The Outer Banks House

by Diann Ducharme

As the wounds of the Civil War are just beginning to heal, one fateful summer would forever alter the course of a young girl’s life.
 
In 1868, on the barren shores of post-war Outer Banks North Carolina, the once wealthy Sinclair family moves for the summer to one of the first cottages on the ocean side of the resort village of Nags Head. Seventeen-year-old Abigail is beautiful, book-smart, but sheltered by her plantation life and hemmed-in by her emotionally distant family. To make good use of time, she is encouraged by her family to teach her father’s fishing guide, the good-natured but penniless Benjamin Whimble, how to read and write. And in a twist of fate unforeseen by anyone around them, there on the porch of the cottage, the two come to love each other deeply, and to understand each other in a way that no one else does.
 
But when, against everything he claims to represent, Ben becomes entangled in Abby's father's Ku Klux Klan work, the terrible tragedy and surprising revelations that one hot Outer Banks night brings forth threaten to tear them apart forever.
 
With vivid historical detail and stunning emotional resonance, Diann Ducharme recounts a dramatic story of love, loss, and coming of age at a singular and rapidly changing time in one of America’s most beautiful and storied communities.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Romance, Historical, Book Club, 19th Century, Adult Fiction

304 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2010

About the author

Diann Ducharme holds a bachelor's degree in English literature from the University of Virginia and a master's degree in teaching from Virginia Commonwealth University. A native of Newport News, Virginia, she has vacationed on the Outer Banks of North Carolina all of her life and has used this intriguing setting as a backdrop for her writing. Ducharme's literary debut, The Outer Banks House, was published in 2010, her second novel Chasing Eternity in 2012, the follow-up to The Outer Banks House, Return to the Outer Banks House, in 2014, and the much-anticipated conclusion to the series, Home to the Outer Banks, in 2022. She currently resides in Phoenix, Arizona, with her husband Sean, their children.

Reviews

[Misfit · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nags Head, The Outer Banks, North Carolina – the Civil War is over and the slaves freed. Once prosperous plantation owner Noland Sinclair builds a cottage at the beach and brings his family for the summer. Noland asks his daughter Abigail to tutor local fisherman Benjamin (Ben) Whimble. Abigail is repulsed by a very smelly, unwashed, barefooted Ben, but he proves an apt pupil and the two soon strike up a friendship. Abigail’s mother is more interested in her own problems than those of her children and papa Noland is busy scheming with an early-day KKK group to find and punish a runaway slave – and he hopes to involve Ben in his nefarious scheme. Hector Newman, an affluent doctor’s son courts Abigail and he plans to wed her despite the Sinclair’s current financial status.

Ben continues to challenge Abigail into thinking about the hypocrisies of her parents and friends and the two become very close – which man will she chose? And that’s pretty much it in a nutshell. While the book had a lot going for it story wise – setting, social mores, bigotry against the freed slaves, etc. – it just didn’t quite deliver what I’d hoped for. Abigail’s parents were painted just a tad too *black*, I would have preferred the characters fleshed out a bit better. As for the grand love between Abigail and Ben? I loved the idea, but again it just didn’t quite come off as well as I’d hoped – I didn’t pick up on much chemistry between the two, let alone how quickly she got over her revulsion to his very dirty smelly person (or did he start taking baths all of a sudden and I missed the boat again?).

A good book and a nice first outing for this author, it just doesn’t have enough pizzazz for me to give it a higher rating. 3/5 stars.

[Courtney M. · Rating 3 out of 5]

This books started off amazing. I love historical fiction and this books seemed so promising. Even though it bordered YA lit for me, it was gearing up to be a great story involving 17 year old Abigail, her place in high society now that her father's plantation is almost bust, and her relationship with Ben, a poor local boy. Throw in the southern attitudes about the recently freed slaves after the Civil War and I was hooked!

I have to admit that as I got towards the middle/end I was a tad disappointed. I thought the author could have done a lot more with the snooty Maddy Adams character, and the climax of the story over on Freedman's Island was definitely a let down. I also found it hard to believe that a girl grown up in such privilege as Abby would be content living in a 1 room shack in a fishing village. I also found it hard to believe that upper-class, proper Abby would so readily sleep with Ben. Their love story was so sweet and tender and that scene seemed out of place and not tender at all. The way it was written really cheapened their relationship.

Basically, I felt like the first half of the book built this amazing story and then all of sudden the story was rushed to tie up all the loose the ends and "everyone lives happily ever after".

