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A Week at the Shore
In A Week at the Shore, New York Times bestselling author Barbara Delinsky explores how lives and relationships are forever changed when three sisters reunite at their family Rhode Island beach house.
One phone call is all it takes to lure real estate photographer Mallory Aldiss back to her family Rhode Island beach home. It's been twenty years since she's been gone--running from the scandal that destroyed her parents' marriage, drove her and her two sisters apart, and crushed her relationship with her first love. But going home is fraught with emotional baggage--memories, mysteries and secrets abound.
Mal's thirteen-year-old daughter, Joy, has never been to the place where Mal's life was shaped and is desperate to go. Fatherless, she craves family and especially wants to spend time with the grandfather she barely knows.
In just seven watershed days on the Rhode Island coast three women will test the bonds of sisterhood, friendship and family, and discover the role that love and memory plays in defining their lives.
One phone call is all it takes to lure real estate photographer Mallory Aldiss back to her family Rhode Island beach home. It's been twenty years since she's been gone--running from the scandal that destroyed her parents' marriage, drove her and her two sisters apart, and crushed her relationship with her first love. But going home is fraught with emotional baggage--memories, mysteries and secrets abound.
Mal's thirteen-year-old daughter, Joy, has never been to the place where Mal's life was shaped and is desperate to go. Fatherless, she craves family and especially wants to spend time with the grandfather she barely knows.
In just seven watershed days on the Rhode Island coast three women will test the bonds of sisterhood, friendship and family, and discover the role that love and memory plays in defining their lives.
432 pages, Paperback
First published May 19, 2020
3816 people are currently reading
11476 people want to read
About the author
Barbara Delinsky
307 books4,357 followersI was born and raised in suburban Boston. My mother’s death, when I was eight, was the defining event of a childhood that was otherwise ordinary. I took piano lessons and flute lessons. I took ballroom dancing lessons. I went to summer camp through my fifteenth year (in Maine, which explains the setting of so many of my stories), then spent my sixteenth summer learning to type and to drive (two skills that have served me better than all of my other high school courses combined). I earned a B.A. in Psychology at Tufts University and an M.A. in Sociology at Boston College. The motivation behind the M.A. was sheer greed. My husband was just starting law school. We needed the money.
Following graduate school, I worked as a researcher with the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children, and as a photographer and reporter for the Belmont Herald. I did the newspaper work after my first son was born. Since I was heavily into taking pictures of him, I worked for the paper to support that habit. Initially, I wrote only in a secondary capacity, to provide copy for the pictures I took. In time, I realized that I was better at writing than photography. I used both skills doing volunteer work for hospital groups, and have served on the Board of Directors of the Friends of the Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center and on the MGH’s Women’s Cancer Advisory Board.
I became an actual writer by fluke. My twins were four when, by chance, I happened on a newspaper article profiling three female writers. Intrigued, I spent three months researching, plotting, and writing my own book - and it sold.
My niche? I write about the emotional crises that we face in our lives. Readers identify with my characters. They know them. They are them. I'm an everyday woman writing about everyday people facing not-so-everyday challenges.
My novels are character-driven studies of marriage, parenthood, sibling rivalry, and friendship, and I’ve been blessed in having readers who buy them eagerly enough to put them on the major bestseller lists. One of my latest, Sweet Salt Air, came out in 2013. Blueprints, my second novel with St. Martin’s Press, became my 22nd New York Times bestselling novel soon after its release in June 2015. Making Up, my work in progress, will be published in 2018.
2018? Yikes. I didn’t think I’d live that long. I thought I’d die of breast cancer back in the 1900's, like my mom. But I didn’t. I was diagnosed nearly twenty years ago, had surgery and treatment, and here I am, stronger than ever and loving having authored yet another book, this one the non-fiction Uplift: Secrets From the Sisterhood of Breast Cancer Survivors. First published in 2001, Uplift is a handbook of practical tips and upbeat anecdotes that I compiled with the help of 350 breast cancer survivors, their families and friends. These survivors just ... blew me away! They gave me the book that I wish I’d had way back when I was diagnosed. There is no medical information here, nothing frightening, simply practical advice from friends who’ve had breast cancer. The 10th Anniversary Volume of Uplift is now in print. And the money I’ve made on the book? Every cent has gone to my charitable foundation, which funds an ongoing research fellowship at Massachusetts General Hospital.
Connect with me on Facebook: facebook.com/bdelinsky
Look for my photos on Instagram: instagram.com/barbaradelinsky
Following graduate school, I worked as a researcher with the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children, and as a photographer and reporter for the Belmont Herald. I did the newspaper work after my first son was born. Since I was heavily into taking pictures of him, I worked for the paper to support that habit. Initially, I wrote only in a secondary capacity, to provide copy for the pictures I took. In time, I realized that I was better at writing than photography. I used both skills doing volunteer work for hospital groups, and have served on the Board of Directors of the Friends of the Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center and on the MGH’s Women’s Cancer Advisory Board.
