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Islands
Anny Butler is a caretaker, a nurturer, first for her own brothers and sisters, and then as a director of an agency devoted to the welfare of children. What she has never had is a real family. That changes when she meets and marries Lewis Aiken, an exuberant surgeon fifteen years older than Anny. When they marry, she finds her family—not a traditional one, but a group of C...more
Paperback, 496 pages
Published
December 28th 2004
by HarperTorch
(first published 2003)
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Oct 23, 2012
Mary
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
Anyone who likes contemporary fiction
Recommended to Mary by:
Library Book Sale
Anny Butler has always been a caretaker, a nurturer, first for her own brothers and sisters, and then as the director of an agency devoted to the welfare of children. What she has never had is a family of her own to care for. That all changes when she meets and marries Lewis Aiken, an exuberant surgeon fifteen years Anny's senior.
When they marry, Anny finds her family - not a traditional one, but a group of childhood friends from Charleston who are inseparable; who are one another's surrogate fa...more
When they marry, Anny finds her family - not a traditional one, but a group of childhood friends from Charleston who are inseparable; who are one another's surrogate fa...more
I finished this book because the cover said "National Best Seller" and I thought - there has to be a reason this book is a best seller so I'm going to finish it!
I closed the book when I was finished thinking - nope - there wasn't a reason. People must have bought it for the author's name.
This is the second Siddons book I've read. I wasn't pleased with the first either. When the story started out in "Islands" I thought it had potential. I was in the world of Charleston and I learned a few things...more
I closed the book when I was finished thinking - nope - there wasn't a reason. People must have bought it for the author's name.
This is the second Siddons book I've read. I wasn't pleased with the first either. When the story started out in "Islands" I thought it had potential. I was in the world of Charleston and I learned a few things...more
I enjoyed this book but not as much as some of her others. I've read or have on my shelf to read most of her books. The original premise of the book about a group of old friends coming to live together sounded great but it just kind of fell flat for me.
She didn't make me long for a beach house in the Low Country or even to want to visit- the descriptions of dirty, dusty, leaky, musty, salty, smell shirts and blankets; bugs, mosquitos, crocs, gators,heat humidty, sweaty didn't do much for me. I r...more
She didn't make me long for a beach house in the Low Country or even to want to visit- the descriptions of dirty, dusty, leaky, musty, salty, smell shirts and blankets; bugs, mosquitos, crocs, gators,heat humidty, sweaty didn't do much for me. I r...more
I admit to being irritated with this book, right up to the 5th CD. The relentless assault of bad news for the main characters was becoming annoying, but there was somewhat of a pay-off in the last fifth of the book. I stuck with it primarily because of the skill of the narrator whose way with the Carolinian (?) ac-
cents was masterful. She handily covered a dozen characters with unique voices which was a treat to listen to, even if the plot was bugging me.
I used to be a big ARS fan, and even had...more
cents was masterful. She handily covered a dozen characters with unique voices which was a treat to listen to, even if the plot was bugging me.
I used to be a big ARS fan, and even had...more
I didn't care much for this book. I didn't feel she went into detail enough about any of the characters. I felt more like the places were the main characters instead of the people. I didn't like the characters, I found them to be weird. A group of successful people with lots of money, several homes and families but they were all obsessed with an old dilapidated beach house and the crazy possessive Camilla. None of them seemed to have a connection with or cared much for their children or grand ch...more
I'm not sure the review I wrote went through, so I thought I would try again. This book seemed to go on and on with little real purpose. It is a story about a group of people, several of whom have known each other since childhood, who own a beach house together on Sullivan Island near Charleston, SC. The setting was interesting to me because we visited that area earlier this year.
The group vows that they will love and care for each other forever. Through the various tragedies and stages of their...more
The group vows that they will love and care for each other forever. Through the various tragedies and stages of their...more
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I am a true Anne Rivers Siddons fan. I love most everything of hers I read. This book fell a little flat for me. It is written in the typical Siddons lyrical style with wonderful phrasing, elegant descriptions and her usual passion for her low country setting. My problem was with the plot which seemed to drag. I read to page 150 and stopped. I just wasn't engaged in what was going on with these characters. The initial romance was under developed. The group dynamics of the "Scrubs" was too narrow...more
So, how do you write a review for a book for whom you clearly weren’t the intended audience, but you read it anyway? I read it because I was curious about the genre, even though I can’t really say what the genre is. I’m not even sure I know what the theme of the book was. It seems, on the surface, to be about the very ordinary lives of members of Charleston’s privileged society. When I was growing up, one of the favorite jokes in my house was how unrealistic television families were. But, we’d a...more
Jul 17, 2011
Gina Lynette
added it
I haven't read anything by Anne Rivers Siddons in a long time and thought I would return to an old friend. I am so sorry I did.
