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Distant Shores

by Kristin Hannah (Goodreads Author)

3.66 of 5 stars 3.66 · rating details · 5,649 ratings · 496 reviews

Elizabeth and Jackson Shore married young, raised two daughters, and weathered the storms of youth as they built a family. From a distance, their lives look picture perfect. But after the girls leave home, Jack and Elizabeth quietly drift apart. When Jack accepts a wonderful new job, Elizabeth puts her own needs aside to follow him across the country. Then tragedy turns El...more

Paperback, 368 pages

Published June 28th 2011 by Ballantine Books (first published January 1st 2002)

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Jun 02, 2011 Dinjolina rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Nobody. Especially not to people in troubled marriages

Shelves: cheating-jerk, chick-lit, hero-i-wanted-dead, horribly-wrong-ending, moron-hero, omg-eeeewww, plots-i-hate, pretentious-read, ripped-my-heart-out, stress-inducer, worlds-biggest-jerk

This book made me cry.
No,really,it did. And not in a good way.

I was having my period. A friend (that I will have to disown) told me to read this book. It was about second chances and a married couple.

Well...

It was about an ex NFL star that was hungry for attention and his wife,a nice woman that always put him first.

When the hero,or as I call him in my mind-the biggest jerk out there-got a new job he decided to move his wife and kids,disrupting their lives so he could be famous again.
They agreed...more

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Feb 15, 2009 Jen rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: drama

Jack & Elizabeth have been married for 24 years; they have 2 grown children aged 20 & 19. However, they are having problems in their marrige.

Jack, a ex-NFL star, is trying to land a big-time TV announcing job. In the process he has moved his wife and family all over creation. Elizabeth is sick of moving. She feels like she has lost herself.

So when Jack moves to NY, Elizabeth stays in Oregon in order to try and decide what she wants to do with the rest of her life. She starts to paint aga...more

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Apr 03, 2012 Sue Mauersberg rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I loved the book. Reading the book could be compared to going to the beach and then was juvenated to dust off old dreams and pursing them with gusto. Thank you Kristin Hannah!

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Feb 04, 2009 Clara rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This is a relationship book. A typical story of a housewife who takes care of everyone, but herself. Her self-absorbed husband really loves her, but doesn't really know who she is. The pace is fairly fast and the characters are easily recognizable. Set on the Oregon coast, it made me long to sit by a fire and read this book.

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Mar 12, 2013 Sheila DeChantal rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Elizabeth Shore used to love to paint and was considered to be possibly good with a little direction and training. Yet, at a young age Elizabeth met and fell in love with Jack and dreams of painting went to the wayside as they raise two beautiful daughters, and follow Jack around to wherever his sports career will take them.

When the girls are raised and off to college, Jack struggles to keep his career afloat and when an opportunity to jump-start that career is offered, Jack jumps at the chance...more Elizabeth Shore used to love to paint and was considered to be possibly good with a little direction and training. Yet, at a young age Elizabeth met and fell in love with Jack and dreams of painting went to the wayside as they raise two beautiful daughters, and follow Jack around to wherever his sports career will take them.

When the girls are raised and off to college, Jack struggles to keep his career afloat and when an opportunity to jump-start that career is offered, Jack jumps at the chance to take it, once again disrupting their lives for his needs without consulting Elizabeth first. No longer having the buffer of her daughters, and worrying about her ailing father, Elizabeth decided enough is enough. She is tired of feeding Jack’s ego while her dreams wash away. While Jack goes on and on about what HE wants and what HE needs… Elizabeth wondered if he even has a clue of what she would like or need.

Elizabeth decided its time for her to find the woman she lost within herself and asks Jack to move to New York without her for his career while she takes time away. She goes to their isolated beach house to discover a wonderful womans groups, a link to painting again, and a connection with her step mother she never had before.

Finding herself seems to also open doors to discovering who she is without Jack and leading up to doors opening before her she never dreamed were there and the ultimate decision of choosing a life with or without Jack.