I became an actual writer by fluke. My twins were four when, by chance, I happened on a newspaper article profiling three female writers. Intrigued, I spent three months researching, plotting, and writing my own book - and it sold.
My niche? I write about the emotional crises that we face in our lives. Readers identify with my characters. They know them. They are them. I'm an everyday woman writing about everyday people facing not-so-everyday challenges.
My novels are character-driven studies of marriage, parenthood, sibling rivalry, and friendship, and I’ve been blessed in having readers who buy them eagerly enough to put them on the major bestseller lists. One of my latest, Sweet Salt Air, came out in 2013. Blueprints, my second novel with St. Martin’s Press, became my 22nd New York Times bestselling novel soon after its release in June 2015. Making Up, my work in progress, will be published in 2018.
2018? Yikes. I didn’t think I’d live that long. I thought I’d die of breast cancer back in the 1900's, like my mom. But I didn’t. I was diagnosed nearly twenty years ago, had surgery and treatment, and here I am, stronger than ever and loving having authored yet another book, this one the non-fiction Uplift: Secrets From the Sisterhood of Breast Cancer Survivors. First published in 2001, Uplift is a handbook of practical tips and upbeat anecdotes that I compiled with the help of 350 breast cancer survivors, their families and friends. These survivors just ... blew me away! They gave me the book that I wish I’d had way back when I was diagnosed. There is no medical information here, nothing frightening, simply practical advice from friends who’ve had breast cancer. The 10th Anniversary Volume of Uplift is now in print. And the money I’ve made on the book? Every cent has gone to my charitable foundation, which funds an ongoing research fellowship at Massachusetts General Hospital.
Connect with me on Facebook: facebook.com/bdelinsky
Look for my photos on Instagram: instagram.com/barbaradelinsky
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,142 reviews
June 16, 2020
Not much to say about this one. This was a slow (very slow) book and you don't even get what is going on and then the book focuses on a mystery of a missing woman. I didn't really care for the hero (Jack) in this one (he was verbally abusive I found and just a jerk) and I thought the heroine (Mallory) could do better. I honestly think this whole thing read like a very bad soap opera with a lot of misconceptions that could have been fixed if all characters had a honest talk. I didn't like the resolution to the mystery (it was lame) and I think that not all characters were very developed.
"A Week at the Shore" follows Mallory Aldiss who after an irate phone call from a long-time ex family friend Jack Sabathian, returns to her family's home in Rhode Island. Jack calls Mallory accusing her father of threatening him with a gun and telling her she needs to return home and stop leaving things to her younger sister. Mallory is a photographer living in New York with her daughter Joy and has not been home in 20 years. Mallory is partially estranged from both of her sisters, one that still lives in Rhode Island, and her father Tom who is suffering from Alzheimer's disease. Mallory's family fell apart after their neighbor Elizabeth Sabathian disappeared after taking a boat trip with her father 20 years earlier. Many people thought that Tom and Elizabeth were having an affair. Jack accused him of murdering his mother and Jack and Mallory fell apart. The story just follows Jack and Mallory and the sisters with them talking through memories and the truth of their family.
I can just say that I compared this to other Delinsky books I loved and this just didn't hit the sweet spot for me. Mallory was a pushover and I really didn't like her hemming and hawing over everything. She let her 13 year old daughter push her around. She let Jack push her around. I just thought the reveals she tried to get to about her family fell flat.
The other characters were underdeveloped. Jack was a jerk IMHO. The two sisters were barely in this it felt like. I didn't really like Joy. The other characters who were in this just felt like ghosts. Usually Delinsky novels have some really well grounded characters with issues that feel very true to life.
The writing at times though was really good (why I gave this a 2). When Delinsky focuses on how memory shapes thing, Mallory's childhood memories, the beach, the smells and locations around Mallory things really work. This book made me think about my childhood and playing in the woods near a creek on summer days and the smell of the creek and the green of the woods. How I could hear bees buzzing and hear the birds chirping with the occasional noise from an animal in the underbrush. If Delinsky had more of that I would have loved this book.
The flow of this book was just terrible. I think other reviewers noted how slow this is, and it is really slow. You don't start to see resolutions to anything until the last 20 percent of the book. Things just felt rushed at that point and I was just glad to be done with this one.
