...potential squandered... Review on Beach House, The - Jane Green

This is my first book by Jane Green. "...a beautiful old Nantucket home with water views and direct access to the beach...." Sounded like my dream house and being bit of a beach bum when I was growing up this book appealed to me nostalgically - it sounded appealing enough to read.

The book starts off by giving you the impression that it is going to be a great read but in between it ends up being a hodgepodge of stories - all about relationships (each of which could have been a book by itself) and ends up unraveling in the end to dump a happy ending on the reader. Not only is there a lack of depth on each of the storylines but overall it sounds unconvincing.

Nan lives alone on an old house on the bluff in Nantucket. She & her husband moved into this house belonging to her in-laws right after they got married. Her husband committed suicide about 20 years ago after getting on the wrong side of the debtors due to his gambling problem. Nan had to deal with raising her son single-handedly who has since moved away to New York. Now at 65, she discovers that the money she thought will last her lifetime has dwindled and she could risk losing her house which she loves more than anything. To avoid selling her goldmine of a property to builders who are buzzing like buzzards around her, she decides to rent rooms for the summer.

This is when the author starts introducing all sorts of characters who are unhappy in their current relationships and how they all end up in Nan’s house including her son. Towards the last few chapters of the book, the stories of these characters start intertwining. Jane makes a feeble attempt at throwing a curve-ball - surprising the readers by introducing an unexpected visitor who turns her life and those of others in the house upside down. However towards the end, hurriedly, it all ends well for everyone.

I have refrained from writing reviews about books that don’t deserve a 3 or higher on my rating but I guess one has to start somewhere! It is not that the book does not have its moments – it does, but that is just early on and hence grudgingly I rate it to 2 on my scale (see below). At the risk of sounding chauvinistic, I think this book may appeal more to women who read “chick lit”. No more Jane Green for me....

My rating scale:

1. Must own and read several times

   
   




2. Must own & read

   
   




3. Must read - without owning

   
   




4. Don’t buy but read if you have nothing else

   
   




5. Don't even glance at it