An Act of Love

by Nancy Thayer

A happy family is forced to confront a shocking secret with the power to pull them apart in this riveting novel from New York Times bestselling author Nancy Thayer.   In their modest farmhouse in rural New England, Owen and Linda McFarland feel that they’ve found a little slice of heaven. Both previously divorced, they now have a second chance at a happy home with his son, Bruce, and her daughter, Emily. While the transition wasn’t easy, Linda and Owen hope the newly blended family has put their troubles behind them.   But they are mistaken. Bruce, seventeen, and Emily, fifteen, are enrolled together in an elite Massachusetts boarding school when bright, extroverted Emily attempts suicide, shocking the entire family. In recovery at the hospital, she makes a horrifying accusation that threatens to destroy the idyllic life Linda and Owen have worked so hard to build. With illusions laid bare, loyalties are tested and a family must learn to start anew.   Includes a captivating excerpt of Nancy Thayer’s novel Nantucket Sisters!   Praise for the novels of Nancy Thayer   “The queen of beach books.”—The Star-Ledger “Thayer has a deep and masterly understanding of love and friendship, of where the two complement and where they collide.”—Elin Hilderbrand   “Thayer’s gift for reaching the emotional core of her characters [is] captivating.”—Houston Chronicle “One of my favorite writers.”—Susan Wiggs   “Thayer portrays beautifully the small moments, inside stories and shared histories that build families.”—The Miami Herald   “Thayer’s sense of place is powerful, and her words are hung together the way my grandmother used to tat lace.”—Dorothea Benton Frank

Genres: Fiction, Chick Lit, Romance, Mystery, Family, Contemporary, Thriller

273 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1997

About the author

Nancy Thayer has published 35 novels, including Family Reunion and Secrets in Summer. She has lived on Nantucket Island year-round for 38 years with her husband Charley Walters. They have two children and five grandchildren.

Reviews

[Lesley · Rating 1 out of 5]

Uhmm I think I just threw up in my mouth a little!

This is the worst Nancy Thayer book I have read. What was she thinking-She must know this really happens in real life then there are people like me that get employed as victim advocates because of these kind of accusations in her story. But she made it all ok, just go to therapy and it will all be ok.

This could've been a seriously good story instead I read a fantasy story!

I know, I know, its fiction but I am a true believer I have to believe the story.

Best most believable part of the story Mr. Cartwright says "As for you two...I can't imagine what you did to turn this boy into a rapist, but you're both beneath contempt. Youre lower than this boy. I hope you are ashamed of yourselves".

For those that like this story just don't see this stuff everyday to know better! please realize this author could've done better research, yes even in the late 1990's.

UGH I could go on but the only good thing I got out of this was 3 hrs in the pool reading this!

[CLM · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dated but an unputdownable read

[Tom Hill · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is the type of book I would not ordinarily read, but my girlfriend gave it to me so I gave it a try. I found the story totally unrealistic. First, the main men are all very handsome and the women all pretty. A small point, but a sign that this author is not interested in relating to the real world in this story but rather to some fantasy land. It is a feel good story about how love conquers all, and men who rape women only need medication and therapy rather then jail time as a result of their crimes. This would probably be a classic chic book and very popular with the right audience. As you can tell, that does not include me.

[Wendy · Rating 1 out of 5]

An Act of Love was a horrible book, in my opinion. Unbelievable main storyline with insipid characters. I'm only giving it one star because of Maud, the dog. She is mentioned in a couple of chapters. She's the most believable. She's earned a star for coexisting with this awful set of characters and poorly written story and being the best of it all (and even poor Maud's story is never carried through).

Nothing is presented logically, nothing is suitably tied up (don't try if you can't do it properly) and it's all bad, lousy, sloppy up to and including the title. Definitely not up to Nancy Thayer's usual writing. I can't believe this got through an editor.

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

Novelists Owen and Linda McFarland have been married for seven years. During that time, they have been incredibly happy together and have worked hard to make their blended family feel loved. Living on their beautiful little Massachusetts farm, Owen's son Bruce has grown into a handsome high school senior with a girlfriend he's absolutely crazy about. Linda's daughter Emily, a sophomore, has come to love her new family. Both children are in a private boarding school that they enjoy.

They used to be such a happy family. Then her daughter accused his son...of rape.

Shortly before Thanksgiving, Emily attempts suicide. Confined to the psychiatric ward of a private hospital, a sullen, angry Emily claims that in late summer, Bruce raped her. Bruce swears that the assault never happened. Who is lying? Who is telling the truth?

There is no way to prove either child's statement. Finding out the truth may tear apart a lifetime of illusions, and a marriage. But Owen and Linda must believe their children and change their entire lives accordingly.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It was a truly engrossing story and was my absolute favorite book of the month. I give the book an A+! and will definitely put it on my 'Keeper Shelf' to read again at some point.

