The Prince of Nantucket

by Jan Goldstein

“I could never be a good father because I turned my back on being your son.” Perhaps Teddy Mathison is right when he makes this heart-wrenching confession to his dying mother, but is it really too late? The touching and surprising answer unfolds in this richly layered, tender story of a man who is primed to go far in life, but first must find his way home.

Teddy is a successful Los Angeles lawyer whose charm and formidable political skills have made him the leading candidate in the race to become the new U.S. senator from California. But behind the golden public persona lie some darker truths: his teenage daughter, Zoe, has barely spoken to him since his divorce from her mother and he has long been bitterly estranged from his own mother, a world-renowned painter. So when his sister asks Teddy to come back to Nantucket to spend some time with their ailing mother before Alzheimer’s steals her mind entirely, Teddy balks. But his campaign manager sees the perfect opportunity for a mother-son photo op that will jack up his weak family values poll numbers, and Teddy reluctantly agrees to the trip.

Once on Nantucket, Teddy is forced to confront feelings he’d long repressed. As he struggles with his mother’s illness and his daughter’s disdain, he learns some stunning truths—about the father he once
idolized and the shocking extent of his daughter’s pain. And when he meets a woman who challenges everything he thought he understood about relationships, he unexpectedly finds the life he never knew he wanted.


From the Hardcover edition.

Genres: Fiction, Beach Reads, Chick Lit

256 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2007

About the author

There is more than one author with this name in the database.

Jan Goldstein is the author of two national fiction bestsellers, All That Matters and The Prince of Nantucket, recently optioned for film. His work has been translated into more than a dozen foreign languages and has been selected for the New York Times Hot List as well as by the Book of the Month Club, the Doubleday Book Club, and the Quality Paperback Club. He is the recipient of a Presidential Award for Volunteer work in fostering arts in the inner city and was recently chosen as an international artist-in-residence at Ireland's famed Tyrone Guthrie Centre. Jan is this year's closing keynote speaker at the National Conference on Family Literacy.

He lives in Los Angeles with his wife, Bonnie, a noted clinical psychologist, and their eight year-old firecracker of a daughter, Shira.

Reviews

[Kristen · Rating 1 out of 5]

Was heading out on the road and grabbed this from the library shelf. Way too many "issues" being tackled in one book so that none were explored well and was so very predictable.

[Meredith · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was not literary genius. If you like books like the "Notebook" then you will like this one. It is about a man who finds himself on a life path that turned him into something far from his childhood dreams. He does lot of soul searching. I found it to be a good "beach novel".

[Jessica Adkins · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book started off grabbing my attention. I found the plot very compelling and wanted to see what would happen next. However, about 50 pages in the author's writing style started to annoy me. There is a lot of show don't tell where the author will explicitly say what each character is feeling and it makes it feel like the author doesn't have much faith in the reader to interpret it themselves. Additionally, the point of view will switch between characters within the same chapter or scene which was jarring to me. The plot lines within the story were also very predictable. Overall, not a bad read but I almost couldn't finish this book.

[Cathi · Rating 4 out of 5]

A new favorite author. Have enjoyed both his books, Prince of Nantucket and All That Matters, and both touched my heart and left me smiling. Believable characters and stories...and just like life there are some sad parts too, but love prevails.

[Colleen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Unexpected treat... More than a just beach read. Interesting family dynamics and secerts. Lots of topics covered...Communication issues, parenting, trauma, teen issues, alzheimer's, end of life, redemption, forgiveness and of course love.

[Sophiana · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quick read. A lot of story lines going on throughout the book… could have been one or so less. Could have guessed Teddy was going to give up on his campaign. Didn’t see Zoe having mental health issues or Kate essentially committing suicide coming g though.

[Cindy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun light summer read. This book read just like, and would make a great, Lifetime Original Movie. Good book to read on the beach.

[Patty Wilson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Listened to audiobook.

[Robbie Suite · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyed the book, but very predictable...

