Where do you go when you're lost and lonely? (The Beach House - Jane Green)

Member Name: emskibeach

Product:	The Beach House - Jane Green
Date:	03/09/09 (58 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Characters. Great feel good story.

Disadvantages: None

As a fan of Jane Green's previous books I was excited to notice this new title in the 3 for 2 section of waterstones and quickly added it to my basket. I have been reading a lot of heavier material lately and felt in the need for some light reading of the chick lit variety and I knew Green wouldn't dissapoint and thankfully she didn't.

Jane Green is a journalist turned book author who used to write for the Daily Express until she discovered her talent for book writing with her first novel Straight talking. The beach house is her 10th novel in a list of best sellers including Spellbound, Bookends, Babyville and Life swap.

Plot :
The Beach House is a story about one summer that changed the lives of many people. Sounds boring and cliche right? Wrong.
Nan is a fantasticly free spirited woman living in a house in Nantucket, she loves her life but misses her big house being full of people since the death of her husband and her son Michael growing up and making a life for himself as a jeweller in New York. So when Nan hears the bad news from her financial advisor that there is just no more money left and that she will soon need to sell her much loved Windemere, the house that Michael grew up in and that holds so many memories for Nan, that she cannot bear to part with it. Then comes a bright idea, Nan will open the house as a rental to guests for the summer season, rooms with bed and breakfast. She is killing two birds with one stone so to speak, her house will be full again and she will be making some money to help her survive without giving up the house.

Nan's beautiful old home is soon full of life again with the arrival of Daniel, who is breaking the heart of his wife Bee albiet not on purpose and who seems kind of lost in life, Daff, gorgeous in a natural way but who is trying to find herself after her divorce from her husband Richard who is currently giving her a well earned break from her teenage daughter Jess who Daff fears she is losing more by the day. And finally Nan's son Michael who comes home to relax and regain some perspective after a stupid fling with his married boss.

With so many people searching for answers in Nan's house will they find them? Will Daff find a way to reconnect with her stroppy teen daughter Jess? Will Daniel and Bee ever be able to deal with the reasons behind their split ammicably? What other secrets will be brought to the forefront of life in quiet Nantucket?! You will have to wait and see because I won't spoil the story for you!

Opinion:

I am a self confessed Jane Green fan so there was a large chance I was going to love this novel, but I have to say that of all her books so far The Beach House is definately my favourite.
Maybe the book came at the right time for me, I am currently have a bit of a quarter life crisis where I'm not sure where my life is going so I had definate empathy with a few of the characters in the book who were feeling like the were missing something in their lives.

Green has a brilliant way with characterisation that really draws you in and makes you feel as if you are part of the lives of her characters. For example reading about how hard life is for Daff when she can't seen to connect with her daughter Jess after her divorce, reminded me of how awful I was to my mother growing up. I was always close to my father, but reading about Daff made me think of how my mother must have felt when I lashed out at her after a bad day at school as a teenager. I think any woman who is having trouble dealing with a recent split would love this book, it shows how people can overcome things without even realising it is happening. The healing can begin with something so small you barely notice, until one day you are smiling again and things are looking brighter.

Definately one for the chick lit lovers out there, this fantastic story of secrets, heartbreak, finding happiness and the power of a new place to heal the soul is one to give you a kick into doing something about that project you have been wanting to finish or that holiday you have been meaning to take as well as a story that will melt even the most frozen of hearts.

5 out of 5 for Jane Green's 10th novel!

Price : £7.99 retail price but can be found on amazon marketplace from 0.53p new and used.

Summary: A fantastic 10th novel from Jane Green