July 5, 2020
A Week at the Shore is relationship fiction at its best, as only Barbara Delinsky can write it. This novel covers a period of only seven days but, by the end of that time, you will feel like you know the Aldiss family very well. Mallory Aldiss returns with her teenage daughter to the small town in Rhode Island where she grew up with her two sisters. All is not well with the family and the troubles from twenty years ago are many: a disappearance that was never resolved, divorce, adultery, paternity, a love affair gone wrong, and many more issues. Like all families, the ups and downs dominate the reunion bringing joy, peace of mind, sorrow, life and death and love. This is a perfect summer book. Highly recommended. Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.
May 16, 2021
Can you believe this is my first Barbara Delinsky novel? She is a wonderful writer!
This one started off a bit slow but then took right off. I was so immersed into the story and family drama. This story had a bit of everything. A beautiful setting on the shores of Rhode Island, a diverse set of characters in a dysfunctional family and a pinch of mystery.
This is the story of three sisters who return to their family home in Rhode Island after twenty years of being away. Their father is now sick and there are family issues and questions that still need to be answered.
A perfect "beach" read but with a lot of substance!
I'd like to kindly thank NetGalley and St. Martin's Press with granting me access to this Advanced Reader Copy.
This one started off a bit slow but then took right off. I was so immersed into the story and family drama. This story had a bit of everything. A beautiful setting on the shores of Rhode Island, a diverse set of characters in a dysfunctional family and a pinch of mystery.
This is the story of three sisters who return to their family home in Rhode Island after twenty years of being away. Their father is now sick and there are family issues and questions that still need to be answered.
A perfect "beach" read but with a lot of substance!
I'd like to kindly thank NetGalley and St. Martin's Press with granting me access to this Advanced Reader Copy.
September 7, 2024
Mallory has been estranged from her father and two sisters and hasn’t been back to the beach town where she grew up in almost twenty years. When she gets a call saying her elderly father’s dementia is worsening, she returns home, where family conflict and secrets from twenty years ago begin to rear their heads. This was an interesting, character-driven novel that is a good read if you like books that take their time to unravel. I loved the descriptions and emotional component of it. There were parts that felt a bit longer than necessary. The twists as we got towards the end were good!
March 6, 2020
Who wants to spend A Week At the Shore? Delinsky takes us on an emotional journey in her latest novel. I think this is the perfect book to get out of the winter blues. I love books about family and when these three sisters get back together after 20 years at the shore where a tragedy took place you will not see what's coming. Will there be a happy ending?
4 stars and I can't wait for you all to grab your copy, I recommend this one.
4 stars and I can't wait for you all to grab your copy, I recommend this one.
September 18, 2021
After twenty years of running from the past, Mallory, middle daughter of the Aldiss family is back in Bay Bluff where she grew up. With Malory is her thirteen year old daughter, joy, who is the result of a sperm donation. This will give her a chance to get to know her grandfather before things deteriorate too far. Mallory’s father is showing signs of dementia and youngest daughter Annie needs some help and emotional support. But for Mallory returning home means facing up to too many questions that have never been answered, like what happened to Elizabeth that night she disappeared from the Aldiss boat? Was there something sinister happened that night? Was Tom Aldiss responsible or was it just a fatal accident? Is the fact that her father has a gun, a concern? Why has Mallory never felt she had the same love from her father as Annie and older sister Margo did? And how will Mallory react to seeing Jack again after the volley of angry words they threw at each other last time they were together?
This is very much a character driven novel about family relationships. The characters are well drawn and easy to relate to. I particularly liked Mallory’s daughter, Joy. What a relief to have a book where the teenager is not an absolute brat but a likeable and caring young girl. I found it easy to get swept up into the family dynamics. If this story. Not sure about some aspects of the ending but all in all, an enjoyable and involving read that I would recommend to all who like stories of families and secrets.
This is very much a character driven novel about family relationships. The characters are well drawn and easy to relate to. I particularly liked Mallory’s daughter, Joy. What a relief to have a book where the teenager is not an absolute brat but a likeable and caring young girl. I found it easy to get swept up into the family dynamics. If this story. Not sure about some aspects of the ending but all in all, an enjoyable and involving read that I would recommend to all who like stories of families and secrets.
July 25, 2021
Thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for a physical arc in exchange for an honest review.
Barbara Delinsky is one of those authors that you can read at the beach, the camp, the couch or the bathtub. Literally, you are going to take her tales of mothers, daughters, sisters on the path to unveiling secrets, finding love, and above all forgiveness. I was hooked from beginning to end and I was in the middle of the woods by a river.
Goodreads review published 25/07/21
Barbara Delinsky is one of those authors that you can read at the beach, the camp, the couch or the bathtub. Literally, you are going to take her tales of mothers, daughters, sisters on the path to unveiling secrets, finding love, and above all forgiveness. I was hooked from beginning to end and I was in the middle of the woods by a river.
