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Barefoot

3.72 of 5 stars 3.72 · rating details · 20,026 ratings · 1,688 reviews

It's summer on Nantucket, and as the season begins, three
women arrive at the local airport, observed by Josh, a local
boy, home from college. Burdened with small children,
unwieldy straw hats, and some obvious emotional issues,
the women--two sisters and one friend--make their way to
the sisters' tiny cottage, inherited from an aunt. They're all
trying to escape from something:...more

Hardcover, 416 pages

Published July 2nd 2007 by Little, Brown and Company

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Jul 08, 2008 Carrie Runnals rated it 3 of 5 stars

BAREFOOT ~ A beach house, two sisters, and a girlfriend...Sounds heavenly--relaxing, even with a couple kids in tow…

Now, I can handle a bit of vomit and lost luggage, but Hilderbrand mercilessly tugs at all of my feminine heartstrings; marriage, motherhood, sisterhood, and friendship…oh, and that pesky fear-of-death thing.

Meet the Girls:

Melanie deals with infertility overshadowed by infidelity, and then further complicated with pregnancy — “POW!”
Brenda’s promising academic career hangs in jeopa...more

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Feb 21, 2009 Kelly Ballard rated it 2 of 5 stars

Don’t do it. I bought this book after returning from the beach in Martha’s Vineyard this past summer. I thought it was about girlfriends at the beach…What I didn’t know was that none of the female characters were likable. I think this is an important hook for any book – likable characters…instead we are presented with the worst of feminine traits – martyr, hysteria, anxiety, selfish…Ughh.

Honestly I couldn’t get over the beginning when they head to the beach and all hell breaks lose – a child go...more

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Apr 30, 2008 Kathy McC. Mc.C rated it 3 of 5 stars

This is the story of three women and the trials that life brings to them. It is a bittersweet novel depicting the importance of family and friends when life hits a rough patch. It also demonstrates that one never knows where help might come from. This was a well written fluff novel. It dragged slowly by in certain parts. I felt the end wrapped up too nicely and too neatly for all of the characters. It would be great if life worked in such wonderful ways, but alas I found the ending unrealistic.

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May 31, 2010 Amy rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: favorite-books, read-in-2010, recommended-books

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Thought it felt like it took me forever to read this book, in the end it was worth it. In the beginning, I really despised Brenda, and just her entire attitude. Her sister had cancer, her sister's friend (Melanie) was coming on the trip to get a chance to clear her head and get away, and Brenda couldn't be sympathetic to Melanie's situation. I mean Melanie had seven invitro attempts fail, and then when she wanted to try one more time, her husband tells her he is having an affair, and then she fi...more Thought it felt like it took me forever to read this book, in the end it was worth it. In the beginning, I really despised Brenda, and just her entire attitude. Her sister had cancer, her sister's friend (Melanie) was coming on the trip to get a chance to clear her head and get away, and Brenda couldn't be sympathetic to Melanie's situation. I mean Melanie had seven invitro attempts fail, and then when she wanted to try one more time, her husband tells her he is having an affair, and then she finds out that she is at last pregnant, but she can't be happy about it because of Peter having an affair. I am sorry that Brenda lost her job, but really what did she expect when dating a student, even if that student happened to be a year older than she was? She knew the rules, she broke them, and the university had to take action. They couldn't just give her a slap on the wrist, no matter how good a teacher she was, because if they did, and it happened again with another teacher, they couldn't fire that person when they didn't fire her. I also didn't like Walsh, in that he knew what he and Brenda were doing could cause her a lot of trouble, and if he truly cared for her, then he could have waited until the semester is over. True a few months may feel like forever, but once they are over, looking back on those months, it doesn't seem so bad. I think Walsh should have waited, and Brenda should have just told him after the semester was over, they could see what would happen over the summer. He could have even joined them at Nantucket, and stayed there in the room with Brenda. So I didn't feel sorry for Brenda losing her job, because she knew what could happen, and when it did, she shoud have accepted it gracefully, instead of throwing something in anger. If those people had been jumping on me, I would have said to them "If you want me to leave, I will kindlly do so, if you would get out of my way so that I can." I also didn't like the whole Melanie/Josh relationship. If she hadn't been married, I would have probably felt differently, but she was, and in her having "relations" with another guy who wasn't her husband, made her no better than Peter. Also, I think she did the whole thing to get back at Peter, like you cheated on me, so I cheat on you kind of deal. That wasn't fair to Josh, though I too think that the whole reason he wanted to be with the family, is because first of all, he didn't really have a family, just him and his dad. Second, he may have seen traits in Vicki, Brenda, and even Melanie, that resembled some he had seen in his mother, so by being with them, he felt closer to his mother. Also, he had been down the road of being a child who had lost his mother, so if Blaine and Porter lost their mother, he could be a shoulder to cry on for them, because he would have understood what they were going through. I also thought Peter was the most arrogant person I had ever read about, to show up (univited!) and tell Melanie his relationship with Frances was over, and expect her to jump for joy and race back home with him was ridiculous. It was like he decided that Melanie had to come back to him, just because he decided, regardless of how she felt about him or what he had done to her. Also, who could blame Josh for being upset at the sight of Peter, not just because of his relationship with Melanie, but I also think he didn't like the idea of sharing anyone from his "family" with another guy beyond Ted. Melanie didn't help matters, by insisting they continue to see each other, until summer was over, Josh had a point about that, what WAS the point, if they were going to go their separate ways anyway. I was happy everything worked out in the end, Brenda and Walsh did get to be together, even though she had to destroy her career to do it, and Vicki made it through the cancer, and survived. Melanie finally had her baby, even if it had to be slimeball Peter's baby (I am sorry, but I don't believe the words I am sorry will ever be enough for a person to forgive their spouse for cheating) and if I had been her I wouldn't have told him about the baby before I left either, and I wouldn't have left a note. I would have just left, and then called him when I got where I was supposed to be going. It's not like he could file a missing person's report, since the person has to be missing for at least 24 hours, and she would have called him by then. I think he would have deserved a few hours of worry, after all the anxiety and heartache he had caused her already. (less)

