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The Castaways

Elin Hilderbrand (Goodreads Author)

3.70 · Rating details · 26,994 ratings · 2,095 reviews

Greg and Tess MacAvoy are one of four prominent Nantucket couples who count each other as best friends. As pillars of their close-knit community, the MacAvoys, Kapenashes, Drakes, and Wheelers are important to their friends and neighbors, and especially to each other. But just before the beginning of another idyllic summer, Greg and Tess are killed when their boat capsizes ...more

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Hardcover, 359 pages

Published July 7th 2009 by Little Brown and Company (first published 2009)

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Summer Beach Reads (all stories set in beach towns)

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Apr 20, 2015 Mandy rated it it was amazing

This is by far my favorite Elin Hilderbrand novel. I was so emotionally invested in it from the first page and I had a hard time not reading it. I had to know what happened to Greg and Tess. Such a moving book and loved the ending. 5 stars for sure ;) this needs to be a movie and I can't understand why it hasn't been made into one yet! Loved this book! It made me sad, happy, mad.... A little bit of everything, which is what great books do!

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Feb 10, 2010 Linda C rated it did not like it

Shelves: hated

This book disproves the idea that it is hard to get a book published. It is published and it is absolutely ghastly. What a waste of time!

The only good thing that I can saw about wasting the day reading it was that it was supposed to be snowing, so there wasn't much else to do. The kids were home watching movies or using the computer and all their activities were cancelled because of the snow. This is a book to read either on a snow day or a beach day, and only then if you don't expect much. I wo This book disproves the idea that it is hard to get a book published. It is published and it is absolutely ghastly. What a waste of time!

The only good thing that I can saw about wasting the day reading it was that it was supposed to be snowing, so there wasn't much else to do. The kids were home watching movies or using the computer and all their activities were cancelled because of the snow. This is a book to read either on a snow day or a beach day, and only then if you don't expect much. I would suggest the beach with a strong drink, that way, your expectations will be lower.

This women has serious need of an editor; the writing was sophomoric at best. I am surprised by the number of people who rated this book 3 or 4 stars. Clearly, they need to be exposed to better literature. However, I did sort of finish the book, although painful, it wasn't bad enough to give up on, but the last 30 pages I really skimmed through. I was so thoroughly sick of these people that I wanted it to end. I didn't care of Greg killed Tess or not.

Samples of the so-called writing: "Now, however, she was his."

"Tess's arms locked around him. He pulled her in. She was his now. Did she know it?"

"The little Gidget girl is hot."

"The kiss was the right thing. He kissed her again. And again."

"He felt guilty stealing it. But then, guess what?"

"Phoebe called him Reedy, Reeder, Freebird, Sweet Reedy Bird." Sweet Reedy Bird-- what the hell is that? If I had ever called my brother Sweet Anything Bird, he would have punched me.

Not to mention the things that are just factually wrong, i.e. Phoebe having an amnio at 11 weeks. That medically just doesn't happen.

When I was in journalism school, we (the newspaper writers) called the broadcast majors "the see spot run" school of journalism-- no sentence over five words. This book is the see-spot-run school of fiction writing--no sentence over five words.

The best part of the book was the description of the food and drinks that they consumed, and they did drink a lot. In fact, now that I think about it, food writing or cookbook writing would be a perfect career for this woman. She wrote about food beautifully. Too bad the rest of the book was so bad. ...more

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Apr 04, 2015 Deanna rated it really liked it

I quite enjoyed The Castaways. I did read it some time ago and thought I already wrote a review.
In the Castaways a group friends that have to deal with the death of two of their best friends. It did have many points of view so I had to pay close attention at times but I enjoyed knowing what others were thinking. There was a lot going on in this group of friends. A lot of partying which may turn some people off but it was right for this group of friends. Didn't like all characters but people are ...more

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Sep 30, 2009 Just - The romance reader rated it it was ok

I give this book two stars instead of one because I haven't actually read the entire book yet. (Honestly, I'm not sure if I will pick it back up later and attempt to.) I really enjoyed "A Summer Affair" so I was excited about "Barefoot" but it just didn't pull me in, so I put it down and moved on to something else after a chapter or two. I had hopes that it was just a fluke and I would eagerly devour "The Castaways".