Goodreads review published 25/07/21
May 25, 2020
I have read Barbara Delinsky's novels in the past and enjoyed them. This one, however, was very disappointing. The story line was all over the place and I found the characters unbelievable.
April 25, 2020
I won this book in a Goodreads Giveaway. It comes out May 5th. Pleasant enough story, but just an ok read for me. I feel badly that this is my reaction as I know Barbara Delinsky has a lot of fans who would have loved to have won this book and read it before the publication date. ☹️
June 21, 2020
Boring! Hard to finish!
I’ve read a lot of Barbara’s books but this one was brutally boring from the beginning. I almost couldn’t finish it. I was hopeful something was going to happen to intrigue me but no. Boring and predictable to the end. Very disappointed!
I’ve read a lot of Barbara’s books but this one was brutally boring from the beginning. I almost couldn’t finish it. I was hopeful something was going to happen to intrigue me but no. Boring and predictable to the end. Very disappointed!
July 8, 2021
Heartwarming, sentimental, and sweet!
A Week at the Shore is an intimate, moving tale that sweeps you away to the beautiful Rhode Island coast in summer and immerses you into the lives of the Aldiss sisters, Mallory, Anne, and Margo, as they confront the past, accept the things they cannot change, take chances, repair fractured relationships, and embrace the future.
The prose is emotive and fluid. The characters are troubled, stubborn, and compassionate. And the plot is a tender tale about life, loss, love, forgiveness, secrets, responsibilities, familial drama, parenthood, friendship, hope, ageing parents, and second-chance romance.
Overall, I found A Week at the Shore to be another heartwarming, uplifting, nostalgic tale by Delinsky, complete with strong female characters, a heartfelt storyline, and an insightful look into the complex, unbreakable ties that bind us as family.
Thank you to St. Martin’s Press for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.
A Week at the Shore is an intimate, moving tale that sweeps you away to the beautiful Rhode Island coast in summer and immerses you into the lives of the Aldiss sisters, Mallory, Anne, and Margo, as they confront the past, accept the things they cannot change, take chances, repair fractured relationships, and embrace the future.
The prose is emotive and fluid. The characters are troubled, stubborn, and compassionate. And the plot is a tender tale about life, loss, love, forgiveness, secrets, responsibilities, familial drama, parenthood, friendship, hope, ageing parents, and second-chance romance.
Overall, I found A Week at the Shore to be another heartwarming, uplifting, nostalgic tale by Delinsky, complete with strong female characters, a heartfelt storyline, and an insightful look into the complex, unbreakable ties that bind us as family.
Thank you to St. Martin’s Press for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.
June 18, 2020
This is a big meaty book (figuratively, but also literally at 400+ in the trade paperback/hardback version) that really delivers if you enjoy family sagas, changing relationships and a little mystery thrown in. The setting is wonderful; a charming town and so-lifelike shore. The main characters are three sisters who are forced to confront their past and establish their future. Delinsky writes it all so well; the dialogue, the settings, the developing mysteries, the romance (s). Hard to put down if you want to escape to the shore for a week.
March 12, 2020
Highly emotional and a bit like a mystery wrapped up in a family drama. I lost count of how many times I set this book down saying what just happened?! Barbara Delinsky manages to pull me in again with a story I won’t stop thinking about for awhile.
February 18, 2020
I want to thank St Martin's Press for this advanced readers copy. I have read many of Barbara Delinsky's book's and I have to say I have enjoyed most of them. Barbara Delinsky know's how to tell a good story and this is no exception. Mallory has been away from her family home for twenty years and she decides to return too the home on the beach in Rhode Island where she grew up. Now as a grown women with a 13 yr old daughter she's dealing with her painful family past, secret's and her first love. I definately recommend this book.
May 31, 2020
A Week At The Shore
Barbara Delinsky
Barbara Delinsky’s latest novel is outstanding a real gem that has something for everyone, family drama, second chance romance, secrets and a decades old mystery that has torn apart not one but two families. Her main protagonist Mallory is very genuine and a trooper, an optimist when she could have so easily become a darker figure because of her past, her daughter Joy is a breath of fresh air, bubbly, girlish and still an old wise soul. The family dynamics is intense and the audience will be breathless waiting to uncover all the secrets and lies.
So if you’re looking for that perfect beach read or in these times a shelter in place read and your forte is a gripping story, over the top dysfunctional family drama, a long buried secret and characters that pop from the page give A Week At The Shore a try, you won’t be disappointed.
Narration:
The narration by Therese Plummer is spot on her female voices and her delineation between Mallory’s adult and the teenaged exuberance of Joy is outstanding and her male voices are really good too. Plus the added emotion she places in just the right spots are excellent.
