with some personal struggle.

Thirty-year-old Charlotte isn't taken seriously by her family and she feels pressured to settle down and marry the right man. Her mother Helen has just discovered a betrayal and is trying to figure out what to do. Nona is feeling every bit of her ninety years. Her days consist mostly of trying to avoid family strife. She dozes during the day and dreams about things that happened in her life (which fills in a lot of family background for the reader). She's not looking forward to Family Meeting - the annual discussion of family investments, etc. that usually results in disagreements. And then there's the relationship between Helen's youngest child Teddy and his father. Worth refuses to believe that Teddy has changed his errant ways. As the book progresses, secrets are revealed and some are life-changing.

Summer House is exactly what I love a novel to be - impossible to put down. I recommend it to any fan of Women's Fiction and anyone looking for a good book to read on vacation (or any other time). show less

Nona is the head of the family and her whole family comes to her beach house in Nantucket for most of the summer.
Ofcourse she loves having her whole family nearby but as with any family, there is a lot of drama.
Under one roof: Nona, her son, her daughter, their spouses, 6 grandchildren, their spouses and their children.

Now, imagine this scenario. Your entire family under one roof for the entire summer. Good times and bad times too right?

With Nona's family, some dramas:
Her daughter thinks she's the least favorite kid
Her son and his wife are fighting
Her granddaughter Charlotte has made a major mistake she's trying to atone for
Her other granddaughters thinks she gives Charlotte more than she should
And then there's her grandson

I don't show more want to include spoilers, so I'm not going to say what the grandson's drama is but it's a biggie and it leads to a much bigger family revelation.

Interesting story. I can definitely see why these characters drive each other crazy but how they need each other too. show less

Summer House is told through the viewpoints of three women in the same family. Nona- is the 90 year old grandmother and head of the family. Helen- in her late fifties, she is married to Nona's son Worth. And Charlotte- thirty, she's Helen's daughter and is residing yearlong at the summer house in Nantucket along with her grandmother Nona. The Wheelwright family is all gathering together in their summer house for what they call "Family Meeting" (a meeting where the whole family comes together to discuss their assets, finances, and family matters), Nona's 90th Birthday and well, just to sail, swim, play tennis and relax.
The chapters switch back and forth between all three women:

Charlotte started an organic garden on a portion of her show more grandmother’s land three years ago - she works long, hard days. She has become rather fond of her garden and her business is blooming. She's the dreamer in the family but her work in the garden has really opened her eyes and you can tell that it is helping her firmly plant her feet on steady ground.

Helen has her share of issues - for one, she has been molded to be the perfect wife and more importantly, a Wheelwright - even if it meant giving up on some of her dreams and aspirations. Over the summer she learns of her husbands unfaithfulness and is questioning if she made the right choices over her life. Not to mention she is questioning her mothering skills - neither of her three of children has accomplished what she and her husband envisioned for them in life. Charlotte is stil not married and is running her garden - with no suitors in sight... but especially no grandbabies. Oliver lives with his partner (Owen) in San Francisco - as far away from the family and the family business as possible. And then there's her youngest, who is an alocholic and drug addict - he shows up at the summer house with news of his marraige and a very pregnant wife.

Nona spends most of her days reliving the past. Her beloved husband Herb passed away several years ago leaving her as head of the family. Although she is 90, she is seen as quite a force and is very respected by all. With the family meeting and the whole bunch reunited at her home she has to give up her peaceful daily routine and be the one to help guide and pacify her crazy family members.

This is family drama at it's best. I loved that there were so many characters (some liked and some not so much) and they all had one problem or another including with eachother. I really enjoyed reading the three viewpoints - the age differences made the same event be seen in three different perspectives. This is the second book I read about Nantucket this summer and I am really considering planning a vacation there. Ms. Thayer creates wonders with her words of what life on Nantucket would be like.

This is definitely the book you want to grab and stuff in your beachbag as you are running out the door - it's a light read full of drama, and plenty of family secrets that keep you guessing... I really enjoyed this and would definitely recommend it. show less

I listened to this book and it was hard to get into at first. There were so many different characters it was very hard to keep track of who was who. I almost gave up on the book. But I'm glad I didn't. This is a really good book about family dynamics and how families have lots of secrets. Not all of them are bad. I enjoyed this book.

The extended Wheelwright family comes together every summer at their Nantucket home. This year, the Family Meeting may be tempestuous, as Charlotte has finally made a go of something--her organic roadside garden. The other arms of the family are crying foul, as Charlotte rents her acres from Nona for a pittance. The story shifts between matriarch Nona, her daughter-in-law Helen and granddaughter Charlotte. Nona's story shines, her memories of being a young war bride entering the wealthy, staid Wheelwright family are great and in the present of the story, she is the type of old lady anyone would want to be. I enjoyed Nona the most, Charlotte was certainly necessary for the propulsion of the story, but Helen just felt like filler.

After years spent wandering from whim to whim, thirty-year-old Charlotte Wheelwright still retains her free spirited ways. Ever the dreamer, Charlotte has apparently found her niche at last. She thoroughly enjoys running an organic gardening business on the island of Nantucket, thanks in large part to her spry grandmother Nona, who donated a portion of land on the family's seaside compound to get Charlotte started. Though Charlotte's skill with plants is bringing her success, cultivating something deeper with people - particularly her handsome neighbor Coop - might present more of a challenge.

Nona's generosity to Charlotte, secretly her favorite grandchild, just doesn't sit well with the rest of the Wheelwright family, as they worry show more that Charlotte may be positioning herself to inherit Nona's entire estate. With the summer upon them, the entire clan is preparing to make their annual pilgrimage to the homestead - some with the hope of thwarting Charlotte's dreams, others in anticipation of Nona's latest announcements at the annual family meeting, and still others with surprising news of their own. Charlotte's mother, Helen - a Wheelwright by marriage - brings a heavy heart. She once set aside her own ambitions to fit in with the Wheelwrights, but now she must confront a betrayal that threatens both her sense of place and her sense of self.

As the summer progresses, these three women - Charlotte, Nona and Helen, come to terms with the decisions they made. Revisiting the lives and loves that have crossed their paths and reflecting on the possibilities of the roads not taken, they may just discover that what they've always sought was right in front of them all along.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. In my opinion, Nancy Thayer is quite the author - I loved the portrayal of the family relationships and the family dynamics featured and it was a quick read for me as well. I give this book an A+! show less

This is the story of the Wheelwright family, which convenes on Nantucket every summer. Some of the drama and plot twists were far-fetched; however, this was a truly cozy, enjoyable read.