[Anne · Rating 1 out of 5]

Ridiculous! We're supposed to feel sorry for a rapist because his mom didn't want him? Give me a break. Lots of people come from broken homes and don't become criminals. His own therapist even says he might do it again and the parents are okay with him just walking around in society. Also, why is this book called "An Act of Love"? What am I missing here. Worst Nancy Thayer book ever. Stick with writing about Nantucket.

[Laura · Rating 1 out of 5]

****contains spoilers*****

"An act of love"‽ for whom? The mother in this story hurt my heart. I ached for Emily and what she went through with her absent father and mother who couldn't quite believe and support her.

Then to stay in a relationship with the father of the rapist!!! To discuss being seperate for 3 maybe 4 years.... wtf? How is Emily to move on with her life continuing to see her rapist at holidays, summer vacation etc.

What a horrible life.

[Kathleen Basi · Rating 4 out of 5]

I kept having to go back and look at the copyright date, because some of the things written in this book seemed not to need explanation, yet were being explained. Kudos to American society for that progress in the last twenty years.

There's no secret that this book is about an accusation of rape--and within a family, no less. It takes quite a while for the open secret of the book to come out, and from the writer's perspective I have to say that was quite a masterful stroke, because I was tearing through pages in dread, waiting for the blow to fall. Emily's stepbrother vehemently denies guilt, and since some of the scenes are in his point of view, the reader is mystified. How he could be guilty if we're seeing everything going on in his head, and he's not showing any remorse, fear, anything at all? And yet, who would make up such a story?

I would imagine this scenario is the nightmare of every blended family. Thayer doesn't pull any punches, and there aren't pat solutions given, either. She doesn't, for instance, have an answer to the question: Is a rapist forever condemned to be an evil human being, beyond redemption? It was enough, in this case, to raise the question. That question we, as a society, still haven't managed to answer.

[Sue · Rating 2 out of 5]

Very disappointed in how this rapist was allowed to get away with his crime. There was not enough shock and anger among the parents about what he did. I don't think the story was realistic at all in how the situation, the crime, was handled.

[the-thrill-seeking-chick]

I wasn’t much interested.
I hated the way the parents behaved especially the mother. She is still close with the father of the boy who raped her daughter. And also I didn’t feel her that angry towards the rapist. Oh the poor daughter ! Feel sad for her.

[Marta · Rating 2 out of 5]

Come on now. The boy rapes two young ladies and doesn't go to prison?

[Amy Webster-Bo · Rating 4 out of 5]

really good, comes to wonder how a family can cope with problems with two children, who come into a house and become a family, but not really one

[Sue Wilber · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a Nancy Thayer book I had not read that is probably about 30 years old and it is very different from her more recent books. In the first place, it is NOT based in Nantucket - rather, in western Mass/greater Boston area. I enjoyed reading this book as it was quite different from her more current books. I won't give away the plot but it was very well developed and thought out and I found myself identifying with the individual characters as they moved through a life and family crisis. I will have to go back to my local library and find what other Thayer books I have not read!!!

[Eileen Granfors · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nancy Thayer provides interesting domestic problems for her characters in those books that I have read. AN ACT OF LOVE did so through a blended family: two teens (boy, high school senior; daughter grade 9 or 10), madly in love parents.

The story moves swiftly from an opening emergency (suicide attempt by daughter) into life before and after the event.

I thought the gratuitous and graphic sex scene within the first 10 pages was unnecessary. I am not into 50 Shades of Gray. Plus there were numerous errors in spelling early on. Weird.

Nevertheless, she does keep us guessing about the accuser, the accused, and the outcome.

Anyway,

[Joanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was a train wreck so of course, I was totally sucked in. It's not really all that great but I gave it 3 stars because I flew through it. The book is about a blended family who seem to have it all worked out until the girl accuses her stepbrother of rape. The concept of how the couple deal with feeling torn between their respective children is interesting but somehow it just didn't all come together.

[Paula · Rating 1 out of 5]

I can't believe what I just read -- and not in a good way. This book should come with a trigger warning for rape victims, for one. For another (and spoiler alert) spoiled prep school boy gets away with rape not once, but twice and his only consequence to this is therapy, where the therapist says 'but he needs to feel powerful so it's not surprising he'd act like this'. Like, wtf.

[Debbie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this book to be very moving...two blended familes and the problems that grow within. If this had not been a Nancy Thayer book I would not have pick it up, but I'm glad I did. I could not put it down.

[Suzanne Urban · Rating 3 out of 5]

A story about a family that is broken by an accusation of rape. It comes down to "who do you believe" in this situation. A good story but somewhat depressing.
4.5 on a 5.0 scale

[Ari Terry · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an interesting book. I thought they over simplified emotions and the way people would react in certain situations, but it was overall pretty good.