Successful real estate photographer Mallory Aldiss and her teenage-daughter Joy have a good life in Manhattan but when she receives a phone call from a former hometown friend it sends her reeling, sends her back to a painful time in her life and sends her back to the small Rhode Island shore town where she grew up and the family she’s been estranged from for twenty years. She doesn’t know what to think about what awaits her she only knows that her father is ill and she just has to put on her big girl panties get there and see what’s really going on. And just maybe she’ll be able to find out more about the night that tore her family apart and tore her apart from the boy she once loved. Maybe she’ll never find out the truth but she’ll never know if she doesn’t step on the gas and get there.
Barbara Delinsky
Barbara Delinsky’s latest novel is outstanding a real gem that has something for everyone, family drama, second chance romance, secrets and a decades old mystery that has torn apart not one but two families. Her main protagonist Mallory is very genuine and a trooper, an optimist when she could have so easily become a darker figure because of her past, her daughter Joy is a breath of fresh air, bubbly, girlish and still an old wise soul. The family dynamics is intense and the audience will be breathless waiting to uncover all the secrets and lies.
So if you’re looking for that perfect beach read or in these times a shelter in place read and your forte is a gripping story, over the top dysfunctional family drama, a long buried secret and characters that pop from the page give A Week At The Shore a try, you won’t be disappointed.
Narration:
The narration by Therese Plummer is spot on her female voices and her delineation between Mallory’s adult and the teenaged exuberance of Joy is outstanding and her male voices are really good too. Plus the added emotion she places in just the right spots are excellent.
Successful real estate photographer Mallory Aldiss and her teenage-daughter Joy have a good life in Manhattan but when she receives a phone call from a former hometown friend it sends her reeling, sends her back to a painful time in her life and sends her back to the small Rhode Island shore town where she grew up and the family she’s been estranged from for twenty years. She doesn’t know what to think about what awaits her she only knows that her father is ill and she just has to put on her big girl panties get there and see what’s really going on. And just maybe she’ll be able to find out more about the night that tore her family apart and tore her apart from the boy she once loved. Maybe she’ll never find out the truth but she’ll never know if she doesn’t step on the gas and get there.
January 3, 2020
Unfortunately, the synopsis sounded better than the book turned out to be. I found it very choppy and, in all honesty, boring. I had a really hard time getting through the first half and then I gave up. I've read books by this author in the past and have enjoyed them; this one just didn't do it for me.
May 15, 2020
This book releases in a few days, be sure to get your copy!! I should have savored it of course, but once I started, I just kept turning pages. I've been reading Barbara Delinsky for years, and she never disappoints! A great read for summer!
July 14, 2020
I won this book in a goodreads giveaway.Thank you St. Martins Press. A good summer read. A family drama about three sisters who after 20 years are together at the family home in a small beach town in Rhode Island. They are trying to solve an intriguing mystery involving their father and trying to heal fractured relationships.
May 22, 2020
A Week at the Shore by Barbara Delinsky has Mallory Aldiss, a real estate photographer, heading back to Bay Bluff, Rhode Island with her daughter. Mallory dreads returning to her hometown, but she is worried about her father after receiving a disturbing phone call. Joy, Mallory’s thirteen-year-old daughter, is thrilled to finally visit her mother’s hometown. Joy wants to connect with her grandfather and aunt who live there. Soon, Mallory’s older sister, Margo arrives, and it is a full-fledged family reunion. Mallory will finally have to deal with the memories and feelings that she has kept suppressed for the last twenty years. Seven days in Bay Bluff is a chance to spend time with her family and forge a new future. I was expecting a breezy summer novel when I began A Week at the Shore. This story did not feel as if it was written by Barbara Delinsky. I struggled to get through this book (it was a chore). The characters felt flat and lifeless except for Joy. Joy did not act like a teenager most of the time. It seemed as if Joy ran the household instead of Mallory. Mallory (I did not like her) was all over the place. I wish the author had taken the time to introduce the main characters in the beginning (what I call “setting the stage”). The author tackles various subjects in A Week at the Shore. There is no subtlety. I felt like each issue was being attacked with a sledgehammer. There is a sweet pit bull in the story and Mallory goes on a rant about their dangers, etc. I am not sure what Jack saw in Mallory (or what she saw in him). The pacing in A Week at the Shore is slow (I have seen snails move faster) and it lacked a good flow. The mystery of the missing woman was disappointing. The ending was rushed (if you get that far), but it was better than the rest of the book. While I have enjoyed other novels by Barbara Delinsky, this one was not for me. A Week at the Shore is a dramatic family tale with a missing woman, a father’s illness, an old boyfriend, and sisters.
January 26, 2020
Mallory reluctantly returns home to Bay Bluff, Rhode Island after a lengthy time away. When a phone call from home triggers fears about her father's health, she makes the decision to drive to the shore for a week with her teenage daughter, Joy in tow.
