The Beach House

by Jane Green

book data

2,383 ratings, 3.45 average rating, 609 reviews (more data...)

rating	frequency	%
5		13%
4		34%
3		37%
2		11%
1		2%

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published

June 17th 2008 by Viking Books

binding

Hardcover, 340 pages

isbn

0670018856 (isbn13: 9780670018857)

description

The perfect title for the perfect beach read from the New York Times bestselling Author

Jane Green is one of the preeminent authors of women's fiction ...more

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08/07/08

Cathy added it

Read in August, 2008

The more books Jane Green sells, the worse her writing seems to get.

The story in "The Beach House" was diverting enoug but the devil is in the details, and the details are where Green fails. She is a British author, and this is her first book set entirely in the US, and she makes absolutely no attempt to rid herself of certain "Britishisms" -- the dates are given as 30 July, instead of July 30; people "get on" instead of "get along." I found s...more

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5 comments

08/15/08

Norabee rated it:

Read in June, 2008

recommends it for: Nantucket enthusiasts

Jane Green’s depiction of Nantucket life and the surrounding history is a fine backdrop from which to tell the tale of Nan Powell. Nan is the 65 year old year-round resident of the famed island. Years ago, Nan was left a young widow after her husband, Everett, committed suicide and in his wake, left a load of gambling debts that rendered her and their young son, Michael, in dire financial straits. The solution came when Nan decided to sell off some of the prized property at Windermere and k...more Jane Green’s depiction of Nantucket life and the surrounding history is a fine backdrop from which to tell the tale of Nan Powell. Nan is the 65 year old year-round resident of the famed island. Years ago, Nan was left a young widow after her husband, Everett, committed suicide and in his wake, left a load of gambling debts that rendered her and their young son, Michael, in dire financial straits. The solution came when Nan decided to sell off some of the prized property at Windermere and keep only the main house and a few acres for herself and her son.

Many years pass, fairly uneventfully, although Nan has become the town’s eccentric – you see she helps herself to other people’s hydrangeas, swims naked in their swimming pools when no one’s around and while everyone in town knows Nan, no one really “knows” her. So it seems as though Nan finds herself, once again, under some financial difficulties when she discovers that the “hedge funds” that her financial portfolio have consisted of have not performed well and it seems that she may be broke and that Nan may finally be forced to sell her beloved Windermere.

Eventually, she comes along a solution that will not only help her financial situation, but also breathe life into Windermere again. When Nan was a young wife, this home was the backdrop of many parties and a main fixture in the social hey-day of that era. Through the years, she has found that not only has it been difficult to maintain Windermere esthetically, but time has also drained the home’s spirit. After an unsuccessful attempt to sell the home’s much loved, but also uncared for furniture, she decides to rent rooms and turn Windermere into a summer boarding house.

After reviewing answers to her ad, she decides to rent to Daniel, who is on the run from a marriage that he no longer understands, but afraid to pull away from the daughters he loves dearly. Recently divorced Daff finds that she suddenly has a free summer to roam Nantucket’s beaches and old shops, while her teenage daughter spends some time with her father. Nan’s son Michael also returns to Nantucket that summer, fleeing from a misguided romance with his boss’s wife and he hopes to answer some questions about his choices in the affairs of love.

Although brought together for different reasons, the residents find themselves getting to know each other and reveal a few secrets among them. Along the way, they receive visitors – Dan welcomes his daughters and his ex and answers some questions about his marriage. Michael gets a visitor from back home and learns that it’s not that easy to just walk away – sometimes your troubles can follow you. Even Nan gets a an unexpected visit from someone from her past and the answers to deeply hidden secrets evolve and threaten to destroy everything that Nan has worked so hard to sustain.

