The critically acclaimed author of The Vistors' Book and Grace &Favor delivers a sweeping and compelling drama surrounding a young woman's longing for love and her desire to reconcile her mother's past. Molly Page is only eleven years old when she quietly and determinedly tells her father that she "will look after him forever, " Since her mother died years before, it's been just the two of them, relying on each other for love, strength, and comfort, putting Molly in an adult-like role at a very early age. Then the Murphys move in next door, bringing with them the type of home life that Molly wants with all of her heart. Wonderful Nora Murphy is Molly's dream of what a mother should be and then there are her sons--irrepressible Warren, with his soft heart and grand ambitions; Pete, with his poetic soul and gorgeous voice; and best of all, Billy, who has all the charm and looks of a movie star, and who at eighteen, is almost an adult. Molly grows up with her life entwined with the exciting Murphys, but her life is about to change forever when she receives an unexpected invitation to visit her American godmother, Mitzi Alexander, in The Hamptons. A summer at the boathouse in New York reveals to her the truth about her mother, and Molly is forced to reconcile her own vision of who she thinks her mother is with the reality laid out to her during that one fateful visit. The Boathouse is mesmerizing coming-of-age tale about understnding the difference between the way things look and the way they really are--and along the way, one Murphy son will break Molly's heart, one will father her child and marry her, and one son will turn out to be the one true love of her life.
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
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"A complex yet compelling story of family ties stretched nearly to the breaking point."
About the Author
Caroline Upcher has worked in film, publishing and journalism. This is her fourth novel written under her own name. She lives in London and Long Island, New York.
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5.0 out of 5 stars
Three Gorgeous Boys Next Door. Which One is for Molly?,
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This review is from: The Boathouse (Paperback)
Daughter of a Veterinarian, Molly Page is only eleven when she tells her father she'll look after him forever. Her mother died when she was only four years old and Molly believes this is her responsibility. Then everything changes when the Murphy family moves next door to their home in the London suburbs.
Nora Murphy is exactly what Molly thinks a mother should be. And then there are the boys. Molly is in love with the eldest, gorgeous actor Billy. However middle brother Billy excites her as well, but it's the youngest Murphy boy, Warren, who remains by her side as the years fade away. Molly is happy with her lot, running a kennel service and taking care of her father. And it appears that Billy has finally noticed her, but then he takes off for New York to further his acting career and Molly follows. When she told her father she was going to marry the boy next door, he wondered which one, and in New York it's a question she's going to have to answer. She stays with her godmother, her mother's best friend, in the Hamptons at her invitation, where she searches for secrets about her mother, comes to grip with her mother's tragic death and after one disastrous night has her life changed forever. This story drew me in with the first page. Molly is a gem of a character, as are all three of the Murphy boys. Caroline Upcher has written a tender, moving story with just enough suspense to keep you glued to the pages.
1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
deep character study,
This review is from: The Boathouse (Paperback)
Fourteen year old Molly tells her father that she will marry the boy next door upon learning that the new neighbors have three teenage sons. Her father asks her which one? Molly meets Warren when he brings his ailing canary to her dad a veterinarian for treatment, but the bird is dead. Warren is in her class, a fact she never noticed before. She meets "Sweet Pea" Pete when she comes over to Warren's house at the invitation of his mother, but finds he uses nasty barbs as weapons of mass destruction. Eventually she meets the oldest beautiful brilliant Billy surrounded by a bevy of beauties.Several years later, Molly flees to Long Island to spend time with her godmother Mitzi and to clear her confused mind as something is lacking in her relationship. Mitzi would prefer her guest drop the rosy romantic glasses and toss the three Murphys into the ocean so they can swim back to England. What will Molly do and will she realize who really loves her as she is and not what she can do for them? Fans of deep character studies will do themselves a favor by reading this tale of a delightful individual's struggle between the past (especially her mom dead when Molly was four), the present (circa 2000), and the future (which Murphy?). Though the story line slowly develops so that the audience has a taste of Molly at various ages, readers will appreciate her as the saving grace of this novel. She is an intriguing mix of emotions that come alive differently with her interactions with the Murphy males. Harriet Klausner
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