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Mar 18, 2010 Myra rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Anyone looking for good summer reading

I'd like to begin by stating that once I started this book, I truly did not want to put it down. The lives of Brenda, Vicki, Melanie, and Josh are so captivating and genuine, making it hard not to become invested. The setting is summer on Nantucket, and Hilderbrand's artful use of descriptive language truly made me feel as if I was there, providing yet another reason for why I couldn't put this novel down.

While there is a certain, underlying thread of sadness that runs through the story, there a...more

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Jul 04, 2008 Spudsie rated it 3 of 5 stars Recommends it for: summer beach "bums"

“Barefoot” is a terrific light summer read. (Of course, just to go against the grain I actually read it in November I believe.) The story is well written and the characters are likeable.

Did “Barefoot” cause me to do any soul-searching, or reveal hidden truths in a startling way? No. But that isn’t the purpose of this book. (At least not in my opinion.) It tells a wonderful heart-warming (I know it’s an overused cliché, but in this case it’s accurate) story of three sisters, each caught up in th...more

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Feb 16, 2013 Julianne rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: chick-lit

Not my favorite of this author's beachy books (but not my least favorite either), but still very readable. I did really identify with one of the characters (Brenda), who was regrouping from a situation in which she had been judged for making a decision that was deemed inappropriate and this resulted in irreparable injury to the life she had worked for years to build for herself. A reminder that, no matter what other obstacles you are facing personally at the time and no matter how well you may h...more

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Apr 04, 2010 Marilyn rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Yes

Recommended to Marilyn by: My friend Lou-who gave me the book

This is about 3 friends that have had catastrophic recent events in their lives, who escape for the summer to Nantucket. Very good character/relationship study.

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Mar 21, 2009 Debbie rated it 4 of 5 stars

Three women arrive at the local airport, observed by Josh, a Nantucket native home from college for the summer. Burdened with small children, unwieldy straw hats, and some obvious emotional issues, the women-- two sisters and one friend--make their way to the sisters' tiny cottage, inherited from an aunt. They're all trying to escape from something: Melanie, after seven failed in-vitro attempts, learned her husband was having an affair, and then discovered she's pregnant; Brenda embarked on a pa...more

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Feb 20, 2013 Arlene Hayman rated it 3 of 5 stars

As I delved into this book, it occurred to me that our book club has enjoyed some amazing books this year, and so by comparison, this novel seems rather trite or ordinary. The tale is entertaining enough, but I think that the author has failed to fully develop the characters in the story. Josh was not portrayed in depth, and as a result, I had difficulty in understanding his attraction or interest in these three older women. I think that I would have become significantly involved as a reader if...more

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Jan 26, 2013 Stephanie rated it 3 of 5 stars

This review originally appeared at www.readinasinglesitting.com.