I think that I was expecting something light, more chick-lit in nature and I found that it took me a while to get into this story. As I continued to read this novel, I began to catch wind of Green’s style - her use of words that create a picture in the mind of the reader – and realized that this story winds much deeper and entertains at a much higher level than I was originally expecting. I think that this was an enjoyable story and gives an insider’s view to summer life in Nantucket.
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05/23/08

Jeanne rated it:

bookshelves: she-used-to-write-chick-lit

Read in July, 2008

So, like Jennifer Weiner, Jane Green has changed her focus from chick lit to women's lit. I didn't know what to expect from The Beach House, but I was definitely not disappointed! It sort of felt like a juicier Maeve Binchy novel, but set in the United States.

Nan is 65 and the local eccentric in Nantucket. She owns a fabulous old house on the bluff (named Windermere) and has recently discovered that her finances are not so great. What's an old gal to do? How about taking in boarders ...more

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04/13/08

Christine rated it:

Read in June, 2008

Jane Green has written a successful novel with "the beach house." Set in Nantucket, her descriptions of people and place attract the reader to the story almost immediately.
Lost one star for a slight reach in the plot 3/4 of the way through, but I saw how it was necessary to introduce this to the reader in order to make other details of the plot come together for a strong finish.
A really good story overall.

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09/02/08

Gabriella rated it:

Read in September, 2008

This was the perfect end of summer read- the characters and their stories were set up spectacularly- I have loved all of Jane Green's books.

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1 comment

06/28/08

Tracy rated it:

recommended to Tracy by: Wendy Cross
recommends it for: Debbie

Easy breezy summer read. Makes me miss Cambria!

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2 comments

10/10/08

Jeana rated it:

Read in July, 2008

It is rumored that Nan Powell is a witch, but the majority of the Nantucket residents agree that she is at the very least, eccentric. She lives in a rambling beach house, skinny dips in her neighbor’s swimming pool, chain-smokes as she bicycles around the island, and pretty much does as she pleases.

Despite seeming to have an ideal existence on the island, the 65-year-old widow finds herself in a financial predicament—thanks in part to her dead husbands gambling debts and a str...more

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08/03/08

Michele rated it:

Read in August, 2008

recommends it for: beach read, light stuff

A Tidy Little Story
The setting is Nantucket in summer. The characters are well drawn and the set up of their individual stories takes up the first half of the book. In the second half they come together in unpredictable ways, with everything playing out full circle.

Nan, the widowed white-haired, bicycle-riding matriarch is the center of the story and her grand hilltop estate with ocean views (Windermere) is the "beach house" to which the title refers. It's a dramatic...more

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07/22/08

JoAnn/QuAppelle rated it:

Books like this are the reason for half-stars! I would give this 2.5 if possible. It wasn't AWFUL or I would not have finished it. But it was an audio and it was the only one I had for a long car ride.

The thing that attracted me to this book was that it was set on Nantucket. I love that place. But I wasn't far into the audio when I realized that was the best part of the book!

I have never commented on the production of an audio book - I guess because most are well done. But t...more

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09/15/08

Caeasso rated it:

Read in September, 2008

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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12/09/08

Danielle rated it:

bookshelves: fiction-general

Read in December, 2008

I would have given this one more star had there been more careful editing and attention to language. Green is British, but her story and characters this time around are American. Too many British phrases snuck past the editors, who should have known better. Some of the dialogue is awfully wooden, too. Interesting story, but I couldn't get past the easily fixable mistakes to enjoy it fully.

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11/29/08

Carol rated it:

Read in December, 2008

Takes place on Nantucket. Nan owns a huge house on the ocean and learns that she can hardly afford to live there. She decided to rent out rooms in the house for the summer. Daff, a recent divorced mom, takes one of the rooms. Nan's son, Michael, takes another. Daniel, a recently divorced dad of two girls takes the other room. Everyone gets to know each other and falls in love with the island. Lasting relationships are made. A fun read - I enjoyed it.

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12/17/08

Beth rated it:

Really enjoyed reading this author for the first time, I like how she has different plots and they are twisted into each other. It's a quick read, light and summery. Perfect if you are having seasonal depression and you will definately want to visit Nantucket after reading this!