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Would rate it a 3.75. Wouldn’t recommend this book over other books out there right now. It was easy to read but also easy to put down. Didn’t keep me completely captivated the whole time. I still enjoyed it, though.

[lynn · Rating 1 out of 5]

the only good part of this book was the picture on the front cover. i kept reading it hoping it would get better...don't bother..it doesn't...

[Tara Chevrestt · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a really enjoyable novel rich in North Carolina history. Three years after the end of the American Civil War, Roanoke island is in major disrepair, Cape Haterras is about to be constructed, something sinister is planned for the people living on Freedman's Colony, and Abigail Sinclair is discovering herself in a little cottage on the Outer Banks.

Abigail has never known life beyond her sheltered existence on her daddy's slave run plantation. A summer spent on the Outer Banks opens her eyes, mind, and heart to a whole new world. While her father is making trouble for the newly free men (sort of an early KKK thing in the works), Abigail falls in love with a dirty man who makes his living by the sea, Ben. While she teaches him his letters, Ben makes Abigail start thinking for herself. Meanwhile, a rich doctor-to-be suitor, Hector is trying to win her hand in marriage and naturally, her parents are pushing the match. Just how far is this new independent thinking Abigail willing to go tho? Will she choose happiness with Ben or propriety with Hector? Or will fate decide for her?

I like how Abigail opens her mind and accepts others towards the end of the novel, even going so far as to educate the newly freedmen and women on the sly. She became a very admirable character and I also appreciate how this novel shows the effects of hatred and racism on a community. I found the romance a bit unbelievable tho. I never really felt or got the connection between Abigail and Ben. Something was just missing, so four stars instead of five. I do recommend it tho.

[Melinda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ducharme’s lush descriptions of both people and environs really captivate your attention. The post Civil War adjustment well depicted. Various themes are woven throughout the narrative. Abigail comes into her own, ripping off her rose colored glasses and standing her ground, metamorphisizing into a fine young woman. It was a relief when Abigail made the transition to her own person drawing her own conclusions and wants. Her lack of warmth and emotion from her parents made her an even more compelling and sensitive protagonist.

I wish we learned more of Ben. We were handed a rough sketch but not enough depth into his character and what was given was a bit of a contradiction. I failed to see the depth of Abbey and Ben’s attraction, especially after the horrific incident. I honestly don’t understand how Abbey could have seen past Ben’s part, such a brutal slaying. As bright as Ben was how could he not see what was going to happen given Mr Sinclair’s racial opinions. Ben should have reached out to Jacob seeking guidance especially with their deep rooted friendship.

The end was predictable, a tender story of two people against all odds, proving opposites attract.

[Kellie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really liked this story. The setting is 1868, just after the Civil War, Outer Banks. Abby is a strong willed 17 year old who, once she steps foot on the shore, falls immediately in love with the place. Her father is a plantation owner who just lost all of his slaves to freedom. His hunting guide, Ben, wants to learn how to read so he asks Abby to tutor him. Abby is not at all happy about this request but she obediently obliges. She reads Robinson Caruso to Ben. Passages from the book preclude every chapter. I liked the correlation. The tumultuous times influence the plot in a big way. The author does a wonderful job placing you right on the shores of the Outer Banks. I was pleasantly surprised by this book and I am so glad I read it. Highly recommend reading this at the beach. You can really get caught up in the pages.

[Celeste · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book had a great idea, seemed like it could have been a toothy, but alas, we were left wanting. If I ever hear the word water (the reader of the audio book says it wah-ter) it will be too soon, I get that you are close to the ocean and might have to use the word, but 20 times over 2 1/2 pages (probably 100+ over the entire book of 292 pages) because they were swimming, please have an editor help you. Let’s also chat real quick about how in less than three sentences she went from having her thighs caressed to feeling him deep inside her- um… she had never even kissed him- this was the worst sex :/ if the author had just focused on the MC helping the freed slaves in a midnight school and how she was different from her father who had owned slaves, as a reader, I would have been happy.

I am writing this while finishing the audio, and my ears keep hearing that damned word! 🌊

[Sarah W. · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have somewhat mixed feelings about this novel. The overall story was okay, but at times, I felt like I was struggling to get through parts that felt unnecessarily dense. Told from primarily the perspective of Abigail, a young woman vacationing on the North Carolina Outer Banks with her family in 1868, this novel portrays the development of a romance between the relatively well-off Abigail and Benjamin, a local young fisherman she's teaching to read. As Abigail and Benjamin learn about each other, and challenge each other, they also witness the struggles of the post-Civil War South, as a nearby community of free Blacks is threatened by Abigail's father and his compatriots. While I really appreciated parts of this novel, I do wish the story flowed together a little better and not ended so abruptly.