Elin Hilderbrand's Barefoot opens with a scene akin to a drawn-out framing shot in a Steven Spielberg movie: through airport attendant Josh Flynn's eyes we see three woman disembarking from a plane, each lost somewhere beneath a personal burden. Josh, who's studying creative writing and is in search of a story to follow, is intrigued by the woman and their odd dynamics. Once these opening credits slowly filter away, our lens zooms i...more This review originally appeared at www.readinasinglesitting.com.

Elin Hilderbrand's Barefoot opens with a scene akin to a drawn-out framing shot in a Steven Spielberg movie: through airport attendant Josh Flynn's eyes we see three woman disembarking from a plane, each lost somewhere beneath a personal burden. Josh, who's studying creative writing and is in search of a story to follow, is intrigued by the woman and their odd dynamics. Once these opening credits slowly filter away, our lens zooms in and retains this close focus, alternating between the three main characters of Vicki, Brenda and Melanie, with the occasional moment of reflection from Josh.

If it's an author's job to throw rocks at her characters, then Hilderbrand has upped the ante by hurling boulders at them instead. Each of the three key characters has come to the island haven of Nantucket in order to seek distance from a personal issue that is devouring them. Vicki, mother of two young children, has just been diagnosed with stage two lung cancer and is preparing to undergo chemotherapy. Brenda, Vicki's younger sister, is an academic whose career is in turmoil after being caught having an affair with a student and damaging a valuable painting. Melanie has, after a string of failed IVF attempts, finally fallen pregnant, only to learn that her husband is having an affair. Each is wrapped up in her own difficulties, and throughout the book there's a sense of frustration as each character feels as though her own needs are being subjugated to someone else's.

It's not a terribly sympathetic way to render someone, but in truth people are selfish, and our own concerns tend to eclipse those of others. In addition, it seems to be painfully common to only half-listen to someone, to acknowledge their situation without really registering it. Sometimes, too, indifference or misdirection can be a coping mechanism. Brenda may seem terribly cruel for trying to salvage her career while Vicki struggles with both her cancer treatment and what it means to have cancer, but just as Vicki's primary identity is a mother, Brenda's primary identity is an academic. For Brenda, throwing herself into writing a screenplay version of the book on which she's built her career is a potential way to begin her career anew; it's also a way to zone out from the reality of her sister's illness. If, of course, she truly understands the gravity of Vicki's illness, which I'm not entirely sure that she does. Cancer is in many ways an invisible sickness, and it's one that's difficult for must of us to understand.

Melanie's struggle with her infertility and her association of her barrenness (and therefore perceived lack of femininity) with her husband's infidelity is the crux of what she is seeking to resolve by escaping to Nantucket. Her ambivalence over revealing her pregnancy to her husband is partly to do with her fear that if she does so and he returns to her it will be for the sake of the baby, not for the sake of their relationship. Her knowledge that her husband is having an affair with a woman Melanie thinks of as an unfeminine "tomboy" is also a source of consternation: if her husband is interested in such a woman, but not in Melanie, then perhaps it's something deeper than her lack of supposed femininity that's to blame? It's little wonder, then, that Melanie craves validation from Josh. (And although her final decision about her relationship did make me despair somewhat for women's lib, I can see how it suits Melanie's character. You may need to take a few calming breaths, however.)

But to be honest, Brenda and Melanie's stories are in large part distractions from the narrative that resonates the most, which is Vicki's. Hilderbrand does an excellent job of capturing the sense of conflict Vicki feels about her cancer and its treatment, as well as the mix of guilt, shame and indignation over her diagnosis. In a way all of the women are dealing with an injustice, but the gravity of Vicki's situation provides a basis by which to contrast the others'. Unfortunately while this adds strength to Vicki's plotline, it almost lampoons Brenda and Melanie's, making what are in any other situation utterly valid issues seem trivial as a result. The book also has an almost iterative quality, telling us about an incident, such as the circumstances about Brenda's expulsion from the university, and then returning to this same incident over and over, only with a little more added each time. Rather than adding insight or depth to the narrative, it has a dulling effect, and it's frustrating as a reader to be told and retold something you've worked out for yourself in the book's opening chapters.

