The Island
by Elin Hilderbrand
I’d read an Elin Hilderbrand book before, Winter Street, and I adored it. Simple, fast-paced, and a cute read during the holidays. I was expecting the same type of book in The Island, except replacing Christmas with summer vacation, but it’s very different. It’s easy to tell Hilderbrand’s style—varied characters in a wealthy family, the house itself becoming a central character, complicated lives—but The Island is a drama. It may be marketed as a beach read, but this is a pretty heavy book. I loved it!
Birdie has two daughters: Chase and Tess. Out of the blue, Chase has called off her engagement with her perfect boyfriend and quit her high-profile job. What was supposed to be a pre-wedding mother-daughter getaway at the old family cottage in Nantucket turns into an emergency healing retreat as Chase tries to figure out her life. Birdie, Tess, and Birdie’s artistic sister, India, all come together to help Chase out of her depression. But, just as in real life, nobody really reaches out to the girl who needs the most help. Instead, they get involved in their own problems and each use the summer to try and figure out their own next steps.
All it takes is to read one Elin Hilderbrand book to become a fan. She’s a very talented writer who’s concise, knowledgeable, and realistic. Each of the four girls are unique, four-dimensional characters who come to life as the pages turn. I felt like I really knew these women and was invested in their struggles. Birdie has two miserable daughters and is too afraid to help them, lest she fail. India is drawn to a lesbian relationship with an art student, but really she’s reliving the relationship she had with her moody artist husband who killed himself. Tess is competitive and insecure, desperate for love and happiness, but also selfishly doesn’t realize that her sister isn’t in the same stage of life anymore. And finally Chase, the girl I identified with the most, is blinded by depression and guilt as she flounders. The classic, “You don’t understand!” every teenager loves to say is personified by Chase’s lonely world.
I highly recommend The Island for female readers who like a little more meat to their beach reads than the average book provides. There’s something for everyone to love in this book, and the variety ensures that even if there’s something you don’t like or agree with, the perspective will switch to the next person quickly enough. I inherited this book from my mom, who passed it on immediately after the last page had been turned and the last drop of Sancerre wine had been drained. She was inspired by the book to make amaretto ice cream and introduce her palate to Sancerre wine, Birdie’s favorite in the book. “Just read the first chapter and see if you like it,” she said, as I’ll say to you. If you get goosebumps as I did, you’ll like the rest of the book.
Be sure to check out Hot Toasty Rag's review of Elin Hilderbrand's Winter Street here!
Birdie has two daughters: Chase and Tess. Out of the blue, Chase has called off her engagement with her perfect boyfriend and quit her high-profile job. What was supposed to be a pre-wedding mother-daughter getaway at the old family cottage in Nantucket turns into an emergency healing retreat as Chase tries to figure out her life. Birdie, Tess, and Birdie’s artistic sister, India, all come together to help Chase out of her depression. But, just as in real life, nobody really reaches out to the girl who needs the most help. Instead, they get involved in their own problems and each use the summer to try and figure out their own next steps.
All it takes is to read one Elin Hilderbrand book to become a fan. She’s a very talented writer who’s concise, knowledgeable, and realistic. Each of the four girls are unique, four-dimensional characters who come to life as the pages turn. I felt like I really knew these women and was invested in their struggles. Birdie has two miserable daughters and is too afraid to help them, lest she fail. India is drawn to a lesbian relationship with an art student, but really she’s reliving the relationship she had with her moody artist husband who killed himself. Tess is competitive and insecure, desperate for love and happiness, but also selfishly doesn’t realize that her sister isn’t in the same stage of life anymore. And finally Chase, the girl I identified with the most, is blinded by depression and guilt as she flounders. The classic, “You don’t understand!” every teenager loves to say is personified by Chase’s lonely world.
I highly recommend The Island for female readers who like a little more meat to their beach reads than the average book provides. There’s something for everyone to love in this book, and the variety ensures that even if there’s something you don’t like or agree with, the perspective will switch to the next person quickly enough. I inherited this book from my mom, who passed it on immediately after the last page had been turned and the last drop of Sancerre wine had been drained. She was inspired by the book to make amaretto ice cream and introduce her palate to Sancerre wine, Birdie’s favorite in the book. “Just read the first chapter and see if you like it,” she said, as I’ll say to you. If you get goosebumps as I did, you’ll like the rest of the book.
Be sure to check out Hot Toasty Rag's review of Elin Hilderbrand's Winter Street here!