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    The Rumour
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    The Rumour
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    The Rumour
    Audiobook9 hours

    The Rumour

    Written by Elin Hilderbrand

    Narrated by Laurel Lefkow

    3.5/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this audiobook

    Nantucket writer Madeline King has a new novel coming out and it's got bestseller potential. But Madeline is terrified, because in her desperation to revive her career, she's done something reckless: reveal the truth behind an actual affair involving her best friend, Grace.

    And that's not the only strain on Madeline and Grace's friendship; one fateful night, the two women argue, voicing jealousies and resentments that have built for twenty years. Bereft of each other, they get caught in the snares of a mysterious and destructive stranger.

    THE RUMOUR is an irresistible novel about the power of gossip to change the course of events, and the desire of people to find their way back to what really matters.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHachette UK Audio
    Release dateJul 15, 2016
    ISBN9781473634572
    Unavailable
    The Rumour
    Author

    Elin Hilderbrand

    Elin Hilderbrand lives on Nantucket, has three children and is the author of 27 novels, including SUMMER OF ‘69.  Elin met Dottie in the spring of 2017 at the annual Post & Courier luncheon in Charleston and Elin says, “It was love at first sight.” The two authors proceeded to meet on Nantucket every chance they got and they texted and emailed non-stop. They dreamed of doing a joint cooking show called “Cook the Books,” where they would invite a third author on to make a signature dish for each episode. They also talked about a cookbook called “The Southern Belle and the Gray Lady.” Elin’s summer of 2020 novel, 28 Summers, is dedicated to Dottie and Dottie makes a cameo appearance in Elin’s summer of 2021 novel, Golden Girl. “I will never again have a writer friend like Dottie,” Elin says. “Those of you who knew her understand what I mean, and those of you who didn’t will just have to trust me. They broke the mold.”

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    Reviews for The Rumour

    3.5/5

    30 ratings25 reviews

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    • 2/5
      Best thing I can say about this book is that I finally finished it

