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Island Girls: A Novel
Unavailable
Island Girls: A Novel
Unavailable
Island Girls: A Novel
Audiobook9 hours

Island Girls: A Novel

Written by Nancy Thayer

Narrated by Cassandra Campbell

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

3.5/5

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Currently unavailable

Currently unavailable

About this audiobook

NATIONAL BESTSELLER

Nancy Thayer returns to her beloved Nantucket in a highly emotional, wholly entertaining tale of three sisters forced to confront the past over one event-filled summer on the island.
 
Charming ladies' man Rory Randall dies with one last trick up his sleeve: His will includes a calculating clause mandating a summer-long reunion for his daughters, all from different marriages-that is, if they hope to inherit his posh Nantucket house. Relations among the three sisters are sour thanks to long-festering jealousies, resentments, and misunderstandings. Arden, a successful television host in Boston, hasn't been back to the island since her teenage years, when accusations of serious misbehavior led to her banishment. College professor Meg hopes to use her summer to finish a literary biography and avoid an amorous colleague. And secretive Jenny, an IT specialist, faces troubling questions about her identity while longing for her sisters' acceptance.
 
To their surprise, the three young women find their newfound sisterhood easier to trust than the men who show up to complicate their lives. And if that weren't problematic enough, their mothers descend on the island. When yet another visitor drops by the house with shocking news, the past comes screaming back with a vengeance. Having all the women from his life under his seaside roof-and overseeing the subsequent drama of that perfect storm-Rory Randall might just be enjoying a hearty laugh from above.
 
Nancy Thayer's novel insightfully illustrates how the push and pull of family altercations make us whole. It's how the Randall sisters come to forgive, and learn to open their hearts to love.

Praise for Island Girls

"Nancy Thayer is one of my favorite writers, and Island Girls is one of her best. The Randall sisters are like your own family members or your best friends: funny, smart and emotional, infuriating and good-hearted. Here is a book to be savored and passed on to the good women in your life."-New York Times bestselling author Susan Wiggs
 
"Full of emotion and just plain fun, this novel is delightful."-Romance Reviews Today

"In this touching summer read, forgiveness benefits both the person bestowing it and the recipient."-Kirkus Reviews
LanguageEnglish
Release dateJun 18, 2013
ISBN9780307939593
Unavailable
Island Girls: A Novel
Author

Nancy Thayer

Nancy Thayer is the New York Times bestselling author of A Nantucket Wedding, Secrets in Summer, The Island House, The Guest Cottage, An Island Christmas, Nantucket Sisters, A Nantucket Christmas, Island Girls, Summer Breeze, Heat Wave, Beachcombers, Summer House, Moon Shell Beach, and The Hot Flash Club. She lives on Nantucket.