[Jennifer Simpson · Rating 4 out of 5]

As someone who visits the Outer Banks often, I enjoyed this book very much. It was a different take on my typical beach read since it all took place in the summer of 1868. The author did a wonderful job of setting the scene and including historic details. I could feel the sand in Abigail Sinclair’s high-buttoned boots and the oppressive weight of her skirts. I’d never considered what it was like for summer visitors coming to the mostly wild, untamed Outer Banks at that time. The plot line itself felt a little stiff and predictable (the high class plantation girl falling for the dirty fishing boat Banker), but that didn’t stop me from enjoying it. The exploration of race in post-Civil-War North Carolina was well done, but I questioned its accuracy. Would a plantation daughter really have had such an easy change of heart to the point where she’d go from owning slaves to tutoring freedmen? All in all, it was clear that this author did her research and gave me a beach read I hadn’t expected.

[Penny Dawson · Rating 3 out of 5]

This wasn't on my To-Read list, but I found it while searching Libby and thought I'd ty it. It had a good story about deciding to help people who were illiterate learn to read, in a time period when that wasn't the thing to do. The main character also found against what her unloving parents tried to force her to do. I could have done without the Robinson Crusoe stuff.

[Renee Froembling · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful story!

[Erika Robuck · Rating 5 out of 5]

Three years after the Civil War, seventeen-year-old Abigail Sinclair and her former slave-owning planter family spend the summer in Nags Head exploring new opportunities for business. Abigail finds herself immediately captivated by the primitive island setting, much to the dismay of her stiff, formal mother. When her father hires Benjamin Whimble as an island guide to show him the best places for hunting and fishing he soon learns the young man wishes to better himself by learning to read. He forces Abigail to teach Benjamin, much to her dismay, and the two unexpectedly fall in love. Abby’s father’s help of Benjamin, however, takes a sinister turn when he wishes to use the young man for his evil KKK dealings. Benjamin and Abigail find themselves in the middle of a terrible conspiracy that tests their love and threatens to destroy all they hold dear.

It gives me such pleasure to discover a book I’ve never heard of and read it in its setting. Every time I opened the pages of The Outer Banks House I fell back through time to the primitive beaches of Nags Head before the great rush of tourists. I enjoyed learning the history of the settlement and of Roanoke Island, and the moving stories of the freed slaves. Ducharme brilliantly depicts the growth of Abigail as a spoiled plantation owner’s daughter to a woman of character and understanding.

If you enjoy early American history in the post-War South or reading about the North Carolina coast you will love this book. I highly recommend The Outer Banks House.

[Tanya · Rating 4 out of 5]

A little over 3 stars than 4 for me because the writing style was very good and I think this new author has lots of potential. Knowing the area of the Outer Banks and having recently vacationed there as well, made the historical novel most appealing from the getgo.

It is a few years after the Civil War; Abigail Sinclair is 17 years old and her family is at Nags Head for the summer. While there, Abby tutors a young fisherman type boy around her age. A friendship, and more, evolves but the story seems to stray off into a racist theme. This was not developed properly I felt and it took away from the era of the time - made it more modern than it would have been then?!

Anyway, very good beach read with lots of regional background for lovers of OBX. The ending isn't tidy or perfect and I liked that - it gave the reader something to consider and ponder a possible outcome.

[Shelley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderfully written!

Wow! I couldnt put this book down. The characters were strong, inspiring and frightfully real. A tale of as old as time....young woman falls for a man beneath her station, a fragile mother, a family on the verge of despair, but triumphant in the end. The scenery bursts with life. Wonderful writing.

[JILL Kaye · Rating 5 out of 5]

Outstanding and disturbing book! Set in the Outer Banks just after the Civil War. A story of unlikely love, compassion, hate, racism, classism, and innocence. Man's inhumanity to man never ceases to amaze.

