Moon Shell Beach

A Novel

By: Nancy Thayer

Narrated by: Renee Raudman

Best friends Lexi Laney and Clare Hart shared idyllic girlish adventures all over Nantucket Island, spending much of their time at their secret hideaway, Moon Shell Beach, a magical place where they remade the world.

But when Lexi eloped to a life of luxury at age 19, she left behind a broken friendship with Clare and resentment from nearly everyone else. Now Lexi has returned to Nantucket after 11 years and a bitter divorce.

Clare, a chocolatier living at home with her widowed father and dating a gorgeous carpenter, finds forgiving and forgetting more difficult than she ever imagined. In the less innocent world of adult men and women, awash in failed loves and romantic disappointment, the estranged soul mates struggle to recapture the feelings of bliss that came so easily to them as children.

As an emotional tempest sweeps the vibrant, tight-knit island community, Nancy Thayer's irresistible and deeply moving novel deftly explores the evolution of a lifelong friendship, the power of forgiveness, and the rewards of believing in miracles.

©2008 Nancy Thayer (P)2008 Tantor

Critic reviews

"Nancy Thayer's gift for reaching the emotional core of her characters [is] captivating." ( Houston Chronicle)

The narrator is terrible

The narrator’s voice is so annoying I could not enjoy the book as much as I could have.

Nantucket-Nancy Thayer-equals LOVE!

Would you consider the audio edition of Moon Shell Beach to be better than the print version?

I think the audio brings clarity and connection with the characters and the setting!!

What other book might you compare Moon Shell Beach to and why?

No comparison other than another Nancy Thayer book.

What about Renee Raudman’s performance did you like?

Renee Raudman wasn't my favorite narrator on this book.

If you could rename Moon Shell Beach, what would you call it?

I loved the name; I'd keep it as is it made the book!!!

Any additional comments?

It's a nice light read with good friends and their relationships. A little slow start but didn't take too long to get into once Clare and Lexi grew up. I super enjoyed from that point. Enjoyable as are all Nancy's books. A talented writer!

Blah story, bad narrator

I couldn’t get far in this book, I just couldn’t find anything to be interested in. I did not like the narrator at all, an annoying voice, slight lisp, which didn’t add to her narration at all.
Just too many of Nancy’s books do not have good narrators. I have turned many many of hers down because of the narrator. I wish she would find a good one and just stick with that one.

I forget occasionally—

—to listen to the audio sample before I pick up an audiobook online. Had I done so, I would have saved myself some annoyance here..

The narrator’s extreme babyishness lessens after the first segment, but why was this encouraged?

Yeow!

Awful

I'm at a loss...after so many great reviews. This book had no character development, no plot, an abrupt ending, and a narrator who spoke in a baby voice.
Minor redemption in the description of Nantucket.