The Beach House

I thought the book was good . I have to be fair as i do not read that many books that dont involve a murder or something to that effect. So for a nice summer book i would say this is a good book . The story line was good . their were alot of characters in the book so i sometimes mixed them up . but thats no fault of the author. Nantucket sounds like the place to see . i would say its a good book for the girls who like romance books ect .

Where is the old wit and charm? Not to mention an actual plot. This book was just too cheesy for me. Her earlier books were so much more substantial with good plot lines and interesting characters. But her last few were more like fluff for me. The big "secret" was something I figured out very early in the novel so the rest was predictable. After Babyville, I think her books just went sour. But I will continue to always read her novels.

I've been a big fan of Jane Green ever since reading "Jemima J" and have read most of her novels. It's been awhile since I've read one, but I remember them being very funny and very British.

This novel was a departure for her (as it's neither humorous nor British), but it worked. She told a number of completely different stories about different main characters, including 65-year-old free spirit Nan--the woman it would be really fun to be. Nan does what she likes and doesn't care what people think, and she's smart and energetic and loves having her Nantucket house filled with people. I really enjoyed getting to know her.

Then the other seemingly unrelated stories started, and I was impressed at the author's grasp of the human condition. Most of the characters were still finding their way, some painfully, through their lives. I came quickly to care about each of them and galloped through the book.

The stories began to converge toward the middle of the book, and eventually there was one big surprise which I of course won't reveal. I think I actually gasped. Everything tied together so neatly that it seemed more of a beach read than literature, but I really didn't mind at all.

The author is a wonderful writer. The book reads quickly but it isn't simplistic, and there's something fresh about her style. I have already recommended this novel to some friends and now recommend it to you.

(review by Mrs. Scott)

This review is based on the audio version. I read this book because the story sounded like a book I read recently and loved: Every Last Cuckoo: A Novel.

What I did like was that the story was set on Nantucket Island. Nan, the central character is one of the older residents, and she has quite a reputation around the island of being a bit eccentric. One day Nan's financial advisor tells her she is out of money due to bad investments, and that she will have to see her home. Instead, she comes up with a plan to rent rooms as a B&B for the summer to raise money. What follows are a cast of new characters who move in, each with their own story to tell, who soon become like family to Nan.

This book was good, but I did not enjoy listening to the reader for this audio book. In addition, there were several story lines going on - some more enjoyable than others. All in all it was a pretty good beach read.

Really enjoyed this book. Easy to read, you will want to know what happens next.