While Anne's prose makes for an easy read, some of her repeated use of rare words was distracting. It was a clever turn of phrase the first time -- poor editing the 4th.
The actual story? It was closer to a weird murder mystery than a novel -- but it pretended to be a novel for a long time. She spends forever telling you how tightly knit these characters are, but never ma...more
While Anne's prose makes for an easy read, some of her repeated use of rare words was distracting. It was a clever turn of phrase the first time -- poor editing the 4th.
The actual story? It was closer to a weird murder mystery than a novel -- but it pretended to be a novel for a long time. She spends forever telling you how tightly knit these characters are, but never ma...more
I generally like Siddons books. She is very good at writing about relationships, especially family relationships. This book was very slow getting to the story for me. Because i have liked her books i stuck with it, altho i was bored for the first half of the book. One of the problems was that she constantly described Charleston, the weather, the people, the neighborhoods, the beaches, now i like some of that when i'm reading, but in this book she does it over and over and over. However! In the s...more
I didn't actually finish this book. Somewhere close to half through I was so bored that I didn't even care to find out the end. I don't even know what the whole plot of the book was even about.
I liked the beginning of the story. I loved hearing how Anny (yes that is the correct spelling) met her husband and I also enjoyed learning about his friends. She fit into their group easily and the characters were good.
But then the story seemed to fizzle. There is a death in the group and after the chapt...more
I liked the beginning of the story. I loved hearing how Anny (yes that is the correct spelling) met her husband and I also enjoyed learning about his friends. She fit into their group easily and the characters were good.
But then the story seemed to fizzle. There is a death in the group and after the chapt...more
I loved this book and almost gave it a five. I loves the slow easy way that it developed. The story was good and well told in a lazy sort of way. The one thing that stopped me from giving it a five is that I felt that some of the characterization was a little lean. That may be my own fault and perhaps I ought to read it again. It takes place near Charleston and sometimes in Charleston and the characters and their lives are interesting. I was surprised that it turned out to be a murder mystery of...more
Islands is the second title I have read by ARS (Sweetwater Creek being the first). I did not enjoy this storyline and was disappointed with the ending. Islands follows the lives of the "Scrubs", 4 Charleston couples who are close friends and in my opinion - way too needy of each other. They all own antiqudated old homes, as well as other assorted houses, but find they are most happy at the beach house. The story follows them through the times that they spend together at the beach house and the L...more
my first book by this author.
I loved the nature descriptions. The story comes over as a warm fuzzy cloud, quite unbelievable really and yet i loved it. This book intrigued me, we read about the characters as they progress through life,on the one hand the warm, loving friendship they share and on the other hand this underlying current of menace.It`s because the threat is presented not very subtle but fairly open but long drawn out it still creates a strange effect. I will look out for other works...more
I loved the nature descriptions. The story comes over as a warm fuzzy cloud, quite unbelievable really and yet i loved it. This book intrigued me, we read about the characters as they progress through life,on the one hand the warm, loving friendship they share and on the other hand this underlying current of menace.It`s because the threat is presented not very subtle but fairly open but long drawn out it still creates a strange effect. I will look out for other works...more
Audiobook – received a MP3 player for Christmas and I wanted to check it out!
Thanks to my librarian sister who helped me download this debut.
This was an enjoyable story. Reminded me of a long beach vacation with
friends. Everything seemed perfect on the outside. The descriptions of
the beach area and Charlestown were very poetic and could have been overly
busy if I “read” this book.
The Scrubs– a group of Charlestown acquaintances mostly doctors who have
been friends forever and share a beach cottage...more
Thanks to my librarian sister who helped me download this debut.
This was an enjoyable story. Reminded me of a long beach vacation with
friends. Everything seemed perfect on the outside. The descriptions of
the beach area and Charlestown were very poetic and could have been overly
busy if I “read” this book.
