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The Matchmaker: A Novel
In this moving story about losing and finding love again by “the grande dame of beach reads” (New York Times), a Nantucket woman sets out to find the perfect matches for those closest to her.
48-year-old Nantucketer Dabney Kimball Beech has always had a gift for matchmaking. Some call her ability mystical, while others, her husband, celebrated economist John Boxmiller Beech, and her daughter, Agnes, who is clearly engaged to the wrong man, call it meddlesome. But there's no arguing with her results: With 42 happy couples to her credit and all of them still together, Dabney has never been wrong about romance.
Never, that is, except in the case of herself and Clendenin Hughes, the green-eyed boy who took her heart with him long ago when he left the island to pursue his dream of becoming a journalist. Now, after spending 27 years on the other side of the world, Clen is back on Nantucket, and Dabney has never felt so confused, or so alive.
But when tragedy threatens her own second chance, Dabney must face the choices she's made and share painful secrets with her family. Determined to make use of her gift before it's too late, she sets out to find perfect matches for those she loves most.
48-year-old Nantucketer Dabney Kimball Beech has always had a gift for matchmaking. Some call her ability mystical, while others, her husband, celebrated economist John Boxmiller Beech, and her daughter, Agnes, who is clearly engaged to the wrong man, call it meddlesome. But there's no arguing with her results: With 42 happy couples to her credit and all of them still together, Dabney has never been wrong about romance.
Never, that is, except in the case of herself and Clendenin Hughes, the green-eyed boy who took her heart with him long ago when he left the island to pursue his dream of becoming a journalist. Now, after spending 27 years on the other side of the world, Clen is back on Nantucket, and Dabney has never felt so confused, or so alive.
But when tragedy threatens her own second chance, Dabney must face the choices she's made and share painful secrets with her family. Determined to make use of her gift before it's too late, she sets out to find perfect matches for those she loves most.
400 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published June 10, 2014
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35079 people want to read
About the author
Elin Hilderbrand
88 books60.8k followersElin Hilderbrand lives on Nantucket with her husband and their three young children. She grew up in Collegeville, Pennsylvania, and traveled extensively before settling on Nantucket, which has been the setting for her five previous novels. Hilderbrand is a graduate of Johns Hopkins University and the graduate fiction workshop at the University of Iowa.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 4,610 reviews
June 22, 2014
I didn't love this the way I've loved so many of Elin's books. The characters names drove me nuts - Dabney and Clendenin?!
May 3, 2014
On page 90 of THE MATCHMAKER by Elin Hilderbrand, she writes about her two main characters; "The two of them with their Ivy League degrees had spent the past year on Nantucket working jobs that were beneath them." It was at this sentence that the rest of the standard story became unimportant.
"Beneath them."
That bothers me.
Hilderbrand takes the omniscient point of view in the book, so that differentiating between the character's beliefs, the narrator's and her own are skewed. Yet every writer is responsible for what they write. From the above sentence Hilderbrand claims that those who graduate from Ivy League schools are too good to get their hands dirty, unless, perhaps, they are making scads of money doing it (as in archaeology). It also implies that people doing those lesser jobs for little money are "beneath," or lesser-people, than Ivy Leaguers. From there it is easy to wonder if the author feels that all collegians are above non-graduates.
It's a disturbing line flung into a world where all people are created equal. More disturbing that it comes from someone who is university educated.
"Beneath them."
That bothers me.
Hilderbrand takes the omniscient point of view in the book, so that differentiating between the character's beliefs, the narrator's and her own are skewed. Yet every writer is responsible for what they write. From the above sentence Hilderbrand claims that those who graduate from Ivy League schools are too good to get their hands dirty, unless, perhaps, they are making scads of money doing it (as in archaeology). It also implies that people doing those lesser jobs for little money are "beneath," or lesser-people, than Ivy Leaguers. From there it is easy to wonder if the author feels that all collegians are above non-graduates.
It's a disturbing line flung into a world where all people are created equal. More disturbing that it comes from someone who is university educated.
October 21, 2020
“She had a gift for love, the way other people have an eye for color.”