Kristin Hannah has a formula in her writing of couples and families in crisis, separating and them finding happiness again. Yes it can be predictable, but you know what? It can also be fun. Hannah’s characters jump off the pages and I truly felt for Elizabeth’s loss of identity and she for years spent time in her husbands shadow.

What I liked about this particular book is that you do not only get Elizabeth’s side, but Jack’s too. I liked reading that Jack was surprised when the woman he has loved all his life stands up and says “enough”. I liked watching his reevaluation of his life and decisions as well, coming to the ultimate decision that could either make or break his connection to his wife.

Distant Shores is a lovely read of love and loss and the possibility of starting again. Its beautifully written, engaging, and filled with hope.(less)

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Dec 13, 2012 Cheryl Lewis rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Once again, Kristin Hannah has failed to disappoint me with her writing. The haunting portrayal of a woman in her 40's, whom realizes how most of her life she has been living for others' (her husband, her 2 grown children that are now off at university). The "empty next syndrome" forces Elizabeth (the central character of the book) to reexamine her life, her goals, her relationships with friends, her daughters and her marriage.
With her children out the house, and her husband consumed with work,...more

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May 05, 2012 Tia rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This book was so beyond messed up. It was horrible. I've read the cheating books and feel the angst and usually enjoy them bu this one goes above and beyond for an asshole hero. Seriously, avoid it. First let me tell you what happened..

The hero and heroine have a decent marriage and children, when the hero get a chance to expand his dying career, he takes it. He tries to move his kids and the heroine but the heroine won't have it, so he takes his whore of a PA or secretary or whatever bad names...more

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Feb 16, 2012 Lisa rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I thoroughly enjoyed this book about a middle-aged woman who has spent her life following her husband from job to job, town to town, and believes that they have settled into their last house, which she is remodeling (albeit slowly) to suit her tastes. But her husband, Jack, is a one-time football star who had to quit due to a blown knee, and due to taking drugs, loses his reputation as well. So his main goal is to get back to the top again; and when he starts to see that happening, he loses her....more

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Jul 29, 2011 Sally Wolf rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This book is about a bird who falls out of her nest because she has forgotten how to fly. Elizabeth Shore aka "Birdie" realizes one day that her life is not all it is cracked up to be. She has a husband, and two wonderful kids but somewhere along the way she has lost herself. After a tragedy in the family shakes her foundation. Grief forces her from her nest and she realizes that has to find the deep down love for herself and her lost passions before she can fly up to her nest to be loved once m...more

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Jul 19, 2011 Ruth rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Elizabeth Shores has been a good wife and mother for 24 years. She is married to an ex-football hero who due to drinking and drugs had a hard fall from grace and is now a sports reporter on a small news show in Oregon. Elizabeth has loved being in their home in Oregon after spending years moving from place to place as Jackson found new positions. With a lead from a young, pretty assistant producer, Jackson lands a major story about a football player and is once more rocketed to noteriety and fam...more

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May 01, 2010 Amy rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This was really disappointing. It was poor writing. I found the story to be rather cheesy, predictable & left some elements I feel would've made it a stronger story for me.

I've really enjoyed Hannah's books. I'm wondering if this is one of her 1st books as I've really enjoyed the others I've read up to this time. Plus, I love that the settings are always in the NW.

I could get that Elizabeth felt she needed time for herself. Totally get that, and I think is was great she put herself first for...more

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Jun 10, 2009 Karen added it · review of another edition

Shelves: advisory-2008-2009

Distant shores is the story of Elizabeth and Jackson Shore, highschool sweethearts that find their marriage in trouble as unhappiness dominates their household. While their children have grown up and gone to college, the two are forced to face their personal problems, only to realize that the inferno between them has radically dimmed over the years. They realize that in order to be happy with one another, they must be happy with theirselves first, but admitting and accepting it is the most diffi...more

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Sep 13, 2012 Alice rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2012, audio, library, literary

Here's some free advice, worth the pixels it forms on your screen: don't read books about marriages on the verge of collapse when your own isn't doing too great. It's upsetting. I was hoping for an uplifting tale of a couple that makes it, despite the difficulties, to get some idea of what to do about my own situation. Instead, it just depressed me.

