The Beach House

Title: The Beach House

Author: Jane Green

Summary: Suzanne Powell (Nan to her friends) knows she is Siansconset's resident eccentric. Content to ride her bike everywhere, snip flowers from her neighbor's gardens, swim nude in their pools, cull a few plants from their gardens to replant into her own, and thumb her nose at the conventional Nantucket life. Nan lives on the bluff in Windermere, the Powell family home. Built in the 1920's the old house has seen better times and Nan is alone except for her housekeeper, Sarah. Her son, Michael has left Nantucket to work as a jeweler in New York and seldom returns. Developers are casting covetous glances at Windermere and Nan refuses to relinquish the home she shared with her late husband, Evan. Evan's suicide when Michael was six left Nan reeling and Windermere is the only part of Evan's legacy not relinquished to satisfy his debts. Thirty years later, her finances ebbing, Nan decides to open the grand old home to summer renters. Daniel comes to Nantucket for some space from a marriage he cannot make right. Soon after, Daff arrives after allowing her teen-age daughter Jess to move in with Richard, her ex-husband and his new girlfriend. Michael arrives unexpectedly, seeking refuge from a love affair gone wrong. Nan is energized by the additions and Windermere begins to fill with the sounds of life. The magic of a Nantucket summer seems to be healing past wounds and opening up new possibilities. The newly forged friendships are turned upside down when an unexpected visitor arrives and Windermere's residents must confront their pasts.

Recommendation: Yes, I was quickly engrossed in this fast moving story. Jane Greene has a great ear for dialog and keeps the storyline tight.

Hearts: 4