Slogging through the dregs of a humid Georgia summer eight months pregnant is uncomfortable, to say the least. And just the excuse I needed to elicit a second summer getaway to the beaches of Nantucket, courtesy of Elin Hilderbrand, and her lengthy beachy backlist.
Dabney Kimball Beech proves to be the ultimate tour guide. And rightly so, given she’s a Nantucket native who has served as the Director of the Island’s Chamber of Commerce for over two decades. Her love for people and place runs so deep, thoughts of stepping foot off the island elicits extreme bouts of anxiety. Not even the man who claimed her heart as his own when they were teenagers or their daughter could persuade Dabney to live anywhere other than Nantucket.
Instead, she willingly bids her first-love Clem adieu, setting him free to chase his dream as a reporter in Thailand. Requesting no further contact from him, she vows to raise their daughter alone. Twenty-seven years later, the journalist finds his way back to Nantucket and Dabney.
In the almost three decades that Clem has been off chasing the next big story, Dabney found love with a well-known economist. A patient man that undoubtedly knew in the back of his mind that he would never own Dabney’s whole heart. Still, that’s no excuse for Dabney’s misdeeds.
While the title alludes to a story centered around Dabney’s matchmaking, that’s not the case. And what a shame. Some of the best parts of the storyline come courtesy of the flashbacks from her matched couples and the pink or green aura she uses to gauge compatibility.
Instead, there are some not so subtle hints early on of where the storyline is heading for Dabney. And it’s eerily reminiscent of Hilderbrand’s latest release, 28 Summers. There are a host of similarities: Dabney (The Matchmaker) and Mallory’s (28 Summers) shared love for Nantucket and refusal to leave the island, to the infidelity they get caught up in, and ultimately where they end up in the end. Maybe the similarities wouldn’t have been so glaringly obvious had there been more time between my read throughs. Regardless of the overlap, I still enjoyed both trips to the island. Although, 28 Summers was the clear frontrunner.
Slogging through the dregs of a humid Georgia summer eight months pregnant is uncomfortable, to say the least. And just the excuse I needed to elicit a second summer getaway to the beaches of Nantucket, courtesy of Elin Hilderbrand, and her lengthy beachy backlist.
Dabney Kimball Beech proves to be the ultimate tour guide. And rightly so, given she’s a Nantucket native who has served as the Director of the Island’s Chamber of Commerce for over two decades. Her love for people and place runs so deep, thoughts of stepping foot off the island elicits extreme bouts of anxiety. Not even the man who claimed her heart as his own when they were teenagers or their daughter could persuade Dabney to live anywhere other than Nantucket.
Instead, she willingly bids her first-love Clem adieu, setting him free to chase his dream as a reporter in Thailand. Requesting no further contact from him, she vows to raise their daughter alone. Twenty-seven years later, the journalist finds his way back to Nantucket and Dabney.
In the almost three decades that Clem has been off chasing the next big story, Dabney found love with a well-known economist. A patient man that undoubtedly knew in the back of his mind that he would never own Dabney’s whole heart. Still, that’s no excuse for Dabney’s misdeeds.
While the title alludes to a story centered around Dabney’s matchmaking, that’s not the case. And what a shame. Some of the best parts of the storyline come courtesy of the flashbacks from her matched couples and the pink or green aura she uses to gauge compatibility.
Instead, there are some not so subtle hints early on of where the storyline is heading for Dabney. And it’s eerily reminiscent of Hilderbrand’s latest release, 28 Summers. There are a host of similarities: Dabney (The Matchmaker) and Mallory’s (28 Summers) shared love for Nantucket and refusal to leave the island, to the infidelity they get caught up in, and ultimately where they end up in the end. Maybe the similarities wouldn’t have been so glaringly obvious had there been more time between my read throughs. Regardless of the overlap, I still enjoyed both trips to the island. Although, 28 Summers was the clear frontrunner.
September 27, 2015
"spoilers"
This story is located in charming Nantucket and features these wonderfully dynamic characters:
Drabney: a middle-aged woman who avoids working all summer to get her hanky panky on with Clendenin. This leaves her best friend to do all the work and lie for her.