[James Berke · Rating 1 out of 5]

It’s actually a white savior book and it’s so gross because of it. The romance has no real chemistry at all either too lol

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

(**Slight Spoiler at the end)

Well, this book was a little slow for me. It's a great piece of literature though so I would definitely recommend it to anyone who likes historical fiction. Last summer I took a vacation to the Outer Banks which is pretty much the only reason why I picked up this book to read. I gave it four stars because of what the book is about... racism and acceptance. There were some subplots and details that were mentioned but could have been further explored in the book in which case, I felt that they shouldn't have been mentioned at all. I honestly did not like Ben all that much and don't think that Abby should have stayed to be with him. She should have stayed simply because she needed to get away from her toxic life in order to become a stronger, newer self. I definitely thought that Ducharme could have focused more on Abby's personal development as a young woman who didn't fit the mold of society and her growth. I loved the moments when she was teaching in the schoolhouse and how she grew to understand that people are people. She had such a fiery soul and kind heart, I would have loved to see more of it when Ben wasn't around.

[Nicole · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this book in one of the daily deal emails I receive for Kindle books & I’m glad I did! I live in Eastern NC, 5 miles from the sound and our local outer banks and I’ve been north to Nag’s Head & Roanoke many times. The author writes about these locations as they were with charm & accuracy. The sweet story of Abigail & Ben combined with the horrible darkness of life in NC immediately after the Civil War made this book a compelling read for me. I like it when books make me THINK, and think I did while reading about life for the freedmen back then. There’s still so much brokenness for us to work thru as a result of those terrible times 150 years later... The only thing I wasn’t crazy about was how this book ended. I would have liked there to have been more of a reckoning with Abby’s family since they played such a huge part in the book. It was a good ending, but it felt incomplete to me. In any case, I read more non-fiction than fiction and I enjoyed the historical aspect of this book very much.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very nice read, but I think it was wrapped up too easily. I have lots of questions about how the relationship could have continued with such vast background differences during this time period. I enjoyed learning bits about the Freedmen Colony and some background about Outer Banks. I noticed some great themes of freedom and bondage in the characters and I wonder if that was intentional by the author or a happy accident. I wish I could have read even more of Abigail's mother; she became more and more interesting to me as I learned of her background and she began to change at the end of the novel. I wanted to know more of her motivation for visiting the school, showing more interest in Abigail, and her softening character; what's in her future? I'm curious about Maddie also. It seemed like there was way more to her at the conclusion of the novel but I never got to find out anything more. I would actually enjoy a followup novel with Abigail, Ben, and all the other characters.

[Debra · Rating 5 out of 5]

Growing wisdom.

Being from NC, the subject was appealing. The Outer banks a few hours from my home. I gained knowledge about the area I had not know. Written in the time period after the Civil war, Abby spends the summer in this area. Educating a local man, she learns to love teaching. Even reaching out to a group of uneducated African-Americans. She falls in love, she realizes the depth of slavery on innocent people who want to learn, and she sees the horrid treatment of what others endured. In this she learns what she grew up in was no longer so important and her life takes shape in this new way of life. I enjoyed this book. The ocean wave, breezes, sand, I felt. I felt the changes in Abby. The pain of her father's part in taking a life, and how special those wanting to learn were. Thank you for the beauty and sadness of the novels. It was truly inspirational.

[Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed reading about the Outer Banks area and history during this time period, since I have vacationed there, and could imagine what the area was like before it was established as a tourist spot. The story was engaging as well, but the ending was too quick for me. I would have liked to have seen how the family handled Abigails’s decision to stay on the island with Ben and how the 2 of them went from there. Also, would have like to have read the interaction between Ben and Abigail’s father, when Ben confirmed the person who was Elijah Africa. Finally. It was difficult to believe the sudden turn around in Abigail’s mother towards her at the end of the story, and her support for Abigail to teach the freed people on Roanoke island.

[Gail Oliver · Rating 3 out of 5]

Intrigued by the title (one of my favorite places to visit), the author, Diann Ducharme, whisked us back into a time of post-Civil War in the wilds of the North Carolina coast.
There are many historical and cultural moments in the story. With a young woman of culture, and a "banker" (Outer Banks) resident from the backwoods who meet and develop a friendship, the story shows us the struggles of society.
The author must have spent a good deal of time researching the history of the area.
It's a harsh reality to understand the lives of those who lived in this period of history.
Hopefully, after reading this book, each of us will try to be more accepting of each other.
And I hope you'll want to visit the Outer Banks for it's rugged beauty.

