The Beach House Reviews

• Beach house foam

  
  By A1D2C0WDCSHUWZ on 2008-07-14
  Jane Green tends to write write fluffy beach reads, the sort of books that get turned into equally fluffy TV movies.
  
  And in "The Beach House," she links together a series of storylines that could have easily made up their own books, with a warm'n'fuzzy sentimental core in an ancient Nantucket house. Unfortunately it begins to come unravelled about halfway through, and some of those storylines simply rush to the finish line without bothering to spin up a satisfactory conclusion.
  
  Eccentric widow Nan Powell is faced with selling her beloved old house Windermere, with its memories of her beloved albeit gambling-addicted hubby. The alternative: take in boarders for money, and fend off the developers who want to tear down Windermere for McMansions.
  
  At about this time, her son Michael returns home after an ill-fated affair with his boss's clingy wife, who now wants a commitment from him. And among the boarders are Daff, a newly-divorced wife and mother who is seeking "herself," and Daniel, a nervy young man who has just realized that he is gay, and is struggling to deal with this. His young wife Bee, who is understandably upset by her husband's distance, is still ignorant of this.
  
  As time winds on -- and the developers circle around Nan's run-down mansion -- the various people begin to relax and open up to each other, like members of a family. But then a series of crises hit -- Bee's father is badly injured, Daff's daughter is arrested, and Michael's desperate former lover shows up with some shocking news for him (yes, you can probably guess what). And even Nan is faced with an old face from her past, who she thought was gone forever....
  
  "The Beach House" has more than enough plot -- any of its subplots would make a decent novel, and Green winds together a series of them with some tenuous links. Jewelry stores, yuppie marriage counseling, and an empty house post-divorce are all explored in detail, as the characters' lives start spinning out of control. And she tackles some of the nastier aspects of adultery and moving on, such as disaster dates and a tantrum-throwing teenager.
  
  But when all the characters get to Nantucket, Green seems to lose some of her inspiration. She rushes through the last quarter of the book after a leisurely build-up. And she seems vaguely embarrassed by the prospect of a big emotional scene -- big shattering events are dealt with via a phone call, a horrifying betrayal is handled by a few sniping comments and general shunning. One character even conveniently expires to avoid dealing with the general baggage.
  
  This is particularly troublesome in Daniel's story -- his coming-out and tentative explorations into the gay subculture is both wrenching and intriguing, as you wonder what this loving father will do to avoid hurting his wife and kids. But once he's out'n'proud, then Green shies away from actually dealing with it, or with his attraction to the conveniently hunky Matt. The drippy "let's not have sex because I want a commitment" scene is simply absurd.
  
  As for the characters, they're a mixed bag. Nan is the biggest problem -- she's not really eccentric, and she's not really nurturing. Yet Green has her randomly flip-flop between being an eccentric old free spirit, and being an earth mother-type. Not that it's very plausible that her tomato garden could instantly turn a spoiled, shrieking, shoplifting regressed teenager into a little angel overnight.
  
  On the other hand, Daniel and Bee are explored with painful, beautiful detail, as he struggles to deal with his homosexuality and she struggles with the revelations about what their marriage was, and where this leaves her as a desirable woman. Too bad Michael is an insensitive and self-absorbed jerk who strings along a married woman until she ditches her hubby, and Daff loses her tragic wronged-woman dimensions as soon as she shrugs off Michael's adulterous liaison. Who cares if that's the sort of thing that broke up her marriage? He's hot and has tight abs!
  
  "The Beach House" has potential and plot to burn, but the rushed final lap and a couple puttered-out storylines leave you frustrated. Here's hoping the next try is longer and more passionate.
  
  

• Loved this book and I don't read Chick-lit (THANKS for putting it on the KINDLE!)

  
  By A2ZGXQ566SR4FM on 2008-06-30
  I don't read Chick Lit or romance novels and I usually read non fiction. So this was a total departure for me... but I read a review for this recently and thought I wanted a light read and the Kindle price was right on.
  
