“A first-rate storyteller who creates believable, sympathetic characters who seem as familiar as your neighbors,” (The Boston Globe), Barbara Delinsky presents a captivating new novel about a woman whose unexpected reunion with her estranged family forces her to confront a devastating past in A Week at the Shore. One phone call is all it takes to lure Mallory Aldiss back to her family’s Rhode … Aldiss back to her family’s Rhode Island beach home. It’s been twenty years since she’s been gone–running from the scandal that destroyed her parents’ marriage, drove her and her two sisters apart, and crushed her relationship with the love of her life, Jack Sabathian. Twenty years during which she lived in New York, building her career as a photographer and raising her now teenage daughter Joy.
But that phone call makes it clear that something has brought the past forward again–something involving Mallory’s father. Compelled by concern for her family and by Joy’s wish to visit her mother’s childhood home, Mallory returns to Bay Bluff, where conflicting loyalties will be faced and painful truths revealed.
In just seven watershed days at the Rhode Island shore, she will test the bonds of friendship and family–and discover the role that love plays in defining their lives.
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I think this is the best book I have read in ages. There are complex characters, a complex plot, moving moments, hair-tear-out moments, and, through it all a current of love. It is a love of sisters-messy and broken and the love of a man and woman separated by hurt and angry words.
It is a definite buy me, re-read me novel-way above a five star rating.
A Week at the Shore is a story of family complexities and love in its many forms. Follow the winding shore to an ending that leaves you shocked and content at the same time.
Barbara Delinsky gives you a great novel to sink your teeth into. A perfect read for a long, relaxing weekend.
I received a complimentary copy from the publisher, St. Martin’s Press, through NetGalley. Any and all opinions expressed in the above review are entirely my own.
Ok book
A Week at the Shore by Barbara Delinsky
Book starts with dedication then the story. Goes way back to when the character was a young girl and all the memories til she realizes the camera is the secret she uses.
It captures so much more than she can remember.
Joy her daughter and her were to read a book together but she started it without her mother.
Mallory now is a professional with her camera taking real estate pictures. She gets a call from her old hometown, Westerly, RI which I am familiar with.
Jack grew up together and he is her best friend. Her dad scolded Jack and he’s calling to tell her that he also had a gun.
Jack thinks her dad shot his mother….Joy talks her mom into spending a week at the shore with her relatives: Annie her sister and her dad.
As they arrive in town to walk around and get lunch Annie calls from the walk in clinic where their dad has injured himself and they meet there then onto the home…
So much happens when the family reunites and other friends come visit and she learns the real truth about her father. The relationships throughout the years draw close together with the tragedy as they all try to heal with loss and sorrow.
Surprised when she has her job to get back to in NY but she still has memories of RI.
Like family secrets come to light, learning about approaching dogs, healing, locations, friendships, photography, catching up with family and funeral arrangements in detail.
Other works by the author are highlighted at the end.
I received this review copy from St. Martin’s Press via NetGalley and this is my honest opinion.
“Every memory is real, but not all are based on fact.”
I’ve read a lot of books by author Delinsky in the past and enjoyed them. It makes me wonder why it’s been awhile since I read the last one.
This book is a shining example of her work. She is a master at drawing characters on the page so they come alive for the reader – with all their strengths and weaknesses.
Mallory Aldriss is the middle child of three sisters, the peacekeeper. She lives in New York City with her 13 year-old daughter, Joy, and does not go back to the Rhode Island shore house where her father and youngest sister still live. This is the father who always treated her differently, as in poorly, as compared to her sisters.
She receives a call from an old neighbor who she has never forgotten with concerns about her father and decides to take her daughter to meet the grandfather she’s never met.
This is a twisted tale of families and secrets and long-held hurt and also love and forgiveness. I loved the characters, none of whom are perfect, and I loved the shore setting.
I heartily recommend this book to all of us from the not-so-perfect families.
I received this book from St. Martin’s Press through Net Galley in the hopes that I would read it and leave an unbiased review.
Another wonderful book by Barbara Delinski. This is a heartfelt story about family. Mother’s, sisters, dads.
“Memory is life experience. When we deny it, there’s a hole where it should be.” (My favorite sentence in this book.
This is the story of three sisters. Each one so very different, yet a lot alike also. After a tragic accident two move away. One stays. Mallory, Annie and Margo. This book is more about Mallory than the other two but it takes all three to make the story work. Mallory has a daughter, Joy, who is the center of her life. When she left the Shore she left behind the love of her life, Jack. Jack has never got over her nor has she him. She will go through some pretty deep things to realize what he means to her and what part he will ultimately play in her and Joy’s life. Mallory wanted a child and she chose to have one totally on her own and to raise her on her own. Joy is a great kid. Very smart for her thirteen years and wants more family so bad.
