Beachcombers

Here is my recipe for the perfect summer book.

Ingredients…
At least one husband having an affair with his wife’s best friend
A wife running off to a guest cottage in Nantucket because of her husband’s infidelity
A dysfunctional trio of sisters who all have their own issues…including falling in love with a married man, getting dumped by a fiancée and losing a job and being the youngest in the family with no concern at all for other family members
An island widower still trying to recover from his own issues and the death of his wife

Directions…
Now toss all of these characters together, add some odd island old society characters, lots of angst and self doubt, a small theft or two, some blue fish, beach swims, bicycle rides and boat show more trips and you have a yummy novel that you will not be able to put down.

Nancy Thayer does a lovely job of keeping all of these many characters moving throughout the course of one summer. The book is charming and a total delight to read. And helped me to arrive at my decision to head to Nantucket in the Fall. show less

Beachcombers was my first beach read of the summer, and it really fit the bill perfectly. Abbie, Emma, and Lily were all well written characters, and their adventures over the summer in Nantucket made for interesting reading.

I can’t say whether I sympathized with Abbie or Emma more. Abbie was the mothering figure, yet at the same time she was hesitant to become that once again for her family. It was important to her to live life on her own terms; she didn’t want her homecoming to mean that her sister Lily could stop taking on any sort of responsibility. On the other hand, Emma starts out the novel with no direction. Her life has come crashing down around her and she does not know where to turn. She has no reason to get out of bed show more each morning until Abbie gives her one.

I can definitely say that Lily was the character I sympathized with least. On one hand, she was only twenty-two – she wanted to have fun, not take on responsibility, which is understandable at that age. On the other had, she was petty and selfish, which made her very difficult to like at times. Thayer did an excellent job developing her character though, making her grow up over the course of the novel and begin to understand that the world doesn’t revolve around her.

This was a satisfying read, though things did tend to happen inexplicably quickly. Emma couldn’t get out of bed because of her depression, and a few pages later she’s running around the island. Abbie’s love interest in the novel also comes about quite suddenly. I can understand Thayer’s desire to keep the book moving at a brisk pace, but these jumps were a bit unrealistic.

Still, Beachcombers was an enjoyable novel that is absolutely perfect for a summer read. These women are interesting characters and Thayer does a wonderful job making them seem like real people. If you’re looking for a good book for the beach, make sure you stick this one in your bag. show less

Beachcombers is the story of three sisters who come back home to Nantucket for the summer. Lily - the youngest sister - emails Abbie - the oldest sister - to come home because she is concerned about Emma who is going through a nasty breakup as well as their father, Jim's financial issues. Jim rents out the girl's childhood playhouse to Marina who is recovering from a divorce. Their mother had formed the Beachcombers Club with them when they were children, teaching them to look for something more in the sand and in life. After she had died when the girls were young, Abbie tries to take over the role as mother as best she can. As adults, each of the women are in need of hope and healing, and the beautiful setting of Nantucket seems to be show more just the ticket. On their arrival back to Nantucket, the girls seem to fall back into their appointed roles as sisters. Nancy Thayer does an excellent job describing beautiful Nantucket - I could almost feel the sand between my toes. Lily drove me nuts! She enjoyed her role as a society reporter just a tad too much which made her come across as shallow to me. One of my favorite characters was Millicent Bracebridge, an elderly woman Emma was hired to read to every day. She was very wise and full of grand advice. I wouldn't mind spending an afternoon reading Agatha Christie to her, one of her favorites. I loved every minute I spent reading this novel. Each chapter is told from one of the women's perspectives but the story flows very nicely. I enjoyed the dynamics between the four women and the people they encounter over the summer. There were enough twists and turns to keep me reading. This book is a great summer read - not too demanding but quite enjoyable. show less

There is something about summer that compels me to read books centered around beach communities in the Northeast. So it should come as no surprise that I picked up Nancy Thayer’s latest, Beachcombers, a story about three sisters who find themselves all living in their childhood home in Nantucket.

