Customer Reviews

Summer Harbor: A Novel

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

When I picked up Summer Harbor by Susan Wilson, I couldn't put it down. I wanted to read it every chance I got. Questions were constantly building in my mind. The main question that kept haunting me was "who is will's father?" The plot wasn't rushed. The conflicts built up slowly, but when the climax occurred it left a shock to the reader.
Characters are portrayed realistically and are very likeable. Kiley Harris, a strong willed, independent, single mother internally battled her past. She and her parents traveled to Hawke's Cove every summer for eighteen years. In Hawke's Cove, Kiley met Mack McKenzie and Grainger Eagan. The trio did everything together until Kiley and Mack became romantically connected. Realizing she made a mistake, she moved on to Grainger. Mack became bitter and sailed out to sea, never to return again.
Two months after leaving Hawke's Cove, Kiley realized she was pregnant. When she had her son, Will, Kiley still promised never to return to that horrible place. Ironically, she was forced to go back to sell her aging father's house and boat. Kiley knew she would not only have to face Grainger Eagan, but relive her past. She would also have to explain that she had had a son who was conceived nineteen years ago.
The story line flowed well and it wasn't very predictable. It changed from good to bad quite frequently. Many problems were addressed but it showed how a persistent woman could over come many things. It focused on how hard it is to forget your past and move on. The descriptions in this book made me feel apart of Hawke's Cove. I often wondered if this were a real place. It makes you want to spend time in Hawke's Cove, New England. The people however were rather judgmental and rude; they didn't except outsiders.
I really enjoyed this book, and look forward to reading other books by Susan Wilson. The next book I plan to read by her is Beauty. Her writing style is similar to Barbara Delinsky and Sandra Brown. If you enjoy a good, easy to read romantic fiction, Summer Harbor by Susan Wilson is for you.

I enjoyed this refreshing book and looked forward to reading it every chance I could get. Kiley's estrangement from Hawke's Cove was a poignant one.The setting in a small New England coastal village was wonderful. The relationship between Kiley and her son
Will was at the same time typical for a teenager and idealistic.
The story was not rushed. I have read too many books where the main characters make love too soon, then they regret it. While I am wondering why they did in the first place.

Also I am looking forward to reading more books by Susan Wilson.

Summer Harbor was an enjoyable read, until the end. The characters were likable and I enjoyed being with them. Hawkes Cove was an interesting place to spend the summer, and the conflict was strong enough to keep me wondering how everything would turn out.

The characters struggled for thirty-three chapters to solve their problem of estrangement, and then, in the last three chapters, the prior thirty-three were tossed out and the characters became unrecognizable.

When I got to chapter thirty-four, the interesting heroine, Kiley Harris, turned into a hateful, shouting schizophrenic. Hot headed Grainger developed the patients of Job, and impulsive 18 year old Will started thinking and talking with the wisdom that forty years of living imparts. And instead of resolving the story conflict at the climax, the author increased it to "shrill." But then, in the last five pages, all story conflict was magically resolved.

On page 149 the author referred to a "deus ex machina," and in the last five pages put it to good use. It seemed as if God swooped down bringing fire to cleanse them all, and everyone lived happily ever after.

This is a good read, but has a contrived and unsatifying ending.

Such great characheter development until the last few chapters. It was as if the editor said..."you gotta wrap this up now". So it was unfullfilling at the end.

Susan Wilson has a great way of keeping the reader's interest at all times. Like many others,I don't always find time to read as much as I should or want to but I found that I kept going with this one and never wanted to lay it down.
Thank you Susan Wilson, I feel as if I was just in Hawke's Cove with you, Grainger and Mack!

I particularly enjoyed this book I think because of Susan Wilson's writing style. The same story could have been told by someone else but not quite as well written. Ms. Wilson has such insight and sensitivity. The story flows very well and the characters become part of your heart. This was my first venture into her books and it will definitely NOT be the last.