The Beach House

By: Jane Green

Narrated by: Cassandra Campbell

Length: 11 hrs and 15 mins

Publisher's summary

From the author of Falling and Sister Stardust comes the New York Times bestseller about finding your place in the place you call home.

Ever since her life took an unexpected turn, Nan Powell has enjoyed living alone on the sun-drenched shores of Nantucket. At sixty-five, she’s just as likely to be found at Windermere, her beach front home, as she is skinny dipping in her neighbor’s pool. But when the money she thought would last forever starts to dwindle, Nan decides to do something drastic to keep hold of her free-spirited life: open up Windermere to strangers.

After placing an ad for summer rentals touting water views, direct access to the beach, and a sexagenarian roommate, Nan’s once quiet house is soon full of noise, laughter, and the occasional bout of tears. Between her eclectic new tenants and the sudden return of her son, Nan gets a taste of what life is like when you have someone to care for besides yourself. But just as she starts to happily settle in to her new existence, the arrival of a visitor from her past threatens to turn everyone’s lives upside down...

©2008 Jane Green (P)2008 Penguin

Critic reviews

"Green gives you a clear sense of Nantucket's weathered splendor and offers up a refreshing summertime getaway...best read on a deck chair somewhere." (Chicago Sun-Times)

“A sweetly memorable summer story, capturing the relaxing, renewing quality of life at the shore.” (New Orleans Times-Picayune)

“Breezy...deeply appealing.” (Connecticut Post)

Save your credit

When I bought this book The synopsis sounded like it was going to be about an eccentric 65-year-old eccentric woman on Nantucket. It sounded light and breezy and fun.
In actuality, it was all about divorce and infidelity with foul language sprinkled in.

There was way too much about peripheral characters that I didn't care at all about and way too little about the main character Nan. The narration all sounded the same; very little difference between the voices of the characters. It was difficult to keep up with where and who it was jumping around to.

I'm still listening because I'm hoping somewhere near the end maybe it will finally meander to the story I was expecting but I do not have high hopes.