Agnes: Drabney's dimwitted daughter who is engaged to an abusive psychopath until nearly the end of the book and is surprised when he beats her up (after EVERYONE warns her of his controlling nature).
Clendenin: Agnes father and Drabney's former lover. He has no personality or redeeming qualities.
Box: a nice man who Drabney is married to. She doesn't bother to tell him she is having an affair even after being caught. She then takes the easy road out and dies of cancer, never having to own to her mistakes.
Celerie: a vegetable.
Riley: the sweet, kind, adorable, guitar-playing, always-there-for-you, handsome, holds your hand, respectful, just-tall-enough, ambitious but laid-back friend that Agnes begins to hang out with over the summer. I'm sure it was a complete shock to us all when they got together at the end.
This story is located in charming Nantucket and features these wonderfully dynamic characters:
Drabney: a middle-aged woman who avoids working all summer to get her hanky panky on with Clendenin. This leaves her best friend to do all the work and lie for her.
Agnes: Drabney's dimwitted daughter who is engaged to an abusive psychopath until nearly the end of the book and is surprised when he beats her up (after EVERYONE warns her of his controlling nature).
Clendenin: Agnes father and Drabney's former lover. He has no personality or redeeming qualities.
Box: a nice man who Drabney is married to. She doesn't bother to tell him she is having an affair even after being caught. She then takes the easy road out and dies of cancer, never having to own to her mistakes.
Celerie: a vegetable.
Riley: the sweet, kind, adorable, guitar-playing, always-there-for-you, handsome, holds your hand, respectful, just-tall-enough, ambitious but laid-back friend that Agnes begins to hang out with over the summer. I'm sure it was a complete shock to us all when they got together at the end.
June 25, 2014
Library Request, so happy I was able to sign this out from the library and not have spent money. I think I will stay away from any more novels from Elin Hilderbrand in the future. I can't tell you how I do not abide adultery for any reason, and yet this book I felt was rubbing it in my face and condoning it all because they claimed they loved the person, pleaaaaaase give it a rest already it's all about sex and selfishness on the adulterers position. But yet they continue to be selfish in carrying with affairs instead of dealing in allowing the spouses freedom to escape an unfair situation they caused them, to leave with there dignity in place. But no there selfishness isn't thinking about them at the time of all the great sex they were having.
Sorry I went off in a tangent there for a bit, but this book I felt did not provide any escape for me, that I enjoy when I pickup a good book. The characters and the writing I felt were so old sounding, it put me off from the start. Sorry if I could take back my time spent in reading this book I would have.
Sorry I went off in a tangent there for a bit, but this book I felt did not provide any escape for me, that I enjoy when I pickup a good book. The characters and the writing I felt were so old sounding, it put me off from the start. Sorry if I could take back my time spent in reading this book I would have.
June 13, 2014
Elin is probably my favorite author of all time. While I didn't love Beautiful Day as much as some of her others, I read it on Nantucket last year which heightened the experience. But! The Matchmaker has been one of my favorite reads of hers in a long time. For not being a crier, I basically bawled my eyes out for the last 20 pages. I'm a huge sucker for long lost love and this story spoke to my heart. I loved ALL the characters (okay, minus that Elizabeth woman), couldn't get enough and of course flew through the book quicker than I should have and am sad it's over. This is quite possibly up there with The Blue Bistro and The Island for me. SO GOOD.
January 7, 2015
So disappointing. Extremely predictable and Dabney is pathetic.
June 28, 2014
My coworker told me this was her favorite Hilderbrand.
To put it bluntly: NO. FUCKING. WAY.
I'm not going to spoil it for you, but let me just comment on the names. Dabney. Clen. Box. Riley. Celerie. CELERIE. There is a character named after a vegetable. Listen, Ms. Hilderbrand, people named Jane can live on Nantucket and have books written about them. I mean, good riddance. Celerie.
To put it bluntly: NO. FUCKING. WAY.
I'm not going to spoil it for you, but let me just comment on the names. Dabney. Clen. Box. Riley. Celerie. CELERIE. There is a character named after a vegetable. Listen, Ms. Hilderbrand, people named Jane can live on Nantucket and have books written about them. I mean, good riddance. Celerie.