  I have a Kindle (OMG if you don't have one RUN to the home page and order it!!!).. This edition came out a few days after the publication..
  
  I loved the story and I couldnt wait to get back to it.. I was up way too late finishing it in one day.. its not a tough read but you fall in love with these people.. its a great beach read but its not "dumbed" down as so many books in this type of genre are so I am off to find more Jane Green, this is the first one of hers I have read and I really really enjoyed it! And again thanks for the Kindle Edition. I wouldnt have considered buying this before.. Kindle changed that, and introduced me to new authors such as this one.
  
  

• Summer fun

  
  By ANSIHO5QCNRXL on 2008-06-23
  Grab your beach chair and prepare to be entertained! Reading Jane Green's latest novel brought back wonderful memories of a Nantucket summer vacation spent in our own beach cottage. While reading this story I was easily absoarbed into the world of Ms. Green's characters and the wisdom of a wonderful woman I wish I would be lucky enough to rent a room from. I recommend you tell the kids to order pizza and spend a few hours with your nose stuck in this book.
  
  

• I Didn't Like It

  
  By AV8EJH07DQEZ2 on 2008-06-23
  I was most disappointed in this book, especially given how many raves it received. I had a problem with the fact that everyone in the book was getting divorced or having an affair. No one had a normal, healthy relationship. Also, I thought the characters were flat and the ending was very trite and predictable. Give me the old Jane Green any day.
  
  

• Another bestseller for Jane Green

  
  By A1HM9YKBZF17N on 2008-06-20
  Jane Green has presented her legion of fans with another hit. Green has an art for bringing her characters to life and a gift of storytelling. Having read every single one of Green's novels, I have found The Beach House to be just as enjoyable and entertaining.
  I am confidant that The Beach House will prove to be another bestseller for Jane Green. Keep them coming and we'll keep on reading.
  Hildee Weiss
  www.myspace.com/triangelmom
  
  
• Best book yet...
  By A25QGQGZOI46Y1 on 2008-06-18
  From the moment I began this book, I was hooked. It was Jane's best book yet, the characters were interesting and the writing was so rich with descriptions I felt like I was in Nan's house as a fly on the wall. There is a definite lightheartedness to her writing this time around.
  
  It's so nice to see her writing evolve with each book. I was sad to see it end, but looking forward to her next book.
  
  
• not quite a "3"
  By A1RKD1I8MW1LG6 on 2008-07-22
  Books like this are the reason for half-stars! I would give this 2.5 if possible. It wasn't AWFUL or I would not have finished it. But it was an audio and it was the only one I had for a long car ride.
  
  The thing that attracted me to this book was that it was set on Nantucket. I love that place. But I wasn't far into the audio when I realized that was the best part of the book!
  
  I have never commented on the production of an audio book - I guess because most are well done. But this one...the narrator barely took a breath between changes of locale, time, or scene. This was quite annoying,
  
  Character development was uneven at best with some characters hardly fleshed out. There were way too many coincidences and the action was very predictable. And the writing itself was awkward.
  
  The thing that really annoyed me were the factual errors that could have been so easily remedied by a good editor. The author had hydrangeas blooming on Nantucket before they bloom in Baltimore! And Nan was fixing her overgrown, heavily laden tomato plants at the same time in June that school had just let out for the summer! No one north of the Mason-Dixon line has tomatoes that early. There were quite a few other mistakes like this which makes me wonder if any editor was involved at all.
  
  
• AnishaattheBeach
  By AD166ZA56LFLX on 2008-06-20
  I just finished Beach House - - I read it into the wee hours of the morning and then right when I woke up. It is funny, warm, charming, and does what every book you buy you secretly hope will - allow you to blissfully lose yourself in another world for hours on end and then, when you're done, you fall in love with yours. A wonderful, WONDERFUL read.
  