There are other issues with the book as well, including the strange, almost messianic role of Josh and the way that his immediately perceived "link" with these three women somehow connects him to them in a weirdly umbilical manner. Even the supporting characters seem to seek some sort of emotional and spiritual reprieve from Josh, and we see broken women rush to him for assistance, and damaged men rethink their attitudes when in his presence. His influence is a bit baffling, and can feel contrived. Josh's narrative sections are hit and miss as well, with those in particular regarding his desire to find a story to tell feeling extraneous and deliberately metafictional. The book's ending, too, feels awfully neat and rushed: for a narrative that is largely internal, it seems strange to have the stationary gears of the story suddenly whir into place so that everything is suddenly solved for all of the characters. Except, curiously, Josh, who simply vanishes from the book a few scenes from the end, which I felt was an odd choice given that he plays the role of the Greek chorus in the beginning (not to mention the Greek god throughout the rest of the book). Shouldn't his viewpoint close out the book as well?

My ambivalence over the ending probably sums up what for me the biggest issue with this book is: the author doesn't seem quite sure whose story this is, and the book, though at times excellent, and always readable, is unfocused and slightly unconvincing as a result. That said, despite the lack of focus and the oneupmanship regarding each character's personal woes--that tear-jerking, overly emotional Spielbergian feel is there the whole time--Hilderbrand's characters do have a sense of presence, and there's something captivating about watching their stories unfold.(less)

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Oct 25, 2012 Beth Gordon rated it 3 of 5 stars

This is my second Hilderbrand novel. I didn't quite like it as much as Summerland.

The premise is a little too contrived. Three women, including two sisters, go to Nantucket for the summer. Each has a big personal drama on her hands. One is fighting lung cancer and going through chemotherapy while trying to raise two young children. One is being sued by her former employer after she had a relationship with a student and accidentally gouged expensive artwork. The other woman had several failed at...more

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Oct 17, 2012 Linda rated it 5 of 5 stars

Three women step off a plane. It sounded like the start of a joke. This was the opening two sentences of this novel and almost caused me to stop reading because the last book I read was also about three women and was a total waste of time. Boy am I glad I decided to keep reading this novel, Barefoot. I've not had the pleasure of reading any of Elin Hilderbrand's novels before, but you can bet I will search out and read all of her books that I can find. I've become a huge fan after just this one...more

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Sep 15, 2012 Kira Solomon rated it 1 of 5 stars

I'd give it a half a star if that was possible. In fact, I'm contemplating taking the one star away but I figured I had to give it something. This book disappointed me. First, the book was all over the place. One minute I'm following Viki, then Brenda, then Melanie, and then Josh... oh and then there are flash backs too, so it just gets confusing most of the time. Second, it didn't end at all the way I wanted it to and that upset me. I thought the story of everyone together at the beach house wa...more

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Aug 07, 2012 Laura rated it 2 of 5 stars

Looking for something light and summery, I took the front cover and read the back and thought it'd be perfect for a weekend at the lake. What the back of the book doesn't tell you is that from the very first chapter, the 3 main characters are annoying and never get any better.

There is a martyr sister with lung cancer, a selfish professor sister and a poor-miserable-me friend who escapes because her husband cheated on her then ends up cheating on him. The children are brats, the husbands alternat...more

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May 30, 2012 Sarah rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: chick-lit, romance

It's summer, and even lovers of YA books need a beach read sometimes! I picked this up at my local public library because the cover was about worn out--proof it has been loved!

Three women arrive on Nantucket for the summer. Vicki needs to get away from home because she has lung cancer and needs to begin chemotherapy. She doesn't know how to handle it--but at least her two boys can play at the beach if she's at the family cabin. Brenda is running away--she was just fired as a university professor...more

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Jul 01, 2011 Stephanie rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

It's summer, and three women are sharing a house on Nantucket. A small house, one that's been in the family for ages, and they're all wondering if the walls can contain all the problems they're bringing with.

Melanie's husband is cheating on her, something she's only recently discovered, even though they've been going through round after round of in vitro fertilization attempts, all of them unsuccessful. And of course, now that their relationship is up in the air, Melanie discovers she's pregnant...more

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Dec 29, 2010 Leah Kautz rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: stayed-up-all-night-reading

There are a few things. I would have improved about this book, overall I really liked it.