March 11, 2015
Some parts of this book were actually pretty good, but others annoyed me so much it made my rating downgraded. Here are the things I disliked:
1. No matter how you approach the idea of "a perfect match" infidelity is infidelity and that leaves a horrible distaste in my mouth. So if he was your perfect match, tell your husband and separate. And don't get me started about leaving the job every day at noon for these trysts and how everyone covered up for her.
2. What is the author's obsession with always using first AND last names when mentioning a person. Never Nina, always Nina Mobley, never Elizabeth, always Elizabeth Jennings. Like we couldn't keep people straight, because the names (Celerie for heaven's sake) were not unique enough?
It wasn't a horrible book, and if you follow her Nantucket books, this one is helpful as part of the scope of people who live there, but it isn't all that great.
1. No matter how you approach the idea of "a perfect match" infidelity is infidelity and that leaves a horrible distaste in my mouth. So if he was your perfect match, tell your husband and separate. And don't get me started about leaving the job every day at noon for these trysts and how everyone covered up for her.
2. What is the author's obsession with always using first AND last names when mentioning a person. Never Nina, always Nina Mobley, never Elizabeth, always Elizabeth Jennings. Like we couldn't keep people straight, because the names (Celerie for heaven's sake) were not unique enough?
It wasn't a horrible book, and if you follow her Nantucket books, this one is helpful as part of the scope of people who live there, but it isn't all that great.
November 13, 2021
This is a Women's Fiction/Chick-Lit. I liked the characters. I did think the storyline pacing was a little off at times. There was nothing wrong with this book, but I just found it ok.
June 22, 2014
I usually find Hilderbrand books entertaining bits of fluff but this one is just awful. There is not a character that I cared about or a plot development I didn't see coming for miles. Usually when I read her books, I long for a trip to the beach but not with this one. All I wanted to do was be finished reading it. Not since
(which coincidentally plays a role in this book) have I cared so little when a main character dies. Ooops, should have said spoiler alert before including that but since everything in this book is obvious from the first chapter, I didn't think it was necessary.
(which coincidentally plays a role in this book) have I cared so little when a main character dies. Ooops, should have said spoiler alert before including that but since everything in this book is obvious from the first chapter, I didn't think it was necessary.
January 24, 2015
I really, really enjoy Elin Hilderbrand's books, but this one was just SO AWFUL for many, many reasons. The names are just ridiculous, and listening on audio made them even more pronounced. I became increasingly annoyed by them as the story progressed and particularly loathed "The Economist" and Agnes (a grown woman) calling her mother "mommy". I did not like even ONE of the characters, and the plot was just bad. There were so many moments in this story that I thought, "This wouldn't happen" or "Is this REALLY happening?" One of my favorites is when Dabney loses her job and is shocked by it, even though she basically didn't work for an entire summer. I don't care if you're the Olympic gold medalist of your field...you are probably losing your job if you well, stop going so you can make sweet, sweet love in the afternoon.
This has replaced Nantucket Nights as my least favorite by the author.
This has replaced Nantucket Nights as my least favorite by the author.
November 1, 2018
This will teach me to read the synopsis before starting a book. Elin Hilderbrand clearly hints about the outcome of this book but sadly, I didn't read it and I just thought: "What a cute name for a book". I will say it was a very deceiving title and it left me completely unprepared for my feelings as I started approaching the end of The Matchmaker. It was, to say the least, a bittersweet story.
As with her prior books, Elin Hilderbrand takes you back to the Island of Nantucket with its charming people, beautiful sceneries and the unraveling of a specific family or character's life.
Dabney Kimball Beech has always loved only one man, Clendenin Hughes. When he left the island twenty-seven years ago in the pursuit of his dream as a journalist, he took her heart with him. She did marry a man that she has come to care for, John Boxmiller Beech.
Box is a famous economist whom even the President of the United States likes to consult from time to time. When Clendenin left he didn't know Dabney was pregnant with their daughter, Agnes. Box took the role of a father as Agnes starting growing up. Now as a young woman, Agnes is dating an older man. Someone Dabney doesn't approve of.
