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We'll Always Have Nantucket
We'll Always Have Nantucket is a compelling novel that celebrates friendships, both new and everlasting, the abiding pull of family and traditions, and the enduring effort of reconciling the past and understanding that the future always contains the present.
Audacious, environmentalist, surfer-girl, Teddy, abandons her California university position in a fall from grace for a summer on Nantucket to reevaluate her dubious personal and professional choices. In this dual narrative Teddy's mom, Sadie, braids her island visit with her daughter's; their first return to the cherished summer vacation spot since the death of Teddy's father four years ago.
While Teddy rents a carriage-house with three strangers in their late twenties, each caught up in their own holding patterns, Sadie stays with friend, Val, who provides an abiding source of comedy, Tito's, and an unrelenting zeal for Sadie to make some new memories already.
Teddy takes a part-time catering job experiencing the charm and theatrics exclusive to the privileged and moneyed, while her free time brims with personal and environmental contemplation, sharing the surf with one kind of shark or another, and commiserating over a Goombay Smash or three with housemates over the myriad complexities of long-distance relationships, having Teddy question how you know when you've found the one.
Meanwhile, Sadie and Val fill their days with beach shenanigans doused in cocktails, debating the folly of bikinis at age fifty, considering the Nantucket triathlon, and enduring the often-Herculean task of parenting grown children. Intrigue surrounding a missing person and an uptick in shark activity often lands them all at Cisco Brewery, swaying to live reggae and wondering with Bob Marley, "Could you be loved"?
Audacious, environmentalist, surfer-girl, Teddy, abandons her California university position in a fall from grace for a summer on Nantucket to reevaluate her dubious personal and professional choices. In this dual narrative Teddy's mom, Sadie, braids her island visit with her daughter's; their first return to the cherished summer vacation spot since the death of Teddy's father four years ago.
While Teddy rents a carriage-house with three strangers in their late twenties, each caught up in their own holding patterns, Sadie stays with friend, Val, who provides an abiding source of comedy, Tito's, and an unrelenting zeal for Sadie to make some new memories already.
Teddy takes a part-time catering job experiencing the charm and theatrics exclusive to the privileged and moneyed, while her free time brims with personal and environmental contemplation, sharing the surf with one kind of shark or another, and commiserating over a Goombay Smash or three with housemates over the myriad complexities of long-distance relationships, having Teddy question how you know when you've found the one.
Meanwhile, Sadie and Val fill their days with beach shenanigans doused in cocktails, debating the folly of bikinis at age fifty, considering the Nantucket triathlon, and enduring the often-Herculean task of parenting grown children. Intrigue surrounding a missing person and an uptick in shark activity often lands them all at Cisco Brewery, swaying to live reggae and wondering with Bob Marley, "Could you be loved"?
298 pages, Paperback
Published July 11, 2022
About the author
Doreen Burliss
4 books21 followersDoreen Burliss, author of We'll Always Have Nantucket and That Nantucket Summer is a former lifestyle columnist and news correspondent with an irrepressible eye for photography even with the cheapest lens in the room. She believes in giving more than you get, in the enormous vitality of all living things, and that there's music for every mood, like Seals & Crofts "Summer Breeze" cranked in the station wagon on the way to your grandparents' and then the serenade of red-wing blackbirds in the trees when you get there. She loves kids, their singular brilliance, curiosity and trust, and can hardly bear that her own three have quite suddenly grown up and away. She lives with her husband in a small town north of Boston with two fat cats and a dog.
Fogged In is her second novel.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
September 21, 2022
calling all my Elin Hildebrand fans, this book is for you! and anybody who loves a good, summer beach read set in a beautiful place
this is the author’s debut novel and I loved it! I read this in 24 hours because it was so light and easy, with 2 different POV’s: a mother and a daughter which I loved
I really related to her main character Teddy, who is my age and dealing with some of the things I’m dealing with and appreciated the advice from her mom and friends
she has such lovely descriptions of Nantucket, a lot of history facts about the island, conservation and climate change information, etc. there are a few plot lines surrounding all of the characters and it kept you on your toes and wanting to keep reading
I also appreciated the 2 parts of the epilogue at the end that were short and sweet and gave you the perfect amount of an ending
this is the author’s debut novel and I loved it! I read this in 24 hours because it was so light and easy, with 2 different POV’s: a mother and a daughter which I loved
I really related to her main character Teddy, who is my age and dealing with some of the things I’m dealing with and appreciated the advice from her mom and friends
she has such lovely descriptions of Nantucket, a lot of history facts about the island, conservation and climate change information, etc. there are a few plot lines surrounding all of the characters and it kept you on your toes and wanting to keep reading
I also appreciated the 2 parts of the epilogue at the end that were short and sweet and gave you the perfect amount of an ending
June 9, 2025
Great fun to read. All familiar settings!
September 27, 2023
Great way to end the summer.
September 20, 2022
Although the summer is almost over, there’s no better time to hold onto to the magic of the season in Doreen’s enchanting new novel.