  
• Too far-fetched and silly
  By AEHE4RSPHJZ89 on 2008-07-28
  I've read most of Jane Green's novels and have enjoyed them. I expected a light beach read but as the story went on it got extremely far-fetched and ridiculous. I even thought the writing wasn't up to par as well. I did finish the book but I wouldn't recommend it to my friends and I will not read Jane Green anymore. I'm very disappointed.
  
  
• A charming and comforting beach read
  By A2F6N60Z96CAJI on 2008-06-30
  Beloved author Jane Green, herself a recent transplant to the United States, sets her latest novel, THE BEACH HOUSE, in perhaps the quintessential American coastal environment: the island of Nantucket. Almost without realizing it, long-time widow Nan Powell has gained a bit of a reputation in her town. Living alone in a historic beachfront house, Windermere, freely bathing (nude) in her neighbors' pools and transplanting their hydrangeas, the old woman, cycling down island roads in all weather, has become an eccentric island fixture.
  
  But Nan's free-spiritedness has been bound to catch up with her sooner or later. Windermere is getting old and run down, and Nan has also neglected her finances, remaining blissfully unaware of her dwindling assets until her financial adviser alerts her to the very real possibility that she'll lose her house. When Nan decides to bring in summer boarders to supplement her income and save her home from bloodthirsty developers, she also secretly hopes to bring Windermere back to the old days, when it was bursting with life, overflowing with laughter and love.
  
  It doesn't take long for Windermere to work its magic, despite the troubled backgrounds of the boarders who make their way there. There's Daniel, who's hiding a life-changing secret from his separated wife, who can't understand why he's walking away from the perfect marriage. There's Daff, a divorced mother of an attention-seeking teenaged daughter caught between her hard-working, grieving mother, and her father, who has moved on with a new girlfriend. And there's Nan's own son, Michael, whose latest girlfriend in a string of failed relationships might have been the worst mistake of all.
  
  Much like the Nantucket coast, Green's prose is characterized by breezy, effervescent storytelling. Rapid shifts from character to character help move the story along, and even the minor characters (like Michael's married girlfriend and Daff's ex-husband) have their (brief) moments in the sun. Green is most effective when setting up each character's unique background, situation and personal crisis. Once the players are gathered at Windermere, the novel --- just like a good weekend at the beach --- develops into a dreamy haze of sun-dappled good feelings, interrupted only occasionally by a few rocky patches.
  
  Skeletons lurk in almost everyone's closets in this book, and they all get a good airing before each crisis's inevitable conclusion. Although THE BEACH HOUSE offers readers few surprises, comfort, not confrontation, is what most want out of their summer novels. And Green's latest offers comfort in abundance. Reassuring reunions, self-discovery, transformation --- not to mention secret inheritances and true love --- lie in store and result in a supremely satisfying happy ending. All these elements help ensure that the book will leave readers --- much like the inhabitants of Windermere --- swept away by the spell of Nantucket's charming past, before SUVs, celebrities and multi-million-dollar houses displaced old families, friendly gatherings and authentic homes.
  
  --- Reviewed by Norah Piehl
  
  
  
• It got tiring
  By A3D8L1GZND5FYJ on 2008-07-14
  I just finished this book and I did some speed reading for the last 25% of it. The book just got tiring.
  
  The characters became annoying and no one seemed to have the ability to have a normal relationship. When person xxx shows up at the house with person yyy, you just know that they will have some kind of relationship. Give me a break.
  
  Just about everything in the book was predictable except for one thing near the end (I won't give it away) and that was so far fetched that they might as well had aliens (the space kind) land in the back yard. Maybe this is a "chick book".. I don't recommend anyone with a XY chromosome read this.
  
  If you want to read about how a bunch of characters who don't know how to keep it "in their pants" is FEELING... to the point of nausea, then this book is for you.
  
  If I could I would change the star rating to a 1.
  