The three main characters, Vicki, Brenda and Melanie, were great women to get to know in this story. The 3 drastically different worlds they were coming from made for an intriguing dynamic, espcially when you read about the close quarters of the Nantucket cottage they share for the summer. It was heart wrenching to read about Vicki's battle with cancer, exciting to learn about Brenda's fiascos, and saddening...more

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Nov 08, 2010 Jennefer rated it 4 of 5 stars

Barefoot is a book that was recommended to me (Thanks Lani) because I really enjoyed The Castaways by this author and I wanted to read more of her books. I actually started out not liking any of the characters, and surprisingly by the middle to end, I ended up loving them all! Each character had their own reason for being who they were, and I was endeared to each of them. However, it wasn't until halfway through the book that I became involved enough with the characters that it became a page tur...more

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Apr 09, 2010 Heather rated it 4 of 5 stars

Let me start by saying I was expecting this to be a throw-away book. Something I could start, put down if something else caught my attention, and/or never pick back up (and never regret missing out on if I didn't return to it). I think that impression was the fault of the editors, or whoever put the front cover together. With the tagline, "Three women. Three Secrets. One long, hot summer." and a quote reading, "Summer reading fun. ... Twenty pages in, you'll be ready to drop everything and head...more

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Jan 15, 2010 Denise rated it 2 of 5 stars

I began reading this book during the holiday season but after several attempts to continue, I decided to table reading the book until summer. It wasn't the fact that the story takes place during the summer and we are in the midst of winter, but rather the tone and subject of the book made it difficult for me to engage with the characters. The story revolves around 3 women, each with a slate of personal problems ranging from marriage, health, and career issues. Rather than being uplifting, their...more

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Dec 02, 2009 Natasha rated it 2 of 5 stars

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

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Nov 24, 2009 Jemima rated it 2 of 5 stars

In her novel Barefoot, Elin Hilderbrand tells the story of three women from New York who spend a summer on Nantucket. Two of the women are sisters and one is a friend. They are all running from their problems and spend the summer trying to forget the reality of their situations. The friend Melanie, has just discovered her husband is having an affair and that she herself is pregnant with their first child after years of trying to fall pregnant. Brenda has just been fired from her position as an E...more

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Jun 30, 2009 Donna rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Recommended to Donna by: Donna for Book Club

Great exchange at "Book Club" with this title.

Much of the draw with this book for me was the "cancer-patient". Having recently lost my dear friend Jeannette to the disease, I recognized the experience of fear for those left behind, and of the "need" Vicki had for Brenda (sister) to be all she would not be there to be, herself. I found the book unrealistic.

Sharing a poem....
Eating Together

I know my friend is going,
though she still sits there
across from me in the restaurant,
and leans over the tab...more

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Nov 28, 2012 Cara rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fun-or-frivolity

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I picked this up in my ongoing quest for happy fluff reading. In particular, I enjoy beach books about several women spending the summer together in a small house in a beach community in New England. Genre: check.

In this story, the three women are:
- Brenda, who's on the lam after getting fired from a university after sleeping with a student in her class and then damaging a Jackson Pollock painting somewhat accidentally during a temper tantrum.
- Melanie, who's on the lam after discovering her h...more I picked this up in my ongoing quest for happy fluff reading. In particular, I enjoy beach books about several women spending the summer together in a small house in a beach community in New England. Genre: check.

In this story, the three women are:
- Brenda, who's on the lam after getting fired from a university after sleeping with a student in her class and then damaging a Jackson Pollock painting somewhat accidentally during a temper tantrum.
- Melanie, who's on the lam after discovering her husband cheated on her, and, after seven in-vitro attempts and many months of misery in trying to get pregnant, now of all times, she's pregnant.
- Vickie, who has lung cancer and two small boys.

Yes, cancer, dammit! By my classification system, any book involving cancer is not a beach book. However, despite the cancer and even though a lot of the book covers the characters trying to deal with their problems, it's not a downer. I think it's as close to a beach book as you can get with cancer involved, and I got attached to the characters and their stories very early on.

One thing I really enjoyed was watching each of the women unwind as the summer progressed. When they arrived in Nantucket, the whole scenario seemed like an impossible nightmare to me, but as the book went on, they all went from being beaten down by everything and passively being life's victims, to getting stronger and taking the wheel.