Mallory's world was torn about twenty years prior with the mysterious disappearance of a close family friend, and the consequential break-up of her budding romance with the boy-next-door. Much has changed over the years; she is the link between her two sister's, who do not speak. Her parents divorce caused a riff between the family, and sides were drawn. The house she grew up in the same, yet has suffered neglect as well. Her father is as harsh as ever, but is also suffering through health issues he and her sister are trying to ignore. She spent twenty years creating a new life for herself, trying to ignore the past, but it will not be ignored. Mallory's week at home unearths some harsh truths, and as the week passes Mallory learns more of herself, her parents marriage and why so much happened as it did.
I enjoyed reading this book, and as more of the story was revealed, Mallory's thought process became more clear, as did the reason for the harshness of characters throughout the story. This is the story of several families torn apart by selfishness and stubbornness. The choices we all make have such an impact on those around us, and the characters in this story are no exception. Barbara Delinsky has long been a favorite author of mine. Her books are classified as romance, yet I feel they are more substantial books of women's fiction. Barbara writes stories of ordinary people searching for solutions in an ordinary, realistic world.
Mallory's world was torn about twenty years prior with the mysterious disappearance of a close family friend, and the consequential break-up of her budding romance with the boy-next-door. Much has changed over the years; she is the link between her two sister's, who do not speak. Her parents divorce caused a riff between the family, and sides were drawn. The house she grew up in the same, yet has suffered neglect as well. Her father is as harsh as ever, but is also suffering through health issues he and her sister are trying to ignore. She spent twenty years creating a new life for herself, trying to ignore the past, but it will not be ignored. Mallory's week at home unearths some harsh truths, and as the week passes Mallory learns more of herself, her parents marriage and why so much happened as it did.
I enjoyed reading this book, and as more of the story was revealed, Mallory's thought process became more clear, as did the reason for the harshness of characters throughout the story. This is the story of several families torn apart by selfishness and stubbornness. The choices we all make have such an impact on those around us, and the characters in this story are no exception. Barbara Delinsky has long been a favorite author of mine. Her books are classified as romance, yet I feel they are more substantial books of women's fiction. Barbara writes stories of ordinary people searching for solutions in an ordinary, realistic world.
August 28, 2020
I wanted to like this book, but for me it was very slow and the story was not that interesting. Some mysteries from the past were never resolved. Mallory comes to the shore to reunite with her father and sister who takes care of him.
Jack lives next door and he is a love interest of Mallory's from long ago. Twenty years ago there was a boating accident which involved Mallory's father and Jack's mother. Jack's mother was never found. There's also a question as to who Mallory's father really is. This book is a little over 400 pages, and I suffered through most of them.
Jack lives next door and he is a love interest of Mallory's from long ago. Twenty years ago there was a boating accident which involved Mallory's father and Jack's mother. Jack's mother was never found. There's also a question as to who Mallory's father really is. This book is a little over 400 pages, and I suffered through most of them.
June 16, 2020
Wow!! Review to follow!💜
May 7, 2020
A Week at the Shore, at first, seems like a breezy summer read. But the cover and the title don’t reveal the true depth of the story.
Mallory hasn’t been home to see her dad in a long time. She escaped to New York and has a great life as a photographer and raising her teenage daughter. When she gets a strange call from her ex-boyfriend (her dad is threatening him with a gun), Mallory thinks her father is sicker than her sister ever let on. Her daughter convinces her they should visit him so Joy can bond with her family. Mallory gives in to her daughter. Their visit starts a cascade surrounding a decades-old mystery of a woman who died while on a boat with her father.
The characters are all very flat. The main character seems almost like she has no personality; she takes from other characters. Her teenage age daughter basically runs her life (and doesn't act like a teenager at all) and Mallory absorbs the emotions of those around her second-guessing her own.
Delinsky uses a hammer to tackle every topic. There is very little finesse which seems odd for the author. Usually, her stories are deep and subtle allowing the readers to absorb the ideas. Mallory suddenly thinks that she has another parent and acts like she has thought that for a long time but there is nothing before in the book to back that theory. There was no subtle lead up to the idea.
Even so, plot-wise, she manages to throw a few curbs balls. But in the end, it wasn’t enough to save the novel. I won’t recommend this one when I make a suggestion to my friends about this author.
Though the subject matter is thoughtful, it’s not written very well, living me with a bad taste in my mouth.
I received an ARC through NetGalley; all opinions are my own.