When Mallory decides to go back home for a visit Joy is delighted. She wants to get to know her aunts better and her grandfather. Mallory’s sister, Anne, has been taking care of their dad since their parents divorced twenty years prior. Tom, their dad, has dementia and depends on Anne for so much. She has always stuck by him and felt that her sisters sided with their mom. In reality it was not siding. It was more of an escape from a tragedy that happened all those years earlier. Each going their separate way to build a life. When they get back together it is up and down for sure. They each have a lot of pain to deal with and many questions. But their dad can’t give them the answers they do desperately want. He doesn’t remember much but when he does have good days he tries. He was a very strong man before this. A lawyer then a judge. He was a very strong and strict dad to them, especially Mallory it seems.
This book is filled with so many emotions. From the laughter shared by the sisters and niece to the tears each sheds. From the happy memories to the sad times. Each daughter has so much going on and questions why they are the way they are. Whether they are good enough or strong enough. They fight just like always and make up too. They love each other unconditionally yet put pressure on each other too. There is a lot of love in this family and a lot of unanswered questions. A love that is endless between three sisters and a niece. A love between a man and woman that will make you root for it to prevail.
A tragedy hits them and brings out lots of anger and questions. Can these three sisters work though this? Will they be able to move on and have lives? Will the bond they once shared be strong enough? This is a very sweet book that will keep you turning pages. It will keep you rooting for love to the very last page. The very last word.
Thank you #NetGalley, #StMartin’sPress, #BarbaraDelinsky for this ARC. This is my own review.
I gave it 5 stars and loved it. A high recommendation from me.
If you like family secrets, sibling rivalry, a small-town mystery and first love left behind, then you’re ready to spend A Week at the Shore! Barbara Delinsky’s latest has all that and she had me at “Every memory is real, but not all are based on fact.” Mallory Aldiss is a real estate photographer living in New York with her 13-year old daughter Joy. She receives a phone call from her father’s neighbor, Jack, that helps her make the decision to take Joy home for what turns out to be a defining week in their lives.
As Mallory reunites with her sisters Anne and Margo and father Tom, they try to get to the truth about what happened 20 years ago between their father and Jack’s mother, Elizabeth. As one secret after another surfaces and threatens to tear them apart, their week at the shore turns out to be everything they did not expect it to be! Barbara Delinsky’s beautiful words and emotional storylines will leave you completely satisfied! I highly recommend A Week at the Shore!
Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and Barbara Delinsky for the Advanced Readers Copy.
I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. I have read many of Barbara’s books and this one just seemed to move more slowly than most of her books. The writing was vapid and the characters had “no starch”. A book about family drama can be so much more enthusiastically written. I’m sure there are others who will love this book so don’t just take my word on the writing. Enjoy!
I have always loved a good substantial beach read. This book didn’t disappoint. In true Delinsky fashion, there is a major family/friend dilemma along with a beautiful beach town and great cast of characters. Ms. Delinsky delves into the history of 3 sisters, each dealing with issues on their own, who need to come to turns with a 20 year old family mystery and an ailing, formidable father. So many secrets are that are unraveled, but come together nicely. We don’t always get the answer we want, but sometimes that answer is what we need. The relationship between sisters is realistic, each sister taking on different roles in the group. A lot of issues are raised, but it adds to the mystery and a easy to follow. Growing up in a small beach town where there are so many opinions is spot on.
After receiving a concerning phone call from her childhood love, Mallory and her daughter, Joy, are headed back to Mallory’s hometown of Bay Bluff, RI to visit with her youngest sister and difficult Dad. Mallory faces so many questions in regards to her Dad, Mom and most of all, herself. Who says you can’t go home, it may just take awhile to face your fears and get your answers.
Thanks to ms. Delinsky, St. Martin’s Press, and NetGalley for this ARC. Opinion is mine alone.
“A Week at the Shore” Barbara Delinsky
It has been awhile since I last read a Barbara Delinsky novel, and this story is all that I have come to expect from her work. A story that tells just how complicated being a family can be, being true friends can be.. the expectations not met, the events that can change your path.. and with luck, resilience, and forgiveness… how broken relationships can be healed. A well written not to be missed read.
note: I requested an ARC via NetGalley from the publisher.. and was lucky enough to have that request granted. My review is my honest opinion and I hope you will agree with me. This is a story worth reading. Happy Reading ! !
I’ve been a huge fan of Ms. Delinsky for a lot of years. Her book, Flirting With Pete, is one of my favorites of hers along with The Summer I Dared. All of these books are the perfect beach reads for me and I was excited to get an advanced copy of A Week at the Shore from Netgalley.
Mallory has crafted a whole life for herself in New York,away from the family home back in Rhode Island. Lots of family issues left back there has kept her away for 20 years, until a phone call from an old flame back home has her rethinking her reasons for staying away for so long.
Barbara always does a great job of crafting intricately woven stories. This one is no different, pulling me into the story and making me feel like I was standing on the shore alongside Mallory, experiencing the sand and waves and sounds. Sometimes all the descriptive paragraphs dragged a little too long for me, and I was tempted to skip past them but then didn’t want to miss anything along the way.
There’s lots of family drama, and a mystery that’s been hanging over two families heads for the past 20 years. There’s some revelations along the way, and a couple of plot twists that surprised me. Barbara has always been a master at delving deeply into the family dynamic and getting to the heart of what makes people tick, on their own and within the family arc.
