Author: Elin Hilderbrand
Publisher: Little Brown and Company
Published: July 1, 2008
Paperback: 432 pages
Source: purchased at Borders
My Rating: 3 stars
Synopsis (from goodreads.com): 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. Max 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. Hearts break and emotions are pushed to the limit in this riveting story of one woman's attempt to deal with loves past and present, family, business, and high-powered social pressures. Elin Hilderbrand's unique understanding of the joys and longings that animate women's lives will make this her newest summer bestseller.
My Thoughts: I was looking for the perfect book to end my summer with and Elin Hilderbrand's novel did not disappoint! Filled with sand, sun, charity, love triangles, sex, rock stars ... what wasn't there to love about this book?!? Claire lives on Nantucket with her husband and their four children. Her life is going along as normal when she is asked to cochair the annual Summer Gala benefitting the local children's charity. She agrees and what follows is an exciting adventure.
Without giving too much away, there was a lot going on in this novel but it was never too much. Hilderbrand kept it well organized, with most of the story being told from Claire's point of view, but some of the other character's also narrating portions of chapters. Each character is clear and well-defined. Claire matures as a character throughout the novel, learning from her experiences and not letting them define her. Instead, she absorbs them and understands that they will help her grow. The pace of the book was nice, too. It wasn't too fast or too slow. You were able to appreciate what was going on without feeling like it might end too soon. If I have any complaints about the book, it's these two things: one, the ending was wrapped up a little too quickly for me liking. And two, the chapters were way too long. I don't know about you, but I like chapters that are anywhere between 5-15 pages. Some of the chapters in this book were over 50 pages! And while the chapters were divided, it still just made it too long.
If you are looking for that one book to cap off your summer, then I would highly recommend this book! Or, start on that TBR pile for next summer! Either way, A Summer Affair is something that you are sure to enjoy as you take in the sun!
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