To make her life even more interesting, Dabney receives an email from Clendenin. In it, he tells her that he's coming back to Nantucket and he wants to reconnect with her. This piece of news will mark the beginning of a new chapter in Dabney's life.
Dabney was a very nice woman. She was a huge believer in love and she tried to help everyone around her. For this reason, everyone liked her. She was friendly, sweet and she had a stellar reputation as a matchmaker. A total of Forty-two couples were together because of Dabney. The only one she never got right was her own love story. She was in love with Clendenin from the first moment he joined her school. His return to the island brings chaos into her life. Too many things are happening too fast for Dabney. She will need to learn to deal with all of her new emotions and decide if it's too late for her and Clendenin or if she continues living comfortably with Box.
I thought the last third of the book was a tear jerker. It was unexpected but it gave the story a tone of truthfulness.
The Matchmaker proves to me once again that Elin Hilderbrand can bring a phenomenal gamma of emotions to her stories.
Cliffhanger: No
4/5 Fangs
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June 19, 2017
The names were completely ridiculous. Dabney, Clendenin, and BOX.
July 13, 2014
Blah! This book was so ridiculously predicable it made me angry. I was also angry with every single shallow character she wrote about. Agnes was pathetic, Dabney was pathetic and so was the Box character. I could've written this book myself and that is no compliment. Not one surprise. One of the most shallow things I've read in recent memory. One a good note, it was a very fast read, if only to be done with it.
October 3, 2015
First, let me say that I received an ARC from the publisher through the Firstreads. Thank you!
I tried to like this book but just could not relate to the main character (Dabney) at all. Dabney's identity is too wrapped up in things other than herself. Early in the book she is upset because she forget to bring lemon tarts to a festival. Her husband tells her it doesn't matter. She gets more upset because to tell her the tarts don't matter is basically saying she doesn't matter. Dabney is too concerned about frivolous things, material things.
In addition to not connecting with the main character, the writing is just too simplistic. Hopefully the numerous errors will be corrected before the final release.
This book just didn't do it for me.
I tried to like this book but just could not relate to the main character (Dabney) at all. Dabney's identity is too wrapped up in things other than herself. Early in the book she is upset because she forget to bring lemon tarts to a festival. Her husband tells her it doesn't matter. She gets more upset because to tell her the tarts don't matter is basically saying she doesn't matter. Dabney is too concerned about frivolous things, material things.
In addition to not connecting with the main character, the writing is just too simplistic. Hopefully the numerous errors will be corrected before the final release.
This book just didn't do it for me.
April 25, 2014
Just finished reading The Matchmaker ! I've read all of Elin's books and can never put them down . This one was no different .As usual , from the first page to the last , you feel the happiness , the sadness , the love , the hate , the heartbreak ,the sand under your feet and can hear the ocean waves in the distance . Without giving too much away , this is my favorite book yet ! I'm just upset I have to now wait more than a year to enjoy her next book !
June 28, 2019
Elin Hilderbrand's novels just mean summer to me--the beach, summer, Nantucket...
Dabney 's character is magical and flawed. She has the uncanny ability to match couples and has matched dozens of couples successfully. Her own personal relationships are a bit messed up though.
Dabney 's character is magical and flawed. She has the uncanny ability to match couples and has matched dozens of couples successfully. Her own personal relationships are a bit messed up though.
July 22, 2014
I know, I know....beach reading, right? My daughter said to me tonight, "Mom, don't give in to the girly and the light!! Go back to your dark and drafty reading material, quick!" I know. But, honestly, Elin Hilderbrand just can't be resisted. Her stories that take place on Nantucket are like cherries dipped in chocolate glimmering on a cold, silver plate to me. I can't help myself...I'm just hooked every summer!
This is a particularly gripping story of Elin's. It starts out light and fluffy, I'll give you that. But, before you know it, you're a huge fan of the main character, Dabney. You're feeling like her best friend. And, you kind of remember well that boyfriend you had that you were madly in love with in high school that you haven't seen in years. And before you know it, you're drawn in and can't stop reading.