Hilderbrand has come up with a great plot. Four couples living in Nantucket, sud ...more

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Oct 24, 2009 Cheryl rated it it was ok

Let me begin by saying I truly enjoy "chick-lit". On top of that, I have truly enjoyed several of Hilderbrand's other novels (albeit before I joined Good Reads).

However, I read someone else's review of this book, and although most people loved it, at least one person agreed with me - - - what are these so-called "friends" doing, sleeping around or WANTING to sleep around with each other? And can you really feel sympathy or warmth toward a character that so blithely throws away their own family ...more

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Dec 03, 2015 Mary rated it liked it

This was a typical Hilderbrand tale, which isn't a bad thing. My problem was trying to keep all the couples straight. I couldn't for the life of me remember who was with who. The story was good, but with a very dopey wrap it all up in a pretty bow ending. I don't know why I keep going back to her work, I'm rarely satisfied.

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Sep 18, 2009 MomIsReading rated it did not like it

I couldn't get into this book, it was all over the place. Very rarely do I ever not finish a book I started reading even if I have to suffer through. The older I get the more I realize that life is too short to read less then at least good books. I couldn't even make it halfway through. Sorry, I tried.

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Sep 11, 2009 Brenda rated it did not like it

Just don't read this book. Too many married people sleeping around, too much profanity, too much drug & alcohol use. I knew it would be a 'light read' but this was just junk - not in the way that an occasional candy bar is junk and fun to eat anyway - but junk in a way that I didn't even enjoy for the lighthearted fare it was supposed to be.

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Jun 20, 2011 Caitlin Lacey rated it liked it

I didn't go in with very high expectations, which allowed me to enjoy the book for what it is: a perfect-for-the-poolside, perfectly shallow summer read. Admittedly, it's not so great; the character development from their youth to pre-accident was believable, but the development after the deaths of the MacAvoys was less actual, logical development and more like Hildebrand was casting the melodramatic ideal of soap opera-brand grief on her characters without caring if their actions reflected at a ...more

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May 12, 2012 Rachel rated it liked it

I really wanted this to be the perfect summer read but I had trouble with it from the start. The writing from multiple points of view was not interesting for me, but instead rather hard to follow, and I found myself flipping back to remind myself who characters were far too often. About 100 pages in, it was a tad clearer, but I never really got into the story. For 300 pages of character build-up, I was hoping for a twist at the end, but instead the ending unveiled what the reader would've alread ...more

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Apr 29, 2013 Jeanne Julian rated it really liked it

There were only 2 of us in our book group who really liked this book. The other person said she approached it as a "beach book" and enjoyed it as such. I agreed, but I think I give it more credit than that, too. We've read a number of other contemporary novels "formatted" this way, with the chapters each dedicated to a character, told from his or her point of view. I've come to think this trend is in many cases just an easier way for authors to organize their material and move it along, rather t There were only 2 of us in our book group who really liked this book. The other person said she approached it as a "beach book" and enjoyed it as such. I agreed, but I think I give it more credit than that, too. We've read a number of other contemporary novels "formatted" this way, with the chapters each dedicated to a character, told from his or her point of view. I've come to think this trend is in many cases just an easier way for authors to organize their material and move it along, rather than going to the trouble of fashioning a plot. And usually, I've had to flip back to remind myself whose point of view I was currently reading--the characters or their voices weren't distinct enough. But with The Castaways, the format works: each perspective provides a piece of a puzzle: the mystery of how and why a married couple, part of a group of longtime friends, died in a boating accident--ah! but WAS it an accident? And, these people's personalities were clear to me, unlike those in some of those other "beach reads." Okay, so it was soap-opera-ish--that was fine, that's the stuff of all fiction, isn't it? Occasionally the characters do seem to go overboard (excuse the pun) in an out-of-character fashion, but not completely unrealistically. And occasionally, the writing clunks badly: "his spirit was the frilled brown edge of a badly fried egg" and "the roof was draped with crimson climbing roses, like the back of the winning Kentucky Derby horse." But mostly it's aptly descriptive without being overblown. The setting--Nantucket--is unique, fun. So, what bugged my fellow book group members? They found these characters too disturbingly despicable to appreciate. Too much booze, too much flirtation and/or infidelity, too much dishonesty, too little ability to get their acts together, be smarter, and most of all, BEHAVE. But isn't all that the stuff of Shakespeare, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Joyce Carol Oates...? So stroll to a beach with a cocktail (a recipe is provided in the paperback edition, which is perhaps an indication of the spirit in which this book should be consumed) in one hand and this nicely crafted page-turner in the other, and relax. ...more