[Cindy · Rating 1 out of 5]

I gave this book 2 stars only because of the tenor of the story. This young girl was RAPED! And by her step brother. But it’s no less a crime. Secondly, her therapists didn’t report it to authorities as is their obligation required BY LAW, and NOT negotiated by any family members. Ever. That is federal law. And to put this young woman thru the wringer by having multiple people not believe her is astonishing. Horrible, unacceptable and completely unrealistic. And to cover this families wreckage either by “love” and “doing the right thing” is abhorrent.

My daughter was raped while she was in college by a person in authority, and I can assure you that as her mother the ONLY thing I was concerned for was her well being and NOT her rapist. She didn’t rape herself. She was a victim. It completely changed the trajectory of her life. I was NOT concerned for her perpetrator, but for the welfare of my daughter. Also, I’m astonished her family didn’t believer her and immediately make moves to protect her and also protect others around so that they wouldn’t be future victims. Bruce’s girlfriend would not have been raped if they had come forward and had the adjudication and help all parties needed. Alison’s rape is completely the parents fault. They were too concerned with how it would look for Bruce. He is a rapist.

This is an unrealistic view of rape. Rape is a life altering situation that unfortunately places the burden for recovery on the victims and not the perpetrator.

Nancy Thayer, you got this all wrong. You have no idea how traumatized many of your readers are from your complete lack of knowledge and understanding of rape and its aftermath.

I will never, ever read another of your books as long as I live. I hope you read this, however, I doubt it.

[Dale Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

An Act of Love is the story of a step brother and step sister. The step sister has a breakdown because her step brother raped her. It was written in 1997 and had information on how rape and mental illness was treated at that time. The story was told from the viewpoint of her father, her mother, Emily, and her brother. I found myself liking the book- the stories of the hospital and the family absorbed me and I could imagine everyone's experience and some of their emotions. But it was a heavy book and not a good escape novel. You have to want to learn about treatment of trauma victims to really love this book. On the other hand, it was tasteful and left out some of the more jarring details.

[Elyzabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

A new look into Mental Health

I have not personally experienced mental health issues in my family , but I gained new respectful insights for those that do. I did not relate to the characters but I cared about them . I felt carried along by the story and went through many emotions of doubt, judgement and surprise and wanting to know what happens next. This is a departure from the many other Nancy Thayer novels I've read but no less enjoyable after "visiting" Nantucket through her. I would highly recommend it as an informative , insightful and caring read for and about survivors who truly need acts of love to learn to love themselves.

[Misty · Rating 5 out of 5]

What it’s about: An Act of Love is about a step-family in crisis. The novel concerns a mother and her daughter and a father and his son. The parents believe they have done a good job raising their children until their daughter ends up in a psychiatric ward. This is a sort of mystery. Neither the characters nor the reader knows what has really happened. The children are pitted against each other testing the loyalties of the parents, threatening the foundations of the family.

Is it for you? If you enjoy stories about blended families and how they endure trials and still hold onto love, you should read this book.

[Kristine · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm a huge fan of Nancy Thayer's beach reads set in Cape Cod/Nantucket and never fail to read her latest release each June. Since I already finished "Secrets of Summer" in May, I craved a similar read the following month. "An Act of Love" was published 20 years ago and nothing like Thayer's books that gave her her current platform. I found amazing depth in the plot and adversity in the characters. This reads like a Jodi Picoult novel in that the plot is larger-than-life and dips into the unimaginable, but isn't that why we like reading fiction?

[Barbara · Rating 2 out of 5]

When I first starting reading this book, I looked at some reviews, and many were really negative. I was surprised because I thought it was a good story, although the married couple was a little unbelievable, but ok. Then I got to last last quarter or so of the book and it made me SO angry. It's hard to describe without a SPOILER ALERT. But having more empathy for a perpetrator than for the victim(s) is not cool.

[Marta Ratliff · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not your typical Nancy Thayer

An Act of Love is a great book! Different from what I am used to reading with Nancy Thayer but very good. A blended family that seems perfect till some problems occur with the children. With a lot of hard work and love the parents survive and are able to move on with their lives. This is a perfect love story!

[Jana · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a griping story of two families that have experienced divorce and remarriage. The undercurrents unseen in the children in this circumstance manifest themselves through emotional and even violent acts.

[Sherry · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a super interesting topic. The story was great, and I didn’t want to put it down. I was devouring the book and enjoyed it so much, UNTIL the end. There was no big surprise, no great twist, and the whole thing just fell flat at the end. I was very disappointed ☹️

[stacie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book isn't like her current genre of books. It is quite a heavy book about a teen who is raped by her stepbrother and how the family unit tries to move on from that. It was written in the 1990s so things are a bit dated and likely were handled differently than they would be today.

[Mary Kamrath · Rating 3 out of 5]

The plot of this book is interesting and held my attention until the end. However, sometimes it felt as if the story needed to move on and become a bit more involved. The use of multiple storylines may have added to the interest of this book.