Review: Summer Breeze by Nancy Thayer (audio)

Summer Breeze by Nancy Thayer

Read by Kimberly Farr

Random House Audio

2012

Length: 12 hours 11 minutes

Source: Library

From back of the audio case: Morgan O’Keefe feels
trapped in a gilded cage. True, the thirty-year-old mother agreed to put
her science career on hold to raise her young son while her husband 
pursued his high-powered job. But though Morgan loves many things about
staying home with her child, she misses the thrill of working with her
colleagues in the lab. She’s restless and in dire need of a change.

Fed up with New York City’s hectic pace, Natalie Reynolds takes up her
aunt’s offer to move to the Berkshires and house-sit her fabulous
lakeside house for a year. But
life on Dragonfly Lake is never without surprises, and for a novice
swimmer like Natalie, the most welcome surprise proves to be the arms of
a handsome neighbor pulling her up from the water for a gulp of air.

When her mother breaks her leg, Bella Barnaby quits her job in Austin
and returns home to help out her large, boisterous family. Among her new
duties: manning the counter at the family business, an
outdated shop sorely in need of a makeover. While attractive architect
Aaron has designs on her, Bella harbors long held secret dreams of her
own. 

Summer on Dragonfly Lake is ripe for romance,
temptation, and self-discovery as the lives of these three women
unexpectedly intertwine.

My thoughts: I’ve listened to quite a few books by Nancy Thayer and find that they are great on audio. They are typically light, carefree books with themes that almost everyone can relate to at one point in their life.

Summer Breeze is primarily the story of three women – Bella, Natalie and Morgan – who seem to be at a cross-road in their lives. They meet by chance, all ending up living as neighbors on Dragonfly Lake and as the summer progresses, they develop friendships that definitely see their fair share of ups and downs. Each of the three are trying to establish who they really are in relationship to their families and their careers. Along the way, there is also the much-needed love stories that add to the plot. 

I loved how the book alternates between each of the women’s point of view. This gives us, the reader, the chance to really know each of the three women – understanding what motivates them and what their ultimate dreams are. We also get to know the women’s families and their love interests, all of whom play a part in their quest for finding happiness. There are plenty of twists and emotional dilemmas throughout, keeping you hooked to the story.

I am slowly making my way through all of Nancy Thayer’s works – and am hoping to get them all on audio. 

Audio Thoughts: This is the first audio I’ve listened to where Kimberly Farr was the narrator and I quite enjoyed her voice. She was able to create unique characters and employ just the right amount of emotion into her voice when needed. I’ve listened to quite a few of Nancy Thayer’s books on audio and have decided she is the perfect writer for audio – her books seem to come alive in narration. She is definitely one of my audio go-tos.

Do you have an author or even a narrator that you would consider a go-to?

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