Elin Hildebrand's characters are simply charming. They are the friends you never had but wish you did. They are real and vulnerable, wholesome and lovable. The family members she writes about are your family, too. I just couldn't get enough of the people that populate this novel.
As Dabney is reunited with her first love, my heart was laid out right there with hers. As she negotiated around all the obstacles in their path, I held my breath for them. And when tragedy began its viney way towards them, I was shell shocked along with them.
This is the first book in a long time that's lifted my heart; made me laugh and cry in the same sittings.
In fact, I cried a bucket at the end.
It's a summer read, of course. But, it's a great one!
5 stars Deborah/TheBookishDame
This is a particularly gripping story of Elin's. It starts out light and fluffy, I'll give you that. But, before you know it, you're a huge fan of the main character, Dabney. You're feeling like her best friend. And, you kind of remember well that boyfriend you had that you were madly in love with in high school that you haven't seen in years. And before you know it, you're drawn in and can't stop reading.
Elin Hildebrand's characters are simply charming. They are the friends you never had but wish you did. They are real and vulnerable, wholesome and lovable. The family members she writes about are your family, too. I just couldn't get enough of the people that populate this novel.
As Dabney is reunited with her first love, my heart was laid out right there with hers. As she negotiated around all the obstacles in their path, I held my breath for them. And when tragedy began its viney way towards them, I was shell shocked along with them.
This is the first book in a long time that's lifted my heart; made me laugh and cry in the same sittings.
In fact, I cried a bucket at the end.
It's a summer read, of course. But, it's a great one!
5 stars Deborah/TheBookishDame
August 27, 2018
Usually at this time of year I reach for a Elin Hilderbrand book because it's a nice, beachy summery read set in Nantucket. All her books are different, all her books are the same. You expect a nice bubbly read with a tad of drama but that's it.
Not this one. Wow.
ALL. THE. FEELS
Not this one. Wow.
ALL. THE. FEELS
September 13, 2014
This light and airy bookclub read was suggested for the month of August because we didn’t want to read anything “too deep”. Well, success! It’s an easy and fast read. It’s predictable. Definite book candy.
June 16, 2014
Elin’s Hilderbrand’s latest novel, The Matchmaker is a story of a forty-eight year old Dabney who grew up on the island of Nantucket with her family. Married to John, a famous professor at Harvard with a daughter, Agnes. Dabney possess match making skills and has a pretty high success rate.
When Dabney finds out she has pancreatic cancer, and her high school sweetheart, Clendenin, a journalist returns to the island (learned about this relationship from her novella –The Tailgate) which was not a bad read. However, I am finding Elin’s novellas are better than the actual novel).
In The Tailgate, we learn Dabney was seeing a therapist every week to discuss her issue of agoraphobia. After eight years of therapy, she found she could not be fixed; however her therapist helped her manage it. Nantucket was her oxygen. It was the only place she felt safe, healthy, whole.
Dabney and Clen fell in love years ago; however, he was offered a job he could not refuse and Dabney chose not to go with him, remaining on her beloved Nantucket because of fear. She was raising Agnes as a single parent until the older professor and he adopted her. Now twenty years later, and her current illness causes her to second guess her life.
Unfortunately, cannot recommend this book as could not wait for it to be over (listened to the audiobook), as most of the book involved the main character, complaining about things which were of no importance. I have read all Hilderbrand’s books and enjoyed her earlier ones in years past; however, the last few have been lacking substance.
When Dabney finds out she has pancreatic cancer, and her high school sweetheart, Clendenin, a journalist returns to the island (learned about this relationship from her novella –The Tailgate) which was not a bad read. However, I am finding Elin’s novellas are better than the actual novel).
In The Tailgate, we learn Dabney was seeing a therapist every week to discuss her issue of agoraphobia. After eight years of therapy, she found she could not be fixed; however her therapist helped her manage it. Nantucket was her oxygen. It was the only place she felt safe, healthy, whole.
