Innside Nantucket

by Frank B. Gilbreth Jr., Robert M. Gilbreth (Co-author), Barbara F. Gilbreth (Co-author)

Written by the author of Cheaper by the Dozen, Innside Nantucket is the story of the youngest Gilbreth son, Bob and his wife, Barbara. Told in Barbara's voice, it chronicles her introduction to Nantucket and all of the family Traditions that go with the vacation spot. After falling in love with the Island, they work towards opening an Inn. The book chronicles the many challenges of opening and running an Inn in a resort community.

Genres: Nonfiction, Travel, Biography, Memoir

231 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1954

About the author

Frank Bunker Gilbreth, Jr. (March 17, 1911 – February 18, 2001) was co-author, with his sister Ernestine, of Cheaper by the Dozen and Belles on Their Toes. Under his own name, he wrote Time Out for Happiness and Ancestors of the Dozen.

He was born in Plainfield, New Jersey, the 5th child (and first boy) of the 12 children born to efficiency experts Frank Gilbreth, Sr. and Lillian Moller Gilbreth, and grew up in the family home in Montclair, New Jersey.

During World War II, he served as a naval officer in the South Pacific. In 1947, he returned to The Post and Courier as an editorial writer and columnist. In his later years, he relocated to Charleston, South Carolina, where he went on to be a journalist, author and newspaper executive. Under nom de plume Ashley Cooper, he wrote a long-running column, "Doing the Charleston," for the Charleston paper The Post and Courier; it ran until 1993.

Reviews

[Gospodyina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just plain adorable. Partially about running a B&B when you're ill-prepared to do so, partially about behind-the-scenes Nantucket, and partially about marrying into a family with lots of Traditions. It may impact my opinion that I read it during family Christmas on Cape Cod.

[Jo-Ann Murphy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love Frank Gilbreth's books. They are very entertaining easy reads while imparting many good life and business tips.

This is the story of his brother's inn on Nantucket. The trials and tribulations of running a summer business on an island. Not to mention the difficulties of being on the island during the winter.

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

A truly delightful book. Officially written by Frank Gilbreth, it's really the story of his sister-in-law Barbara. When she marries Bob, the youngest son of the Gilbreth clan, he drags her to Nantucket for their honeymoon because it is Tradition. She falls in love with the Island and they begin working towards owning an inn. From inn-hunting to repairs that get out of control to crazy guests to the small town rumor mill, this book has it all. I giggled a lot, but mostly I just smiled. Some truly great characters float through this book. Highly recommended--if you can get your hands on a copy.

[Dana Perkins · Rating 5 out of 5]

As I child growing up on Nantucket, I spent some time playing with Ann, mentioned in the book. I remember the English Boxwood bushes in the yard at Anchor Inn, as I thought them unusual. Another item at the Inn that sticks out in my mind is the sheet ironer mentioned in the book.

[Robert · Rating 5 out of 5]

Trademark humor still relatable today, 60 years after publication.

[Mike Stewart · Rating 3 out of 5]

Since we had visited Nantucket a couple of summers in the early 90's, it was an easy sell when my son Nick recommended Innside Nantucket to me. Frank Gilbreth was a member the family that he introduced to America in Cheaper by the Dozen, which was also popular movie. His youngest brother, Bob, and wife Barbara ran an inn on Nantucket for a few years in the late 40's or early 50's, and the author was clearly captivated by their experiences. Gilbreth chose to tell their story from his sister-in-law Barbara's point of view; in fact, she is the narrator. The result is a charming, gentle memoir of the trials and tribulations of running an inn. Filled with local color and outrageous guests, Innside Nantucket is an amusing, satisfying read - also something of a cautionary tale for anyone contemplating opening a B&B.

[Chrisanne · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not as good as the prior books. But it had its amusing parts.

[Su · Rating 3 out of 5]

For me, nothing will hold a candle to the Gilbreth siblings' original Cheaper By the Dozen, but it is still fun to read the books of them as adults and what happened next.

[Melody · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've waited a long time for this book! I'm thankful that Melissa let me borrow her copy. I liked it very much, Gilbreth is in fine form here, impersonating his sister-in-law. It's a little labored in parts but overall it is a delightful slice of Nantucket-that-was and I recommend it to all the Betsy-Tacy people. Gilbreth's voice is very distinct and amusing, and I feel lucky that I've managed to get hold of 5 of his books!

[Rdittli · Rating 4 out of 5]

A pleasant look at the everyday of running a bed and breakfast in Nantucket in 1950. It is also fun to glimpse the later lives of the members of the Gilbreth clan (Cheaper by the Dozen) from an outside perspective.

[Cruse · Rating 4 out of 5]

It started rather slowly, but after the inn was bought it was his typical writing style with humorous scenarios.