Distant Shores is a play on the last names of the main characters, Elizabeth ("Birdie") and Jackson ("Jumpin' Jack Flash") Shore. They are, indeed, d...more Here's some free advice, worth the pixels it forms on your screen: don't read books about marriages on the verge of collapse when your own isn't doing too great. It's upsetting. I was hoping for an uplifting tale of a couple that makes it, despite the difficulties, to get some idea of what to do about my own situation. Instead, it just depressed me.

Distant Shores is a play on the last names of the main characters, Elizabeth ("Birdie") and Jackson ("Jumpin' Jack Flash") Shore. They are, indeed, distant, which is probably the first time I've found a title too apt. Jack is a former football star who injured his knee, got addicted to painkillers, and got thrown off Monday Night Football for getting into a car accident while high. Birdie is his wife of 24 years, mother of their two lovely daughters who are now in college. She's deeply unhappy. When Jack gets a job in NYC, she opts to stay behind in the house she thought she'd get to keep forever.

This is not well-written. It's trite, and absolutely stuffed with cliché. I thought about making a drinking game of one shot per cliché, but realized I'd be dead of alcohol poisoning before 20 pages were up. The sea is like a kaleidoscope, a tall, thin rock is a "monolith," eyes sparkle, people pop things into their mouths, hearts break, it's the end of the world. At one point, Birdie thinks that maybe there's a lesson in the spider who keeps rebuilding her web even after it's swept away every time, and I literally smacked myself on the head.

There is some grey area within the book, which is surprising. The separation is neither Birdie's nor Jack's fault, and they both have realizations to make before they can think of reconciling, or even know for certain if that's what they want to do.

But the majority of the prose is written with all the subtlety of a sledgehammer. There's a subplot about a sports star raping young women, but it's there entirely as a springboard for Jack's career. The author is aware this causes controversy, but the reactions from the football star's defenders are flimsy, nothing like the actual remarks made about women who accuse sports stars of rape.

I didn't like the audio edition, and I don't know if that's because of the infestation of clichés, or because a third of the female characters, all the women that were supposed to sound sexy, sounded like they'd just had dental work done. When a third of the background characters are slurred, it grates. The narrator also had a weird lilt. She put emphasis in places where it didn't belong, making the characters sound like they were children, mentally.

In the end, I found the solution too simplistic, not worth the setup, and definitely not worth wading through all that cliché.(less)

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Jul 25, 2011 Tiffany rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: chick-lit

This was my first Hannah book and I did really enjoy it. I was extremely moved by Birdie, the housewife who gave up her dreams to be a good wife and mother...even when the husband didn't deserve her support. Birdie's character has always been my greatest fear and I have worked hard to always make independent choices for myself outside of my marriage and 10 year relationship. I loved the way Birdie was able to begin to put her needs first, even in small steps and to find the courage to believe in...more

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Jun 16, 2010 Debbie rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

With all of Kristin Hannah's books, Distant Shores is a good one, even if it is filled with cliches about a marriage that has hit a stale spot. Elizabeth and Jack Shore have been married for 24 years, raised 2 beautiful daughters, and Elizabeth "Birdy" feels that she is the one who has always given in the marriage while Jack has always taken. She decides she needs to stand up for herself once both girls have left the nest. She and Jack of course want and expect different things from each other,...more

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Sep 27, 2011 Sarah rated it 2 of 5 stars

