Today was the first day of family Fourth of July summer vacation. We woke up to torrential rains, as well as a thunderstorm at 6am. I felt sorry for the kids, because they had their cooler and radio packed and couldn’t wait to hit the beach. Rain at 8 am. Rain at 9 am. Rain at 10 and 11 am. They kept watching the Doppler on their phones and tracking the rain over Cape Cod. They had it down to the rain stopping at noon and the sun coming out at one. They were right. At one they all packed up and headed for the beach for the whole afternoon. My husband decided he had food shopping to do. So where did that leave me? Alone!
I knew what I was going to do. Two days ago I downloaded Elin Hilderbrand’s new book, Beautuful Day and I couldn’t wait to find an afternoon like this to fall into it. I spent the afternoon in my beach chair – just not at the beach.
All of Hilderbrand’s books (and I have read every one) are light stories about real life and take place in Nantucket, where she has lived for twenty years. (I’ve always had this thing – when it was Cape beach vacation time I always had to have a beach read by a local author, set here on the Cape and islands.)
This one was kind of coincidental. It’s wedding weekend on Nantucket for Margot’s sister, Jenna, and she was her maid of honor. My daughter just got engaged yesterday and sat here last night discussing a Cape wedding, with her sister, who is also going to be her maid of honor. How I laughed when I began reading.
The story has an interesting style. The bride’s mother died seven years ago. She knew she wouldn’t be around for her daughter’s wedding, and even though she didn’t know who she was going to marry, she planned the whole wedding in a notebook. The chapters go back and forth between the notebook and chapters on each main character – except for Jenna, the bride. The story is never told from her point of view, nor that of the groom – only their siblings and parents. Will the wedding take place after the secrets are divulged? Download a copy, find a chair, on the beach or otherwise, and escape with a fun summer read and see if the big event happens.
And so, as another day goes by, thumbs up to the first day of vaca, the kids got a great beach day in, and…I have written.
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