Review & Guest Post – The Guest Cottage by Nancy Thayer @nancy_thayer
Synopsis
Sensible thirty-six-year-old Sophie Anderson has always known what to do. She knows her role in life: supportive wife of a successful architect and calm, capable mother of two. But on a warm summer night, as the house grows quiet around her and her children fall asleep, she wonders what’s missing from her life. When her husband echoes that lonely question, announcing that he’s leaving her for another woman, Sophie realizes she has no idea what’s next. Impulsively renting a guest cottage on Nantucket from her friend Susie Swenson, Sophie rounds up her kids, Jonah and Lacey, and leaves Boston for a quiet family vacation, minus one.
Also minus one is Trevor Black, a software entrepreneur who has recently lost his wife. Trevor is the last person to imagine himself, age thirty and on his own, raising a little boy like Leo—smart and sweet, but grappling constantly with his mother’s death, growing more and more closed off. Hoping a quiet summer on the Nantucket coast will help him reconnect with Leo, Trevor rents a guest house on the beautiful island from his friend Ivan Swenson.
Best-laid plans run awry when Sophie and Trevor realize they’ve mistakenly rented the same house. Still, determined to make this a summer their kids will always remember, the two agree to share the Swensons’ Nantucket house. But as the summer unfolds and the families grow close, Sophie and Trevor must ask themselves if the guest cottage is all they want to share.
Review
This is the first book I have read by this author and I thoroughly enjoyed the book. There is a lot of the book dedicated to setting up the relationship between Sophie and Trevor, but once it finally clicks (at about 70% of the way through) the book moves along a quicker pace.
The cast of characters is very diverse. Trevor, the widowed dad that seems oblivious about his life and surroundings, not that he is not aware but doesn’t seem to realize that maybe things could be different. Sophie, the soon to be divorced mother of two, that put her children above everything else including her marriage and even her self. This summer is an awakening for her – both about herself and her passions in life. Sophie’s mother is an interesting person, you don’t really meet her until near the end of the book but you learn about her as Sophie flashes back to her childhood. There are several other characters that round out the story nicely and contribute to helping Trevor and Sophie realize their love for each other.
We give this 4 paws up and look forward to check out one of Nancy’s other books.
Interview with Nancy
SBR: Did you have an inspiration for writing The Guest Cottage?
Nantucket is my inspiration. It’s a resort island, a summer paradise, and thousands of people flock here to enjoy the beaches and nightlife. In a way, it’s a kind of dream, but it’s real. I came to visit a friend thirty-two years ago, and met Charley, the man I’ve been married to for thirty years. And I’m six years older than he is, so I was worried that our love wouldn’t last. Well, so far, very good! I have lots of friends who have met their husbands on Nantucket. It’s so magical, it’s hard to believe it’s true.
SBR: If The Guest Cottage was made into a movie, who do you see playing the main roles of Sophie and Trevor? Do you have any thoughts on the children, Jonah, Lacey and Leo?
Rosamund Pike for Sophie, because she’s lovely and young. I’ve seen her act in several BBC productions and I know she is not just the pyscho in Gone Girl. Francois Armaud, who played Cesare in The Borgias, because he’s gorgeous. Nate Ruess for Jonah, because I love his music and his look, even if he is a bit too old. As for Leo, who is four, he probably hasn’t been born yet—it takes so long to write a movie script and organize it—let’s say Reese Witherspoon’s son, because he’d be adorable. Actually, maybe Reese Witherspoon should play Sophie. . .
SBR: Did anyone inspire you to start writing?
My mother taught me to read. She took me and my brother and sister to the library every Saturday. She taught me to love books. Very early on I knew I wanted to be a writer. I got to read my stories to my sixth grade class on Friday afternoons. If I’m not writing, I get very grumpy. Ask my husband. 🙂
SBR: What is the hardest lesson you learned writing your novels?
The hardest lesson? Not everyone is going to like my novels. Some critics use reviews as a platform for their own literary talents in the form of sarcasm. One person will absolutely love a book; the other person will hate it. Forget it, and keep writing.
SBR: How did you come up with the idea for The Hot Flash Club? I love the idea and think that some of my girlfriends and I do something similar already but we don’t have that catchy name!
I was walking with my two best friends. We were complaining about our most recent physical changes and challenges. Later, I told my husband Charley about our talk. He said, “You should form a club.” I said, “The Hot Flash Club!” The light bulb went on over my head, and I started writing.
About the Author
Nancy Thayer has a bachelor’s and a master’s in English literature, both from the University of Missouri at Kansas City. Before settling down to write and have children she taught English at various colleges and traveled, living in Paris, Amsterdam and Helsinki. In 1981 she was a Fellow at the Breadloaf Writers Conference. She has lived on Nantucket Island year-round for 28 years with her husband Charley Walters. Her daughter is the novelist Samantha Wilde. Ms. Thayer is the New York Times bestselling author of 23 novels, including Summer House, The Hot Flash Club, Beachcombers, Heat Wave, Summer Breeze, and Island Girls. She lives in Nantucket.
