Tuesday, June 5, 2012

Three Women's Lives on a Collision Course for Heart Island


Birdie Burke, seventy-five-years-old, owns Heart Island. It's been special to her since she was a girl spending her summers there, but it also holds bad memories. Kate, her daughter, feels obligated to spend the usual week on the island, but she's torn between the love and responsibility she feels for her children and husband, and the responsibility she feels toward Birdie to be the 'good daughter.' Emily is trapped in an affair with a man she wants to love, but wonders if she's deluding herself. She does things she knows are wrong to hold him, but how far must she stray from being herself?

The book is suspenseful, tracking the lives of the three ladies as they approach the weekend at Heart Island. I felt the author built suspense very well moving between the three characters. The denouement, when it comes, is expected, but the emotional impact is still sweeping. The end of the book is hard to put down.

The early chapters move fairly slowly. Since this is the saga of a dysfunctional family, much back story needs to be told. The author does this primarily through internal dialog. This isn't bad, but it does slow the story.

If you're interested in a good beach read, this is an excellent choice.

I reviewed this book for the Amazon Vine Program. Heartbroken by Lisa Unger.

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