Mallory hasn’t been home to see her dad in a long time. She escaped to New York and has a great life as a photographer and raising her teenage daughter. When she gets a strange call from her ex-boyfriend (her dad is threatening him with a gun), Mallory thinks her father is sicker than her sister ever let on. Her daughter convinces her they should visit him so Joy can bond with her family. Mallory gives in to her daughter. Their visit starts a cascade surrounding a decades-old mystery of a woman who died while on a boat with her father.
The characters are all very flat. The main character seems almost like she has no personality; she takes from other characters. Her teenage age daughter basically runs her life (and doesn't act like a teenager at all) and Mallory absorbs the emotions of those around her second-guessing her own.
Delinsky uses a hammer to tackle every topic. There is very little finesse which seems odd for the author. Usually, her stories are deep and subtle allowing the readers to absorb the ideas. Mallory suddenly thinks that she has another parent and acts like she has thought that for a long time but there is nothing before in the book to back that theory. There was no subtle lead up to the idea.
Even so, plot-wise, she manages to throw a few curbs balls. But in the end, it wasn’t enough to save the novel. I won’t recommend this one when I make a suggestion to my friends about this author.
Though the subject matter is thoughtful, it’s not written very well, living me with a bad taste in my mouth.
I received an ARC through NetGalley; all opinions are my own.
February 16, 2020
I enjoyed this latest book by Barbara Delinksy. It’s the perfect beach read and I loved all of the characters and the story line was good. It was a little slow in the beginning but then I started to enjoy it more. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this early release in exchange for my honest review. Due to be published May 2020.
March 10, 2020
A Week at the Shore is a family drama with all the baggage that comes with an event which tears a family apart and forces three daughters to choose sides following their parents divorce. An unsolved mystery and the news that Mallory’s father is slipping into dementia brings Mallory and her teenage daughter Joy home to Bay Bluff, Rhode Island.
Her relationship with her father is complex. Mal, a middle child, has always felt other, disliked by her father for no apparent reason. She has spent her adult life keeping her distance from him. She and her older sister Margo stayed in contact with their mother after their parents divorced and distanced themselves from their dad. Youngest sister Anne chose to stay behind in Bay Bluff, starting her own business and doing her best for her dad as he slips from domineering Judge into a confused and fear-filled old man.
As beach reads go, this is a long book. Delinsky takes her time exploring family dynamics, unsolved mysteries and old relationships renewed. The strained relationship between the sisters kept me turning pages even if I wasn’t overly fond of living inside the mind of Mallory. Mallory’s relationship with her daughter is special, then falls by the wayside as Mallory reconnects with an old flame from her childhood. Those seven days at the shore seem to last for weeks and I found myself losing interest in the mysteries of the past, along with my curiosity to see how things would resolve for the families involved in the present.
Immersive yes, memorable, not so much. I suppose that does make it the perfect beach read.
ARC received from publisher via NetGalley for review.
Her relationship with her father is complex. Mal, a middle child, has always felt other, disliked by her father for no apparent reason. She has spent her adult life keeping her distance from him. She and her older sister Margo stayed in contact with their mother after their parents divorced and distanced themselves from their dad. Youngest sister Anne chose to stay behind in Bay Bluff, starting her own business and doing her best for her dad as he slips from domineering Judge into a confused and fear-filled old man.
As beach reads go, this is a long book. Delinsky takes her time exploring family dynamics, unsolved mysteries and old relationships renewed. The strained relationship between the sisters kept me turning pages even if I wasn’t overly fond of living inside the mind of Mallory. Mallory’s relationship with her daughter is special, then falls by the wayside as Mallory reconnects with an old flame from her childhood. Those seven days at the shore seem to last for weeks and I found myself losing interest in the mysteries of the past, along with my curiosity to see how things would resolve for the families involved in the present.
Immersive yes, memorable, not so much. I suppose that does make it the perfect beach read.
ARC received from publisher via NetGalley for review.
February 5, 2020
Thanks to Goodreads and St. Martin's Press for this ARC.
Barbara Delinsky has always been my go to for beach reads and about families and this is no exception. I felt I should have read this at the beach since it takes place in RI in a house practically on the beach.
As for the sisters, they are all different and all have different lives. Anne lives with their father, who has dementia, and owns a breakfast place. Margo is married with 2 kids and lives in CG with her husband who hasn't been back "home" in 20 years and then there's Mallory, the middle child, which the book focuses on more who lives with her daughter in NY, doing real estate photography. She goes back home because of her father.
A lot of the past is dredged up here with Jack, her former boyfriend, what happened with her father and Jack's mother 20 years ago, and about her disappearance on a boat with the sister's father, her mother, who divorced their father and then died tragically in a car accident in CG where she moves after her divorce.
Mallory finds out more about her life while there that's for sure and the ending is predictable for sure.
A good book overall by a good author.
