A Summer Affair by Elin Hilderbrand (audio book)

Narrated by:  Isabel Keating

Synopsis from Goodreads:  Claire Danner Crispin, mother of four young children and nationally renowned glassblower, bites off more than she can chew when she agrees to co-chair the Nantucket's Children Summer Gala. Claire is asked to chair the benefit, in part, because she is the former high school sweetheart of rock star Max West. Claire agrees to play the gala and it looks like smooth sailing for Claire-until she promises a "museum-quality" piece of glass for the auction, offers her best friend the catering job, goes nose-to-nose with her Manhattan socialite co-chair, and begins a "good-hearted" affair with the charity's Executive Director, Lockhart Dixon.

My thoughts:    I was really excited to dive into A Summer Affair after my wonderful experience listening to The Island.  This one was tough for me to get through in part because of the subject matter. To me the title and the cover graphic  presented something much more light hearted than what it delivered. I was never able to relate to Claire, I disliked the way that she handled the situation she was in and much of her behavior. I honestly never understood why Claire began the affair.  She didn't seem like she had a bad marriage.  Four kids under the age of 10 has to be a lot of work, but it can be done.  The only thing that I could come up with was that she was bored. The Affair never felt "good-hearted" as the synopsis indicates, but rather tawdry.

There were a couple of secondary stories that were interesting and I would have liked to see them developed a little bit more.  The effect of Claire's relationship with her sister in law and friend, Chavon is one of those.  It is something that many might not consider when beginning such an affair.

All in all I'd have to say that I would recommend this audio to those who like a story that is rife with sexual tension and aren't easily offended.

It seems that I have a love hate relationship with Hilderbrand's work.  I have The Castaways in my TBR pile so we'll see how our relationship continues.

Review based on an audio book version that I purchased. 

The Island by Elin Hilderbrand (audio book)- Review and Give Away

Narrated by: Denice Hicks

Synopsis: If you you've read any of Hilderbrand's works you know that they are always set on or around Nantucket.  This time Hilderbrand has set the story on the island of Tuckernuck.  Sisters India and Birdie along with her daughters Chess and Tate visit the family retreat for the first time in many years.  Initially they were planning a "girls" retreat in anticipation of Chess' upcoming wedding.  When Chess announces that she has called off the wedding, the retreat turns into something very different.

My thoughts:  I was hesitant to start this one as my introduction to Hilderbrand did not go as well as I had hoped.  I read Barefoot in 2009 and wasn't really that impressed with it.  The Island was so much better.  I really enjoyed this audio book.  It was engaging enough to keep me interested yet light enough that I didn't have to focus solely on listening, allowing me to multitask.

Each one of the ladies heads to the island under the guise of "helping Chess", but we  quickly learn that they all had other motives for making the trip.  Each chapter is told from the perspective of one of the ladies.  The reader learns what is going on through description of current situations and the explanation of what it is that brought them to the Island. There were some twists and turns introduced that I didn't completely expect. 

The narrator did an excellent job.  She had a distinct voice for each of the characters that helped to reinforce their personalities and backgrounds. 
While it was a very different story, The Island has the same feel as Beachcombers by Nancy Thayer that I read earlier this year.    I was pleased how the story ended, even if it was pretty clear that it was heading in that direction.  I don't think it was feasible to give it any other ending.

This was my second audio book experience, the first being Backseat Saints by Joshilyn Jackson.  On a recent perusal of the Bargain Bin at Barnes and Noble I saw that The Affair on audio book was deeply discounted.  Since I enjoyed this one so much I immediately purchased a copy and am listening to it in bits and pieces.

What is your experience with Elin Hilderbrand's work?  Do you have a suggestion for an audio book that I must listen to?

I received my copy of The Island from Hachette Audio.




Thanks to Hachette Audio I have One copy of The Island to give to one of my followers.  To enter the giveaway you must complete the form.  Comments will not be considered entries.  The contest will end  at 11:59 PM Mountain Time on October 29th.  The winner will then have 48 hours to respond to my notification email or I will select another winner.