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Jul 12, 2010 Trisha W. rated it did not like it

Shelves: my-books, read2010, couldn-t-finish

I could not finish this book. I found the writing boring, confusing and not believable at all. The book seemed to ramble on a lot, I kept thinking to myself-'who cares?' at certain parts of the book. The book was confusing with all the different characters. For example, on page 42.. Let me remind you that this is still towards the beginning of the book, their are 8 people in this story and this is the beginning of the book I am still trying to remember names and the author throws names out right ...more

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Jul 09, 2010 Sue rated it liked it

Elin Hilderbrand is a master at character development. You know what the characters think, wear, eat for lunch, and what they thought, wore and ate for lunch 20 years ago, too. I enjoy that type of character development. That being said, what I find odd about her books is the fact that her characters seem to have a heightened sense of responsibility and integrity in some areas and are totally lacking in morals or conscience in other, more obvious areas. Characters have extra-marital affairs with ...more

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Sep 15, 2011 Shea rated it it was ok

I'm not really sure how I felt about this book. I didn't love it, I didn't hate it...so I settled on "it was okay."
I thought there were too many narrators for the story. A lot of times when I'm reading novel, I'll think I wonder what so-and-so is thinking but I think this took it to an extreme. Six points of view is a bit much, if you ask me. But, I also think it would be weird if the story was about six friends and some were left out, point of view-wise...well, actually, now that I think of it, ...more

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Apr 06, 2013 Barbara rated it liked it

There are eight main characters in this book comprised of four married couples.

The chapters move back and forth between all eight, causing it to be difficult at first for me to keep them - and their intertwined relationships - straight. I actually made a freaking chart to keep all the characters and their issues straight.

It was a beautiful chart: solid lines connecting the married couples and dotted lines connecting the affairs and other intrigues. I know, I'm way too analytical, but at least ...more

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Jul 11, 2018 Chloe rated it liked it

Shelves: on-my-read-bookshelf

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I'd give this book a 2.5 stars. I am so sad I didn't enjoy it! I love Elin- but this one was not very good.
This story is about 4 couples. It took me like 1/3 of the book to even keep them all straight. Complicating it further was the fact that all of them were sleeping with each other, had a romantic history, or were related. The story starts off when one couple (Greg and Tess) are killed in a sailing accident. The friend group (who called themselves "The Castaways") are all devastated (as you I'd give this book a 2.5 stars. I am so sad I didn't enjoy it! I love Elin- but this one was not very good.
This story is about 4 couples. It took me like 1/3 of the book to even keep them all straight. Complicating it further was the fact that all of them were sleeping with each other, had a romantic history, or were related. The story starts off when one couple (Greg and Tess) are killed in a sailing accident. The friend group (who called themselves "The Castaways") are all devastated (as you would be), and the story is about trying to figure out what happened to Greg and Tess as well as trying to mourn.
Phoebe and Addison are one couple. She is on a bunch of depression meds, etc. She's skinny, diets and works out a lot, and cares a lot about her appearance. She actually gets better throughout the story and goes off meds and rediscovers the joy in life. Addison is a real estate agent who has been having an affair with Tess. They're very wealthy and used to getting their way.
Delilah and Jeffrey are another couple and they don't even have much of a story. They couldve been cut, in my opinion. They have kids that are good friends with Greg and Tess' kids. Delilah decides to run away with all 4 kids, but after a night she changes her mind and comes home Jeffrey used to date Andrea.
Andrea and Chief are the oldest couple and Andrea is Tess' older cousin. She goes off her rocker and cant function after Tess' death. They are the guardians of the kids, but shes so depressed she cant do it so Delilah steps in.
Greg, a HS music teacher, was also potentially having an affair with one of his students. In an attempt to get attention, she said he abused her but then that blew over and they were still secretly spending time together. We know they were together the night before the crash but its not revealed until the end that he was just telling her it was over because he loved his wife.
The whole book, people are trying to figure out if this was really an accident. Did Tess tell Greg about the affair and he killed her? Toxicology said she had opiates in her blood. Did she OD and something happened? For all the build up I expected a twist, but nope- it was just an accident and they both died trying to save each other (insert Awwwwww here?).
In the end, everyone stays with their respective spouses and I guess were supposed to be happy about it.
This book was so much about shady moral character, affairs, lusting after your friends, jealousy-- the tragedy of the crash was put in the background. It was hard to keep straight, let alone care about the characters. I guarantee Ill forget this book in a week or less. It was also too long and Erin used the word “said” waaaay too much! I would not recommend. ...more

