Thursday, October 15, 2015

The Beach Walkers - Book Beginnings on Friday and The Friday 56

Friendship between women, relationships between mothers and daughters, and an ocean setting. Who could ask for more? In The Beach Walkers, author Barbara Bond goes deep into her characters, showing their fears and their strengths. Because the women are older and their children are grown, I could definitely relate to them. I would love to have Frannie as a friend and would treasure a walk along the shores of Amelia Island with the Walkie-Talkies. The Beach Walkers is a five-star story I won't soon forget. 
FYI: The Healing Island, Barbara Bond's second book, is a sequel to this one.


Book Beginning:
The Life of St. Francis
Come not between the dragon and his wrath. (King Lear, Act 1, Scene 1)
     Saturday, Thanksgiving weekend: Frannie stood, her small hands arched like ghost crabs, pressing down on Elspeth's dining room table to keep the trembling at bay. She wasn't afraid; it was barely controlled anger that threatened to surface. She had to keep it in check. Should she just walk away? After all, it had only been days since she'd met Elspeth Cleary.

The Friday 56 (from 56% on my Kindle):
[In this dialogue, the conversation is about Elspeth's daughters.]
     "When did duty become a dirty word?" Frannie paused. "When they were young, and you were attempting the impossible--a single mother, building the firm--weren't there days, maybe weeks, maybe months when you did your duty to them? When they were being willful, bratty, inconsiderate, was it love or devotion that saw you through it?"

Genre: Women's Fiction (not romance)
Length: 220 pages
Amazon Link: The Beach Walkers

Synopsis:
     The Beach Walkers: a story of mothers and daughters, of kinship lost and friendship found on an island in northeast Florida.
     Can walking the beach heal the heart?
     In her grand beachfront home on Amelia Island, Elspeth Cleary is devastated when Jess, a daughter she adores, refuses her inheritance. She sends her back to New York—to the delight of two older daughters summoned to the island on family business. A wealthy, weary, lonely widow, Elspeth hoped to spend months with each of them. She couldn't ask of course; they might say no. What was she thinking in trying to bribe them?
     Frannie had warned her not to expect gratitude for sharing her wealth, or to hope that her daughters would help fill her days. Frannie Dawson is the energetic woman Elspeth met on the beach. Frannie was right. The eldest daughters take their inheritance and flee, leaving her alone, even at Christmas. When grief and a diagnosis of breast cancer bring her to the edge, she tells only Frannie, her new beach friend and a retired teacher of Shakespeare. 
     Can Frannie help this modern Queen Lear? She’s determined to try. She draws Elspeth into a group of beach walkers; an eclectic group that includes women who tell her she's not alone in her woes with adult children. The gentle women of the walking group share their stories and their unique celebrations. They support her through cancer treatment. For the first time in years, she has a sense of belonging. 
     But does mending a heart take more than a walk on a beach?


                 

Anyone can participate in Book Beginnings on Friday and The Friday 56.
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Twitter: @SandyNachlinger
Facebook: sandy.nachlinger

21 comments:

  1. I am a firm believer in the power of healing in nature, especially at the ocean. Hope the book is good.

    My Friday Quotes

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  2. Makes me want to know what happened in that beginning!

    Check out my Friday 56 (With Book Beginnings).

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  3. This isn't the sort of book I read - too real life. I like a nice dose of fantasy in my fiction. This week I am spotlighting Binding the Shadows by Jenn Bennett. Happy reading!

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  4. The beach has always had healing powers for me, from the time I was small and needed the respite from the dry heat of the Valley.

    Emotional healing is another benefit...and this book speaks to many of the issues we older women face with our adult children. Thanks for sharing.

    Here's mine: “WHO DO YOU LOVE?”

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  5. What an honest excerpt and an interesting question to ponder. Hope you enjoy your weekend!

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  6. Sounds interesting. And I like the setting. Who doesn't love the beach:)
    Thanks so much for stopping by my 56 today.

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  7. Sounds like a fun read! Thanks for visiting my blog!

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  8. I like a protagonist that shakes with the effort of controlling her anger...

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  9. Hi Sandra,

    I need to know why Frannie is so angry with Elspeth.

    I don't like the idea that parents somehow expect their children to look after them in later life. We have no children, so we will only ever have ourselves to rely on for as long as we can - After all, we didn't ask to be born, so having children as built in care givers, is really very selfish!

    I can imagine this being quite a strong and forthright story and I hope that the writing is every bit as good :)

    Thanks for sharing and have a good weekend,

    Yvonne

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  10. My Mom and I ran an Inn at the beach for many years. It was the best time we spent together. I'd love to have her back and there with me now. Please check out mine… http://tinyurl.com/LisaKsBookReviewsblog

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  11. I love the sound of this book - as an adult child I can sympathize with Elspeth's characters as I watch my sisters and parents interact - great choice. Thanks for visiting my blog earlier today!

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  12. Interesting teaser. Hope you're enjoying the book!

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  13. Interesting quote. I hope you like the book :)

    fortheloveofbooksreviews.blogspot.ca

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  14. This book seems interesting, thanks for sharing!

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  15. This sounds so interesting! I think the beach location sounds wonderful and exploring relationships with adult children is also something I find fascinating.

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  16. It would be refreshing to read a non-romance book. It would take me a while to finish one, though. Hope you like this one. :)

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  17. Love the 56, and any single mom could relate to what's said. Happy weekend!

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  18. I'll bet it's a good book. Is Amelia Island a real place. I have the feeling it's real.

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  19. As the author I'm delighted with the discussion Thank you everyone for your comments. The Beach Walkers isn't well known although it's available on Amazon and Kindle and slides off the shelves of The Book Loft, the main street bookstore on Amelia Island. Yes, the island is very real and lives up to its tourist bureau's slogan--Some Enchanted Island. It sits on the Atlantic side of the Georgia-Florida border. As a Canadian snowbird, it is where I've made my winter nest for some 15 years. The Healing Island, another apt description of Amelia, has yet to be launched there, although it's also now available on Amazon. Again, my thanks to everyone. It was lovely to stumble on your words.

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