The Island

by Elin Hilderbrand

Book Overview

A summertime story only Elin Hilderbrand can tell: a family in upheaval after a cancelled wedding fill an island summer with heartache, laughter, and surprises.

Birdie Cousins has thrown herself into the details of her daughter Chess's lavish wedding, from the floating dance floor in her Connecticut back yard to the color of the cocktail napkins. Like any mother of a bride-to-be, she is weathering the storms of excitement and chaos,...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0316043885
• ISBN13: 9780316043885
• Release Date: March 2011
• Publisher: Back Bay Books
• Length: 448 Pages
• Weight: 1.10 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.2" x 5.5" x 8.3"

Customer Reviews

Fantastic!!

I just started getting into Elin Hilderbrand books, and this one is by far my favorite so far! Easy read and definitely a page turner!

Loved it

Great story line. The characters were fantastic.

Enjoyable read

This is one of my favorites by Elin! I loved the depth of the characters, the love they shared, the bonds that no one could break, and their loyalty to one another. The island of Tuckernuck is the perfect setting to escape, relax, and reset your mind. What an enjoyable read!

Another winner

I enjoy Erin Hilderbrand's books a lot and this one doesn't disappoint. The original plan in this book is for a mother-daughter bonding trip to the family cottage on Tuckernuck Island off the coast of Nantucket, prior to the daughter's wedding. Then the wedding is called off, the ex-fiance is killed, and the trip suddenly includes the second daughter as well as the mother's sister. One month of female togetherness as each person works through the events that need dealing with in her own life. Collectively and individually, the women work through their issues and it's done in very interesting ways. One character I found rather annoying, but yet I did see where she was coming from. Some resolutions were attained, but not everything is neat and tidy and I'm left with wondering how each woman's life will progress.

Not Just for Chicks Lit

The Island was a really well-written, interesting take on 4 women's month at their family beach house on Tuckernuck Island, off the coast of Nantucket. The two sisters, their mother and aunt spend their summer getting to know each other better and more importantly, getting to know themselves. Each woman brings her own unique set of problems and issues and the stories interweave and make for a heartfelt summer at the shore. Each story grabs your heart and twists with a vengeance. I found myself rooting for each of these fine ladies and wanting the best for them. They seemed like people I have known in my own life and I hated that they all had internal (and not so interal) struggles. The mother in this book could have been my own, with her desire to fix everyone's problems and then cook a big meal afterwards. I have never read anything by Elin Hilderbrand before but I plan on searching out her earlier novels and reading them all. I am an educated, 40-something-year-old man and I refuse to categorize this book as chick-lit. It's not exactly "dude-lit" either. I think it would be more aptly called "summer-lit" because this is a book I would want to read while on a sunny vacation, preferably at a locale very much like Tuckernuck Island.

READ THIS BOOK!

What a fabulous book! I LOVE all of Elin Hilderbrand's novels but this is the best story she has written since "Blue Bistro." The stories and characters totally draw you in and the endings are totally satisfying without being too sickeningly sweet. I laughed while reading this book and I cried. I did not want it to end. The only bad part is that now I have to wait another year for her next novel. I don't need to say much else other than you will not be disappointed! You will fall in love with the Cousins women.