[Andrea · Rating 3 out of 5]

The main character of this book is such a jerk he nearly ruins the book. Like all good characters he does redeem himself enough to make the story have a good ending.

[Paula]

It was so long ago but I think I liked it!

[Ellie Pettee · Rating 3 out of 5]

Little cheesy

[Chelsea · Rating 3 out of 5]

It’s alright as a good “beach read” but Teddy’s “why me?” attitude and playboy ways in the first half of the novel and his mouthy daughter were just a bit much for me.

[Stefanie Jones · Rating 4 out of 5]

""

[Becky · Rating 2 out of 5]

"How did you deal with all of it?" he asked quietly. They both noticed the tenderness in his voice.
Liza glanced over at him with a strong, determined grin. "You cry a lot. There are unbearable pools of sadness. You get angry. You shut down. I didn't want anything to do with anyone. Practically starved myself for a while. Eventually, you find you don't much like yourself like that," she explained, taking a deep breath. "When you get there you have a choice." She paused. "Let it take you down, or allow the hurt to become a part of you." She nodded, remembering it.
"Seems to me you'd always be in pain that way," Teddy said as his eyes searched hers.
"No," she said, shaking her head firmly. "No, the pain turns into memory. And you honor that memory by living, I think." She nodded, tears forming in her eyes. "By creating, because that's you It's who you are."
Teddy recalled the words his mother had shared with him. "You have to become what you were born to be..."

[Pooch · Rating 3 out of 5]

A pompous Senatorial candidate living in CA grudgingly travels to see his ailing Mother in Nantucket. A divorced ladies' man with a 13-yr-old daughter, Ted Mathieson is summoned by his older sister who has been caretaker of their mother for many years and needs to take a vacation.

Their mother is a great artist dubbed the "Queen of Nantucket" hence the book's title. Ted's hatred for his mother along with his misconceptions based on childhood impressions lead him along a tortuous path that carries the story. Through the depths of his mother's dementia and illness, challenging truths emerge for Ted. This deeply moving story addressed some of my personal challenges. Perhaps it will do the same for you.

[Jean Perry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved it! His writing is so beautiful, almost lyrical. . He speaks to real issues, a teen having real probs w/ not having much connection w/ a father who is divorced from hr mother. The protagonist is the father who is forced by his sister to reconnect w/ a mother who he hasn't had a relationship w/ for decades. The mother is a renown artist living on Nantucket who hs alzheimer's, but hs lucid moments. It's a real story of how we make choices in our lives and often have md the choice of ambition and later in our lives begin to figure out that those roles are not necessarily what we want in the maturity of our lives. It also talks abt the reality of finding out as adults that what we tho't ws happening in our families in our youth was not the truth at all.

[Lynn · Rating 2 out of 5]

Patrons kept telling me how great this book was and how I just had to read it. IMHO it was not a valuable use of my time. I didn't care for the author's style. His writing reminds me a little of Mary Higgins Clark or Robin Cook in that I am drawn in by the story they are going to tell but I just don't particularly care for the way they use language. The message was about as subtle as a gorilla on your lap. The themes interested me - teen-aged daughters, parents with Alzheimer's, redemption, second chances etc. and, of course, the Nantucket setting was the major draw, too, but it just never grabbed me.

[Robin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was another quick-read. Teddy is divorced, estranged from his daughter and his mother. He is running for the U.S. Senate in California. However his mother is wasting away of Alzheimer's. She is a world-renownd artist that lives on Nantucket. They have been enstranged for many years. His campaign manager sees a photo opportunity, so Teddy goes to Nantucket to boost his ratings for "family values." At the same time his thirteen-year-old daughter is scheduled to visit for her annual two-weeks! The story is about past hurts, and memories, and saving a daughter that he worships. It is a touching story of the love (lost and forgotten) between parents and their children. I liked it.