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Reviews for Island Girls

Rating: 3.4818181745454546 out of 5 stars
3.5/5

110 ratings31 reviews

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  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Lovely,enjoyable read.Perfect for summer/beach read.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    I really enjoyed this book. It's about three sisters who have to share a summer house on Nantucket. My favorite sister was Meg, a professor writing an article about May Alcott (Louisa May Alcott's less famous sister).
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    This wasn't a great book, but it wasn't awful. I love reading about sisters, so the premise was of interest to me right from the start. I actually did read this book while on vacation, and it was an easy and quick read, perfect for sitting on the beach and picking up in between conversations with friends and family members. It wasn't terribly memorable and while the basic plot was intriguing, I felt that Nora Roberts did a much better book with a similar set in "Montana Sky" than this book managed to do here. Again, it wasn't a bad book, it just wasn't terribly memorable. This was a book that was light and airy, easy to put down, and fairly predictable.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Island Girls turned out to be the perfect summer beach book. Entering the lives of three women distantly related as sisters through a complex mix of marriage and blood, the book explores their current lives and the past events that led them to spending a summer together in their old childhood house trying to get along.
  • Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
    2/5
    Disappointing. I wanted a beach read, something light and easy, and while this is indubitably light and frothy, it rapidly becomes tedious. The premise (three stepsisters forced to spend a summer together in order to inherit a house they all love) seems plausible for about 30 seconds; the characters are two-dimensional and the writing is clumsy and stilted.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Good beach read although somewhat predictable plot.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Read from July 01 to 03, 2015This is the kind of book I was expecting when I started The Last Original Wife: people actually visiting the beach. In this novel, three sisters must live in their father's Nantucket home together for three months in order to collect their inheritance when the home sells. Their father liked the ladies, he was married three times and has a daughter from each relationship. The girls haven't spent much time together though because the third wife had the first two daughters "exiled" from the summer home. So much drama!This was a quick read that covered summer romances, self-esteem issues, and sibling relationships. Perfect read for a vacation.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Rory Randall decides to add a bit of manipulation to his final will and testament by making it a condition of their inheritance that his 3 daughters (by different mothers) spend the summer at the Nantucket house together. What results are basic family issues revealed and nothing really special.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    I received this book as an Early Reviewer Island Girls takes on a familiar theme: step-siblings and their inheritance. Nancy Thayer is a popular author but I had not read her before. I might have enjoyed this Nantucket summer tale had I not had a bedside table of more serious lit calling me. This is quick, predictable and a pleasant enough way to spend a few hours. A nice escape if that's what you are looking for.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    This is a story about 3 step sisters who because of their father's will have to live in their childhood Nantucket home for the Summer. If they don't live together for the entire Summer, they won't receive the proceeds from the sale of the home. Living together forces the step sisters to come to terms with issues from their childhood. There is even a surprise twist towards the end of the novel.Nancy Thayer is a good writer and is wonderful at painting a vivid picture of Nantucket. She obviously knows the island well and you can tell this by all the details she sprinkles throughout her books. Thayer is also good at developing her characters so you really feel like you got to know the individual characteristics of each sister. I enjoyed the book but only gave it 3 1/2 stars because it's a very light beach read. Bottom line: Thayer writes beautifully about Nantucket and is adept at writing a good beach book.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Island Girls is about three sisters who have very complicated relationships. Their father has been married to each of their moms, so they are sister, step-sister, and half-sister. Whew! Their father passes away and leaves them a Nantucket summer home. They must spend the summer living together and then they can sell the house sharing the profit. There is a lot to love and a lot to dislike about this book. I am so over the "family members inherit a property and must live together" storyline. Who really does that in real life? Despite that, I kept reading and enjoyed the book. The sisters are interesting even if so much of what happens is pretty unbelievable...it is still a lot of fun! The ending made up for a lot.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    This book really surprised me. Arden, Meg and Jenny have to spend 3 months in the family house on Nantucket. Arden, Meg and Jenny are sisters. They have the same father but different mothers. Arden and Meg and the biological children of their father Rory. Jenny is the adoptive sister.All three mother's were married to Rory at one point. Jenny's mother exiled Arden and Meg one summer and since then there has been a rift between the girls. This summer after the death of their father it is in their father's will that they will live together in the house for 3 months. It was a charming story. Seeing the girls grow and become closer and finding men for themselves. They have problems and arguments but really get to know each other. There are some twists that were surprising and add to the adventure. A great summer read.
  • Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
    2/5
    This was an okay book for a summer beach read. I couldn't really relate to any of the characters, or any of the story, but I enjoyed the glimpses of Nantucket Island life.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    This is a great summer read - likable characters, romantic pairings, beautiful atmosphere. The conflicts are real if the outcomes in this book are all a bit unrealistically happy.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    This book had me hooked in the opening scene when chic, glamorous Arden loosens the zipper of her pencil skirt when she sits at her desk. The story is about three sisters - two half and one stop - who are forced to spent the summer together in their late (shared) father's house in order to inherit. The three women are wonderfully drawn, so personable, and so likeable, that the reader is invested in them immediately. Their summer in the Nantucket house, the men in their lives, and their individual growth makes for a fun read. Absolutely recommended as a great beach read, or an enjoyable bit of women's fiction any time.I received a copy of this book through LibraryThing's Early Review program in exchange for an honest review.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I thought this book was an amazing summer read. There is everything within the pages that makes for a perfect beach read...a great setting, remarkable characters, and a story that causes investment. A must read this summer! 4.5 stars
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I received Island Girls by Nancy Thayer from the LibraryThing Early Reviewers give away. The setting is mostly on Nantucket and while I read this book while actually at the beach, it would be just as enjoyable if you were sitting in front of a fireplace on a cold winters day. Definitely a "chick lit" book, but in the best possible way..a (mostly) pleasant story about family and women. I'd recommend this book.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Sometimes I wonder how many beach-y books I can read involving three sisters/daughters/friends, at least one with some sort of parental issue. But I have to say, Thayer always handles this genre so well. Rory Randall's three daughters, from three different marriages, come together somewhat unwillingly to fulfull a stipulation from Rory's will. Arden, Meg and Jenny have to stay in the Nantucket house for the summer and then spilt the proceeds when they sell in the fall. Each woman had good points, but I did think Meg's constant belitting of herself was a bit tiring. Great book to dive into at the beach, or even a three season porch.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Rory Randall died unexpectedly at the age of 60, leaving 2 ex-wives, a current wife, and 3 daughters. Arden produces a successful TV show, her half-sister Meg is a professor at a community college, and their step-sister Jenny is a computer genius. The three girls have been estranged for years, but due to a stipulation in the will, the girls must spend the summer in their Nantucket beach house before they can sell it and split the proceeds. Those three months give the girls the closure they need to become true sisters once again. Island Girls is great beach read!
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Island Girls - a novel with many layers. Reunions, romance, mystery...forgiveness. This book is a great summer read about a father/husband/lover dying - leaving his beach home to his 3 daughters - with the stipulation that they spend the summer living there together. They must come to terms with their father's death, their lost relationships together and with others. Oh and did I mention a "happy ending"? (sorry if that is a spoiler of sorts.)
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    As with every other Nancy Thayer book I've read, I really enjoyed Island Girls. Thayer has a deft hand when it comes to getting to the heart of family dynamics. Her characters always come to life for me and I love the inherent good feelings I get from her stories. Of course, the setting doesn't hurt either: Nantucket, it gets no better than that! Island Girls is the perfect summer read.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    A good beach read. Different from my normal choosing.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Light, fluffy read. Finished in a day, but enjoyed.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Another fun summer read. After starting with the death of Rory Randall, his three daughters by three wives have to live together for the summer in Nantucket to inherit the house. No surprises, but lots of happy endings which is perfect for a hot July Sunday!
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Very good, I could read Nancy Thayer day in and day out!
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    A perfect beach read! Nancy Thayer writes chick lit that women can share with other women in their family – feel good stories that aren’t too steamy. In this one, three sisters with different mothers are obliged to share their father’s house on Nantucket for a whole summer together after his death. But you already know – because you know the author – everything works out in the end! A fun read!