  
• Perfect summer read
  By A2CDA00O4MB1CK on 2008-07-24
  Jane Green's "The Beach House" centered around the life of Nan, who lived in an old house by the beach in Nantucket. Nan was considered to be eccentric by those living in the area but one would always remember having met her. Nan's one of the few people with vivid personality. The house that she inherited from her deceased husband was falling apart, and Nan had no financial means to restore it. In order to help herself financially, Nan decided that she would convert the house into a Bed and Breakfast. Little did she know that her life would be completely changed when she get to know her boarders and their stories.
  
  This was definitely a great beach read. The characters are interesting, and the plot was fun. Jane Green was able to provide some depths for her characters, and this was helpful in terms of engaging her readers. This light and fun read is perfect for the summer!
  
  
• Candy for the brain
  By A20P439N1H46Y1 on 2008-08-07
  Okay, there is nothing particularly clever, new, or unpredictable about Ms. Green's latest book but it was 100% entertaining. I finished this book in the course of a day on my recent vacation and though I did not learn much about the human condition or have any type of moral revelations, I enjoyed Beach House. Hence the reason I refer to this as "candy": no nutritional value to the brain but "tasty" all the same. I have read many of Jane Green's other books and this one is much like the others in that it delivers a fun, easy read.
  
  
• I couldn't finish this...
  By A2M8OO41TB55AH on 2008-08-11
  I once read a suggestion that the time that you commit to a book to see if it is worth finishing should be 100 pages minus your age (the thought being that as we get older why invest our precious time on something not worthwhile.) I gave Beach House much more then that, and still could not finish. I found that I just did not care about these people, their exploits and their untidy lives. Did it work out for Daniel, Daff, Michael, etc. Do I care? Absolutely not another page(s) worth.
  
  
• A Joy to Read
  By AUICK2BKIPZ5B on 2008-06-20
  I feel this is the best yet from Jane, and she had her hooks into me from page one. Wonderful story, terrific characters who were fully developed. I was so lost into The Beach House I thought I was a guest! Highly recommend this one.
  
  Editor of Michele Cozzens' award winning women's fiction A Line Between Friends
  
  
• Loved it!
  By ARQSYCP8R4VAC on 2008-06-26
  This was my first Jane Green book. Her writing style is perfection. She described her characters so wonderfully that I am sad the story is over. As sappy as it may sound, I felt like a part of that Nantucket home.
  
  Prior to starting this book, I read a book where the writer over-analyzed, over-explained, and just plain over-did it. This book was a breath of fresh air... even with all it's drama.
  
  I'm searching for another Jane Green book now. :)
  
  
• A Tidy Little Story
  By A1WUPRPQBV4FB8 on 2008-08-05
  The setting is Nantucket in summer. The characters are well drawn and the set up of their individual stories takes up the first half of the book. In the second half they come together in unpredictable ways, with everything playing out full circle.
  
  Nan, the widowed white-haired, bicycle-riding matriarch is the center of the story and her grand hilltop estate with ocean views (Windermere) is the "beach house" to which the title refers. It's a dramatic backdrop to a variety of dramatic stories within this family-oriented character study. Other main characters include Nan's son, Michael, a jewelry designer who seems to have a fear of commitment. Then there's Daniel, who struggles to find his true self; Daniel's wife Bee and their two little girls; Daff, facing betrayal and divorce, and her ornery teenage daughter, along with her dad, Richard, and his new girlfriend. Relationships are all over the place, but ultimately you discover how they're tied together as the story explores many different aspects of love and commitment.
  
  This book is a very quick read, left me satisfied and definitely made me want to plan a summer vacation in Nantucket.
  
  Michele Cozzens is the author of It's Not Your Mother's Bridge Club
  
  
• Her Best Book Yet!
  By A2P50TYDCV61AJ on 2008-06-22
  I have read all of her books and I must say this is her best. This one is a fast read and has great characters to follow. You won't be disappointed in the least!!!!
  
  
• Devoured The Beach House over a weekend and loved it!
  By A3FV622R6JMUJA on 2008-06-23
  The Beach House is the perfect summer read. I instantly fell in love with the characters (Nan, Daff and Michael were my personal favorites) and the twists and turns had me on the edge of my chaise lounge! Kudos to Jane Green for penning another fabulous novel!
  
