The Island is a heartfelt story of four women who resort to casting themselves away to a private family-owned island of Tuckernuck, Mass. It is a story between two sets of sisters, both sets of separate generations. The women all have their baggage, but it’s the type of baggage you’re intrigued to read about. I hold The Island in high regard because although the book is what I consider to be very long (over 400 pages) it told each of the character’s stories; capturing their triumphs, sadness, elation, and devastation from beginning to end, never missing a beat.
The Island is so many things OTHER than a “light read” in my opinion. It is an ernest look into the lives of very different women. It is a story of love of family, unrequited love that is hard-won and conquered, emotional growth, and surviving trauma. It’s complex concerning the issues woven into this piece of fiction and the ending is well-deserved for all characters. Have I mentioned there are actually FOUR characters’ stories in this ONE novel? It’s well worth the time to read it and will leave readers yearning for more. Good thing Hilderbrand has a solid booklist: I look forward to reading all the rest, too!
-Review by Laurie Kozlowski- Goodreads | Shelfari | LibraryThing
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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, tears and joy. But Birdie, a woman who prides herself on preparing for every possibility, could never have predicted the late-night phone call from Chess, abruptly announcing that she’s cancelled her engagement.
It’s only the first hint of what will be a summer of upheavals and revelations. Before the dust has even begun to settle, far worse news arrives, sending Chess into a tailspin of despair. Reluctantly taking a break from the first new romance she’s embarked on since the recent end of her 30-year marriage, Birdie circles the wagons and enlists the help of her younger daughter Tate and her own sister India. Soon all four are headed for beautiful, rustic Tuckernuck Island, off the coast of Nantucket, where their family has summered for generations. No phones, no television, no grocery store – a place without distractions where they can escape their troubles.
But throw sisters, daughters, ex-lovers, and long-kept secrets onto a remote island, and what might sound like a peaceful getaway becomes much more. Before summer has ended, dramatic truths are uncovered, old loves are rekindled, and new loves make themselves known. It’s a summertime story only Elin Hilderbrand can tell, filled with the heartache, laughter, and surprises that have made her page-turning, bestselling novels as much a part of summer as a long afternoon on a sunny beach.
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