[Mallory · Rating 3 out of 5]

There were so many components that made me want to like this book way more than I actually did. It was good, but not great. Robinson Crusoe has always been one of my favorites, so its use throughout the story was intriguing, especially in an "every book, its reader" way - would Benjamin Whimble have thrived under Abigail's tutoring and been so anxious to learn how to read if not for a book that he was wildly interested in? I spent most childhood summer vacations in the Outer Banks, so it was fascinating to see them not just as a destination, but also a home for rough and hardy people. Sadly though, I never got fully invested in or connected to any of the characters very deeply.

[The History Mom]

A dear friend gave me this book for my birthday, and being from North Carolina, I really enjoyed learning more about my home state. The Outer Banks House is the story of Abigail, a young society woman in the years immediately after the Civil War. Her family spends the summer of 1868 on the Outer Banks where her notions of love, work, and family are tested and changed by her interactions with a penniless fisherman, Benjamin. It’s a love story mixed with the hard historical details about life in the south in the post-war years. I read it quickly and loved it! It's a perfect addition to your beach bag!

[Debra Merillat · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.2 I loved this historical fiction novel’s setting of Nags Head in the Outer Banks of North Carolina right after the Civil War. A Plantation family moves to a vacation home built on the ocean side. In those days the Sound side was considered the wealthy and safe side. The Islanders and vacationers think they are crazy for building on the ocean side. The story revolves around a 17-year old girl who falls in love teaching a poor fishing guide to read. She then takes her love of teaching to Roanoke Island to teach the newly freed. Unfortunately, trying to help the islanders, she finds out her father is in the Ku Klux Klan which has devastating results.

[Jenny · Rating 4 out of 5]

I bought this book on the Outer Banks and read most of it on the beach. I loved reading about a slice of 1860s life on this island we love so much while my toes touched the same ocean 🌊

Benjamin Whimble is just such a lovely character and I felt like his voice and pov added a lot to the story and the author nailed the writing style from his pov. I’d for sure have a crush on him too!!

I felt like it got kinda Hallmark movie-y at the end and there were some loose strings I would have loved to see tied up in an epilogue.

But as a whole I really enjoyed this book and would recommend it, especially if you need a book to read on the beach of the outer banks ☀️

[Kathie Kuehl · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 This was an easy and enjoyable read. It was not a deep nor complicated read. Sometimes things worked too simply/unrealistic making the book seem somewhat trite at times. A good read for a hot summer day! I do plan to read the other 2 books in this series. The book is set in 1868 as the country is trying to unite after the Civil War. A However old prejudices and tensions remain. The once wealthy Sinclair family moves to their newly built cottage in the ocean side of Nags Head, North Carolina. The main character, 17 year old Abigail Sinclair,is beautiful, smart, loves to read and is the primary caregiver for her 2 younger siblings as her father is seldom home and the mother is often depressed and stays with in her room for days on end. Both parents are emotionally unavailable to their children. Abigail begins to teach her father’s fishing guide, Benjamin Whimble, to read and write. At first, Abigail is turned off by Ben as he is very unkempt, unwashed, smelly, and barefoot. However, the 2 eventually fall in love causing Abby to break off her engagement to Hector, her beau who is studying to be a doctor. Ben gets involved in a KKK incident, thank to Abigail’s father. The local KKk is trying to find and kill a black preacher who killed his master and mistress as they slept. They believe he is living on Roanoke Island, off the shores of North Carolina. It is for this cause that Mr.Sinclair recruits Ben, unbeknownst to Abigail. Once Abby learns of Ben’s involvement, the relationship between Ben and Abby faces a serious break. Can this rift between the 2 be healed?? The author provides an excellent description of the islands of the Outer Banks and the lives of those who call the islands “home”.

[Linda · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think this was too much of a romance for my taste. It has an interesting premise, but .... A few years after the Civil War ends, sixteen-year-old Abigail and her family move to their new house on the Outer Banks. Her parents decided that she has time to teach the young man her father has hired to be his guide while there. Of course she hates him in the beginning and then falls for him.

They deal with racism and class issues, but both grow and become better people. Too much floating through life.

[Linda Anderson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read this for book club and it was almost a 4. The history of North Carolina, the nature descriptions, and delving into life during Reconstruction were excellent and my favorite parts of the book. The book kept my interest also. The romance to me was contrived and cliche. The considerations of racism didn’t fit with 1868 in my mind, although the points were admirable. It didn’t fit that the family was in a weak financial condition to me. I also thought there needed to be more details about the father and how he got involved in the KKK. Abby was the only well developed character.