Whether you’ve never heard of Nantucket or been lucky enough to spend summer vacations there, Doreen’s exquisite and evocative prose captures the unique charm of this special island known for its beautiful beaches, charming shops, quaint cottages and of course as a playground for the rich and elite.
There’s a juicy captivating storyline which alternates between a midlife spunky widowed mom and her twenty something surfer daughter, who is passionate about the environment. You’ll find all the elements essential to the beach read-interesting characters, drama, romance, scenery and suspense. But Doreen also makes sure to honor Nantucket’s rich history and includes a great deal of detail to highlight that Nantucket is much more than a luxury destination for the upper class (including being the whaling capital of the world for many years of course) It’s clear she’s done her research about a variety of other subjects touched on in the book, from academia to the military. I know this book was a labor of love and its coming to fruition is the dream of a lifetime for her.
Disclaimer: Yes, the author is longtime friend, but I was in no way compensated for this review although I am mentioned in the acknowledgements(:! lol. If you’ve gotten this far thanks for reading and please support Doreen!!!
https://store.bookbaby.com/book/well-...
Whether you’ve never heard of Nantucket or been lucky enough to spend summer vacations there, Doreen’s exquisite and evocative prose captures the unique charm of this special island known for its beautiful beaches, charming shops, quaint cottages and of course as a playground for the rich and elite.
There’s a juicy captivating storyline which alternates between a midlife spunky widowed mom and her twenty something surfer daughter, who is passionate about the environment. You’ll find all the elements essential to the beach read-interesting characters, drama, romance, scenery and suspense. But Doreen also makes sure to honor Nantucket’s rich history and includes a great deal of detail to highlight that Nantucket is much more than a luxury destination for the upper class (including being the whaling capital of the world for many years of course) It’s clear she’s done her research about a variety of other subjects touched on in the book, from academia to the military. I know this book was a labor of love and its coming to fruition is the dream of a lifetime for her.
Disclaimer: Yes, the author is longtime friend, but I was in no way compensated for this review although I am mentioned in the acknowledgements(:! lol. If you’ve gotten this far thanks for reading and please support Doreen!!!
https://store.bookbaby.com/book/well-...
August 12, 2022
'We'll Always Have Nantucket' penned by the author Doreen Burliss is an intriguing read. Story features Teddy who has been visiting Nantucket since childhood to enjoy summer vacations in the cottage they rented. Teddy is single at the age of 27. Teddy rented a carriage house with Cam, Mav, Claire, etc.
Sadie Wilson, Teddy's mother, was quite excited to spend 4 weeks at her friend Val's new house. It has been four years since her husband Graham died unexpectedly but that grief is still there. Since her husband's death, it was the first time that Sadie boarded the Eagle Steamship to go to Nantucket. Read about the time spent by the characters in Nantucket. It was amazing to read about the friendship of Sadie and Val.
Pace of the story is fast and you won't feel bored anytime while reading it. I loved the Nantucket setting. There are many characters in the story and the author has managed to write them well. The book is well written and the cover photo is lovely. Go for it. I am sure you would be delighted to read it and would feel like exploring Nantucket.
Sadie Wilson, Teddy's mother, was quite excited to spend 4 weeks at her friend Val's new house. It has been four years since her husband Graham died unexpectedly but that grief is still there. Since her husband's death, it was the first time that Sadie boarded the Eagle Steamship to go to Nantucket. Read about the time spent by the characters in Nantucket. It was amazing to read about the friendship of Sadie and Val.
Pace of the story is fast and you won't feel bored anytime while reading it. I loved the Nantucket setting. There are many characters in the story and the author has managed to write them well. The book is well written and the cover photo is lovely. Go for it. I am sure you would be delighted to read it and would feel like exploring Nantucket.
October 3, 2022
Absolutely loved Doreen’s writing style. 🤗📚🌸
The book reads initially and for the most part as an ode to Nantucket for sure, after reading this book I feel like I’ve been there!
The detail and descriptions are amazing.
Heartfelt, simple and complex at the same time.
Love the storyline too!
The shoutouts to places, people and authors throughout the book are so fun!
And how she intertwined it all together with all of the little plot twists by the end.., very satisfying!
I’ll definitely be recommending this book.
The book reads initially and for the most part as an ode to Nantucket for sure, after reading this book I feel like I’ve been there!
The detail and descriptions are amazing.
Heartfelt, simple and complex at the same time.
Love the storyline too!
The shoutouts to places, people and authors throughout the book are so fun!
And how she intertwined it all together with all of the little plot twists by the end.., very satisfying!
I’ll definitely be recommending this book.
June 29, 2022
Great summer read!!! Makes me want to take the ferry to Nantucket today. So impressed with the author's debut novel - hope Doreen writes more!
October 27, 2024
I got this book in a small bookshop in nantucket and being there and seeing it made reading this book even better. Its a good read about friendship.
August 14, 2026
No. Just no. Horrible and beyond predictable. How this was published I will never understand. Couldn’t finish it.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews