Review: An Island Christmas by Nancy Thayer (audio)

Title: An Island Christmas    

Author: Nancy Thayer       

Narrator: Tanya Eby  

Published: October 2014, Brilliance Audio  

Length: 4 hours 39 minutes  

Source: Library 

In this enchanting holiday novel from New York Times
bestselling author Nancy Thayer, family and friends gather on Nantucket
for a gorgeous winter wedding with plenty of merry surprises in store.

As Christmas draws near, Felicia returns to her family’s home on the
island to marry her adventurous, rugged boyfriend, Archie. Every detail
is picture-perfect for a dream wedding: the snow-dusted streets,
twinkling lights in the windows, a gorgeous red and white satin dress.
Except a lavish ceremony is not Felicia’s dream at all; it’s what her
mother, Jilly, wants. Jilly’s also worried that her daughter’s life with
daredevil Archie will be all hiking and skydiving. Wondering if their
handsome neighbor Steven Hardy might be a more suitable son-in-law,
Jilly embarks on a secret matchmaking campaign for Felicia and the
dashing stockbroker.

As the big day approaches and Jilly’s
older daughter, Lauren, appears with rambunctious kids in tow, tensions
in the household are high. With the family careening toward a Yuletide
wedding disaster, an unexpected twist in Nancy Thayer’s heartwarming
tale reminds everyone about the true meaning of the season.

My thoughts: This is Nancy Thayer’s second holiday novel, and it is just as charming as the first. While it isn’t a sequel by any means, it does take place in Nantucket like the other one and does bring back some familiar characters. 

This story is all about Jilly and her family. Jilly’s daughter is coming home to get married and she isn’t all that thrilled about her soon-to-be son-in-law. As the family gathers under one roof, there are quite a few misadventures that provide for some humorous moments. Between the hectic pace of the holiday season, the upcoming wedding, having family coming to stay, and the new cat, there wasn’t a dull moment to be had. And through it all, the message of family and love comes through loud and clear.

This is a great holiday story, though in truth, it really can be read, or listened to, at any time. It once again only adds to my desire to one day make it to Nantucket…there doesn’t seem to be a bad time to go – winter, summer, fall or spring – is there a bad time to visit Nantucket?

Audio Thoughts: Tanya Eby does a great job with the narration of this book. She is able to give all the characters unique voices and infuse just the right amount of stress or emotion into everyone’s voice as needed, especially Jilly. I really enjoy listening to books Tanya narrates – I can always count on a good listening experience when she’s doing the narrating!