Dabney and Clen fell in love years ago; however, he was offered a job he could not refuse and Dabney chose not to go with him, remaining on her beloved Nantucket because of fear. She was raising Agnes as a single parent until the older professor and he adopted her. Now twenty years later, and her current illness causes her to second guess her life.
Unfortunately, cannot recommend this book as could not wait for it to be over (listened to the audiobook), as most of the book involved the main character, complaining about things which were of no importance. I have read all Hilderbrand’s books and enjoyed her earlier ones in years past; however, the last few have been lacking substance.
November 19, 2017
Uma boa surpresa e a prova de que julgamentos com base em preconceitos são, por vezes, erróneos.
A escrita tem tanto de despretensiosa como de humana, o que é raríssimo acontecer. A estória em si tem muito de humano. Ao início pareceu-me um livro para passar o tempo mas, depois de lido e com o devido hiato temporal, julgo que vale cada cêntimo que derem por ele. Eu, passado ano e meio de o ler, adquiri-o para a minha biblioteca pessoal.
Como filha e cuidadora que fui de uma doente com cancro (qual doença prolongada, qual quê! esta maleita não prolonga nada a não ser o sofrimento de doentes e de quem está à sua volta...) revi-me imenso em certas passagens desta obra. Há uma, para o final, que é em muito parecida com uma das últimas conversas que a minha Mãe teve comigo, ainda lúcida. E as semelhanças não ficam por aqui... Não sei se a autora quis dar a entender que, quando vemos que a vida está a chegar ao fim, teimamos em conselhos e conversas que poderão ser encarados como lugares comuns mas a verdade é que senti aqui muito da vivência da minha Mãe no evoluir da sua doença.
É sabido que os livros podem servir de entretenimento e de enriquecimento da bagagem cultural. Penso que podem, também, servir para preservar e recordar memórias. Neste caso particular, a escrita de Elin serve um pouco de "registo" escrito das recordações que alguém deixará eternamente, cuja vida foi ceifada de forma precoce. Incrível como, por vezes, a realidade copia a ficção ou vice-versa... Este é um perfeito exemplo disso.
A escrita tem tanto de despretensiosa como de humana, o que é raríssimo acontecer. A estória em si tem muito de humano. Ao início pareceu-me um livro para passar o tempo mas, depois de lido e com o devido hiato temporal, julgo que vale cada cêntimo que derem por ele. Eu, passado ano e meio de o ler, adquiri-o para a minha biblioteca pessoal.
Como filha e cuidadora que fui de uma doente com cancro (qual doença prolongada, qual quê! esta maleita não prolonga nada a não ser o sofrimento de doentes e de quem está à sua volta...) revi-me imenso em certas passagens desta obra. Há uma, para o final, que é em muito parecida com uma das últimas conversas que a minha Mãe teve comigo, ainda lúcida. E as semelhanças não ficam por aqui... Não sei se a autora quis dar a entender que, quando vemos que a vida está a chegar ao fim, teimamos em conselhos e conversas que poderão ser encarados como lugares comuns mas a verdade é que senti aqui muito da vivência da minha Mãe no evoluir da sua doença.
É sabido que os livros podem servir de entretenimento e de enriquecimento da bagagem cultural. Penso que podem, também, servir para preservar e recordar memórias. Neste caso particular, a escrita de Elin serve um pouco de "registo" escrito das recordações que alguém deixará eternamente, cuja vida foi ceifada de forma precoce. Incrível como, por vezes, a realidade copia a ficção ou vice-versa... Este é um perfeito exemplo disso.
June 5, 2015
The Matchmaker is a summer read about family, romance, and island life. The author is obviously fond of Nantucket making the main character, the vivacious Dabney, the head of the Chamber of Commerce. Dabney has a special magical talent of matchmaking, seeing a rosy pink aura when a couple is perfect for each other. Unfortunately, things are not going so smoothly in her own family who have emotional and health problems. This light book is a bit predictable, but would be fun to take along on a beach vacation.
