Title:The Island House
Author:Nancy Thayer
Narrator:Emily Sutton-Smith
Published:May 2016, Brilliance Audio
Length:10 hours 11 minutes
Source:Publisher
The charms of
Nantucket tempt a woman to leave her established life in Kansas City—but
with a piece of her heart, and a love interest, in each world, she
discovers she must look within to choose the right path.Every
summer since college, twenty-nine-year-old Jenny has traded the
familiarity of the Midwest for the allure of Nantucket. Now an
established university professor in Kansas City, she finds herself
caught between two lifestyles and two very different men. She chooses
Nantucket and the glamorous life she associates with it, unaware that
the summer will take an unexpected turn, and she will have to let her
heart decide what it truly wants.
My thoughts:Nancy Thayer is one of my summer-go-to authors…she, along with Elin Hilderbrand, Dorothy Benton Frank, and a few others, are always among my staple of summer reads. I look forward to grabbing their newest book whether in print or audio and losing myself in their words as I sit on my porch or lay in the sun enjoying a nice glass of iced tea.
What I love about Nancy Thayer’s books is that they usually take place in Nantucket as this one does, with some side trips to the midwest. But, what I didn’t particularly love about this one is that I had a hard time becoming completely invested in the story. I felt that I never really connected with any of the characters like I usually do. I don’t know if that’s because there are so many, which made it hard to keep track of who was who, and what was going on.
Don’t get me wrong – there was family drama and secrets, but it just felt light…there wasn’t enough substance to it to make it a favorite. And certainly not like Nancy’s earlier books – some of which I really loved. This is a good summer book – light, easy reading that you can breeze through, perfect for those lazy, summer days!
Audio thoughts:This is the first time I’ve listened to Emily Sutton-Smith narrate a book and I loved listening to her…she does a great job with the voices and her pacing and emotions are spot on. I can’t wait to see what else she narrates!
I think I'll definitely get this in audio if I have the chance but I don't think this is one I feel the need to go run out and get. Nancy Thayer is an author I really want to try. She's sounds perfect for a good summer read.
Kristin, thank you for your honest review of this book. It does sound like a light, summer read, a "beach read", if you will.
Or a beach "listen"?
I liked this light book very much myself.