Summer Island: A Novel
Product ID: 17299406
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NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • The renowned author of The Women presents a poignant, funny, luminous novel about a mother and daughter—the complex ties that bind them, the past that separates them, and the healing that comes with forgiveness. “[Kristin] Hannah is superb at delving into the characters’ psyches and delineating nuances of feeling.”— Washington Post Book World Years ago, Nora Bridge walked out on her marriage and left her daughters behind. She has since become a famous radio talk-show host and newspaper columnist beloved for her moral advice. Her youngest daughter, Ruby, is a struggling comedienne who uses her famous mother as fuel for her bitter, cynical humor. When the tabloids unearth a scandalous secret from Nora’s past, their estrangement suddenly becomes dramatic: Nora is injured in an accident and a glossy magazine offers Ruby a fortune to write a tell-all about her mother. Under false pretenses, Ruby returns home to take care of the woman she hasn't spoken to for almost a decade. Nora insists they retreat to Summer Island in the San Juans, to the lovely old house on the water where Ruby grew up, a place filled with childhood memories of love and joy and belonging. There Ruby is also reunited with her first love and his brother. Once, the three of them had been best friends, inseparable. Until the summer that Nora had left and everyone's hearts had been broken. . . . What began as an expose evolves, as Ruby writes, into an exploration of her family’s past. Nora is not the woman Ruby has hated all these years. Witty, wise, and vulnerable, she is desperate to reconcile with her daughter. As the magazine deadline draws near and Ruby finishes what has begun to seem to her an act of brutal betrayal, she is forced to grow up and at last to look at her mother—and herself—through the eyes of a woman. And she must, finally, allow herself to love. Review: Brilliant, compelling and heartwrenching - Summer Island is a novel written in classic Kristin Hannah style with extremely flawed characters, a compelling plot and a plethora of secrets. It is a story of two families and their parallel brokenness, with ripple effects scarring their children for life. How can they put it all behind them and find acceptance, forgiveness and love again? You'll have to read the book to find out. Nora Bridge is a famous talk-show host and newspaper columnist beloved for her moral advice. She has two adult daughters with whom she has no relationship. The story focuses more on the youngest daughter, Ruby, who is struggling to gain fame as a comedian. As the book opens, she's hit bottom, living in a crappy apartment alone and miserable. Nora, on the other hand, is at the top of her game, living in an exclusive condo, driving the most expensive cars and living the life of the rich and famous. So why does she feel empty inside? Eric is the eldest son of a wealthy corporate magnate and he is gay. He's been locked out of the family fortune and business ever since he came out of the closet. But now he's dying with cancer. He stole my heart. Nora is his confidante. I kept waiting for some deeper secret to come out about that relationship, but it didn't. Dean is Eric's younger brother who has followed in his parents' footsteps, taking the corporate world by storm. He has everything that money and prestige can buy. So why is he miserable? This story is a dual family saga with lots of players. They all come back together on Summer Island. Nora has her own devastating reason for returning. Ruby is there to to supposedly take care of her mother while she writes an expose that will finish what's left of Nora's career. Dean is there to stay with his brother until he dies. The dynamics between them all is compelling and heartbreaking at the same time. While the book starts out slow, it grabbed me hard by the third chapter and didn't let go. It is the epitome of how people can become so embroiled in their own crap they cannot see over it. I absolutely recommend this book to anyone who is a fan of family drama, women's fiction and heart-wrenching events that culminate in a happy ending. Review: A Story Of Redemption, Forgiveness, And Understanding - I have been SO BLESSED to have discovered this pearl of an author named Kristin Hannah. Her passionate writing has inspired me to no end. I’ve read The Women, The Nightingale, and Four Winds and have awarded each with five plus stars. They were THAT good. This book is very good but just not quite the caliber of a storyline the others were, for me. The most memorable was Eric’s plight. I felt so deeply for his life’s journey, his parents abandonment, his pure love and loss for his partner Charlie, and the bond with his brother, Dean. The unfairness of life, and the cruelty of a cancer battle was touching and gut wrenching. Rose, Dean and Nora’s storyline was good but for me a little underwhelming and under developed, especially Dean and Rose’s rekindling. What was not lost for me was the takeaway message from the dynamics of this novel. Seek understanding and acceptance of those you love and REALLY SEE THEM FOR WHO THEY ARE. For that alone it was worth reading this book. Ms.Hannah is a gifted, stellar writer and she has always helped me become a better individual for having taken the time to journey through her stories. They left me momentarily raw with emotion, but it’s worth it.
