The House That Heals Hearts (The Beach House - Jane Green)

Member Name: Shoe_Gal51

Product:	The Beach House - Jane Green
Date:	03/09/09 (15 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Idyllic setting, well described characters

Disadvantages: The character Jessica is a little too much, but still well placed

I'm not a fussy reader. If a book is captivating enough to grab my attention quickly, I will more than likely see it through to the bitter end. That said, I am short on time for reading these days so I don't look for anything too heavy or taxing, or things that make me think too much (shamefully!). These days I like my books warm and funny, with a gripping enough storyline to keep me turning the pages. So when I heard Jane Green had released a new book it went straight onto my Amazon wishlist.

Jane Green is up there for me with my other favourite chick-lit authors, Marion Keyes and Tasmina Perry. She has the ability to provide me with 300 or so pages of pure escapism that can keep me awake in bed until the wee hours, still reading, even though I know I should've been asleep hours ago.

Her latest offering is a heart wrenching but heart warming tale which revolves around 4 characters: Nan is an eccentric but loveable widow of indeterminate age who lives on the fantasy island of Nantucket, so idyllic does it seem. Her age old residency and ownership of a sprawling, charming old house named Windermere is under threat when Nan's comfortable financial rug is pulled from under her. Missing the vibrancy that Windermere used to house in Nan's younger days and also for extra income, she opens her home for the summer to lodgers and attracts a small gathering of lost souls.

Michael, Nan's 40-something son, has as yet been unable to find the elusive Miss Right and instead has recently embarked upon a foolish fling with his married boss.

Daff is lonely and struggling after a divorce, finding it hard to connect with her difficult teenage daughter.

When Daniel arrives at Windermere he just has taken the first steps towards happiness for himself but in the process has caused heartbreak for his wife, Bee.

Nan is quietly confident of a certain magic quality that hangs around Windermere and the island of Nantucket, but is it enough to heal the aching hearts? And will this magic quality reveal more than Nan bargained for?

Jane Green once again spins a funny, compelling fable that will have you devouring each chapter, eager to learn the story's end. Her ability to construct likeable characters that you can't help but root for is certainly helpful.

That said, the character of Jessica, Daff's daughter most definitely provides a stark contrast to the other gentle characters this story portrays. A stubborn teenager, smarting from the pain of her parents divorce, the way Jane Green describes Jess's temper tantrums and difficult behavior was enough to set my nerves on edge. The character is very well placed though, and brings another dimension to the plot, so is not needlessly irritating.

The idyllic beach setting on treasure island makes the reader yearn to step inside the story and take a slice of it back home with them. There is something fantastic about the idea of living at the beach, for children and adults alike, kind of a year round holiday.

Overall, another brill read from Ms Green, not her best, but certainly good enough and as ever, I eagerly await the next one!

Thanks for reading.

Summary: Pure shameless feel good chick lit!