      Normally there is at least one character in any book with whom I can identify or even like. Not this one. Did not care for the writing style either which may have contributed to my inability to connect with the characters. If I ever read another book by this author, it will only be after receiving many referrals by friends.
    • 4/5
      Another winner for EH! I love her writing. It makes me feel like I am in Nantucket and characters are so real.
    • 3/5
      WOW! I'm surprised! I started reading this book and thought... WHY AM I READING THIS? It just seemed - well, for lack of a better word, stupid! It really is about a rumor. And it seemed base - just trashy. But I kept on reading and suddenly found I couldn't stop. OH NO. I'm enjoying these rumors??? But it seemed to actually turn into a story. In a good setting with characters that went beyond the rumors! A good beach read! I like Elin Hilderbrand and this one didn't disappoint (although for a while I thought it didn't have a chance). I would have given it 3.5 stars, but it doesn't allow for 1/2 stars.
    • 5/5
      I needed an escape from my current health problems so chose this audio book to listen to for about eleven hours. Elin Hilderbrand provided the relief that I needed.Even though this book's title and bits of the story were focused on gossip, I prefer to think of it as a longtime friendship being tested to its depth.I enjoyed the gossip part because it showed with humor, how weird conclusions could be easily be drawn from incorrect assumptions.Madeline had a storybook relationship with her husband, Trevor and they had smart but sensitive son, Brick. Madeline had hit a scary area for all writers, writer' s block. Her previous book, Islandia had been met with a huge success but now she was floundering.Grace, Madeline' s closest friend was caught in a fantasy romance with Benton, the landscaper who had agreed to transform her backyard into paradise to wow the Nantucket. Eddie, her husband who had been a huge real estate success story was so wrapped in the market downturn that he ignored his wife and their twin daughters, Allegra and Hope. Allegra was spoiled by Eddie's bank account and had gotten away with things would never dream of. Hope was good, studious twin who missed Allegra's past friendship with her and felt ignored by most.That is the beginning and the author throws all of them on different stormy paths that you will not want to miss it.
    • 4/5
      I really enjoyed this book. It shows how rumors can fly around a small community even if they might not be true. Both of these families have issues and as the story goes along, they slowly unravel. I enjoyed the different characters. There were a few I wanted to slap and a few I wanted to comfort. It was an enjoyable audiobook. Great beach read.
    • 4/5
      The inter-connected lives of these Nantucket Islanders swirl around infidelity, shady business dealings, prostitution and plain old teenage hijinks. Each soon becomes fodder for the rumor mill. Hildebrand does a nifty job of telling her characters' stories individually, yet having them meshing an uncomplicated whole. I enjoyed it.
    • 2/5
      If you are looking for a light entertaining beach read, than this is the book for you. This fluffy chick lit story doesn't have a lot of substance but sometimes that kind of book is perfect when you have had a stressful week at work. I had trouble connecting with the characters.
    • 5/5
      The Rumor by Elin HildenbrandThis Nantucket book is about two bff's, one is a writer, the other is taking over the garden.Madelaine is a writer with writer's block, her husband a pilot for local airport....Grace has lost the baby weight and is on track with the landscape designer, benton Co. She's married to Eddie, a real estate agent...Hope is the younger twin of Grace and it's high school time and she's so far away from her twin, Allegra and has many things to use against her. Allegra has Brick as her boyfriend, which is Madeline's son.Alternating chapters of all these people, it's a bit hard to keep track of from the very beginning but gets easier as their lives mingle with one another.Before long the grapevine has started a rumor about Madelaine and Eddie....and other rumors about others as small town living at its best. everybody knows everybody's business....things really get out of hand over time but that's normal for a small ocean side community as the island I live on also....Liked the book because it's about different generations of life on the island from their perspective. Held my interest.I received this book from National Library Service for my BARD (Braille Audio Reading Device).
    • 1/5
      If you name your characters Brick and Calgary, don't expect to be taken seriously.
    • 5/5
      What is it about us that makes us love gossip and repeat rumors? I'm sure we've all done it, do it, even when we only know part of the story or think we know. As in this book, rumors start with a portion of truth and then spread like wildfire until most everyone has heard a version of the story as it snowballs into details that are purely fiction. What most people don't think about is the harm that can be caused by the spreading of false rumors, or rumors that may be true but are really none of our business. Grace and Madeline are best friends and spend each day talking, and are often getting together with each other. Grace's daughter is dating Madeline's son and their lives are intertwined on a personal level and what proves to be a bad mistake, on a business level. When Madeline, an author hits writer block and a deadline approaching, out of desperation and with every stroke of pen knowing she was doing the wrong thing, starts to write a book about the private life of Grace, telling herself she will change things and no one will know it's Grace's story. The story grows, some of the wrong hands read it giving more fuel for the fire. "Two of the women at this table will betray the person to their left". Sitting at that table, having a little fun with Barbie and her telling of fortunes, Grace and Madeline didn't take any of it seriously, they are the only females at the table with Barbie, that's just ridiculous to think they'd betray the person they were beside. This book is a juicy read that I have come up expect from Elin Hilderbrand. "The Rumor" is about real situations with realistic people all taking place on the beautiful island of Nantucket, her talk of the island really makes me want to be there. Her characters aren't perfect, in fact they all are quite flawed, but you relate to them for the real people they are and feel with them as if they are someone we know. Well maybe not Eddie, I never warmed to him, just too smarmy for me. And Rachel, she got way too much fun out of creating trouble. Elin Hilderbrand is a master of storytelling, with most of her books taking place in the summer and on Nantucket. Her books are dramatic, engrossing reads that make us want to keep reading until we know how it all ends. This is the type of gossipy tale we seem to love but at the harm of no one. I love looking into the lives of these characters; you become invested and have to remember, they are fictional. Great beach read.
    • 5/5
      Clearly Elin Hildebrand has done it again, I finished this book in 2 short days, those summer days reading by the pool. I am one that looks for a summer vacation that has stuff for everyone else to be busy and nice places to sit by the lake or pool to read. This book was in my stack of "have to read this summer" books, and it was awesome. It had everything a well written book should have,believable characters, great detail of landscape, food that makes you get up and make a ploughman's lunch, and of course rumor mills abound! Enjoy!
    • 4/5