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Feb 19, 2014 Leonel rated it it was ok

It seemed a good idea: reading this book, Elin Hilderbrand's "The Castaways." the book started out great: a couple dies in a boating accident, and three other couples who they are good friends with are severely affected by their loss. I kind of was drawn in by what could have really happened, as well as the repercussions the incident will do to their friendships. But as I discovered more and more about the characters, I found myself disliking them immensely: drug addicts, depressives, liars. It ...more

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Jun 08, 2009 Laura de Leon rated it really liked it

Shelves: chick-lit, review-copy

I really enjoyed this book. I read it pretty much straight through.

I was impressed from the beginning, when the 8 main characters were introduced in a way that allowed me to keep track of them. This is usually a challenge for me. All 8 of them were real people to me, with good points and flaws. I was very frustrated with some of the them at times, which shows the writing drew me in enough to care.

I liked the way the story built and unfolded. I learned more about the characters, The picture of w ...more

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Jan 30, 2011 Megan rated it really liked it

My mom always picks out summer reads that are about groups of friends (women, mostly). This one was a bit different; it was about a group of friends who are all couples. What happens when one of the couples dies? How do those friendships go on, and how do those different friends deal with grief?

It definitely was a summer read, not one that has terribly deep insights but it is fun to be reminded how intertwined our lives are with some of those around us. And maybe I just needed to read a book ab ...more

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Jun 19, 2016 Tegan rated it really liked it

Shelves: adult-fiction, beach-read, book-club, chick-lit, contemporary, cover-love, crazy-train, dual-past-and-present, escapist, female-lead

I haven't read a book like this in awhile & it's just what I needed!! I like all the different characters & back story & the mystery of what happened to Tess & Greg. I was not a fan of Andrea though, ugh. Full review to come.

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Jun 05, 2015 Tamara Lane rated it really liked it

I'm really enjoying this author. I know she's been publishing for quite some time but, as usual, I'm late to the party.

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Sep 03, 2017 Nima rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2017, other

nagyon jó kis családregény. egyszerre négy családnak, nyolc embernek a regénye. tobzódni lehet az érzelmekben: bűntudat, szerelem, vágy, burokban létezés, ragaszkodás, felelősség, őszinteség, és sok-sok hazugság.
a legszimpibb a Főnök volt, meg Jeffrey, bár a feleségeik nem lettek kedvencek, akiket viszont kifejezetten nem csíptem, az Eddison és Phoebe.
az utolsó fejezet nem kellett volna, az utsó előtti tökéletesen lezárta a könyvet.
azt gondoltam, lesz egy krimi-vonal, de végül az nem lett, így v ...more

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May 21, 2018 R rated it liked it

Very traditional multi-character-and-POV-secrets-revealed-slowly, but enough to keep you reading type story. Oh, and don’t forget the redemptive power of love.

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Sep 21, 2010 Ashley Ludwig rated it it was amazing

One book, four couples, eight lives intertwined, six of them--in grief after losing two of their own.

Did you get that? Sounds like my daughter's word problems from math homework, but in reality--it's the Castaways, by Elin Hilderbrand. One wonders if an author of this caliber takes time to read or scan every review of her work. If so, I'm offering a hearty hello! and bravo! You've gone and made a fan for life. Expect a spike in back-list sales!

