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For 20 years, Kayla, Antoinette and Val have performed their own special summer ritual. Once a year, the old friends put aside their daily, separate lives to drink champagne, swap stories and swim naked under the Nantucket stars. But on one of those bonding nights, one of their trio swims out from the shore and doesn't return. After the surviving friends emerge from their grief, they realize that the repercussions of their loss go far beyond their little circle, and they begin to uncover layers of secrets-and their connections to each other-that were never revealed on the beach. What has made their friendship strong now has the power to destroy-their marriages, families, even themselves.
Author Biography: Elin Hilderbrand is the author of the Booksense/NEBA bestseller The Beach Club. A graduate of The Johns Hopkins University and the University of Iowa Writers' Workshop, where she was a Teaching-Writing fellow, her short fiction has appeared in Seventeen, The Massachusetts Review and The Colorado Review. She lives year-round on Nantucket Island with her husband, Chip Cunningham, and their son.
"What a perfect summer pleasure Elin Hilderbrand provides in Nantucket Nights, mixing the complexities of family life and friendship with suspense, romance, and moonlit Nantucket nights."—Nancy Thayer, author of Custody
"Dips deep into Peyton Place country."—Kirkus Reviews
"Ms. Hilderbrand paints a picture of idyllic Nantucket life that slowly starts to unravel as the ugly underbelly is revealed. Hidden secrets, a mysterious disappearance, and the pain of betrayal form the basis for this haunting read."--Romantic Times
"The novel is fast paced and suspenseful enough to keep readers interested. A likely candidate for summer-vacation reading."—Booklist
Kayla
It is December on Nantucket Island—a month of white skies and the first truly cold winds of the winter, a month made bearable by Christmas cheer. When Kayla stands next to the big Douglas fir in front of Pacific National Bank, she gazes down Main Street at the rows of trees with their fat colored lights, the snow flurries dusting the cobblestones, and the people she has lived amongst for twenty years, who are hurrying into the warm shops.
Kayla has shopping to do as well. At The Complete Kitchen, she buys an ice cream scoop for Luke’s teacher, and the woman behind the register offers her an hors d’oeuvre from a silver platter: smoked salmon on rye bread topped with caviar that looks like black pearls. At Nantucket Sleigh Ride, they’re handing out hot cider in paper cups. Kayla buys ornaments and a strand of scallop-shell lights. At Johnston’s of Elgin cashmere shop, Kayla splurges on a cherry red pashmina for a party she and Raoul have been invited to on the fifteenth. The salesgirl wraps the pashmina in cream-colored tissue paper, ties it up with red ribbon, and then slips it into a fancy shopping bag with silk cord handles. Walking back to her car, Kayla marvels at how, on the outside, everything in her life appears to be back to normal. And on a day like today, better than normal.
Antoinette has been missing for three months.
As Kayla walks into her house, the phone rings. She still can’t bring herself to answer the phone because she’s afraid.
“Afraid of what?” Raoul asked her once.
Afraid of this very thing: She waits for the machine to pick up, and then she hears a voice.
“Kayla,” the voice says. “This is Paul Henry. I have news. Please call me.”
Kayla deletes the message and begins pacing the house, still clutching her shopping bags. She is grateful that she’s the only one home. No one else heard the message.
I have news.
Afraid of what?
Afraid that everything is not back to normal. Antoinette, the woman whom Kayla once called her best friend, was swept off the coast of Great Point while swimming in the middle of the night on Labor Day weekend.
Was Antoinette dead? Alive? There was no way to know.
Until now.
Copyright © 2002 by Elin Hilderbrand.
Nocturnal_Nancy
Posted March 12, 2010
I chose Nantucket Nights as a book I thought was going to be sort of an easy, light read. To the contrary, I could not put it down. The scandals and betrayals that change everyone's lives made the book a real page turner. The characters are so real and although the story setting was an island where everyone knows each other - the town that I live in all though not that small - is a town where scandals like this happen every day. It is a story of frienships, marraiges and the choices we make in everyday life. The book reminds us of how sometimes things are not as they seem and what relationships we should value. I would recommend this book as a must read. I have already passed the book along to three other people.
8 out of 8 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.This story was very enjoyable to read. It had some mystery and kept you turning the pages wondering what was going to happen next. It was much shorter than the author's other books, but I enjoyed it all the same. I started reading Barefoot and since then have started reading all of Elin Hilderbrands's books. I really enjoy her style of writing and her setting of Nantucket. If you enjoy a nice relaxing read with a story about families and friends and relationships, this is a great book for you.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.I just love this author - her books leave me wanting for more - the story is never ever over!
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted August 13, 2012
My 2nd book by this author which i liked overall but found myself out of sorts at the end. Think the characters needed more closure .. i know i sure did.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Posted July 12, 2012
It flowed right along and kept your interest from page one to the end.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted January 15, 2011
After reading a few of her books I actually bought two in a row within the last two weeks. Her other books have been very good and rewarding.I found the ending of this one boring to say the least and held no closure on any point. I will also add that I was not pleased with the amount of typos in this book. It seems as the word "the" was replaced by the word "die" frequently and the main character is named Kayla yet her chapters were named Karla. This was too quick to press in my eyes and needed another review of spelling which makes me not want to buy another one on my nook.