      Elin Hilderbrand returns with her annual Nantucket summer beach read THE RUMOR - A contemporary chick-lit, with tantalizing scandals, lustful affairs, hidden secrets, financial ruin, writer’s block, desperation, greed, prostitution, town gossip, and rumors which turn this beach island upside down. With a page taken from a series of Wisteria Lane’s Desperate Housewives, we meet a cast of characters, whose lives connect in many ways for some wit, summer fun, and naughty mischief. Meet the characters: Grace and Madeline are best friends. Grace’s daughter Allegra and Madeline’s son Brick are involved. Fast Eddie (town’s real estate broker, currently in financial ruin with the real estate bust) finds a way to bring in some fast cash. Grace his wife, who is secretly in love with her landscape architect –clueless, a dreamer romantic--- has no clue what is going on with her own household—(daughters, husband, friend), and begins an affair.Eddie owes Madeline and her husband a large sum of money from a bad real estate investment; His bill is due at the country club, and things are closing in. He cannot let his family, nor the town know he is broke, as will ruin his real estate career.Madeline, an author is suffering from writer’s block until she gets some inspiration from her best friend’s secret affair and begins writing her sizzling novel, betraying her trust. (loved her editor and her enthusiasm).Behind Eddie and Grace’s perfect façade, a beautiful home, stunning gardens, and an upcoming featured story in the Boston Globe, we find twin teenage daughters with much drama. Of course Grace is not paying attention to her daughters, her husband’s illegal scheming, nor her financial woes, as all she is consumed with is her gardens, looking good, and her handsome and charming landscape architect, Benton Coe (and the garden shed). However, does Benton really return her feelings? Having read all Hilderbrand’s books and a long-time fan, excited she is back with her old writing style which made her a big success. With her real-life courageous fight against breast cancer, she still manages to crank out her annual summer beach reads and her winter family charming reads. I enjoyed THE RUMOR, as Hilderbrand demonstrates flaws, drama, and real life characters, versus picture perfect, especially when people lose track of what is important in life, and the lengths they will go in order to keep up appearances. Highly recommend the audiobook, as Kathleen McInerney (one of my favorite narrators), delivers a smashing summer scandalous beach read, where reality- may be worse than the rumor.
    • 5/5
      The Rumor, the latest by Elin Hilderbrand, is aptly titled, for the story concerns two best friends, Grace and Madeline, and their families who live on Nantucket Island, where rumors appear to be the lifeblood of the island community. Regardless what happens, from Grace’s daughter cheating on her long-time beau, to Grace having an affair with her gardener/landscaper, to Madeline using her inside, best friend knowledge of this affair as the plot of her next book, Nantucket is rife with rumors. The book provides a fantastic overview of life in this small community, where just about everyone starts and pays attention to the rumor mill, swirling around the island. Whether true or pertinent to daily life, the author provides the reader with rumors about the families and their impact on these two families and their daily lives. I have read all of this author’s works, and this one is as good as it gets. The picture the author provides of life on the island is, as usual, great and true-to-life. The way the rumors start, take on lives of their own and spread everywhere on the small island is also true, for this could easily be any small town America—or any other community else, for that matter. From the start, I found myself caught up in the book, as I eagerly read on to find out what was going to happen next. I found the characters, true-to life and well done, as they always are in this author’s books. The story flowed along smoothly and quickly for me, from start to finish. I always enjoy the author’s vivid pictures/impressions of life on Nantucket and always feel I am, for a time, at least, transported to the summer refuge so many others write and talk about. However, though there is a lesson about rumors and what they are and their impact in this book, the book provides a pretty good summer travel or beach read. It is neither deep nor complex, yet still filled with the reality of what rumors can do once they start. If you enjoy her books or if you are looking for a fantastic summer read, I recommend this book. I am sure you will agree, once you read it, it is well worth the effort. I received this from Goodreads to read and review.
    • 3/5
      I have never read any Elin Hilderbrand, but was able to pick about six of her books at a library sale. I was not sure where to start, and picked The Rumor at random.This had several POV: Madeline, Grace, Hope, Nantucket, and Eddie. There were so many people to get to know right away, but I quickly was drawn in to each of their stories.I was pleasantly surprised with this, and I flew through it. I am excited to read some of the others I have now too.
    • 4/5
      The Rumor probably should have been named The Rumors, since Elin Hilderbrand's novel is filled with gossip, some based on fact and some flat out wrong. It is hard to know which rumor she considers THE rumor. Madeline is a writer who suffers from writer's block when she doesn't have an actual event to use for the basis of a plot. She was kidnapped when she was young, by a druggie, ex boyfriend. She got her first publishing break after writing a novel based on that experience. Eddie is an ex athlete, who is obsessed with monetary success and will do whatever he can to achieve it. Grace is Eddie's lonely (and horny) wife. Hope and Allegra are the daughters of Grace and Eddie. Hope is focused on success in school, while Allegra is focused on her popularity and a possible career as a model. There are plenty of conflicts in these diverse interests and Hilderbrand makes the most of them. One of the sections I enjoyed was when Benton, Grace's gardener with benefits, talks to Hope about the books he loves best. (He was a literature major in college.) I've read most of the books he recommended, but there were a few I haven't. I'm going to try some of them. There are plenty of book lists on the web, but weaving one into a good story is fun. The book is a little too predictable, but still a fun read for someone looking for something light.Steve Lindahl – author of Motherless Soul, White Horse Regressions, Hopatcong Vision Quest, and Under a Warped Cross
    • 4/5
      I’m not usually a chick lit fan, but I found this wonderful to listen to as an audiobook. Madeline King and Grace Pancik are best friends, living on Nantucket, with their handsome husbands and perfect children. In the course of a summer, their lives are turned upside down by an affair, an apartment, a crime and money troubles. Of course, sometimes the rumor mill gets it right, and sometimes, completely wrong! Entertaining.
    • 1/5
      Even worse than a Harlequin -- preachy and stereotypical. Not the type of novel you expect to be a total downer.
    • 4/5
      And then she told someone, and then he told someone, and... yes, that's the way gossip spreads like wildfire and gets a life of its own. "The Rumor," delivers exactly what it promises amongst the life of Nantucketers. Madeline and Grace are best friends forever and their friendship is jeopardized. This is just one of the relatonships that is threatened by inconsiderate gossip.Erin Hilderbrand has done very good justice to a plot surrounding well drawn out characters and the result is a book which reads well.We wish her well so that she may keep writing.
    • 4/5
      I love Elin Hilderbrand novels. This one takes place on Nantucket (naturally), and is basically a gossipy, fun, beach-read, chick-lit book. It's a quick read, and I'll say it again - fun.
    • 3/5
      Fun, light, not to be taken seriously. For the type of book it is, it holds up. The characters were interesting, the situations they got themselves into not quite believable. But it held my interest and occasionally surprised me. I enjoyed it as a vacation book.
    • 3/5
      The Rumor focuses on Nantucket writer Madeline King who couldn't have picked a worse time to have writer's block. Her deadline is looming, her bills are piling up, and inspiration is in short supply. Madeline's best friend Grace, is hard at work transforming her garden into the envy of the island with the help of a very handsome landscape architect. Before she realizes it, Grace is on the verge of a decision that will irrevocably change her life. Could Grace's crisis be Madeline's salvation? As the gossip escalates, and the summer's explosive events come to a head, Grace and Madeline try desperately to set the record straight, but the truth might be even worse than the rumor.