  
• Another great read
  By AOK4SQIC6Z055 on 2008-06-23
  I loved this book. It brought me back to the Nantucket I knew as a kid and, the island as I know it today. The essence of the island is beautifully captured. I found it to be a hopeful and human story about a very believeable cast of characters who, all in life transitions, come together under one roof. Green is a master story-teller. Smart, witty and, to my happy surprise, a whole lot deeper and nuanced than would expect from the "genre". Highly recommended.
  
  
• JANE GREEN ALWAYS DELIVERS AMAZING WORK!
  By A1XB49BS1R80R7 on 2008-06-27
  AMAZING BOOK! As always when reading any Jane Green novels I was hooked! Jane Green is a phenomenal writer/author. To not have this book resonate w/you means you aren't human! LOVE IT! LOVE IT! LOVE IT! LOOOOVE IT!
  
  
• Amazing!
  By A2V36VIB5U04X on 2008-07-03
  Wow this book is amazing!! Jane Green is one of my favorite authors and when I read the back cover of this book, I have to admit, I wasnt sure if I was going to like it. But, it is one of her best books yet! I could not put this book down and it was one of these books that you hate to finish because you are enjoying it so much.
  
  
• interesting and complicated tale
  By A11P7YZEL00TMN on 2008-07-07
  I love the idea of this story, and I love the characters. Other reviewers have given a synopsis, so I'll just add that this book could have done with some good editing to tighten the story. There were so many characters, moving from place to place, that it was hard to keep up with at times. I ended up re-reading passages to refamiliarize myself with the story. May also have been a little too perfect in the end, but that's life and good fiction. Overall I liked this story, as I do other Jane Green books.
  
  
• A Nice Day at the Beach...
  By A3RT9FYT2X6RFU on 2008-07-12
  Jane Green's depiction of Nantucket life and the surrounding history is a fine backdrop from which to tell the tale of Nan Powell. Nan is the 65 year old year-round resident of the famed island. Years ago, Nan was left a young widow after her husband, Everett, committed suicide and in his wake, left a load of gambling debts that rendered her and their young son, Michael, in dire financial straits. The solution came when Nan decided to sell off some of the prized property at Windermere and keep only the main house and a few acres for herself and her son.
  
  Many years pass, fairly uneventfully, although Nan has become the town's eccentric - you see she helps herself to other people's hydrangeas, swims naked in their swimming pools when no one's around and while everyone in town knows Nan, no one really "knows" her. So it seems as though Nan finds herself, once again, under some financial difficulties when she discovers that the "hedge funds" that her financial portfolio have consisted of have not performed well and it seems that she may be broke and that Nan may finally be forced to sell her beloved Windermere. Eventually, she comes along a solution that will not only help her financial situation, but also breathe life into Windermere again. When Nan was a young wife, this home was the backdrop of many parties and a main fixture in the social hey-day of that era. Through the years, she has found that not only has it been difficult to maintain Windermere esthetically, but time has also drained the home's spirit. After an unsuccessful attempt to sell the home's much loved, but also uncared for furniture, she decides to rent rooms and turn Windermere into a summer boarding house.
  
  After reviewing answers to her ad, she decides to rent to Daniel, who is on the run from a marriage that he no longer understands, but afraid to pull away from the daughters he loves dearly. Recently divorced Daff finds that she suddenly has a free summer to roam Nantucket's beaches and old shops, while her teenage daughter spends some time with her father. Nan's son Michael also returns to Nantucket that summer, fleeing from a misguided romance with his boss's wife and he hopes to answer some questions about his choices in the affairs of love.
  
  Although brought together for different reasons, the residents find themselves getting to know each other and reveal a few secrets among them. Along the way, they receive visitors - Dan welcomes his daughters and his ex and answers some questions about his marriage. Michael gets a visitor from back home and learns that it's not that easy to just walk away - sometimes your troubles can follow you. Even Nan gets a an unexpected visit from someone from her past and the answers to deeply hidden secrets evolve and threaten to destroy everything that Nan has worked so hard to sustain.
  