The Scrubs– a group of Charlestown acquaintances mostly doctors who have
been friends forever and share a beach cottage...more
Anny Butler is a caretaker, a nurturer, first for her brothers and sisters, and then as a director of an agency devoted to the welfare of children. What she has never had is a real family. That changes when she meets and marries Lewis Aiken, an exuberant surgeon fifteen years older than Anny. When they marry, she finds her family-not a traditional one, but a group of Charleston childhood friends who are inseparable, who are one another's surrogate family. They are called the Scrubs, and they all...more
Not the best but pretty good. There is always an interesting twist in her books. This is no exception. A bunch of friends all associated with medicine somehow, go thru the winter of their lives and try and help each other deal with aging and tragedy. The setting is the South Carolina coast. Anny Butler is a caretaker, a nurturer, first for her own brothers and sisters, and then as a director of an agency devoted to the welfare of children. What she has never had is a real family. That changes wh...more
This was a VERY well written book. About Charleston SC and surrounding islands/areas. It was like a flowing stream tho...not much excitement, but a lot of very interesting personal interaction among the "Scrubs," (4 Dr.s and their wives). About 1/2 way through I wondered what the point was, and why I was reading it...but it was cozy enough to keep reading. The excitement didn't start until about 3/4 of the way through, but then it really took hold...and the ending was TOTALLY, TOTALLY unexpected...more
Set in South Carolina's low country, the author weaves a story of the lifelong friendship of several couples who vow to share a home and look out for each other as they grow older. The story is told by the person who marries into this special group and carries the reader through years of highs and lows. I didn't think of this as a mystery until I was well into the book, but it turned out to be a GOOD one! I'll have to read more of Siddons novels.
I'm normally a huge fan of Anne Rivers Siddons, but this book fell flat for me. The main character and her husband were the only characters who inspired any real love in me. Everyone else either fell flat or made me dislike them. I felt NO sympathy when the "tragedies" struck, more of a sense of "Oh, so THAT'S the plot device of the week." I'm not sure what it was that just didn't work for me about this book, but it didn't work. Period.
Quite good, although a bit too uneventful at times. Just kind of plods along in places. Main character marries a man 15 years older and becomes part of his group of Charleston friends who have been close since childhood. After several years, bad luck (in the form of unexpected deaths) starts to plague them, although the “mystery” element of the novel isn’t apparent until almost the end. I’d try another of her books.
This book is a meandering saga of four couples over a period of 10-15 years. The story line is not especially electric, but that is quite possibly one of the reasons that I was drawn to the story. It felt so completely believable. The writing was succinct and yet colorful. I listened to this book and having finished it, I am sorry to not hear the sound of the readers voice any more. She was a perfect fit to a story that takes place in the low country of Charleston, SC.
This was a really good book. Although not a real page-turner, it kept you engrossed enough to keep wondering what would happen next. I do like a book once in a while that is entertaining to read but I can put down if I need to. The chapters were very long though which made it hard to find a stopping point! Overall I enjoyed the book and was somewhat surprised by the ending, which is almost always a good thing. :)
Very good! It kept feeling like South of Broad, which I liked less. (Don't know which of them came first.) There was the same unlikely (to me) group of forever friends that never met anyone else they liked. But Siddons's group had realistic disasters and challenges, to which they rose, and a nice mystery that developed with good subtlety. It improved as it went along. It left me feeling well entertained.
I liked the story. It was pretty good for what it was intended to be--a light read with some surprise twists. I read reviews by several other readers and I feel some of them are unfair. Sure, not everyone is going to like every book, but a book like this isn't trying to change your life or make you contemplate the meaning of the universe. It was meant to entertain and I feel that it achieved that objective.
I really enjoyed Siddons' development of place in this novel. I felt present at each beach/house during the entire story. And since the Lowcountry is so beautiful and I stuck FAR from any type of ocean, I enjoyed every minute of that.....The storyline was well paced and interesting but kind of expected. I anticipated many of the events which ocurred during the story. This was an easy, vacationy read.
Anny Butler meets Dr. Lewis Aiken and becomes part of the circle of his childhood friends who are more like family in a beach community near Charleston and call themselves The Scrubs. They co-own an old house on Sullivan's Island and vow to always live together by the sea. Though bad things happen--a hurricane, a fire, and several deaths, they cling to each other for strength and companionship.
I love reading about Charleston and Anne Rivers Siddons does a great job of writing about the area. This book is not what it seems. Three childhood friends and their various spouses become fast friends and spend much time together on an island near Charleston. The book is a little too sad for me to say that I really liked it, but it's a good story with a surprising ending.
I'm a big fan of Siddons, for her evokation of the Charleston area and the angst of its well-to-do old families. This book is an examinationn of how death and loss affect a tight-knit group of childhood friends, now in the mdical professions, and their spouses known as the "Scrubs." The ultimately unsuccessful effort to maintain ties over 30 years is well-captured. A murder-mystery develops by the end, and the outcome and revelation of the perpetrator surprised me.
I thoroughly enjoyed Islands. The story concerns a group of married couples who are also best friends. They called themselves the 'scrubs', and the share a beach home and time together. Time passes, a few tragedies occur, and an absolute unforseen ending happens that will take your breath away! I loved it!
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