Well, first off I should say that I am typically a Kristin Hannah fan. Everyone of her books I've read to date, I actually liked / loved, so I was disappointed to say that I barely liked this one. As a matter of fact, I toyed with the idea of a one star, but in the end decided on two. I won't read this again, not that I ever do, but I also won't be loaning it to any of the ladies that I know who like to read. I think it was really that I just didn't like the characters or that they weren't as dv...more Well, first off I should say that I am typically a Kristin Hannah fan. Everyone of her books I've read to date, I actually liked / loved, so I was disappointed to say that I barely liked this one. As a matter of fact, I toyed with the idea of a one star, but in the end decided on two. I won't read this again, not that I ever do, but I also won't be loaning it to any of the ladies that I know who like to read. I think it was really that I just didn't like the characters or that they weren't as dveloped as I would have liked. Typically her books are twice as thick and maybe that was the problem, there wasn't enough time to fall in love with any of them. There were lots of things that I thought could have been expounded upon, but in the end I was just glad when it was over.

This is the synopsis from publisher's weekly, quite possibly if I would have read that last line I would have realized this book wasn't going to be for me.
Hannah returns with another second-chance-at-love story, this one as bleak as the soggy Pacific Northwest setting. Perimenopausal former artist Elizabeth Shore is feeling lost and miserable these days, as daughters Jamie and Stephanie matriculate at Georgetown and husband Jack focuses on jump-starting his stalled sports broadcasting career. So Elizabeth, tellingly nicknamed "Birdie," compulsively redecorates her empty nest and pesters Jack with lugubrious questions about what's wrong with their lives. Then Jack scores a journalistic coup, and in his implausibly meteoric return to broadcasting glory, winds up in an efficiency apartment in New York City, halfheartedly fending off the advances of both a nubile assistant and a Hollywood bombshell. Meanwhile, back in rainy Oregon, Birdie grieves for her beloved late father, joins a support group for "passionless" women, starts to paint again and talks to herself in the self-help homilies Hannah favors ("No more cheerleader years for me. I need to get in the game"). She even has a rapprochement with newly widowed stepmother Anita, who, in a particularly explosive burst of character development, somehow transforms from a tacky Southern "Bette Midler on speed" to a white-haired sylph favoring "long, flowing" white dresses. (When Birdie finds her bliss, she discovers she's miraculously lost weight.) Hannah's tried-and-true formula includes the predictable happy ending, complete with life lessons tearfully learned, but only hardcore fans will make it to the last page of this dreary soap.(less)

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Apr 16, 2013 Dinah rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

CONTAINS SOME SPOILERS!!

Elizabeth and her husband Jack has been married for 24 years and has two daughters. The two have been having marital issues for quite some time. It wasn't until Elizabeth took it upon herself to find happiness through separation from her husband that she actually learned a learned about her mother's death, herself, and her passion for art. She became a very self-efficient woman and was able to find the courage to take risks and try new things in life.

While reading this no...more CONTAINS SOME SPOILERS!!

Elizabeth and her husband Jack has been married for 24 years and has two daughters. The two have been having marital issues for quite some time. It wasn't until Elizabeth took it upon herself to find happiness through separation from her husband that she actually learned a learned about her mother's death, herself, and her passion for art. She became a very self-efficient woman and was able to find the courage to take risks and try new things in life.

While reading this novel, I felt a bit sad for both of the main characters and their marital issues. It's never easy to rekindle a love that somehow becomes lost after so many years of trouble. Elizabeth put up with a lot from Jack. I honestly do not think that I could have stayed in a relationship for so long after all the cheating, drug addiction, alcohol abuse, etc. That is way too much for a man to put his family through. Jack is a selfish SOB. I thought that my attitude towards him would have changed the closer I got to the end, but his character only infuriated me more. While they were separated-- only a couple days mind you--Jack had another affair with a younger woman. He continued to have sexual relations with Sally until he learned that Elizabeth was doing fine without him. When he learns this, he is reminded of how much he "loves her?" Gimme a break!!

In the end, I was pretty pissed because Elizabeth ended up taking him back into her life. The way the story ended, he hadn't even told her about his little sexual encounter while they were separated. I suppose one of the main reason it made me upset the way it ended is because it gives the impression that women are expected to make all the sacrifices for the relationship to work. I was also upset at Elizabeth's decision to make amends with Jack because the only reason they are both back together is because they are use to the familiarity. The longer couples stay together (even though they are miserable and driving each other bonkers), they will always go back to familiarity for the fear of being alone.