  I think that I was expecting something light, more chick-lit in nature and I found that it took me a while to get into this story. As I continued to read this novel, I began to catch wind of Green's style - her use of words that create a picture in the mind of the reader - and realized that this story winds much deeper and entertains at a much higher level than I was originally expecting. I think that this was an enjoyable story and gives an insider's view to summer life in Nantucket.
  
  
  
• unbelievably shallow
  By AFBNW7WSOBY4L on 2008-07-13
  I cannot believe I fell for the hype around this book. What a dumb story, predictable characters and not a trace of any of the poetry of the beach or its surroundings. I also cannot believe I finished it, but of course, I had to, it was the book I selected to take on vacation, but what a waste. I predicted the "surprise plot twist" halfway through the first chapter. Don't waste your money.
  
  
• Great for the beach if I were stranded on a deserted island for a year.
  By A2NV6ZUT8TK29J on 2008-07-18
  I'm not much for novels but I read some reviews and decided to give this author a try. Personally, I don't care for her writing style. After the first few pages I began to wonder how she ever got published. Her writing is choppy and doesn't flow well, but that is my opinion. I have no desire to finish this book and and dumping it from my Kindle on Chapter 5. If I were stranded on a deserted island for a year, I would consider reading this out of sheer boredom.
  
  
• (Sea) Foamy Summer Reading
  By A2PN65B6BSTIYZ on 2008-07-20
  Jane Green's latest, "The Beach House" is what I would call a fluffy summer read. The book is set at the titular beach house on Nantucket, owned by Nan Powell, a widow who is known as an eccentric about town. When Nan discovers she has financial problems, she decides to open her house to renters.
  
  A cast of characters both on and off Nantucket is introduced at the beginning of the novel foreshadowing this decision, and although some of the characters are likable, they are all pretty flat, even though they are all dealing with major life challenges. Despite the lack of real character development you can identify with the problems these people are having and you are happy when they all make it to Nan's house on Nantucket, where their lives all end with the inevitable happy and predictably neat endings.
  
  This is a good summer beach read. It's not too deep, doesn't really require much though, and reads fairly quickly. Pick it up if you want to read something light under an umbrella at the beach this summer--but skip it if you're looking for something a bit less sugar coated and simple.
  
  
• would not recommend it
  By AME2SCPXP9B48 on 2008-07-24
  Although I did finish the book, I'm not sure I would have purchased The Beachouse given the subject matter: adultery/gay dating/weak parenting/shacking up.
  
  
• so many better books
  By AICD73MNZH0KE on 2008-08-11
  I thought I was going to love this book but it was tedious, character confusing and disjointed. I am sure the author is a talented writer, but I'm afraid I found the story line all too predictable and drawn out.
  
  
• Very Pleasing Read
  By A18M68DE1Y6W51 on 2008-08-22
  As a Jane Green fan, I never fail to enjoy her novels, but this one is truly a wonderful read, and one I could devour with pleasure.
  
  Offbeat Nan, a faded beauty who still retains her unique, hippie personality, is happily ensconced in her rather shabby old mansion, left to her by her late husband. She cherishes his memory, so the house is kept the way her husband had left it. Hence the "shabby" nature. But Nan, full of vigor and still crazy after all these years, is not above her adventures--like swimming naked in a vacationing neighbor's pool.
  
  All that changes when Nan reluctantly faces the very real terror of possibly losing the house. The only way of keeping it is to take in boarders--unheard-of in her tony area of Nantucket--so she does. And so the story unfolds with the entertwined lives of strangers who become closer than family. We learn their stories, we see the results, we pray for Nan and all her brand new loved ones to come out OK in the end.
  
  But this is no fairy tale, and as secrets and heartbreaks come to the surface, we feel everything the characters do...and cheer them on, as they have become our family too.
  
  This is a good read, a good story, and a perfect book to enjoy.
  
  

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