Title: Beachcombers
Author: Nancy Thayer
Publisher: Ballantine Books; 1 edition
Publication Date: June 22, 2010
Hardcover: 368 pages
ISBN: 9978-0345518286
Genre: Fiction
Abbie Fox hasn’t seen her father or two younger sisters in almost two years, during which she’s jetted around the world and experienced life, if not love. But now Lily, the baby of the family, is sending Abbie urgent emails begging her to return home to BeachcombersNantucket. Their middle sister, Emma, has taken to her bed, emotionally devastated after the loss of her high-powered stockbroker’s job and a shockingly unexpected break-up with her fiancé. Also, Lily is deeply worried that Marina, the beautiful, enigmatic woman renting their guesthouse, has set her sights on the sisters’ widowed father, Jim. The Fox girls closed ranks years ago after the haunting, untimely death of their mother, but seeing their dad move on with his life forces each of them to take stock.
Over the course of the summer, the sisters’ lives grow as turbulent as the unpredictable currents encircling Nantucket. When Abbie encounters an incredibly appealing married man, she breaks her own rules in the name of love, fearing all the while that she’ll regret it. Meanwhile, type-A Emma learns a new definition of success, and strong-minded Lily must reconcile her dreams with reality. Even Marina, who has come to Nantucket to forget heartbreak and betrayal, faces an astonishing turn of events that will find her torn between fate and freedom. At summer’s end, these unforgettable women will face profound choices—and undergo personal transformations that will surprise even themselves.
My Review:
Beachcombers by Nancy Thayer is a funny, sad, warm, and uplifting story of one special summer on Nantucket. Jim Fox is struggling to make ends meet and his youngest daughter Lily does not know how to handle things when Emma moves back home after her investment firm downsized and her fiancé dumped her for another broker in the firm. Lily frantically reaches out to her oldest sister Abbie to take care of everything just as she has since the death of their mother. Naturally, Abbie flies home from her Au Pair job in London to assist and it is not long before she devises a way to get Emma out of bed and all of them earning some money. Jim too has ideas, his first being to lease out the Playhouse for six months to tourist Marina Warren a 40-year-old recently divorced, jobless, and deeply hurt, she has come to Nantucket to heal. Thayer weaves together the lives of Marina, Jim, Abbie, Emma, and Lily along with glimpses into the brief life of Danielle Fox along with a diverse and lively group of people who either live on or are visiting Nantucket for the summer. Beachcombers is a novel that is easy to get wrapped up in and wish to be a part of the joys and sorrows that fill the lives of the characters. My favourite characters were Abbie and Marina for their strength and maturity and their ability to see beyond the superficial in young 22-year-old Lily. While I have never been to Nantucket I felt as though I could visualize every part of Nantucket through Thayer’s beautiful, detailed descriptions. Thayer has a way of making her characters and their surroundings spring to life. Beachcombers is a wonderful, life-affirming, witty, and deeply enjoyable novel. I would recommend Beachcombers to anyone looking for a charming, feel-good book this summer.
Nancy Thayer is the New York Times bestselling author of Summer House, Moon Shell Beach, The Hot Flash Club, The Hot Flash Club Strikes Again, Hot Flash Holidays, The Hot Flash Club Chills Out, and Between Husbands and Friends. She lives on Nantucket. You can visit Nancy Thayer’s website.
Nancy Thayer’s BEACHCOMBER VIRTUAL BOOK TOUR JULY ‘10 will officially begin on July 6th and end on July 30th. You can visit Nancy’s blog stops at www.virtualbooktours.wordpress.com during the month of July to find out more about this great book and talented author!
I received a complimentary copy of Beachcombers by Nancy Thayer from Pump Up Your Book Promotion as part of the tour. Receiving a copy in no way reflected my review of aforementioned novel.
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