One of the questions for discussion at the end of the novel asked: "How do you think Jack and Birdie's marriage will unfold in the years to come? Do you believe it's possible to fall back in love--and trust--with someone who broke your heart?

My Answer is simply: NO. Jack and Birdie's marriage will lead to the same path a couple years down the road. Jack had proven far too many times that he is untrustworthy. Without trust a relationship cannot last. What they are experiencing, getting back together, is called the honeymoon phase. It won't last--unless the deep seated issues are addressed and actual changes are made.(less)

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Oct 25, 2012 Merry rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I liked this book and I didn't like this book. On the one hand, it was a typical "middle-aged woman becomes empty nester, realizes she doesn't have a life of her own because she forgot her dreams years ago, husband only seems to care about his career, so she needs time to find herself" kind of book. But then again, by the second half of the book the characters were better developed, the writing seemed much improved (or was that my imagination?), and the story line felt less shallow and more inti...more

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Aug 14, 2011 Suzanne rated it 4 of 5 stars

I'm a huge fan of Kristin Hannah, and I really enjoyed this book because it was a bit of a departure from her other books, which primarily focus on the relationships between women. While Kristin does explore the relationships between Elizabeth "Birdie" Shore, and her step-mother Anita, her best-friend Meghann, and her daughters Jamie and Stephanie, these are a bit peripheral to the dynamics of her relationship with her husband of 24 years, Jack Shore. The question that Kristin poses about "what...more

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Sep 24, 2011 Booklover rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: cheating-grovel, baby-children, chicklit, divorce-separated-reunion-2nd-chanc, emotional-tear-jerker, engagement-marriage-on-rocks, love, office-romance, parents, sports

DISAPPOINTING!this is what i felt about the book.

Jack is the most selfish man who always thought about how he had lost so much and blamed Elizabeth for it,he was never a good husband not a good father ,over the pages you will see how he keeps thinking how many he was tempted to have sex but cause he was married he left them go,he is such a great guy made of steel(his own words) how he mixed what all stars do drink -have sex with loads of woman instead he was stuck with a wife and 2 daughters,his...more

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Jan 07, 2013 Merianne rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This was my fourth Kristin Hannah novel and one of my favorites. After failing to finish "Firefly Lane" because of a lack of interest or connection with the characters, it took me several weeks to read "True Colors," which was better than "Firefly" but not great. This one took me only two days to read and brought me to tears more than once - a testament to Hannah's ability to write a great novel when she keeps it short and simple. I prefer her books that are limited to short periods of time beca...more

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Sep 28, 2011 Jessica rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: chic-lit

Poor Birdie,(Elizabeth Shore) has gone so long without spreading her wings she's forgotten how to fly. Jack and Elizabeth's marriage has survived drug abuse and infidelity, but has been slowly disintegrating.
A former painter, Elizabeth spent the last 24 years caring for her husband and daughter, and forgot about herself. After she loses her father, she feels the need to find herself.
She separated from Jack, a former NFL star with a constant need for a cheerleader in his life. Literally, a c...more

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Jun 08, 2012 Susana Guerra rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: favorites

I can never get tired of reading her books! I felt like I was part of the story. I've never been married but I have been in a relationship that lasted longer than most marriages. I guess he could have been the love of my life and as the years passed, we grew apart. My love never died but it just became too difficult and hard. I can totally relate to this story on how sometimes we forget the reasons why we fell in love and hold on tight to the person that holds the key to our past, our present an...more

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Aug 30, 2011 Carol rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Enjoyable read. A believable episode in the life of a middle aged women who after living only for her familiies needs suddenly finds her own life wanting when her kids leave home. Embarking on a soul searching journey to find her inner self and what she really wants in the next episode of her life she doesn't always find what she expects and what she does enables her to grow and move forward. Whilst her husband also yearning for what could have been and opts to experience the missing ingredients...more

