Barefoot: A Novel

I love all of Hildebrand’s books. Barefoot is another great story. I fell in love with all the characters and could not put down the book.

Your would think that these books about Nantucket would feel repetitious after awhile, but now having devoured most of Elin Hilderbrands novels, this one kept me glued to it until the very last page! The main characters are the young man Josh, who becomes the caregiver for the summer of 2 small children and, unwittingly, the 3 women who accompany them to the Island. As you would expect, romance is on the menu for the summer, as well as life threatening illness, infidelity & marital discord, and coming of age angst. I loved the characters, the story line and how it all comes together for this group!

Wonderful story of 3 women and how they conquered the conflicts in their life learning that their perception of what happiness entails and should be is not always the case. Sometimes we need to choose a different path to reach life's satisfaction that we all search for.

Vicky has cancer! I have lost two uncles to cancer! It is scary! Elin brings it all right into focus for us, and even when Vicki 'knows' she will die, her greatest pain is to leave her children motherless. We see Brenda and Melanie struggle to support Vicki, while lost love tears at them. This tale is deep and powerful, and as a father with 3 grown children, I know exactly how Vicki feels. Love and courage are what matters most. Read to see why! If you already know, then you will find some company!

This is a novel difficult to put down. The chararacters engage you from the moment you are on the first page. Three women arrive on Nantucket Island for the summer; they are met by a young man who feels that a story will emerge from his having picked them up, driving them to their summer place. There are two sisters and the friend of the older sister, and the cottage has been in the family of the sisters for 3 generations. All have come together for an unannounced sharing of a bitter expulsion from the life they've known. Vicky, the older of the sisters, has lung cancer at 32: wife and mother of a delightful 4 yr old and a 9 mos. old. Brenda, her younger sister, a much lauded professor, has committed a transgression at the college in which she's taught and has been expelled. Melanie, friend to Vicky, has discovered after 10 years of marriage and 7 in vitro failures that not only has her beloved husband carried on and is still in the midst of an affair, but that she is pregnant and only she is aware of this early stage. Josh, who has picked them up, is a junior in college with a great interest in literature; he had the past year an instructor who made a great impression on him and he is keen to know the stories of these women. As it happens, he is offered the job of baby sitting and he eagerly accepts. He becomes a part of this family's dynamics, adoring the two little ones, feeling for the women. In fact, he falls in love with Melanie and a tangential female in his life, a high school romance turned sour, turns up to create a dissident note in all their lives. The story is one that pulls you in, becoming part of each life and the struggle for each of these women to succeed in changing the outcome of their lives. You want Brenda to accept the love offered to her and to complete her script, Melanie to accept the alteration in her marriage and Peter's total need for her as well as her abiding love, and Vickie to be not only the survivor, but the mother and wife she had been with the greater knowledge of what she is now. This is a book which will leave you thinking about it for quite some time.

Engaging book. Two sisters and a friend. Ending was all Vickie. I would have liked more of the other two.

Elin Hilderbrand writes an insightful novel about three friends and their relationship that has taken them back to Nantucket. Barefoot: A Novel that reflects upon the characters of Brenda Lyndon, sister to Vicki Lyndon Stowe and friend of Melanie Patchen and the experiences they share with each other during their retreat outside of their busy life. Each woman takes a respite to contemplate the complexities of their lives, especially Vicki who has cancer, Brenda still dealing and attempting to recover from a scandal, and Melanie and her husband wanting to have a baby but encounter an extreme "situation" involving husband Peter's affair with a woman who works at his office. Obviously, the storyline has much enticing moments for the reader.Barefoot is a metaphor to these women's lives to simply walk their situations freely and unreserved despite the complications they may not have control over. But Hilderbrand navigates the storyline and the interesting scenarios that unravel within each chapter. It is the characters of Vicki, Melanie, and Brenda that help the story flow because of their intense dialogue between each other that allows the reader to somewhat sympathize with each of their individual situation; their conversations are melodramatic but with a bit of restraint so that each character does not appear too annoying. The strength of the novel is the drama and how the women cope and share their problems within the natural setting of the beachfront cottage that had once been Vicki and Brenda's Aunt Liv's Nantucket seasonal refuge that dates back to 1803 but includes amenities of the 1960s. In addition, to the problems that are unleashed, there is also the reminiscences and nostalgia that the women recollect that parallel their simple childhood past of camping and playing outdoors. Now, each women somewhat recreates that imagery within themselves to a time, place, and natural setting to help them to release indiscretions, secrets, and truths.The novel is the type of book that may be read without reservation. It is recommended reading during a short trip or carefree beach day.

Enjoyed the character building and the plot. I just wish there was another book to follow to continue this story.

Easy read but again as usual, characters really well defined.Interesting storyline too ending a little sudden and perhaps could have been more fleshed out. My fourth book by this author read back to back. All terrific reads.

This is a truly atmospheric novel. You can feel the Nantucket sand between your toes. What a lovely place to set it. Well written characters you care about. Reduced to tears at one point. I loved it.

Honestly I didn't enjoy this book at all. I struggled to keep myself engaged. As the blurb says, it's about 3 women's lives - more how they felt than what they did. Very repetitive!

Fantastic read. Loved this book. Characters you care about who have real issues to terms with. . So sorry to have finished this book. Will be downloading more of this gifted authors work.

I love all her books! This was a Kindle re read as I have the hardback copy bought on Nantucket the year it was published.