Barbara Delinsky has always been my go to for beach reads and about families and this is no exception. I felt I should have read this at the beach since it takes place in RI in a house practically on the beach.
As for the sisters, they are all different and all have different lives. Anne lives with their father, who has dementia, and owns a breakfast place. Margo is married with 2 kids and lives in CG with her husband who hasn't been back "home" in 20 years and then there's Mallory, the middle child, which the book focuses on more who lives with her daughter in NY, doing real estate photography. She goes back home because of her father.
A lot of the past is dredged up here with Jack, her former boyfriend, what happened with her father and Jack's mother 20 years ago, and about her disappearance on a boat with the sister's father, her mother, who divorced their father and then died tragically in a car accident in CG where she moves after her divorce.
Mallory finds out more about her life while there that's for sure and the ending is predictable for sure.
A good book overall by a good author.
March 11, 2020
***I received a free copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
A Week at the Shore by Barbara Delinsky is a little bit mystery, a little bit romance, and quite a bit of family drama. Mallory left home 20 years ago and has never returned until now. Jack's mom disappeared 20 years ago and he hasn't spoken to Mallory again until now. One phone call from Jack makes Mallory realize it's time to return home to her father and sister to address concerns about her father.
This story is told from Mallory's point of view. She is a single mom and very independent from her family. There are a number of issues in this family. When Mallory returns home with her daughter, Joy, she must face her feelings about her father, Jack, and the secrets revolving around Jack's missing mom. There are quite a few secrets between a father and his three daughters.
I felt the beginning of the book moved very slowly for me. I had trouble connecting with the characters. The last 25% was great and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the opportunity to read and review this book.
Women's Fiction
Release Date: May 19, 2020
A Week at the Shore by Barbara Delinsky is a little bit mystery, a little bit romance, and quite a bit of family drama. Mallory left home 20 years ago and has never returned until now. Jack's mom disappeared 20 years ago and he hasn't spoken to Mallory again until now. One phone call from Jack makes Mallory realize it's time to return home to her father and sister to address concerns about her father.
This story is told from Mallory's point of view. She is a single mom and very independent from her family. There are a number of issues in this family. When Mallory returns home with her daughter, Joy, she must face her feelings about her father, Jack, and the secrets revolving around Jack's missing mom. There are quite a few secrets between a father and his three daughters.
I felt the beginning of the book moved very slowly for me. I had trouble connecting with the characters. The last 25% was great and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the opportunity to read and review this book.
Women's Fiction
Release Date: May 19, 2020
May 15, 2020
I didn't want to wait long to review this book after reading because I didn't want to forget even one part of it! As I read, I felt like I was reading a story about my family albeit without guns. Ms. Delinsky managed to probe current family life with all its joys and sorrows with amazing accuracy
The story centers around Mallory who has not been home to Rhode Island in 20 years. She's now a single mother with a teenage daughter. But she hasn't left the resentments, anger and questions behind. They still trouble her. She takes one week off to go home and try to compensate for all the missing years to help her sister.
Barbara Delinsky is an amazing author with insight into families and human emotion. Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the opportunity to read and provide an honest review of this book.
The story centers around Mallory who has not been home to Rhode Island in 20 years. She's now a single mother with a teenage daughter. But she hasn't left the resentments, anger and questions behind. They still trouble her. She takes one week off to go home and try to compensate for all the missing years to help her sister.
Barbara Delinsky is an amazing author with insight into families and human emotion. Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the opportunity to read and provide an honest review of this book.
November 7, 2020
Well-written, full-bodied characters created by the master of women's fiction, Barbara Delinsky. 4 1/2 stars out of 5.
Mallory Aldiss is a middle child, the peacemaker in her shattered family. As an adult, Mallory is a successful real estate photographer in NYC. When her daughter Joy (13) wants to spend the summer in Bay Bluff to get to know her grandfather & Aunt Anne, Mallory agrees on one week of vacation time. Coming home for Mallory has mixed emotions when the present is flooded by the past.
I volunteered to read an ARC from St Martin's Press through Net Galley.
Release date: May 19, 2020.
Mallory Aldiss is a middle child, the peacemaker in her shattered family. As an adult, Mallory is a successful real estate photographer in NYC. When her daughter Joy (13) wants to spend the summer in Bay Bluff to get to know her grandfather & Aunt Anne, Mallory agrees on one week of vacation time. Coming home for Mallory has mixed emotions when the present is flooded by the past.
I volunteered to read an ARC from St Martin's Press through Net Galley.
Release date: May 19, 2020.
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March 26, 2023I really liked this--I always like Barbara Delinsky--but it wasn't a favorite of hers. I had trouble empathizing, which is necessary for me, and a certain part of the story involving coincidence annoyed me. That being said, the read is definitely worth your time.
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