The Beach House: A Novel
by Jane Green
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Book Reviews of The Beach House: A Novel
Book Review: Story might be hard to believe, but at least the style grates.
Summary: 3 Stars
Nan Powell is an eccentric widow living in a huge house on Nantucket Island. Thirty-some years ago, her husband, having squandered much of their fortune in gambling, committed suicide. Nan survived by selling other properties, but is now finding that her money is running out. Determined not to sell the house, she decides to take in boarders.
We shift abruptly to other scenes and stories, to meet each of the boarders as they deal with big issues in their lives. A wife might forgive her husband's brief affair, until he hesitates about choosing her. A man struggles with his attraction to his wife and decides he must face up to a long-held secret. Nan's son, Mike, begins an affair with his married boss. Somehow all these characters come together as Nan's boarders. Somehow each makes progress toward an improbably happy ending.
Does Green intend that Nan or her home somehow makes things wonderful? If so, she fails to give us any clear indication that something is going on; all we see is that a random bunch of miserable upper-class northeasterners come together and inexplicably "find themselves."
Green's style is somewhat suited to the tale; her Britishisms are less out of place with this collection of well-off Anglos than they would be in, say, a tale of working-class Chicagoans. But they still grate: if she'd said "proper" one more time I might have lost my gruntle and started quite a row.
Book Review: A Pleasant Read
Summary: 4 Stars
I rarely read novels like The Beach House, but I happened to find it in the drawer of an end table at a beach house that I am currently renting so it was a topical book for a day spent reading in the sun. Overall, this is a pleasant story that is well written and has good characters.
One of the main characters, Nan, who owns the beach house in question, is especially well drawn. I really liked the way that author Jane Green describes Nan's attitudes toward aging. Nan, now 65, is a faded beauty who has learned that eccentric behaviors allow her to operate with a degree of freedom that was once conferred on her by her looks and her appeal to powerful men. Her outlook on life is encouraging, as she does not seem to allow her age to impinge on her ability to enjoy life. She takes an active interest in the people around her, rather than dwelling on her own unhappy past. Nan presents a good example of how aging can be addressed and engaged with, rather than merely endured.
An added bonus is that the novel has a surprise ending that caught me totally off guard. I think it's a credit to any author who can weave a good story and drop in something that is truly unexpected just when the plot begins to seem predictable.
Book Review: Could have been taken further.
Summary: 3 Stars
When we first meet Nan Powell, she is wandering naked around her neighbor's back yard and sampling their kitchen garden after a quick skinny dip in their pool. They're not home, of course. So, needless to say, Nan is a little eccentric, and she is also well-practiced in the art of denial. She's been ignoring the fact that she's running out of money for as long as she can, and now she has to do something about it. So she decides to rent out rooms in her much-desired house on Nantucket. What follows is a story of people who are looking for some healing in their lives, and finding it in a peaceful summer on a peaceful island. Unfortunately, I felt that the story fell a little short on emotional punch. There are some conflicts that could have led to some really interesting places, but the author chose not to take the story in that direction. The "unexpected visitor" story arc fell completely flat. It felt a little like things had to be wrapped up quickly, so there wasn't time to make anything messy. I still liked the story and enjoyed listening to it, but I think it could have been taken further.Book Review: Summer Read.
Summary: 3 Stars
This is definitely a summer beach read in that it is pretty easy and quick to read and is what a lot of people would call "fluff"!
Nan Powell is the free spirit who has a beautiful big home in Nantucket and ends up with some financial problems. The solution she comes up with is to take in some borders.
The borders are a varying bunch of characters; there is Daniel, the married father of two girls who has a big secret that he is about to reveal about his life; Daff, a recent divorcee with a teenage daughter; Michael who is Nan's son and comes back to Nantucket after having more than enough relationship problems and Bee who is Daniel's soon to be ex-wife who is also on the island, nearby, so that she and Daniel can co-parent the girls.
Secrets are revealed, relationships are formed and past hurts are reconciled. While the plot is definitely predictable, the story flows easily and is a great summer read.
Book Review: Enjoyed her other books much more
Summary: 2 Stars
I've read and enjoyed nearly all of Jane Green's book and thought I would adore this one. I was disappointed. It's no surprise that she goes back and forth between British and American characters in nearly all of her books. Yet while The Beach House took place on (not IN) Nantucket, it bothered me that some of the dialogue was very clearly British. Americans say: "mom/mother" not "mum", "fight/argument" not "row", etc. The way some of the people talked was annoying.
SPOILER ALERT -- don't read ahead if you plan to read the book.
Many of the story lines were so predictable. I predicted nearly everything that happened within the first 20-40 pages: Everett would come back, Jordana would get pregnant, Daff and Michael would end up together, etc.....the only thing I didn't predict was Daniel being gay.
It was an easy read but I'm not sure I'll rush to read her other novels anytime soon.