1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
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Posted August 22, 2009
I Also Recommend:
Twenty years ago Kayla, Antoinette and Val met in Nantucket when they rented a summer cottage. The three of them had a strong friendship that lasted into their adulthood. They even developed a ritual. Each year, the three of them would get together - without anyone else - share their deepest secrets, champagne and swim naked. It was one day a year that they escaped from their normal, daily lives. They called themselves, the Night Swimmers.
Then one night, one of the women goes into the ocean and doesn't come back. Nobody knows what happened to her, but she is presumed dead. As the remaining women grieve, they realize the secrets they shared and, what they thought of as an innocent outing, threatens to tear their lives apart. This went much further then their friendship and many innocent people are in danger of being hurt.
I couldn't put this book down. It captivated me right from the start. I wanted to know how this was going to end, even though I had my suspicions. Elin Hilderbrand writes a wonderful cast of characters and the plot flows beautifully. I've already added her to my list of "must read" authors.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted July 12, 2009
A good summer read
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Posted July 10, 2008
Waste of time-Disgusted expression throughout-read first 1/3, skimmed rest-if you have children, especially teens-this would not be entertaining-3 women, friends for 20 yrs-main character in weak midlife doubt phase is betrayed by her friends, one who seduces and gets pregnant by her teenage son and in sync w/the other friend proceeds to set her up for murdering one of them to ck out on her past deeds and ruins her life. Husband is no help-was in on most of the info and did not share it w/his wife -Not a single adult character w/one redeeming quality. The absolute worst of the three novels I have read by her but surely, another Hilderbrand slam to Nantucket
1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Every Labor Day weekend for the past two decades the three fortyish women drop everything to spend time together at Nantucket. Kayla Montero has four children and believes her wealthy husband probably has mistresses wherever he globally travels on business. Rich from investments Antoinette Riley enjoys her current ¿crazy sex' fling, but her daughter Lindsey, given up for adoption as a baby, has found her and wants to meet her. Though married and a successful lawyer Valerie Gluckstern, is having an affair that she plans to reveal to the others at the swim tonight. <P>Antoinette swims out to sea, but never returns. The Police and Coast Guard conduct a search, but fail to find her. The next day Kayla informs Lindsey that her biological mother vanished at sea. With the disappearance a dark secret that ties the trio even more deeply together begins to reveal deceptions leaving no one remaining the same. <P>Though the behavior of the lead trio sometimes borders on the absurd and surreal, NANTUCKET NIGHTS is an enjoyable soap opera. The story line moves forward rather quickly with some elements of a thriller to propel the plot ahead. However, the enjoyment with Elin Hilderbrand¿s ¿Beach Club¿ read is the constant changing of feelings between love, hate, and pity that the readers will have towards the three middle aged women until the ¿final secret¿ completes the ties. <P>Harriet Klausner
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Posted May 18, 2013
If there was a way to give this book a 0, I would have chosen it. Absolutely hated the story. For women who are "friends", these people treat each other with no respect or loyalty. The husband is a dud too. Total disappointment.
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Posted March 8, 2013
I liked this book. It was a quick read. I did not love the ending. I wanted something more to happen. I do recommend, but not the best book by any means.
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Posted September 14, 2012
I loved this book! It was very entertaining. A great book to lounge on the beach or by the pool. This author really keeps you interested in the story. A difficult book to put down
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Posted August 11, 2012
This was not the best story. I should have probably passed on this book. I didn't like the ending of the story. I kept reading expecting there to be something more. The more I read about each character, I liked them even less. Their individual stories were not wrapped up well. They each started okay, but then it wasn't this great dramatic conclusion. From reading the cover I expected a good dramatic beach read. I did finish the book, but I could have saved my money. Barefoot was a lot better!
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Posted August 9, 2012
ending was terrible, no real person would have made her choices
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Posted August 3, 2012
I picked him before you did!
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Posted August 3, 2012
I cant post there.
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Posted June 11, 2012
Worst of hers i have read yet...unrealistic and choppy writinh
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Posted May 25, 2012
Another great book by E.H. I absolutely loved it. Can't wait to read my next book by E.H.
ChattyKat54
Posted April 2, 2012
I have recently become a fan of Elin Hilderbrand's books. I love her style, her settings and her characters. This book had a little added mystery and some unexpected twists, that kept me wanting to read more. My only criticism is that the end stopped abruptly leaving me to sum things for myself. A few more pages would have allowed me to see how the characters moved on and brought the closure I was in need of. All-in-all I thoroughly enjoyed the book and would definitely recommend it.
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Overview
For 20 years, Kayla, Antoinette and Val have performed their own special summer ritual. Once a year, the old friends put aside their daily, separate lives to drink champagne, swap stories and swim naked under the Nantucket stars. But on one of those bonding nights, one of their trio swims out from the shore and doesn't return. After the surviving friends emerge from their grief, they realize that the ...