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Apr 06, 2009 Louise rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction

This was a very good story. Being that I stayed up until 4:03 a.m. finishing this book and a second one, I'm waaay too tired to think of something to write. So, I'll give you the blurb from the back cover of this book:

"Elizabeth and Jackson Shore married young, raised two daughters, and weathered the storms of youth as they built a family. From a distance, their lives look perfect. But after the girls leave home, Jack and Elizabeth quietly drift apart. When Jack accepts a wonderful new job, Eliz...more

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Apr 12, 2013 Cgrant rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This book was hard to rate; on one hand, I liked the story itself, but on the other hand, I was put-off by the way Elizabeth and Jack were with each other. I find it impossible to believe any couple could argue that rationally and have such perfect quotes and answers for each other, no matter how well they know each other or how mature and intelligent they are, etc. It was all too cheesy and unrealistic with how unselfish and thoughtful they could be one second and then aggravatingly immature an...more

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Jan 17, 2010 Rene rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Another good Kristin Hannah book! Very quick and easy to read. Although the topic of a rocky marraige is discouraging seeing how I'm a newly wed. But I can see how many women would relate to the relationship between Elizabeth and Jack. They'd been married for over 20 years and had two grown girls both in college. Elizabeth had been the take-care-of-everything Mom who put her dreams aside. Jack was a professional athlete and then after a blown knee went on to broadcasting/tv jobs. Elizabeth follo...more

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Feb 21, 2012 Rachel Brand rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: audiobook, family-saga, 2012, almost-favourites, kristin-hannah

I really, really enjoyed this book. I thought it would end up being a 8/10, but the ending pushed it up to a 9. I loved how it showed that you can rediscover who you are deep inside and invigorate your life without giving up your marriage or family. Yes, Elizabeth made mistakes in letting her family take over who she was and lost herself in the process, but she was able to reawaken herself without giving up her husband and daughters. My only real difficulty with this book was that Jack and Birdi...more I really, really enjoyed this book. I thought it would end up being a 8/10, but the ending pushed it up to a 9. I loved how it showed that you can rediscover who you are deep inside and invigorate your life without giving up your marriage or family. Yes, Elizabeth made mistakes in letting her family take over who she was and lost herself in the process, but she was able to reawaken herself without giving up her husband and daughters. My only real difficulty with this book was that Jack and Birdie didn't exactly have a "normal" family life, and while I'm sure many couples go through similar struggles, Jack's job and fame presented a lot of issues that other families wouldn't have to deal with. Plus, I'm really not a sports fan at all, and I found a lot of the aspects of his work to be pretty pretentious. His job alienated me a little. Otherwise, I thought that the book was a very realistic presentation of what can happen to a couple once their children have left home and they realise that they've forgotten why they got married in the first place. I didn't find this at all depressing, as one might expect since I'm getting married in five months. It didn't make me scared for what might come in twenty years time. Instead, it encouraged me to pursue my hobbies and talents and not let them get pushed aside. Even if my main dream in life is to be a wife and mother, children don't stay in the home forever and I wouldn't ever want to end up like Birdie, married for twenty-four years yet having no idea of who she is. And while I want to encourage my husband's own dreams and aspirations, I learned from Jack and Birdie that it's important to have a balance; Jack's dreams cost Elizabeth hers, and this isn't at all fair. As you can see, this book was very thought-provoking, even for someone who is in no way in a similar situation to Elizabeth. This was my first Kristin Hannah novel and I imagine that it'll stay with me for a while. I'll definitely be reading more of her novels. 9/10

On the narration for the audiobook: Amazing! The narrator managed to give each character distinct voices without being over-the-top about it, and I'm not sure how they managed it, but at certain parts of the recording the audio company had used affects to make it sound like someone was talking down a telephone line or shouting from a different room. It definitely brought the characters of this novel to life. Highly recommended.(less)

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Feb 21, 2012 Kristilyn (Reading In Winter & Winter Distractions) rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: physical-book, read-in-2012

Don’t we all want fame and fortune? Or are you the kind of person who would rather stay in your comfort zone and handle small successes as they come in, without the public eye’s opinion?