I also really liked the portrayal of Brenda. She's Vickie's sister, and arrives on the island with the best of intentions to take care of the boys and everything Vickie needs to get well. However, it becomes apparent almost immediately that this is not what Brenda is cut out for. She's presented as basically a selfish person and can't deal with the kids or everyone else's problems on top of her own. She expects herself to rise to the occasion and become the hero/saint who handles everything with grace and aplomb. She just isn't that, though, and nothing happens to magically transform her into it. Sometimes she is able to hold her tongue or do something nice despite her impulses, but that's about as far as it gets. I found this ironically reassuring. If an author created this character, there must be other people like this in the world besides me.

As much as I enjoyed all three women, I have to say my favorite character was Josh, the college student the ladies end up hiring to take care of the kids. He's kind of Brenda's opposite: he's a natural with the boys, despite having no prior experience with kids; he's remarkably empathic and selfless; he pretty much always says the right thing; and he is able to help everyone and persevere with grace through everything that gets thrown at him. Meanwhile, he's an interesting mix of naivety and strength. Out of everyone in the book, he's the underappreciated hero, and he's very sweet and likable.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. It was not really the fluff I was looking for, but it was a happy experience and well worth reading.(less)

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Jun 02, 2011 Jodie rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2011

Another book set on Nantucket about 3 women (2 of which are sisters and the other is the best friend of one). All three have come to spend the summer in Nantucket and leave their lives and dramas. Vicki has lung cancer, Brenda, her sister has come to care for her whilst she has chemo but also because she has trashed her career as a professor and damaged a Jackson Pollock at the University, and lastly Melanie has a cheating husband whilst she is madly persuing IVF. So they flee to the family home...more

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May 15, 2010 Shea rated it 3 of 5 stars

I started this book thinking that it was going to suck because a friend of mine said she hated it. But, turns out we completely disagree on books (or at least this one) because I liked it a lot more than I expected to. I'd probably give it a 3.5 if I could because I'm in between liking it and REALLY liking it. I don't know, maybe it's something about having a sister that makes the book mean more to me. But, I liked all the characters and I became invested in their stories. I really, really liked...more

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May 14, 2011 Ashley rated it 2 of 5 stars

This book had the story line and potential to be something great but it fell short. I tried to like it, I wanted to like it but I just didn't.

The main characters were ANNOYING. They grated my nerves. Brenda and Melanie were so self involved and immature, they read like late teens or early twenty year olds, not women in their 30s and certainly not ones who excel professionally. I could not wrap my head around who incredibly selfish they were while "helping" the very sick Vicki. Vicki was the most...more

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Sep 16, 2010 Tara rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: read-in-2010

I read Barefoot because it was on everyone's summer reading list. I love stories where people with little in common get woven together. In this book, you meet three sisters: Vicki, a mother of two battling lung cancer, Brenda, her sister who had the academic world on a string before throwing it all away on an affair with a student, and Melanie, Vicki's friend from Suburbia, finally pregnant after too many tries but with a husband who is having an affair with a coworker. They hole up in a family...more

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Jan 01, 2013 Rachel Feldman rated it 5 of 5 stars

Elin Hildebrand is becoming one of my favorite novelists. Brenda, her sister Liz, and Liz's friend Melanie come to Nantucket for the summer. All have issues in their lives; Brenda has been fired from her university teaching job for having an affair with a student. Her older sister Liz found out she had cancer, and needs chemo. Her friend Melanie found out her husband was cheating on her the same time she learned she was pregnant. Their aunt's house in "Sconcet is where they've been going to sinc...more

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About Elin Hilderbrand

Elin Hilderbrand lives on Nantucket with her husband and their three young children. She grew up in Collegeville, Pennsylvania, and traveled extensively before settling on Nantucket, which has been the setting for her five previous novels. Hilderbrand is a graduate of Johns Hopkins University and the graduate fiction workshop at the University of Iowa.

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Quotes from Barefoot: A Novel

“When you peered into the windows of someone else's life, you could only guess what was going on.” — 16 people liked it

“The rod felt sleek and expensive in his hand; it was the Maserati of surf-casting rods.” — 1 person liked it

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title link	preview: Barefoot
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BBCode	[url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/712313.Barefoot?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1344271499l/712313.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/712313.Barefoot?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]Barefoot by Elin Hilderbrand[/url]

Barefoot

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