Book Tour: Summer House by Nancy Thayer

From the inside cover: "After years of wandering from whim to whim, thirty year old Charlotte Wheelwright seems to have at last found her niche. The free spirit enjoys running an organic gardening business on the island of Nantucket, thanks in large part to her spry grandmother Nona, who donated a portion of land on the family's seaside compound to get Charlotte started. Though Charlotte's skill with plants is bringing her success, cultivating something deeper with people -particularly her handsome neighbor Coop- might be more of a challenge.

Nona's generosity to Charlotte, secretly her favorite grandchild, doesn't sit well with the rest of the Wheelwright clan, however, as they worry that Charlotte may be positioning herself to inherit the entire estate. With summer upon them, everyone is making their annual pilgrimage to the homestead-some with hopes of thwarting Charlotte's dreams, others in anticipation of Nona's latest pronouncements at the annual family meeting and still others with surprising news of their own. Charlotte's mother, Helen, a Wheelwright by marriage brings a heavy heart. She once set aside her own ambitions fo fit in with the Wheelwrights, but now she must confront a betrayal that threatens both her sense of place and her sense of self.

As summer progresses, these three women-Charlotte, Nona and Helen- come to terms with the decisions they have made. Revisiting the lives and loves that have crossed their paths and the possibilities of the roads not taken, they may just discover that what they've always sought was right in front of them all along."

My thoughts:

The publisher's synopsis does not include the male characters and they are very important too, particularly Nona's son Worth. He is married to Helen and is Charlotte, Oliver and Teddy's father. Although his family loves him dearly, he provides a lot of the tension in the family dynamics. What Worth wants for his children is not necessarily the path they want to take and that's a big part of the plot.Teddy is one of the characters I really rooted for. He and Worth are like oil and water. I really wanted to see him shake off his personal demons and work it out with his father. Through flashbacks to the 1940's, Nona reveals piece by piece her place in the Wheelwright clan and finally discloses a bombshell secret that will shake Worth to the core.

I sighed as I turned the last page, wishing the book could go on and on. Stories about families, their interactions with each other and hidden secrets always fascinate me. Reading a well written story with true to life characters in a delightful setting, well, I am just as happy as a clam at high tide! Thayer really knows how to pull the reader in and be immersed in a fictional world that seems very real. This wonderful book will definitely be on my list of 10 best books read this year. Summer House is another book that would make a fantastic book club selection. There are so many possible discussions about families that could be explored. Highly, highly recommended. 5*****

About the author: Nancy Thayer is the New York Times bestselling author of Moon Shell Beach, The Hot Flash Club, The Hot Flash Club Strikes Again, Hot Flash Holiday, The Hot Flash Club Chills Out and Between Husbands and Friends. She lives on Nantucket. Nancy Thayer's website can be found here.

A big thank you to Dorothy from Pump Up Your Book Tours for a copy of such a wonderful book.