Book Review: The Beach House (Viking Adult) by Jane Green

By Amanda Linsmeier

The Beach House (Viking Adult) is a captivating novel by best-selling author Jane Green (Second Chance, Swapping Lives, Viking Adult) about family, self-love and friendship. Living alone in an old, elegant house atop a bluff in Nantucket, Nan is perceived as an eccentric woman. The 65-year old widow is content keeping up her image by skinny-dipping in her neighbors’ pools and stealing their flowers. When she discovers that her financial situation isn’t quite as comfortable as she would have liked to believe, Nan is forced to come up with an alternative to selling her Windermere, her beloved home. Her solution? Take on boarders for the summer and run an unofficial bed and breakfast.

The first guest to arrive is Daniel, a quiet man struggling with a deep secret that has haunted him his entire life. Next is Daff, a recent divorcee who is trying to come to terms with her newly-single self while her rebellious teenage daughter Jess spends the summer with her father. Nan’s son Michael also arrives, running from an affair with his boss and looking for some peace inside himself.

The summer is spent with guests building a relationship with Nan, their fellow houseguests and most importantly, with themselves. Daniel’s ex-wife makes an appearance along with their two young daughters. Daff’s daughter Jess, who has become too much for her father to handle, also arrives. Nan is thrilled to see Windermere restored to the bustling, lively home it once was and considers her houseguests to be her extended family. In turn, the guests fall in love with Nan. It is only when an unexpected visitor arrives that they discover their lives have been turned upside down.

I found the novel to be interesting and the characters loveable. I did however find some flaws. The first being Daff’s daughter, Jess. When we meet Jess, she’s a screaming, shoplifting teen; magically, she is transformed overnight into a responsible, loving girl simply by feeling “useful” and being treated as an adult. I would have liked to have seen more of a subtle transformation with her story. My second issue with the novel involves Nan. Described as being eccentric, and yes, swimming naked in her neighbor’s pool does constitute this title, I wish that Green would have developed that side of her character more. Yes, she wears red lipstick. Yes, she chain smokes. But I think these qualities give her a personality; not necessarily an eccentric one. Truth be told, I loved Nan anyway. I thought she was a cool old lady, if not a particularly strange one.

All in all, this novel was an enjoyable read and something that I would read again. I dare readers to pick it up and not wish they were spending their summer at a beach house in Nantucket. Jane Green has written a wonderful summer novel. Read it on a white, slip-covered chair with a glass of cold iced tea and a vase of blue hydrangeas close by.