Tries hard but fails to tell a different story of thwarted passions and family obligations.
A first novel breathlessly celebrates an unusual heroine—she works the waters of the Chesapeake Bay—in an unconvincing story of sibling rivalries that have fatal consequences.
Hart’s writing is flawless and her setting—Virginia’s barrier islands—consummately evoked, but her characters seem rootless concepts bound to an overwrought plot. The narrator, Annie Revels, is 20, the year 1920, and she is nursing younger sister Rebecca, who nearly drowned in a nor’easter that almost destroyed their home on Yaupon Island. Annie recalls how Rebecca came close to drowning another time, one day as a toddler on their father’s boat when she fell overboard. She was rescued, but her father spanked Annie because Rebecca had been her responsibility—and remains a responsibility that, despite her affection for Rebecca, Annie has resented since her sister’s birth. Their mother never fully recovered from delivering Rebecca, and not only does Annie have to take charge of the household, but she’s pained further by the fact that Rebecca is beautiful and Annie plain, something especially galling when the two attend local school and the teacher and other students are entranced with Rebecca. When their father drowns at sea, Annie cuts her hair, dresses in his old trousers and shirts, and works his crab traps and oyster beds to support the family. Her hands are scarred and callused, her skin sunburned, while Rebecca, an incompetent and dim-witted housekeeper, spends her days paging through magazines and brushing her mother’s hair. Out on the water one day, Annie meets Nathan Combs, a veteran of the recent WWI and a fishing guide for a nearby hotel. She’s smitten and the two are soon making love, even on the night he comes to dinner to meet the family. But Rebecca sees them, seduces Nathan, and marries him—because she’s pregnant. Then a big storm further complicates this bleak tale.
Tries hard but fails to tell a different story of thwarted passions and family obligations.Pub Date: June 1, 2001
ISBN: 0-425-18471-4
Page Count: 256
Publisher: Berkley
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2002
A perfect blend of smart, heart-wrenching, and fun.
Two years after the tragic death of her fiance, an artist begins to heal thanks to a rock star and his dog.
Sloan Monroe is on her way to the grave of her late fiance, who was killed by a drunk driver, when she nearly hits a dog who dashed into the road. When she stops to check on him, he jumps into her car through the sunroof, and when she doesn't hear from his owner after calling the number on his collar, she decides to keep him. Jason Larsen, the dog's owner, is backpacking off the grid in Australia, and when he finally gets Sloan's voicemails nearly two weeks later, he calls her and is astonished to discover that she's had Tucker, his dog, for so long; his quasi-girlfriend was supposed to be watching Tucker but it turns out she had basically abandoned him. Since he’s still in Australia for a few weeks, Jason arranges for Sloan to keep Tucker, and through it all they text and talk and plant the seeds for a friendship, if not more. Sloan is slow and wary, even before she discovers that Jason is a musician on the cusp of star status. Still, she’s charmed by his patience and talent, and when he returns to LA, she quickly falls in love with him, his dog, and his family. Just as they’re admitting to deep feelings, he’s embarking on a long musical tour and wants her with him. It’s a grind, which she isn’t expecting, and the relationship is at odds with his label’s publicity plans, which are complicated. Plus, it keeps Sloan from pursuing her art, which she wants to explore again. Following her exceptional debut (The Friend Zone, 2019), author Jimenez has written Sloan’s story with elegant, compassionate success, showcasing a romance that navigates deep grief and healing while exploring the unexpected stressors placed on a celebrity relationship. Fans of The Friend Zone will be happy to see Kristen and Josh as Sloan’s main support system and will be touched by Jimenez’s note in the acknowledgements about her inspiration for the book.
A perfect blend of smart, heart-wrenching, and fun.Pub Date: April 14, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-5387-1564-2
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Forever
Review Posted Online: Jan. 12, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2020
With frank language and patient plotting, this gangly teen crush grows into a confident adult love affair.
Eleven years ago, he broke her heart. But he doesn’t know why she never forgave him.
Toggling between past and present, two love stories unfold simultaneously. In the first, Macy Sorensen meets and falls in love with the boy next door, Elliot Petropoulos, in the closet of her dad’s vacation home, where they hide out to discuss their favorite books. In the second, Macy is working as a doctor and engaged to a single father, and she hasn’t spoken to Elliot since their breakup. But a chance encounter forces her to confront the truth: what happened to make Macy stop speaking to Elliot? Ultimately, they’re separated not by time or physical remoteness but by emotional distance—Elliot and Macy always kept their relationship casual because they went to different schools. And as a teen, Macy has more to worry about than which girl Elliot is taking to the prom. After losing her mother at a young age, Macy is navigating her teenage years without a female role model, relying on the time-stamped notes her mother left in her father’s care for guidance. In the present day, Macy’s father is dead as well. She throws herself into her work and rarely comes up for air, not even to plan her upcoming wedding. Since Macy is still living with her fiance while grappling with her feelings for Elliot, the flashbacks offer steamy moments, tender revelations, and sweetly awkward confessions while Macy makes peace with her past and decides her future.
With frank language and patient plotting, this gangly teen crush grows into a confident adult love affair.Pub Date: April 10, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-5011-2801-1
Page Count: 416
Publisher: Gallery Books/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2018
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