Coming Home: The North Carolina Outer Banks

by Sally Nixon Haines

There is a sliver of sand that extends itself into the sea beyond the usual coastline of North Carolina. Rich in pirate lore, ghost stories, nor'easters, and unpredictable weather, the Outer Banks continues to leave an indelible impression on those who are receptive. A reflection of three generations in the changing landscape of the North Carolina Outer Banks, Coming Home takes readers back to the more innocent era of the 1920s and 1930s, followed by accounts of the legendary Casino, the shifting sand of Jockey's Ridge, and other memories too good to lose from the 1950s and '60s. This reflection comes full circle with stories from vacationers who 'wrote' parts of this ode to the Outer Banks through their own real-life experiences. Author Sally Nixon Haines invites readers to see this place as locals do, offering insider information, travel tips, and amusing anecdotesall sprinkled with a hearty dose of humor and nostalgia. Whether you're a native to the area, a frequent visitor, or a tourist in the making, you'll enjoy Coming The North Carolina Outer Banks, which urges you to discover the beauty that remains...and don't forget to pack the memories when you leave.

Genres: Nonfiction

225 pages, Paperback

First published October 12, 2010

Reviews

[Keith Getzinger]

Picked this up book up thinking/hoping it would have some good historical insights and stories, but it failed miserably. No idea how this got published because it really has no story value or any real substance. Basically do yourself a favor and skip it

[Barb]

Not really what I was looking for; wanted more history of the area

[Corey]

This is a very generous 2 star for me.

This beautiful cover is misleading, I bought this book because I hoped that it would tell me stories and history about my beloved Outer Banks and be a great read during this cold and dreary winter (even if I was reading it on a cruise). Sadly, this book irked me and it took EVERYTHING in me to finish it. I was so annoyed with it and the author that by the time I was done I literally was just irritated and irked that I wasted time on this.

Essentially this novel is a collection of essays - not all of which have anything to do with the Outer Banks. I get the feeling they are blog posts but I'm not sure as there's a chapter about hating technology. The chapters are disjointed and that would be fine if they tied in to one another SOMEHOW. They don't, at all. As I mentioned, many don't involve the Outer Banks at all. I should have read more reviews on this book because I was thinking there'd be stories about the history and "the good 'ol days" in the Outer Banks before they got commercialized (not on Myrtle Beach scale but on the "they now have chain stores" scale). Instead, I was greeted with a lot of disdain for the tourists, random quips about stories no one but her friends/family would care about and very little about the Outer Banks themselves. I did enjoy reading about the Casino, that's the kind of stories I'd thought I'd hear. I even thought that it was fun reading about crazy things tourists have done but she alluded to more crazy stories than she told.

Overall I just can't recommend this book unless you know the author. I was sadly disappointed.

[Briansmom]

I really, really wanted to like this book more than I did. The Outer Banks have been part of my family's life since 1990, when I stumbled upon an ad in the Akron Beacon Journal for a free(!!) color brochure advertising the newly formed Village at Nags Head. We've been renting houses of various sizes as well as condos an average of every other year ever since.

While it did have some funny anecdotes and some sweet memories, it kind of fizzled somewhere around the middle. Would have been better as a short story than book length.

[Jackie Coltrain]

This book has almost nothing to do with the Outer Banks. The author will mention it once at the beginning of each “chapter” before expounding on some random topic that has nothing to do the Outer Banks. Basically this is a random assortment of essays thrown together with Outer Banks in the first sentence of each essay. The description on the back is way off.

[Karen Boyette]

I liked this book since we have a house at the Outer Banks. Interesting things to hear about, most of which I knew, but some things I got a new perspective on. Some of the writing is choppy and several things are incorrect, but overall I enjoyed it. Easy read!

[Kate Schwarz]

I was hoping for a book that would give me a personal history of the Outer Banks, a place where I've been going at least once a year for the past ten years. This book wasn't it.

(Sorry, Mom, I know I asked you to buy this for us...)