NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • The author of the cherished bestseller On Mystic Lake returns with 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 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.
Summer Island is a beautiful novel, funny, tender, sad, and ultimately triumphant.
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I loved this book. The past tears a family apart only to be thrown back together years later to see if they can find happiness.
Couldn’t finish it. I love Kristin Hannah, but I read her more recent works before reading this one, and it just seemed like something I’ve read before. Her Nightengale and The Great Alone set pretty tough standards for me.
Not the Nightingale.
I love all of Kristin Hannah’s books and this one did not disappoint I am only about 3/4 of the way through but finding it very hard to put down.
Great descriptions of the Washington islands. Mother = daughter relationships highlighted. Throw in a little romance and it is a great beach read.
Very good portrayal of the emotions between mothers and daighters
I love all of her books…
I found this novel to be tedious and far too sappy for my tastes. I really enjoyed “The Nightengale” and had high hopes for this earlier book. Hannah’s writing has improved greatly so nice she wrote this one.
Very disappointing. Hard to believe it was the same writer who wrote The Nightingale!
Enjoy it!
loved this book . the characters very realistic and writing is beautiful .
I enjoyed the book more than I thought I would. The mother daughter reconnect I liked. The old flam connection started a little fast but I liked the interaction. It was enjoyable and i will read other books by this auther.
I love all her books and this one didn’t disapp pint. Couldn’t put it down
So good I read it twice, a year in between.
Liked it, not as well as some of her others
Excellant book for daughters, moms,brothers. Family problems so real you could be there. Hatred, love, forgiveness and the tragedy of not being able to forgive.
I couldn’t put this book down. I was hooked from the first chapter.
LOVE KRISTEN HANNAH!!!