In The Castaways, I identified most with Delilah--a One book, four couples, eight lives intertwined, six of them--in grief after losing two of their own.

Did you get that? Sounds like my daughter's word problems from math homework, but in reality--it's the Castaways, by Elin Hilderbrand. One wonders if an author of this caliber takes time to read or scan every review of her work. If so, I'm offering a hearty hello! and bravo! You've gone and made a fan for life. Expect a spike in back-list sales!

In The Castaways, I identified most with Delilah--a dreamer, a steadfast lover, wife, and mother with her feet on the plot of land tended by her stoic, farmer husband and her head in the clouds. She knows at any moment she can take flight, run away, and yet she remains. Driven. Caring. Loving fiercely. Grieving even fiercer for her friends, lost. And love, unrequited. Okay, so I don't identify with that part--but I have, in the past, and that's why Delilah (who is VERY close to being a proverbs 31 style wife except for the fact that she doesn't believe in anything but her friends and family) is easiest to identify with. At least, for me. I fell in love equally with the emotionally bound Phoebe, the two-sides of Andrea, and the men in their lives. Ed--who could be my own husband in his and Andrea's relationship. Jeffrey--who loves so deeply just in his being there. Addison, sweet, flawed Addison. And of course, Greg and Tess, remembered by all. They are caricatures of us all in the microcosm of Nantucket.

As for the place, it is obvious this is the heart of the author's home, as much as the octet's wanderlust shows her love of travel. Nantucket, in its beaches, it's quaint town square, it's dunes and isolation. Suddenly, it is someplace I must visit someday.

A wonderful study of personality, friends, relationships, parenting, and forgiveness, The Castaways is not to be missed. Each page should be savored like fine wine, like exotic flavors, like times remembered. It reminds me that too often we live on the surface. There is so much below, beneath us all, that has made us into the people we are. The Castaways reminds us of that. Of failed expectations, secret hopes, hidden dreams, and in the end, that love is all that matters.

Thanks, Elin! and I look forward to following you out of The Castaways, and into The Island.

~Ashley ...more

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Sep 10, 2009 Katrina rated it it was amazing

This is the story of six friends that have to deal with the death of two of their best friends Tess and Greg MacAvoy. Greg and Tess died in a sailing accident but there are so many suspicious things surrounding their lives and the accident that people begin to wonder who is to blame? Was it really an accident or was it murder?

This bittersweet tale is set in Nantucket, MA. I adore books set in New England so this book had promise from the beginning. There was mention of a number of Massachusetts ...more

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Apr 09, 2013 Kimberly rated it liked it

I enjoyed The Castaways, it delivered and was a fine, easy read. A book like this has its faults when it comes to believability of characters and their actions, but I find value in the fantasy of those characters’ lives. For example, that these four couples could remain friends for so long and have the time and means to take extravagant vacations together – even after having children, or that Nantucket is a magical place filled with attractive people with interesting back-stories, beautiful land ...more

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Jan 13, 2017 Susy Miller rated it liked it

I love this author but this was a frustrating book and so far my least favorite. It was a little to crazy and too far fetched even for a good fiction novel. How can four couples be the best of friends and yet lie and cheat and hate each other so much (and kill two of them), only to all come back together in the end, happy and best of friends again? And it actually took me a while to get the couples straight. Typically Hilderbrand does a great job of character development but these eight was so c ...more

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Apr 14, 2017 Maggie Shanley rated it really liked it

At first I wasn't sure about this book, I love Island stories, but I am not a big fan of stories about infidelity. But Hilderbrand brought me around...this story could not have been told any other way. it is a story about love, family, friendship, temptation and human frailty. Hilderbrand shows the reader that it is not for us to judge others.

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Jan 15, 2019 Eden Voelker rated it really liked it

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. PERSONAL RESPONSE
I think The Castaways by Elin Hilderbrand is a really well put together novel, considering the POV shifts. I enjoy how the author is able to incorporate the struggles of all the families in the group without becoming over-detailed. I don’t enjoy how the beginning of the novel is slightly rushed into the plot. I feel if the author wouldn’t have rushed into the plot and gradually introduced the characters, it wouldn’t have been so confusing for me to understand.