| Best Sellers Rank | #1,074 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) #1 in Drama & Play Types (Books) #20 in Multigenerational Fiction (Books) #26 in Family Saga Fiction |
| Customer Reviews | 4.4 out of 5 stars 58,135 Reviews |
J**S
Brilliant, compelling and heartwrenching
Summer Island is a novel written in classic Kristin Hannah style with extremely flawed characters, a compelling plot and a plethora of secrets. It is a story of two families and their parallel brokenness, with ripple effects scarring their children for life. How can they put it all behind them and find acceptance, forgiveness and love again? You'll have to read the book to find out. Nora Bridge is a famous talk-show host and newspaper columnist beloved for her moral advice. She has two adult daughters with whom she has no relationship. The story focuses more on the youngest daughter, Ruby, who is struggling to gain fame as a comedian. As the book opens, she's hit bottom, living in a crappy apartment alone and miserable. Nora, on the other hand, is at the top of her game, living in an exclusive condo, driving the most expensive cars and living the life of the rich and famous. So why does she feel empty inside? Eric is the eldest son of a wealthy corporate magnate and he is gay. He's been locked out of the family fortune and business ever since he came out of the closet. But now he's dying with cancer. He stole my heart. Nora is his confidante. I kept waiting for some deeper secret to come out about that relationship, but it didn't. Dean is Eric's younger brother who has followed in his parents' footsteps, taking the corporate world by storm. He has everything that money and prestige can buy. So why is he miserable? This story is a dual family saga with lots of players. They all come back together on Summer Island. Nora has her own devastating reason for returning. Ruby is there to to supposedly take care of her mother while she writes an expose that will finish what's left of Nora's career. Dean is there to stay with his brother until he dies. The dynamics between them all is compelling and heartbreaking at the same time. While the book starts out slow, it grabbed me hard by the third chapter and didn't let go. It is the epitome of how people can become so embroiled in their own crap they cannot see over it. I absolutely recommend this book to anyone who is a fan of family drama, women's fiction and heart-wrenching events that culminate in a happy ending.
C**Z
A Story Of Redemption, Forgiveness, And Understanding
I have been SO BLESSED to have discovered this pearl of an author named Kristin Hannah. Her passionate writing has inspired me to no end. I’ve read The Women, The Nightingale, and Four Winds and have awarded each with five plus stars. They were THAT good. This book is very good but just not quite the caliber of a storyline the others were, for me. The most memorable was Eric’s plight. I felt so deeply for his life’s journey, his parents abandonment, his pure love and loss for his partner Charlie, and the bond with his brother, Dean. The unfairness of life, and the cruelty of a cancer battle was touching and gut wrenching. Rose, Dean and Nora’s storyline was good but for me a little underwhelming and under developed, especially Dean and Rose’s rekindling. What was not lost for me was the takeaway message from the dynamics of this novel. Seek understanding and acceptance of those you love and REALLY SEE THEM FOR WHO THEY ARE. For that alone it was worth reading this book. Ms.Hannah is a gifted, stellar writer and she has always helped me become a better individual for having taken the time to journey through her stories. They left me momentarily raw with emotion, but it’s worth it.
B**I
This could be anyone's life
This was another good book by Kristin Hannah. She has a way of writing that is so real and relatable. It’s a story that could be about my life and my family. The characters are all so well written with each having such different personalities. Within the story, there are little side stories of each of the characters that keep the entire story interesting. In this book, after the mother leaves the family, the daughter Ruby never forgives her for leaving. In her adulthood she hates her mother and has had a pretty bad life not being happy. When a situation happens and Rudy agrees to take care of her mother, they learn a lot about each other and it makes you realize you don’t always know what’s going on even in your own home. Besides the two of them swapping stories and getting to know each other again, you have a friend dying of cancer, the sister has marriage issues and an old boy-friend who never got over his first true love. This could be anyone’s life and that’s the way Hannah writes the story. Very, very good but left me in tears several time.
E**.
Summer Island
I love Kristin Hannah’s style of writing. And this is one of her best, maybe it was because I could feel the pain in some of the situations. I grew up w/o my father,who left when I was 8, so I know that feeling of hoping and praying he would come back again, alas I never saw him again and he passed away. But I also could understand both daughter’s way of dealing with it. And I absolutely loved and related to Ruby’s sharp wit. You will not regret reading this book
J**8
Easy read
Sweet but predictable ! If you are looking for a light beach read, it’s a great book. The writing is great and the characters become real in the sense that I felt like I might know them but then they make choices that don’t seem real, just to create drama. Not gripping but sweet.
F**R
A good book
It’s a good story and I must admit KH is good at making me cry! Parts drag some but I would recommend to friends.
S**N
Another well written book
I have really enjoyed reading Kristin Hannah’s books. I love how she uses restoration. It’s so encouraging and leaves you feeling fulfilled. This book has been a pleasure to read. Can’t wait for the next one.
L**A
amazing
This book broke my heart & kept me wanting to continue reading it! I love Kristin’s insight into all the layers of relationships in this story.
K**E
Gefühlvolle Familien Geschichte
Warum darf man nicht nur Sterne vergeben? Ein sehr gefühlvoller Roman. Zentrales Thema ist die Mutter-Tochter Beziehung. Je Fa.geschichte ist tiefgründig erzählt. Gute Unterhaltung.
C**A
Prachtig boek!
De boeken van Kristin Hannah zijn zo mooi geschreven. Ik ben verslaafd aan haar boeken, ze beschrijft haar personages zo mooi en goed, je fantasie wordt gestimuleerd, ze sleept je mee in het wel en wee van haar personages! Ik raad haar boeken van harte aan!
Y**A
Summer Island
The storyline is good and I enjoyed the book but Hannah draws out the story so far as to make it boring. On more than one occasion I debated leaving it and starting a new book. It just dragged too much.
A**R
fantastic book
Wonderful, remarkable story. Hard hitting and powerful but at the same very tender. Kristin Hannah never disappoints with her books. Can’t wait for the next one.
B**M
Easy summer read.
A very relaxing read for summer.
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