[Danielle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another book I grabbed at the library, based on the description: a man reluctantly returns to his childhood home to face his dying mother, with his estranged teenage daughter in tow. Great potential! It's not a bad book, and it's a quick read, but without the emotional heft of Drowning Ruth or Crow Lake or Patron Saint of Liars - all books that I loved reading. And all from the same genre - my fav - books about dysfunctional families. And of course you want everything to work out, but this was so tidy, it felt a bit saccharine. It wasn't a waste of time or anything, but if I'm going to invest the time, I'm interested in just a bit more substance.

[Pearl · Rating 2 out of 5]

No, Jan Goldstein, you had me in "The Bride Will Keep Her Name," but why was "The Prince of Nantucket" such a drag? The same accessible writing style is still here, but the plot of "Prince" was really nothing to write home about. A callous politician goes back to his home in Nantucket, discovers a family secret, and suddenly goes from hating his Alzheimer-inflicted mother to loving and reconciling with her. Soooo realistic. Very inconsistent and not fully fleshed-out characters, though the ending did have an emotional punch reminiscent of The Notebook.

[Jeannie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a very quick read. I liked the Nantucket setting (live in MA)...Yes, it touched upon many, many issues (illness, miscommunication, betrayal, immaturity and loss of love) all at the same time, and for some readers it bogged down the story, but most families rarely deal with just one issue at the same time, so I did not find this distracting.

Agree that Goldstein's style of writing is similar to Nicholas Sparks's...many would consider that a compliment to be in such successful company.

[Katy · Rating 5 out of 5]

A senatorial candidate from CA is summoned home to spend time with his mother who is suffering from Alzheimers. He and his belligerent teenaged daughter go to Nantucket to find his mother, an acclaimed artist, is much worse than he realized. While spending the time with her, which is difficult because they've been estranged for more than 20 years, he realized how much he didn't know, how she protected him even as an adult, and how desperately his own daughter is hurting and suffering. His mother's last days becomes a change for each of them.

[JoAnn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very good book. A bit different from my normal family dramas. This one centers around a son who turned his back on his mother only to return as she approaches the last days of her life. He realizes all his ideas about his mother were incorrect and he learns that he is not ready to let her go. Also, there is the side story of the main characters trouble relationship with his own daughter. Nice story.

[Margery · Rating 3 out of 5]

Three stars - this was a "beach Book" (read it in an afternoon and consider it a love story.) Teddy, an L.A. lawyer has to learn to re-love his estranged 13 year old daughter and his estranged mother who is fading away with Alzheimer's. I enjoyed a fast read after plowing through Susan Vreeland's Luncheon of the Boating Party.

[Lori Flint · Rating 1 out of 5]

I only read the whole thing because the story itself had potential and the book wasn't completely unreadable. However, the characters were cookie-cutter, the dialogue was clunky and totally unrealistic and it read like a college sophomore living out on paper his fantasies of what he wanted his life to be like when he reached his 40s. The whole thing was about a subtle as an anvil.

[Andrea · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was the story about a man (Ted) in a calif. politial race, that comes to visit his ailing mother on Nantucket. His sister is the primary caretaker, and she guilts Ted into helping while she goes on vacation. Ted brings his estranged teenage daughter along - a publicist thinks it will be a great story.

[Niloofar · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very fast, easy read. The story was just ok (family problems.........mother/son, father/daughter, ex-husband,ex-wife) really nothing unique. He is a politician who finally puts his family first, um ok?? I liked the writing style and enjoyed it because after my last painful, horrible book I needed a easy read.

[Egm · Rating 4 out of 5]

The writing in this book is not great - it lacks the colorful phrases and descriptors of some of the other books I've read recently and the dialogue is flat, but the story is compelling nonetheless. I cared about the characters and found the relationships and issues poignant, even if at points I wondered about the realism. Overall, enjoyed this book a lot.

[Powder River Rose · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had no idea this story would affect me so profoundly; I too am going through a similar scenario with my own mother although we have always been close. This is a deeply moving, passionate story of courage in the midst of struggle, of finding one's way back and of undying love. I highly recommend this book.