PLOT SUMMARY
The PERSONAL RESPONSE
I think The Castaways by Elin Hilderbrand is a really well put together novel, considering the POV shifts. I enjoy how the author is able to incorporate the struggles of all the families in the group without becoming over-detailed. I don’t enjoy how the beginning of the novel is slightly rushed into the plot. I feel if the author wouldn’t have rushed into the plot and gradually introduced the characters, it wouldn’t have been so confusing for me to understand.

PLOT SUMMARY
The Castaways by Elin Hilderbrand starts out with Chief, one of the main characters in the group, being informed that Tess and Greg, two of the eight in the friends' group, were killed in a boating accident. Chief then has to break the news to Andrea, who was so close to Tess that she took the motherly role. When Andrea heard the news, she broke, something inside her shattered. Andrea demanded that Chief and herself will take care of the twins, Tess and Greg’s children, but Delilah was persistent on having the twins live with Jeffery, herself and their children. As the story continues, Andrea falls deeper into this depression, while shocking details of Tess’s life is unveiled. Phoebe finds out that Addison, her husband, was having an affair with Tess, and after Tess’s death brings Phoebe out of her prescription drug reliance and she starts to live her life just like she used too. Addison, on the other hand, is heart-broken, he begins to excessively drink and is not being productive in his real estate business. While everyone is dealing with their personal struggles of the deaths of Tess and Greg, Chief is informed that there was a substance found in Tess’s blood that is commonly found in heroin, which baffles him. Chief decides to keep this information to himself, in case it might upset Andrea even more. Chief knows Andrea needs to come out of the house and stop dwelling on Tess’s death so he forces her to go to a party Phoebe is throwing. Phoebe invited everyone in the group because she has a surprise for them, but Delilah had planned to take the twins and her children to a movie on the mainland. After their movie is over, Delilah doesn’t want to go back, she likes having the freedom, so she turns around and starts heading for New York. At the party, Phoebe announces she has paid for a nature trail in memory of Tess and Greg, which brings the small groups a little bit closer, but at this time Andrea is getting worn out and wants to leave but Chief doesn’t, so Addison takes Andrea to his house. At his house, Addison confesses to Andrea that Tess and he were having an affair, but back at the party, Phoebe admits to giving Tess a pill to calm her down for when Greg was taking her boating. By now Jeffery is getting worried about where Delilah and the kids are, but she does not answer. On her way to New York, one of the children starts to throw up all over the back seat, causing Delilah to pull over for the night, the next morning she decides this was a bad idea and returns to Nantucket.

CHARACTERIZATION
The main characters of this novel is a group of 6 couples and it follows their life after the death of their good friends, Tess and Greg. Chief and Andrea are the parental couple of the group, considering Chief is the head of police and Andrea is always giving advice to Tess and the others as well. Addison and Phoebe are the big shots, mainly due to Addison’s wealthy real estate business, although Phoebe majorly struggles with depression, prescription drug abuse, and reliance. Jeffery and Delilah are the couple whom everyone tends to gather around, due to Delilah’s hospitality and amazing ability to cook.

RECOMMENDATIONS
I recommend this novel to people who like mystery/drama novel. I recommend this to people who like mystery because you mostly do not know what is going next. I do not feel this novel is appropriate to anyone younger than high school age. I feel like it is not for people younger than high school, because there are many inappropriate topics throughout the novel.
...more

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Jul 05, 2009 Cinnamon rated it really liked it

Shelves: for-review

Summer is one of the most perfect times of the year. It's warm out, the sun is shining bright (hopefully) and everyone seems to be in a great mood! Longer days means that there is more time to be outside and in general the atmosphere seems much more relaxed. More relaxation means more time and more time means more gossip! THE CASTAWAYS by Elin Hilderbrand is a fun, mysterious and intriguing beach read. I know, those words don't necessarily always fit together, but in this instance, they do!