I really, really liked Jack. My heart went out to him for what he’s been going through all this time, trying to solve the mystery of his missing mother, trying to continue living in the house he grew up in that has so many memories, trying to live life without Mallory there to live it with him. And now that’s she back, he has the opportunity to right the wrongs of the past and forge a future with her.
As I was reading, I was kicking myself that I’ve gone so long between reading Barbara’s books. When I got to the end, I wanted so much more!!
Many thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for providing me with an advance reader’s copy of this book in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.
This book is packed with so much substance – emotional, family drama, secrets, memories, and a bit of mystery. It also has reconnections, moving forward, and forming bonds. So much can happen in one short week, and this book has it all. It’s a very good read!
Three estranged sisters, one domineering father with a failing memory, and the quaint town of Bay Bluff along the rugged New England coast create a memorable family drama that will draw the reader deep into this complex story. The family dynamics in this novel explode as the three sisters who have not been together in years try to work through a multitude of unsettling family issues, beginning with the disappearance of the neighbor’s wife 20 years ago while out on a boat with Tom Aldiss, the overbearing patriarch of the family.
Mallory, a photographer from New York, tells the story from her perspective as the middle sister who comes home to help out Margo, the youngest of the girls with their thorny father. Soon to follow Mallory is Anne, the oldest of the girls, who has an antagonistic relationship with Margo. Throw Jack Sabathian, the handsome town vet with a complicated history with Mallory, into the mix and life gets very interesting in this small town.
A great read that deals with intricate family relationships, old secrets, forgiveness, and second chances! A family drama filled with emotion, a bit of mystery, and a solid end!
Add it to your list of beach reads for the summer.
This copy was received from St. Martin’s Press in exchange for an honest review. The above thoughts and opinions are wholly my own.
#AWeekAtTheShore #NetGalley
I requested this one from St. Martin’s because I always love their books. After 20 years away, Mallory and her 13-year-old daughter head back to her hometown. To the memories she’s left behind and to her sister Anne that has taken care of her father all these years. But some big revelations get uncovered, ones that can hurt and take some time to heal from. All three sisters need to learn to put the past behind them and get back to being sisters.
This was a slow read for me in the beginning. I felt a lot of time was spent on mundane things that didn’t move the story forward. Also, the third sister Margo wasn’t as detailed as the other two, and she felt a bit like an add-on character. So I wasn’t too invested with what was going on with her. But I enjoyed both Mallory and Anne’s characters, even if they made some bad decisions. I think it’s really easy to want to never return to your hometown, especially a small one where everyone knows everyone and their secrets. The message of forgiveness and healing is strong throughout the book. Overall, this was an enjoyable read.
I love Barbara’s books and was delighted St Martins Press offered me a chance to read an early release. Barbara’s books always tug at my heart strings and her women characters are heroines. I really liked these characters and the story. Going home to the shore for a daughter who wants to meet her family members. Opening old wounds and facing an old flame. Secrets exposed and friendships threatened. Sisters, all different, coming together. A great read! Grab it for your beach trip this summer.
I read so much that I usually pass books along when I’m finished but I’m keeping this one for my personal bookshelf! “A Week at the Shore” is the first book I’ve read by Barbara Delinsky and I believe I’ve found a new favorite author. I could not put this book down. Last night I ended up reading 300 pages straight through to the end! The characters were incredibly well developed, the plot was gripping, and the entire book was extremely well written.
First book of this authors that I’ve read in awhile. I enjoyed the story but wasn’t quite ready for it to end. I had a hard time putting it down! It would make a perfect beach read. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the early copy
Barbara Delinsky is a fantastic storyteller and she’s done it again. This was a captivating story of a woman and her daughter going back to her home town for a week. Her going back has her facing her painful past. But it turns out to be a reunion of sisters at a time when their father’s health is failing. Her characters are realistic and sympathetic. It’s a tremendous read that draws you in. I found myself going through so many emotions and wanted Mal to get closure on her feelings and to reconcile with Jack. Once I started reading it, I had a hard time putting it down. This story demonstrates beautifully that family and true friends can get through the tough times and come out of it stronger. Barbara’s stories are written with so much heart. I loved it.
This author writes such descriptive prose that I really felt like I spent a week at the shore. Such beautiful words. But not all is as serene with the people in the story. There is a lot of baggage and hard feelings from the past that are brought to the surface when Mallory goes home for the first time in twenty years.
I love these kinds of stories, where families are thrown back together as they try to ‘work it out’. Sometimes is works, and sometimes it doesn’t. But watching the relationships unravel and possibly come together again makes for a very interesting story. Barbara Delinsky has mastered working out the complicated relationships while still writing interesting characters and settings.
I loved A Week at the Shore and truly did enjoy the getaway that I felt I was on while visiting this beach town. This would be a perfect summer read for everyone.
A wonderful story filled with family drama, sister drama, love and a little intrigue. This was a quick read and oh so good!