This is the basis for Kristin Hannah’s novel, Distant Shores. It’s the story of Elizabeth — Birdie — and Jackson Shore, a married couple who weathered the ups and downs of marriage as they started a family with their two girls. They moved and moved, following Jackson’s career as an NFL star. Now that their girls...more Don’t we all want fame and fortune? Or are you the kind of person who would rather stay in your comfort zone and handle small successes as they come in, without the public eye’s opinion?

This is the basis for Kristin Hannah’s novel, Distant Shores. It’s the story of Elizabeth — Birdie — and Jackson Shore, a married couple who weathered the ups and downs of marriage as they started a family with their two girls. They moved and moved, following Jackson’s career as an NFL star. Now that their girls have grown up and started their own lives, Elizabeth and Jackson are drifting apart, each seeming to seek different things for themselves. They end up questioning their marriage, their passions and their dreams, noticing that their ideas may not be the same.

Another great book by Hannah, I was immediately drawn into this one, mostly because of the beautiful scenery painted for me of Jackson and Birdie’s home — Birdie’s dream home, on the edge of the ocean, with a view of the water, a view of the stars. It sounded like a dream home to me. Being more of a recluse myself, I wondered why anyone would want to seek a life outside of this environment, but over time ideas change and what two people want at one time may not be the same years and years down the road.

I found myself identifying most with Birdie. Being an artist myself — a musician — I wonder sometimes what it would be like to not make music at all. Birdie’s a painter and she stopped painting when her girls were born. Just abandoned it, then and there. I couldn’t imagine going back to it after all those years, but one could only hope for the courage that Birdie had.

Jackson wasn’t my favourite character, but I think he was meant to be painted that way. I felt empathy towards Birdie and how she was treated by her husband. I hate to sound like men are incapable of anything — because they certainly aren’t! — but some men need a push from their woman … they need the prodding, the reminding. And some, like Jackson, need to constantly be put up on a pedestal.

I appreciated this novel, but disagreed with the end. I don’t want to give anything away, but it didn’t end how I would have liked it to. I felt that too many events happened throughout the novel for it to end like that. And I almost felt cheated with the ending — I finished the book and didn’t feel complete. I didn’t feel that great resolution I usually feel after reading Hannah’s books — I felt there were a lot of loose ends, unresolved issues. However, this is a wonderful story about marriage and how it’s hard work to keep it going, especially for the long haul.

That being said, this is another great work by Kristin Hannah. Perfect for a married couple, or even those who dare to dream.(less)

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Aug 11, 2011 Laurel-Rain rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

What happens when, after twenty-four years of marriage, the wife suddenly realizes that she has lost pieces of herself along the way?

It's not an unusual story, given the nature of marriage. But Elizabeth Shore did have dreams, once upon a time. And it's not as if she can actually blame her husband Jack, since she hasn't spoken up or protested enough when they ended up moving repeatedly to follow his dreams.

But something inside Elizabeth clicks when Jack takes a job in NY, and their beautiful hom...more

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About Kristin Hannah

Kristin Hannah is the New York Times bestselling author of eighteen novels, including the blockbuster Firefly Lane and Night Road. She is a former lawyer turned writer and is the mother of one son. She lives in the Pacific Northwest and Hawaii with her husband.

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Trivia About Distant Shores

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Quotes from Distant Shores

“Finding your passion isn't just about careers and money. It's about finding your authentic self. The one you've buried beneath other people's needs.” — 37 people liked it

“Promises were a lot like impressions. The second one didn't count for much.” — 13 people liked it

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BBCode	[url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9729464-distant-shores?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1320554430l/9729464.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9729464-distant-shores?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]Distant Shores by Kristin Hannah[/url]

Distant Shores

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