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12/03/08

Linda rated it:

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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11/30/08

Sue rated it:

Another chick lite, Jen, but entertaining, as I recall. I think what happened was I picked up a magazine in July down at Branson that had some book reviews in it. This and "All I Ever Wanted" were in it, so I think they were recommended as summer reads. :) I put them on my library list and they just became available in the last month or so. Enjoy!

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11/25/08

Karen rated it:

Read in November, 2008

This was a good romp. The 2nd book I've read lately that had to do with Nantucket. Writing was good, easy to read (but not total fluff), dealing with people in the middle of their adult lives and looking for happiness. Touches on gay lifestyles (nothing graphic at all), divorces due to infidelity, a hint of suicide, unexpected reuinions, and a difficult teenager. Like I said - a romp!

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07/08/08

Corri rated it:

Read in July, 2008

I'm not quite sure how to rate this one. First of all, the author doesn't share the same moral values that I do, so I feel wary of recommending this book. (I don't like how she glamorizes divorces and affairs, for starters.)
That being said, I identified really well with all of the characters and truly enjoyed the book. I was impressed with the author's ability to change the point-of-view so many times in such a seamless way.
I'm not sure that I'll search out any more of Green's book...more

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07/03/09

Wendy rated it:

Read in July, 2009

This book was about sad endings that led to wonderful new beginnings. The first hundred pages of the book introduce the cast of characters: Bee and Daniel, a married couple that is about to split because Daniel is ready to admit he is gay; Daff and Richard, a couple who has split because of an infedility and are now dealing with a 13 year-old daughter named Jess who has turned into a shoplifting terror; Michael, who has recently had an affair with the boss's wife and is trying to escape from her...more

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04/08/09

Donna rated it:

"She dried off naturally, walking naked around the garden, popping strawberries and peas into her mouth in the kitchen garden, admiring the roses that were just starting, and climbing back into her clothes with a contented sigh when she was quite dry.

These were the reasons Nan has come to have a reputation for being slightly eccentric. A reputation she is well aware of, and a reputation she welcomes, for it affords her freedom, allows her to do things she really wants to do, the...more "She dried off naturally, walking naked around the garden, popping strawberries and peas into her mouth in the kitchen garden, admiring the roses that were just starting, and climbing back into her clothes with a contented sigh when she was quite dry.

These were the reasons Nan has come to have a reputation for being slightly eccentric. A reputation she is well aware of, and a reputation she welcomes, for it affords her freedom, allows her to do things she really wants to do, the things other people don't dare...

She is a familiar sight, her long linen skirts floating behind her as she cycles along on a rusty old Schwinn....Nan cycles slowly, one hand lightly balanced on the handlebar, the other weilding a cigarette. She waves at everyone she passes, greets them with a smile, stopping to chat if the whim takes her, or if she sees a neighbor busy in the garden.

Most wave back, but more and more often she is noticing the change in people around here, the people who don't wave back, who pretend they don't see the crazy blond lady on the old bicycle, the people who are so bright and shiny, so clean and perfect as they walk down Main Street tapping on their iPhones, it almost hurts to look at them.

This wouldn't have happened had she been thirty years younger, she thinks from time to time, when yet another young, glamorous New York couple hesistates as she approaches them, weaving wildly on her bike as she attempts to light her cigarette without stopping. Thirty years ago he would have pulled a lighter out of his pocket and lit it for her, instead of turning when his wife prods him, sneering with distaste, as Nan's cigarette lights and the smoke wafts, as if planned, right under the woman's nose. She coughs dramatically, and Nan happily gives her the finger as she cycles off, while the woman gasps in horror and attempts to shield the eyes of the toddler who is with them.

What has happened to people, Nan thinks as she traverses the cobblestones. When did we become so precious? A family of six passes her, father, mother, then four little ones, like four little ducklings with sparkly aerodynamic helmets on. When did our children have to wear helmets, she thinks, turning her head to watch them wobble into the distance. When did we become so scared?" (less)

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