The Castaways

This is my least favorite of all of her novels I felt it was very redundant. I loved her other books.

Not her best book.

This story is about four couples living on Nantucket.The four couples lives intertwine constantly and they always support each other, even though they have their differences. One of the couples, Greg and Tess, decide to sail to the Vineyard to celebrate their anniversary. When their boat is found capsized and they're found dead, each of the other members of The Castaways harbors feelings of guilt, because of secrets they've kept, and grief over the loss of their friends. They all wonder if it was an accident or if something else happened.

While the premise of the story was interesting, I really didn't connect or feel any compassion for most of the characters. For a bunch of friends who were supposedly very close, they certainly didn't mind lying to one another or cheating with one of their friend's spouses. I realize that the characters were written as real human beings in that we are all flawed, but I just didn't find it at all believable. I kept reading just to find out what had happened to Tess and Greg.

Not my favorite book by this author.

Like a Soap Opera

The Castaways are a group of four couples that are very close friends - they all live on the island of Nantucket. When one couple (Greg and Tess) die in a boating accident, leaving two young children and a string of mysteries, the other three couples are left to deal with the tragedy each in his/her own way. As the circumstances leading up to their death become known it seems that Greg and Tess's lives were not as straight forward as their friends thought... The point of view moves between all the different characters and we get to know Greg and Tess and their circle of friends by the retelling of stories from their past. The Castaways took many vacations together and the story of their relationships weave in an out from past and present. It was an enjoyable read because there was a lot going on but not outstanding by any means. With so many main characters there was plenty of scope for human drama and tragedy. I kind of expected the boating accident to be more than an accident, but the book turned out to be predominantly about relationships.

An okay read

Great literature it isn't but it serves as passable escapism. Like others I found it a bit difficult to keep everyone straight. You have to really suspend your belief because the idea that 4 couples could be so chummy, and have (or want to have) so many affairs with each other while maintaining an ensemble friendship is a bit over the top. I kept forgetting that Jeffrey and Delilah were married to each other because those characters just didn't seem like a match. I thought the book could have used some serious editing - for example, how many times do we have to be told in great detail how much a social butterfly Delilah is? It could have been shortened considerably without losing anything. I started skimming toward the end; it seemed like a rehash of everything that had gone before. Some of the characters seemed quite shallow and I didn't have much sympathy for most of them as they seemed very spoiled. And I was hoping for more of a feel of what Nantucket is like.

A Train Wreck

Reading this book was like watching a train wreck - you knew you should stop because it was bad, but you couldn't pull away. I gave this book two stars because I was able to finish it, but I most certainly didn't like it. I thought the characters were poorly developed - maybe bcause there was nothing to them? Also, this book, like her last couple, is filled with rich people having affairs. Maybe this really is how life is for the rich and famous on Nantucket, but it certainly doesn't make me want to live there or even know these people. I wish that the author would return to her earlier writing style. Once again, thank heavens for the library - I would have been really upset if I had spent money on this book.