Every Summer is one of the most perfect times of the year. It's warm out, the sun is shining bright (hopefully) and everyone seems to be in a great mood! Longer days means that there is more time to be outside and in general the atmosphere seems much more relaxed. More relaxation means more time and more time means more gossip! THE CASTAWAYS by Elin Hilderbrand is a fun, mysterious and intriguing beach read. I know, those words don't necessarily always fit together, but in this instance, they do!

Every group of friends will at time encounter heart-warming moments and heartbreaking ones. The Castaways, is the name that Greg and Tess, Addison and Phoebe, the Chief and Andrea, and Jeffrey and Delilah have given their little group. The eight friends have been together through thick and thin, marriage and divorce, life and loss. Things haven't always been pretty but the friends have somehow managed to stick together. They rely on each other, surviving by leaning on each other during tough times.

How will they survive, when suddenly two of their number are no longer there to lean on?

In the beautiful environment of Nantucket, disaster strikes when something happens and the boat that Greg and Tess took out to sail is found capsized. The couple is discovered underneath, dead. They leave behind two young children and six distraught friends. Tears are shred while anger begins to boil over. As The Castaways grieve, mysteries unfold and lies are discovered, threatening to tear the group apart. Can The Castaways survive it or will the death of the beloved Greg and Tess mean the death of the entire group and everything they have built together?

Elin Hilderbrand once again brings us into the world of intrigue and mystery that she creates in Nantucket, the beautiful island with an endless summer. What I absolutely love about this story is the way that Hilderbrand can create a story so full of suspense and yet one filled with love and hope. THE CASTAWAYS is the story of a group of friends torn apart and shredded to bits. Yet, through each other they find ways to piece their lives back together. Hilderbrand shows us what it means to grieve when lives end, signaling the end to an era and the beginning of another.

Present day activities mix with the past as Hilderbrand expertly uses back-story to explain the inner workings and deep mysteries of The Castaways. There are times when she devotes pages to showing us what happened in the past and there are other times that she gives us the details slowly, letting us savor every moment. The mix of the two creates a wonderful environment where the reader exists in both the past and the present. The transitions between the two are lovely and help to keep the story flowing beautifully.

It is difficult to have a great story without great characters and Hilderbrand certainly delivers in THE CASTAWAYS. She goes into great detail, showing us how the relationships of the friends diverge and separate. Who loves whom, whose heart is really held by someone else. Half of the suspense in the book is trying to figure out who each person will become by the end of the book. Any tragic occurrence, like the deaths of two friends, are bound to change people and Hilderbrand uses this to her advantage. She creates layer upon layer with each character, adding depth to the person and to the story. There were times when the relationships got fairly complex. I almost felt that I needed to grab a pen and paper to jot down a few notes about each individual in order to keep them separate. This happened mainly in the beginning while we viewed each character as a part of the whole rather than their own individual. As the story progresses, however, oil separates from water and each person becomes their own. A connection forms between the individuals and the reader; it is no longer difficult to separate each person.

Beautiful writing is what Hilderbrand brings to THE CASTAWAYS. Anyone can write a good gossip book about the darker areas that lie within a friendship, but Hilderbrand does so quite eloquently. Her style of writing is very clear and flows across the page. In order to keep things organized and make the story easier to understand for the reader, Hilderbrand gives each character their own section when the story moves to their point of view. These sections are titled with the individual's name to aid in the ease of reading. I thought this was a wonderful tough and one that made it much easier to transition from person to person in the mind. It allowed me to really connect with each person and be able to feel what they were feeling, see what they were seeing.

THE CASTAWAYS was beautifully told with enough tension to pull the reader along without becoming overwhelming. There were a few instances where it was difficult to figure out the relationships between the characters and a few transitions where I had to reread in order to figure out what time frame we were in. That accounts for most of the less than ten scores found above. If you couldn't tell from my raving throughout this review, I absolutely loved the characters and the character development. Hilderbrand shows what it means to be a real person and gives her story that sense of realism; that section earned a perfect ten.

I would highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a good gossip book. This is a book that makes you think, encourages you to feel and wonder at the world around you. It's beautiful, both in color and emotion and is a perfect read whether you want to curl up in your favorite chair with a blanket or lay out on the beach with your favorite towel. ...more

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About Elin Hilderbrand

Elin Hilderbrand

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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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