Tourist Town:: A Nantucket Idyll

by Steve Sheppard

She awakes on Nantucket Island, not knowing where she is — or who she is — and she doesn’t want to find out. She calls herself ‘Verona,’ a name borrowed from the stern of the first boat she sees — a name she hopes will help scuttle her past. She resolves never to leave Nantucket. By staying, the likelihood of uncovering, or being confronted by her past, is negligible — or so she believes. One fog-shrouded night, however, Verona encounters an old woman sitting alone beneath the lighthouse at Sankaty Head — the daughter of a former lighthouse keeper. A diary discovered in the attic of a Victorian-era home reveals a decades-old lighthouse tragedy that will soon entangle Verona, the old woman, and a pair of tour bus drivers, who may be able to add a new chapter of Nantucket history to their tours. A New England Book Award-winning book.

362 pages, Paperback

First published August 19, 2015

Reviews

[Danika Thiele]

Took me back to my childhood on Cape Cod. Also loved the twists!

[Kwoomac]

This would be a great summer read. (I might’ve given this four stars if it were summer and I’d just been there.) The author lives on Nantucket so he was able to write from the perspective of the year round Islanders. If you travel to Nantucket, you’ll enjoy the mention of different spots on the island throughout the story. I enjoyed many of the characters. There was one storyline that left some questions. Let it go and enjoy the sun and sandy beach.

[Karla Osorno]

Rating 3.5 stars.

I received this book as a gift in 2021 and am embarrassed by how long it took me to read it. I enjoyed the tale and the insights into Nantucket. The mystery and characters are funny and have backstories that I would love to know more about.

Reading the book intensified my desire to visit the island. Hoping I get to visit with my friend very soon and will be interested to take a bus tour and see the lighthouse, no mystery needed.

This is one of my favorite passages.

“Why do people celebrate beauty in nature, but not in each other? Verona asked after a while. Why don’t we see the beauty in ordinary human movements every day?”

[Mary Lenhardt]

Overall this is a good book. The author was very descriptive on the area, which makes me want to visit to experience the island for myself. The ending I feel was unnecessarily dramatic. I feel that Rebecca should have just told the truth, because Verona was supposedly a strong person, not the waffler that she was during most of the story. I would recommend reading it because there were some twists to the story that kept me reading.

[Jackie27]

Overall this book is well written and a great picture of Nantucket. I loved the locals view of an island losing itself to billionaires and how the charm is being taken away. It starts off as a cozy get to know the island kind of story, however the meat of the story takes way too long to get to. I also think the ending left too many questions and not in a way that’s like ooo I can ponder more. More like plot holes. I liked this book but it was fine in the end.

[Liza]

I loved this book! It was a nice homage to Nantucket and felt like a real journey to the island. I love Nantucket so much and could feel, while reading this book, as if I were actually there. It was a good mix of history and fiction, with a bit of mystery and romance (everything I look for in a good summer read).

[Alyssa Leister]

I purchased this book while visiting Nantucket this summer. The Nantucket vibe is what saw me through this book. The storyline dragged at some points and I just wanted it to be more intriguing but felt like it was very summery and helped me pull a mental image of the island. Overall, enjoyed how it ended.

[Sandra]

I met this author at a party in Nantucket and thought I would see what he had to say. I was very pleasantly surprised with the literary aspect of the book and really enjoyed it. While the plot is a little thin, I really enjoyed the insights about Nantucket Island - lots of very interesting history and insider knowledge.

[Tami Foster]

I bought this book at an adorable book store on Martha's Vineyard. I also visited Nantucket, where the author is from and where the book takes place. So it was fun to read this book and feel like I was there with the descriptions of the island in it. Good story, a little mystery thrown in.

[Brianna]

I adore this book. Worked on ACK & lived there so it brings a bit of an old home back to me. Cast of characters. A comfort read for me for sure. As evidenced by the fact that I’ve read it a few times over the years.

[Gayle]

I had the opportunity to meet the author in Yarmouth Port. I thoroughly enjoyed the story and the characters. There were twists and turns and surprises along the way. A great read! Thank you.

[Pam Sexton]

Local author hits on highlights of Island. Nice suspense but too many characters and story lines confusing. Still a fun read.

[Kelly Gressley]

I enjoyed reading the book - and remembering of the places mentioned in the book that I have seen this past year when we took a day on Nantucket Island.

[Helen]

Enjoyed this book very much.

[Kathy Benz]

I bought this book while visiting the island this summer, and felt transported back to Nantucket as I read this story. I enjoyed the history and sense of place. Cute story.

[Janet Forest]

Loved how the plot unravels bit by bit and enjoyed spending time with each of the characters.