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Summer Island cover art

Summer Island

Written by: Kristin Hannah
Narrated by: Joyce Bean
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Publisher's Summary

Thirty-four-year-old Ruby Bridge is a not-too-successful comedienne who uses her mother, a nationally-syndicated "moral and spiritual counselor" as the main fodder for her cynical, rather bitter humor. Her mother Nora, long divorced from Ruby's father, is a woman whose past is just about to catch up with her - in the form of blackmail by a former lover.

After an accident (an attempted suicide?) Ruby returns to care for her stricken mother - bitterly resenting the fact that once again her mother's life has colonized hers. When she is approached by a publisher to write a biography of her mother, Ruby is desperate for the princely sum offered. Yet her research into her mother's past reveals a woman very different from the one Ruby expected. And what began as "mommy dearest" ends as a love story - not only between mother and daughter, but involving two very different men who play a key role in linking the past to the present.

©2001 Kristin Hannah (P)2004 Brilliance Audio, Inc.

What listeners say about Summer Island

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Great Storyteller!

I have read a number of Kristen Hannah's books now and never been disappointed! one of the best!

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2 people found this helpful

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Another wonderful story by one of my favourite authors!

I have really enjoyed all of Kristen Hannah’s books. Her characters keep me company on all of my long walks. If I had to change one thing it would be to have male readers for the male parts. I would be able to get involved in the story a little faster. But I love her descriptions of the characters and settings and can see them in my mind.

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Enjoyable but predictable

No surprises with this book but it was an enjoyable listen with a good narrator.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Mothers and Daughters

I love the Pacific Northwest setting, and the story is interesting, but somehow a little flat. Didn’t exactly grab me, and hold me in suspense, until the fairly predictable outcome. Somehow the characters did not engage me enough to really worry about the obstacles they overcame. Sometimes Ruby’s responses made me smile or even laugh, but I had expected more of that because I found this title looking for books similar to Jennifer Crusie. Well, it was certainly not that, but a pleasant read nonetheless.
The narration was well done.

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