A touching new novel from bestselling author Elin Hilderbrand in which a woman sets out to find love for those closest to her - before it's too late.
48-year-old Nantucketer Dabney Kimball Beech has always had a gift for matchmaking. Some call her ability mystical, while others - like her husband, celebrated economist John Boxmiller Beech, and her daughter, Agnes, who is clearly engaged to the wrong man - call it meddlesome, but there's no arguing with her results: With 42 happy couples to her credit and all of them still together, Dabney has never been wrong about romance.
Never, that is, except in the case of herself and Clendenin Hughes, the green-eyed boy who took her heart with him long ago when he left the island to pursue his dream of becoming a journalist. Now, after spending 27 years on the other side of the world, Clen is back on Nantucket, and Dabney has never felt so confused, or so alive.
But when tragedy threatens her own second chance, Dabney must face the choices she's made and share painful secrets with her family. Determined to make use of her gift before it's too late, she sets out to find perfect matches for those she loves most. The Matchmaker is a heartbreaking story about losing and finding love, even as you're running out of time.
**
From Booklist
Dabney Kimball Beech is Nantucket’s biggest booster. As director of the island’s chamber of commerce, she is a constant presence at, and an enthusiastic booster of, the island’s many celebrations, whether it’s Daffodil Weekend or the Cranberry Festival. But this year, things are different. She’s just learned that her high-school boyfriend, Clendenin Hughes, the love of her life and the father of her child, is set to return home after a decades-long stint as a foreign correspondent. Despite the fact that she has been married for many years to a Harvard economist and is well known as a matchmaker, with 43 happy couples to her credit, her own love life has proved problematic. She’s afraid to see Clen again, and with good reason; almost as soon as they meet up, their love affair reignites. Hilderbrand has crafted another of her delectable beach reads, complete with a fairy-tale romance. And her depiction of a perfect Nantucket summer day will have readers inhaling a plate of Kumomoto oysters and downing a cold glass of good white Bordeaux right along with Dabney. Delicious. --Joanne Wilkinson
Review
"A loving portrait of an island....It's like renting a cottage on Nantucket for the weekend - breezy and sad when you come to the end."—*The Boston Globe*
"A new Elin Hilderbrand novel has come to signify the start of summer to readers. With the idyllic island setting and her eye for details, her books make you want to plan a trip to Nantucket even before you've turned the last page. Her stories are always chockfull of relatable characters and situations, sprinkled with a little bit of escapist fantasy for good measure. Like a good summer barbeque, there's something for everyone here....So get a nice comfy chair in a shady place and dive in!"—The Book Reporter
"The queen regent of the easy-breezy summer read."—* The New York Post*
"Charming, poignant...Hilderbrand's narrative is thoroughly readable, with likable heroes and believably despicable antagonists...an engaging read."—*Publishers Weekly*
Praise for BEAUTIFUL DAY:
"A perfect summer read."—*Ladies Home Journal*
"A wedding readers won't be able to resist crashing."—*Kirkus Reviews*
"Hilderbrand's latest is the perfect beach read....[her] straightforward style pulls the reader into the minds of her characters, and all the secrets and sorrows that create the universal messiness of major family events."—*Publishers Weekly*
PRAISE FOR SUMMERLAND:
"Summerland is as readable as any beach book, but with a much bigger heart."—*Boston Globe*
"The Queen of the Summer Novel...Hilderbrand blends real-life issues - depression, teen alcoholism, bullying - with her signature soapy twists and illicit romances."—Joanna Powell, *People*
"Hilderbrand has once again written an engaging story wonderfully illustrating the often complex lives of young people struggling toward adulthood."—*Booklist*
"A sensitive glimpse into the lives of damaged people groping their way toward healing."—*Kirkus Reviews*
Description:
A touching new novel from bestselling author Elin Hilderbrand in which a woman sets out to find love for those closest to her - before it's too late.
48-year-old Nantucketer Dabney Kimball Beech has always had a gift for matchmaking. Some call her ability mystical, while others - like her husband, celebrated economist John Boxmiller Beech, and her daughter, Agnes, who is clearly engaged to the wrong man - call it meddlesome, but there's no arguing with her results: With 42 happy couples to her credit and all of them still together, Dabney has never been wrong about romance.
Never, that is, except in the case of herself and Clendenin Hughes, the green-eyed boy who took her heart with him long ago when he left the island to pursue his dream of becoming a journalist. Now, after spending 27 years on the other side of the world, Clen is back on Nantucket, and Dabney has never felt so confused, or so alive.
But when tragedy threatens her own second chance, Dabney must face the choices she's made and share painful secrets with her family. Determined to make use of her gift before it's too late, she sets out to find perfect matches for those she loves most. The Matchmaker is a heartbreaking story about losing and finding love, even as you're running out of time.
**
From Booklist
Dabney Kimball Beech is Nantucket’s biggest booster. As director of the island’s chamber of commerce, she is a constant presence at, and an enthusiastic booster of, the island’s many celebrations, whether it’s Daffodil Weekend or the Cranberry Festival. But this year, things are different. She’s just learned that her high-school boyfriend, Clendenin Hughes, the love of her life and the father of her child, is set to return home after a decades-long stint as a foreign correspondent. Despite the fact that she has been married for many years to a Harvard economist and is well known as a matchmaker, with 43 happy couples to her credit, her own love life has proved problematic. She’s afraid to see Clen again, and with good reason; almost as soon as they meet up, their love affair reignites. Hilderbrand has crafted another of her delectable beach reads, complete with a fairy-tale romance. And her depiction of a perfect Nantucket summer day will have readers inhaling a plate of Kumomoto oysters and downing a cold glass of good white Bordeaux right along with Dabney. Delicious. --Joanne Wilkinson
Review
"A loving portrait of an island....It's like renting a cottage on Nantucket for the weekend - breezy and sad when you come to the end."—*The Boston Globe*
"A new Elin Hilderbrand novel has come to signify the start of summer to readers. With the idyllic island setting and her eye for details, her books make you want to plan a trip to Nantucket even before you've turned the last page. Her stories are always chockfull of relatable characters and situations, sprinkled with a little bit of escapist fantasy for good measure. Like a good summer barbeque, there's something for everyone here....So get a nice comfy chair in a shady place and dive in!"—The Book Reporter
"The queen regent of the easy-breezy summer read."—* The New York Post*
"Charming, poignant...Hilderbrand's narrative is thoroughly readable, with likable heroes and believably despicable antagonists...an engaging read."—* Publishers Weekly*
Praise for BEAUTIFUL DAY:
"A perfect summer read."—*Ladies Home Journal*
"A wedding readers won't be able to resist crashing."—*Kirkus Reviews*
"Hilderbrand's latest is the perfect beach read....[her] straightforward style pulls the reader into the minds of her characters, and all the secrets and sorrows that create the universal messiness of major family events."—*Publishers Weekly*
PRAISE FOR SUMMERLAND:
"Summerland is as readable as any beach book, but with a much bigger heart."—*Boston Globe*
"The Queen of the Summer Novel...Hilderbrand blends real-life issues - depression, teen alcoholism, bullying - with her signature soapy twists and illicit romances."—Joanna Powell, *People*
"Hilderbrand has once again written an engaging story wonderfully illustrating the often complex lives of young people struggling toward adulthood."—*Booklist*
"A sensitive glimpse into the lives of damaged people groping their way toward healing."—*Kirkus Reviews*