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    I have read all Nancy’s books and the front cover of Island Girls, of course was a huge draw; however, her last few books do not live up to her earlier works (I was a huge fan). Her writing style has changed somewhat as does not have the jazz it once did as appears a little flat. It was a good light read; however would have liked to seen a little more depth or emotion from the characters. Overall was still a fun read beach read, and I enjoyed the audio --as the narrator was excellent.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Rory Randall is a bit of bit of a womanizer; he has married three times and has two daughters from different wives and an adopted daughter. He died unexpectedly and in his will he states that he will give his Nantucket home to his three daughters under one condition: they must live there together for one summer. The problem is the three sisters don't necessarily get along, thanks to some drama that occurred there as children involving Rory's third wife. Rory's first daughter, Arden, was a bit of a wild child back in the day, but is now a semi-famous local TV show host. Arden's half-sister, Meg, is bookish and teaches at the local community college. The last daughter, Jenny, whom Rory adopted, lives on Nantucket as a computer specialist and is especially nervous about a summer together with her stepsisters since it's her mother who made it so Arden and Meg couldn't visit their father on Nantucket anymore. All three girls are thirty-something now and should be able to get along; however, it proves to be a life-changing summer for the sisters in Nancy Thayer's Island Girls.When you read a book with three main characters, you can't help but be interested in one woman's story more than another and that was most definitely the case in Island Girls. I liked how Arden was ambitious and even though she has been dealt a bad hand at work, she still tries to prove herself. Even when she is "vacationing" in Nantucket, she is still thinking of her job and researching for future shows. The character I connected the most with was bookish, Meg, obviously. I wasn't a big fan of her lack of confidence, but I liked that she was overall a decent person and was writing a book. Lastly, Jenny was an overall interesting character, especially when it came to understanding her backstory as Jenny doesn't know who her biological father is.While on Nantucket, all three women learn more about themselves, about their sisters, and about love. All three girls are involved in a romantic relationship by the novel's end and of course, there are some family secrets that rise to the surface in Island Girls. Plus, things get even more complicated when all three women's mothers come to the island for the night. Cue the drama.Thayer did a great job of capturing summer on the beautiful island of Nantucket. I loved reading about their cocktails outside on the patio, the fancy dinners, their gorgeous beach house and warm summer nights under the stars. There's no doubt in my mind that Thayer really knows her sense of place in Island Girls.My only complaint about this beach read was the fact that important events, such as their father's untimely death, were sort of glossed over except for one scene involving a little bit of mourning. But I guess that is what readers come to expect in a beach read….not a lot of depth or character development and more summertime fun. There were also some coincidences that I had a hard time swallowing, but all in all, I had fun following the three sisters' summer in Island Girls. So, if you are looking for a fluffy beach read with not a lot of depth (and sometimes that is what you need on vacation!), Nancy Thayer's Island Girls fits the bill.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Island GirlbyNancy ThayerMy " in a nutshell" summary...Arden, Meg and Jenny...sisters with issues...have to abide by their father's will and live in his house in Nantucket for three months. Summer months...how bad can this be?My thoughts after reading this book...OMG...this book was delicious! Nancy Thayer continues her lovely magical incredible stories of life on Nantucket. This was the most perfect summer book. This one was about Meg, Arden, and Jenny. Sisters...sort of...with a philandering father...Rory. He left Arden's mom for Meg's mom and Meg's mom for Jenny's mom. They all used to spend summers together on Nantucket until THE INCIDENT that banished Meg and Arden. Rory's death brings the sort of sisters back to the island for three months during the summer just after his death. The secrets that unfold are totally yummy! What I loved about this book...In a word...EVERYTHING! Nancy Thayer knows Nantucket...and because of her I feel as though I know Nantucket. No one describes a simple beach picnic the way Nancy Thayer does. Cheese and chutney sandwiches, bluefish pâté, cucumber sandwiches, yummy wines...I just want to get on the ferry and get there. Even the way you have to walk on the old cobblestone streets that whalers used to walk on...yum! Grabbing your bike and biking everywhere, getting ice cream...shopping! Going to the library! It's all delicious!What I did not love about this book...My only minor issue was that no one was bad enough! I wanted more angst, more fighting, more dysfunction...lol! Well...there is one teensy bit of badness at the end...but I would not dream of revealing it to you!My final thoughts...Loved this book...it was my perfectly delightful summer book! Can't wait to see what Nancy comes up with next year!
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    This is a terrific beach read for the summer. Three estranged sisters, each working through their own personal and professional questions, are required to spend the summer at their deceased father’s beach home or forfeit their inheritance. There is Arden, a well-known TV show host, trying to turn this stay in Nantucket into some new shows. Meg, an English teacher at a community college, is trying to reconcile her career choices and to figure out whether there is the possibility of any future for her besides her teaching. Finally, there is Jenny, a real homebody, who has lived in the house and who runs her computer business out of it. Naturally, there are some heavy discussions and arguments among the three, but as days turn into weeks and into months, they all come to realize how important they each are and how important they and family are to all. This is a story about sisters, and what they can and do mean to and for each other. It is a story about families and about accepting the pas as past while looking at the present and to the future. One thing I did not quite understand was why the author chose to insert a totally new character into the book as it was already winding down, in the last pages. This insertion made no sense and the book could easily have finished without the added drama, which kind of fizzled anyway. This is definitely a book made for beach or summertime reading and enjoyment. I received this book free to read and review.