Abbie, the oldest, has been away from the family for two years living in Europe and working as a nanny. She’s enjoying her independence after giving up her dreams for so many years to take care of her sisters after her mother died. Emma, the middle child, was a successful investment banker. When the economy stumbled, she found herself broke, without a job and or a fiance. (He was kind enough to dump her and take up with another banker in show more their office.) Lily, the baby, lives at home and works for a local newspaper covering the social events on the island.

The book begins when Emma’s job loss forces her to move home and her depression worries Lily so much that she summons Abbie to return home. When Abbie arrives at home she finds that the economy has also placed a strain on her father. He has rented out “the playhouse” to a 40 year old recent divorce from the Midwest. Marina, hurting from her ex-husband’s betrayal, has fled to Nantucket to escape and heal in a place that brought her much joy when she was younger.

Beachcombers is a wonderful story about unexpected relationships and the process of healing. Each of the women becomes involved in a relationship which on the surface may appear complicated or not to work but is exactly what they need. Thayer does an excellent job painting the characters especially Howell, Harry and Mrs. Bracebridge.

My one complaint about this book centered around the character of Lily. At times, I found her behavior too childish for a woman in her early 20s. I also found myself frustrated at times with her sister’s reaction or over-reaction to minor incidents like Lily forgetting to buy milk for the house. I understood what Thayer was trying to do but it just felt a little much.

That being said I highly enjoyed this book. I found myself losing myself in the story and the characters. I would recommend this book and give it a 4.5/5. Now to to check out more books by Thayer…. show less

Emma Fox, who has just been dumped by her fiance and fired by her high powered brokerage firm, has fled back to the family home on Nantucket. Her younger sister Lily is so worried about Emma spending her days crying and sleeping that she e-mails their older sister Abbie to come home from London. That's not Lily's only worry; their dad has rented out the playhouse to a complete stranger who Lily thinks is after their dad. Marina, their new tenant, has come from the midwest and is on Nantucket to help herself heal after a heartbreaking divorce. She finds a lot more on Nantucket than just a small rental on the ocean.

When Abbie arrives home, things go right back to the old pecking order. Lily is again the family baby and expects everyone show more to take care of her while she can just be her irresponsible self but over the course of the summer Lily is in for quite a few surprises from her two sisters,her dad and in the end herself.

Beachcombersis a wonderful story of a family in flux who find themselves in some new and unexpected relationships. The story is told from the perspective of each of the four women changing with each chapter. I love the way Thayer managed to transport me mentally and emotionally to Nantucket and put me right in the scene with these well developed characters in such a delightful setting. The writing flows smoothly and the story kept me engrossed to the point that I hated to see it end. Another endearing book by Nancy Thayer perfect for a light summer read. show less

Beachcombers is told from the perspective of 4 different characters over the course of a summer in Nantucket. All of these women are at different stages of their lives, two have just suffered unimaginable heartbreak, and each has some life-changing event occur during this summer when their lives intertwine.

I liked this book a lot, except it made me want to go on vacation really, really bad. I thought the story was well-written, and provided colorful descriptions of both the people and the places in the novel. This is the first Nancy Thayer book I have read, and I have already checked another one out of the library.

However, there were a few things that made me rate this book only 3 out of 5 stars:
1. The character of Lily drove me INSANE. show more I could not stand the fact that despite being 22 years old, she still whined, refused to take responsibility, was selfish and self-centered, and overall very immature and childish.
2. There were a LOT of ups and downs in this book. Just when you thought everything was ok, something drastically changed that situation almost immediately.
3. Since none of the inner monologues of the male characters were ever told, I always felt like the guys were 'playing' the girls in the story- I was always expecting more heartbreak (probably from all of the Nicholas Sparks books I read).

Overall, I enjoyed this story, even if it did leave me feeling a bit of wanderlust. I can't wait to read more from Nancy Thayer! show less

This novel reminded me of that TV series Chesapeake Shores with its 3 sisters. Which of course I watched, but it was corny and overly sweet. Also, I don't think I can take any more romance novels where the lead is called Abby!