August 24, 2014
Not my favorite one by her. Couldn't stand Dabney at all, not sure why all of Nantucket adored her. And REALLY disliked Clendenin (what kind of name is that, anyway?!) I have a problem when someone has no respect for another person's marriage. I don't necessarily mind adultery in a novel, if the characters learn what a mistake it is and see how it ruins lives. But it was made OK here, no big deal. One thing I did like about the book were the blurbs about some of the couples that Dabney had gotten together.
November 16, 2024
3,5⭐️/5⭐️
April 2, 2017
This is the second book I've read by Elin Hilderbrand and one positive thing I have to say is it was just a tiny bit better than the first book Beautiful Day. I've heard such good things about this author, I really want to give her a chance.
But I was pretty aggravated with this book. The characters were so damn whiny it drove me crazy. I was so tired of hearing about Dabney's mother who deserted her at a young age, it became to repetitive. And I like when there is a nice MC but Dabney was like an extra helping of corn syrup in your soda...a little too much. I felt no real connection to any of the characters.
Now that I've gotten the bad out here are some good points. Dabney shocked me by doing a very UnDabney thing and I felt a flicker of interest towards her and she got just a bit like able to me. And I hate to say it but I really didn't get interested in the book until the very end when tragedy struck, that was the only compelling part of the book.
I also liked the concept of Dabney as a Matchmaker setting people up for the long haul, but that part of the story could have used some work as well.
I honestly don't know what to think, if I should try one more book by Ms. Hilderbrand or call it quits. But after some debating I may give her one more try, but if the next books doesn't wow me I'm call it a three strikes out.
But I was pretty aggravated with this book. The characters were so damn whiny it drove me crazy. I was so tired of hearing about Dabney's mother who deserted her at a young age, it became to repetitive. And I like when there is a nice MC but Dabney was like an extra helping of corn syrup in your soda...a little too much. I felt no real connection to any of the characters.
Now that I've gotten the bad out here are some good points. Dabney shocked me by doing a very UnDabney thing and I felt a flicker of interest towards her and she got just a bit like able to me. And I hate to say it but I really didn't get interested in the book until the very end when tragedy struck, that was the only compelling part of the book.
I also liked the concept of Dabney as a Matchmaker setting people up for the long haul, but that part of the story could have used some work as well.
I honestly don't know what to think, if I should try one more book by Ms. Hilderbrand or call it quits. But after some debating I may give her one more try, but if the next books doesn't wow me I'm call it a three strikes out.
March 25, 2015
Wow. How disappointing. I liked reading the author's books during the summer back when and enjoyed them. Nantucket is the location of choice for all of her books. As a Boston native that has visited the island a few times, location has always been the draw for me.
The Matchmaker is so juvenile. Written for an 8th grade intelligence. Once in a while I like a light summer read (when I'm buried in the snow) but there are certainly better ones out there.
I'm going to switch back to Martha's Vineyards reads. After all, I got married there.
Kindly giving a 2 out of 5 stars due to location.
The Matchmaker is so juvenile. Written for an 8th grade intelligence. Once in a while I like a light summer read (when I'm buried in the snow) but there are certainly better ones out there.
I'm going to switch back to Martha's Vineyards reads. After all, I got married there.
Kindly giving a 2 out of 5 stars due to location.
September 13, 2025
It was cute how the author included the ‘matchmaking stories’ of some of Dabney’s past couples that she had helped to set up. It was like having a collection of ‘meet-cute’ stories intertwined into the story.
I don’t blame Dabney for not liking Agnes’ boyfriend. Not only was that man nearly 20 years older than her, but he was basically grooming her. He sounded really controlling as well. With that being said, I did see some similar characteristics from the guy that Dabney had feelings for as well. That’s not good role modeling for her daughter.
Dabney being sick throughout the whole book added another layer to the drama. Her learning that she had cancer was sad for everyone around her.
4.5 stars
I don’t blame Dabney for not liking Agnes’ boyfriend. Not only was that man nearly 20 years older than her, but he was basically grooming her. He sounded really controlling as well. With that being said, I did see some similar characteristics from the guy that Dabney had feelings for as well. That’s not good role modeling for her daughter.
Dabney being sick throughout the whole book added another layer to the drama. Her learning that she had cancer was sad for everyone around her.
4.5 stars
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