A Nantucket Wedding

by Nancy Thayer

Overview

Wedding bells are ringing, a family is reunited, and new love is blooming—for better or worse—in this captivating novel from the New York Times bestselling author of The Island House and Secrets in Summer.

A few years after losing her beloved husband, Alison is doing something she never thought she would do again: getting married. While placing the finishing touches on her summer nuptials, Alison is anxious to introduce her fiancé, David, to her grown daughters: Felicity, a worried married mother of two, and Jane, also married but focused on her career. The sisters have a somewhat distant relationship and Alison hopes that the wedding and the weeks leading up to the ceremony will give the siblings a chance to reconnect, as well as meet and get to know David’s grown children.

As the summer progresses, it is anything but smooth sailing. Felicity stumbles upon a terrible secret that could shatter her carefully cultivated world. Jane finds herself under the spell of her soon-to-be stepbrother, Ethan, who is as charming as he is mysterious. And even Allison is surprised (and slightly alarmed) by her new blended family. Revelations, intrigue, resentments—as the Big Day approaches, will the promise of bliss be a bust?
      
Against the gorgeous backdrop of the sunswept island of Nantucket, Nancy Thayer sets the stage for a walk down the aisle no one will ever forget.

Praise for Nancy Thayer

Secrets in Summer

“Infused with warmth and heartfelt, tender moments . . . Authentic, endearing characters will keep readers turning the pages.”—RT Book Reviews

“This breezy tale is at once nostalgic and hopeful . . . filled with sweet moments of unlikely female connections.”—Kirkus Reviews

The Island House

“A touching story about friendship, family, and the uncertainty of love.”—Bustle

“Quick-paced, thoroughly engaging, and heartwarming.”—The Insatiable Reader

The Guest Cottage

“It’s a pleasant escape to a state of mind in which rebuilding a life is as simple as pitching an umbrella and spreading out a towel.”—Kirkus Reviews

“A sweet book with romance, laughter, and love after loss . . . Thayer knows her Nantucket history, and it shines in this book.”—RT Book Reviews

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781101967102
Publisher:	Random House Publishing Group
Publication date:	04/03/2018
Pages:	320
Product dimensions:	6.30(w) x 9.30(h) x 1.10(d)

About the Author

Nancy Thayer is the New York Times bestselling author of A Nantucket Wedding, Secrets in Summer, The Island House, The Guest Cottage, An Island Christmas, Nantucket Sisters, A Nantucket Christmas, Island Girls, Summer Breeze, Heat Wave, Beachcombers, Summer House, Moon Shell Beach, and The Hot Flash Club. She lives on Nantucket.

Read an Excerpt

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Excerpted from "A Nantucket Wedding"
by .
Copyright © 2018 Nancy Thayer.
Excerpted by permission of Random House Publishing Group.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.

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Reading Group Guide

1. At the start of the novel, it is clear that Felicity and Jane live in different worlds. Felicity is constantly busy with her children, while Jane prioritizes her work as an attorney. Over the course of the summer, they begin to find common ground, confiding in each other about their marital issues and developing a more trusting relationship. Have you ever reconnected with someone you had grown apart from? How did your relationship change?

2. Alison is excited that her fiancé’s home on Nantucket can be a place where their soon-to-be blended family can grow closer. Do you have any longstanding traditions in your own family, or have you ever started a new tradition? If so, what makes them meaningful to you?

3. Cynthia, the wife of one of Noah’s colleagues, tells Felicity of Noah’s affair with Ingrid. Do you agree with this course of action? If you were Cynthia, would you mention the incident to Felicity?

4. Jane is distraught when Scott goes to Wales without her, and their marriage is reaching its breaking point. Yet when she rushes to his bedside later on, Scott tells her that he has had an epiphany and now wants to have children. Have you ever experienced an unexpected event that altered the course of a relationship or friendship?

5. Felicity notes that it is “awkward” watching Poppy discipline Luke, but she brushes off Poppy’s remarks to him for the sake of remaining cordial. Think about Felicity’s and Poppy’s parenting styles. How do you think their personalities dictate the way they approach parenting?

6. When Felicity confronts Noah about his fling with Ingrid, he attempts to justify his behavior, citing the pressures of building his company. How do the standards that Noah sets for himself make him a better or worse partner? Can you sympathize with him on any level, given his actions?

7. Jane and Scott’s marriage is based on their common interests: their shared love of the outdoors, their professions as lawyers, and even their initial aversion to having children. Think about the most important relationships in your life. What makes them so significant to you, and how did they begin?

8. Poppy clearly struggles with her father’s impending nuptials, not to mention the future of English Garden Creams. When David tells her that he plans to include Alison, her daughters, and her grandchildren in his will, she is appalled. Is her reaction justified? Discuss.

9. For Alison, her marriage to David signifies the beginning of a new life, six years after the death of her first husband. Think about finding happiness after loss. What do second chances mean to you?

10. At the end of the novel Felicity and Noah are still at an impasse. She notes that, going forward, she is “free to change. She could leave Noah, but she didn’t want to” (page 290). What do you think is in store for Felicity and Noah’s marriage?

Editorial Reviews

Praise for Nancy Thayer
 
Secrets in Summer
 
“Infused with warmth and heartfelt, tender moments . . . Authentic, endearing characters will keep readers turning the pages.”—RT Book Reviews
 
“This breezy tale is at once nostalgic and hopeful . . . filled with sweet moments of unlikely female connections.”—Kirkus Reviews
 
The Island House
 
“A touching story about friendship, family, and the uncertainty of love.”—Bustle
 
“Quick-paced, thoroughly engaging, and heartwarming.”—The Insatiable Reader
 
The Guest Cottage
 
“It’s a pleasant escape to a state of mind in which rebuilding a life is as simple as pitching an umbrella and spreading out a towel.”—Kirkus Reviews
 
“A sweet book with romance, laughter, and love after loss . . . Thayer knows her Nantucket history, and it shines in this book.”—RT Book Reviews

From the Publisher

2018-02-06
A middle-aged widow meets a handsome CEO and is finally getting another chance at love, but she has her work cut out for her when she tries to blend two families of adult children.After Alison loses her husband of 29 years, she resigns herself to the quiet life of grandmother and underappreciated family matriarch. Following almost six years of this sedate existence, she meets David Gladstone at a summer cocktail party in Nantucket, and she's shocked to discover she has romantic chemistry with another living soul. After a whirlwind courtship, Alison and David decide to marry and live out their retirement together. They begin preparing for their wedding and bring their four adult children to Nantucket to become better acquainted with each other. Alison's daughters have never gotten along well, and the situation grows all the more complicated when David's children step into the mix. Alison's younger daughter, Felicity, is the mother of toddlers who is navigating her own strained marriage. She has long viewed her older sister, Jane, as an uptight career woman who wants little to do with Felicity or her family. However, when the sisters meet Poppy, David's daughter and successor CEO of his thriving hand cream company, Felicity and Jane find themselves on the same team against a common enemy. And let's not forget Ethan, David's divorced playboy son who flirts relentlessly with Alison's daughters, causing additional complications. As the summer progresses, Jane and Felicity each grapple with issues in their marriages and begin to question many of their preconceived notions about the other. As the chaos in the Gladstone home increases in tandem with the summer temperatures, the reader can't help but wonder if Alison and David's relationship can survive the heat.A delightful beach-town tale about family relationships and second chances.

Kirkus Reviews