      I enjoyed that the book was written from multiple points of view so sometimes each character would perceive events completely differently from another one. The “Rumor” is even a point of view, it's just titled “Nantucket”. Like most of Hilderbrand's novels, this one takes place on Nantucket. The detail is authentic, which makes sense because Hilderbrand lives on the island. If you're looking for a book that completely epitomizes “Beach Read” or you missed this week's Lifetime Movie Marathon, you can't go wrong with any of Elin Hilderbrand's book.

    • 4/5
      Fun summer read. Enjoyed it!!
    • 5/5
      It's not summer for me without an Elin Hilderbrand novel and this might be my favorite one yet!
    • 3/5
      It's a busy time on Nantucket and the rumor mill is churning away. Their focus? Best friends Madeline and Grace and their families. Madeline, a writer, is struggling to follow up on her last novel, or risk returning her (already spent) advance. She's also pretty upset that Grace's husband hasn't returned the money she invested in him a few months ago. Meanwhile, her son, Brick, is having troubles of his own, while dating one of Grace's twins: Allegra. Grace is busy on turning her yard into the talk of the town -- a beautiful garden escape, but she's also focusing a little too much on her landscape architect, Benton Coe. Her husband, real estate agent, Eddie, is over his head with several spec houses and is trying to make back the money in some unusual ways. And neither Grace nor Eddie have any idea what their teenage twins Allegra or Hope are up to... As the rumor mill gets busy in Nantucket, how much of what is swirling around is true? Are these two families headed for a fall?

      There is a small group of novelists who write about Nantucket, and I tend to get them confused, because I'm awful like that, but this book had been on my "hold" list at the library forever, so I probably read a review of it somewhere. It was a pleasant and refreshingly enjoyable read; I would categorize it as an ideal beach book. It's not going to win any writing prizes, but it was a surprisingly captivating tale of these two families on Nantucket. There was no one real identifiable character (both Grace and Madeline have their strengths and weaknesses and could be rather irksome at times) but it was still enjoyable. Even better, while the plot was silly and a little ridiculous at times, with the families still having far too much money, they also had some real problems and issues, which they actually had to address. It also wasn't completely predictable, nor did it just focus on a love story, which was nice for this genre.

      Overall, 3.5 stars: put a paperback of this in your beach or pool bag this summer; it will be a fun diversion.
    • 1/5
      This book will, apparently, appeal to the female reader. It sure didn't appeal to me. Regardless of a plot that centered around an affair, I found it rather juvenile and undemanding. It wasn't a page turner. In fact, this book has made me reexamine my philosophy of always finishing the books that I start. There are just too many good books out there, and life is way too short to waste hours on this kind of lackluster dribble. Maybe I expected too much? Maybe the author was fulfilling a contract? Don't know, don't care. One star because it was still better than I could write.

      Using my "How did you feel when you finished" rating system I can say, without hesitation, that I was overjoyed to finish this one. Not the slightest regret turning the last digital page and sending this one back to the Ethernet, never to find space on my Kindle again.