Here's to us : a novel

by Elin Hilderbrand

Paper Book, 2016

Publication

New York : Little, Brown and Co., 2016.

Collection

Call number

Fiction H

Physical description

410 p.; 25 cm

Status

Available

Call number

Fiction H

Description

Fiction. Literature. Romance. HTML:Three romantic rivals in one crowded house equals plenty of room for jealousy in this surprising and heartwarming story from New York Times bestselling author Elin Hilderbrand. Laurel Thorpe, Belinda Rowe, and Scarlett Oliver share only two things; a love for the man they all married, Deacon Thorpe�??a celebrity chef with an insatiable appetite for life�??and a passionate dislike of one another. All three are remarkable, spirited women, but they couldn't be more different. Laurel: Deacon's high school sweetheart and an effortlessly beautiful social worker; Belinda: a high-maintenance Hollywood diva; and Scarlett: a sexy southern belle floating by on her family money and her fabulous looks. They've established a delicate understanding over the years�??they avoid each other at all costs. But their fragile detente threatens to come crashing down after Deacon's tragic death on his favorite place on earth: a ramshackle Nantucket summer cottage. Deacon's final wish was for his makeshift family to assemble on his beloved Nantucket to say good-bye. Begrudgingly, Laurel, Belinda, and Scarlett gather on the island as once again, as in each of their marriages, they're left to pick up Deacon's mess. Now they're trapped in the crowded cottage where they all made their own memories�??a house that they now share in more ways than one�??along with the children they raised with Deacon, and his best friend. Laurel, Belinda, and Scarlett each had an unbreakable bond with Deacon�??and they all have secrets to hide. Before the weekend is over, there are enough accusations, lies, tears, and drama to turn even the best of friends�??let alone three women who married the same man�??into adversaries. As his unlikely family says good-bye to the man who brought them together�??for better or worse�??will they be able to put aside their differences long enough to raise a… (more)

User reviews

LibraryThing member flourgirl49
I loved this book - it's clever, entertaining, and heart-warming. You might think that the author would run out of ideas for stories centering on Nantucket Island, but she obviously loves the place and it shows in her writing. This book is about Deacon, a celebrity chef who has recently died, and
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his extended family of two ex-wives and a widow, plus three children (one with each wife) and friends, all of whom gather at the family's summer home on Nantucket to say goodbye to him. I was sorry to see it end.
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LibraryThing member Twink
My beach bag reading list wouldn't be complete without the latest Elin Hilderbrand novel. This summer's new title is Here's to Us.

Hilderbrand takes us back to her favourite setting - Nantucket. Her descriptions of the island and locale make me want to visit - or better yet - live in a lovely old
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wooden cottage by the ocean.

One of those cottages has been the vacation home of one man, Deacon Thorpe - and over the years - his three wives and children. But with Deacon's death, the three women and their families have gathered at the cottage to spread Deacon's ashes.

They may have all loved Deacon, but they can't stand each other. This forced togetherness brings up the past both good and bad.

It took me a few chapters to put all the characters in their place - who was who, who was related etc. Once I had that down, I formed an attachment with some - first wife Lauren, adopted daughter Angie from marriage number two and local guide JP. I was torn on how I felt about Deacon - he was a conflicted man, but loved his children. Wives two and three (Scarlet and Belinda) were horrid, vapid, vindictive and shallow. Supporting male characters were a mixed bag. I was confused by Deacon's best friend Buck's actions - his long time attraction to Laurel is thrown away for a few minutes of sex with one of the other exes. I found this somewhat jarring and not what I expected from Hilderbrand.

But without having characters that aren't likable, we wouldn't have the tension, recriminations, secrets and ultimately at the end, a form of resolution. I'm sure that some of Hilderbrand's situations are not that far from the truth for some. Food plays a part as well, with many of Deacon's recipes included.

Here's to Us is a good escapist beach read, but I've enjoyed other Hilderbrand novels more.
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LibraryThing member lvmygrdn
I found it predictable.
LibraryThing member dawnlovesbooks
It’s not summer without a juicy new book from Elin Hilderbrand. She is the queen of the beach read. She writes chick-lit with substance.

In "Here’s to Us," Deacon Thorpe, celebrity chef, had a heart attack and died. All three women he has been married to, along with all his children and his best
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friend meet at the Nantucket home that Deacon adored to mourn him and spread his ashes.

Laurel was wife number one. She and Deacon had Hayes together. Hayes is addicted to heroin. Belinda, famous actress, is wife number two. They adopted Angie together. Angie is having an affair with a married man. Scarlett, wife number three, used to be the nanny when Belinda and Deacon were married, and she was still married to Deacon when he died. Buck, long time best friend of Deacon, who is secretly in love with Laurel, is present to break it to them that Deacon left the Nantucket home to all three wives.

Everyone adored and idolized Deacon, but he was a very sad person and no one was able to save him. With each wife, he tried to fill the hollowness and emptiness inside him but he could never quite rid himself of it.

This family has a lot of unresolved issues and there is a lot of underlying tension. They all struggle with anger, jealousy, bitterness, and grief. The drama unfolds as they spend a few days in Nantucket to say goodbye to their beloved husband, father, and friend. As usual, Nantucket is always a charming setting. You can almost feel the ocean air and hear the waves crashing as you read. This is the perfect summer read!
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LibraryThing member kittenfish
I always enjoy a Elin Hilderbrand read in the summer. I'm so excited to make the clams casino dip!
LibraryThing member Susan.Macura
Hilderbrand delivers another perfect summer read. In this tale, chef Deacon Thorpe dies unexpectedly at his Nantucket home, leaving behind three wives and various children. They all gather there to honor him and throw his ashes into the sea. However, everyone has hidden secrets and issues with
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other various members of this extended “family.” There is lots of drama and fun on this short weekend by the sea, as well as some wonderful recipes, making it a very entertaining story.
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LibraryThing member maggie1961
The idea of all three of Deacon Thorpe's wives spending time together in the same house seems like a recipe for disaster. And it is yet it isn't.
Deacon Thorpe was a celebrity. He started with nothing and built himself up to be a world famous chef. The three women he married are so drastically
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different. He had one child with each of them and all six of these people are spending a long weekend at Nantucket, the place they were all the happiest, the place that is really home. All three women, who have come to spread his ashes, all now own one third of the big sprawling house on Nantucket but soon find out they will also be saying goodbye to that home as Deacon was in a financial disaster and the will soon be in foreclosure.
This story takes place over a few days and there's so much going on during that short time. This unusual group of people find themselves airing old hurts and mending some fences and while they pretty much all seem mostly dysfunctional and some of them not very likeable (I really wanted to slap some of them) they learned some lessons during that short time. While we didn't meet Deacon when he was alive, chapters of his life were mixed into the story as we become familiar with a man who often still was that little boy chasing that perfect day.
I just love curling up with a novel by Elin Hilderbrand. She writes the most scrumptious tales, so descriptive you can visualize and be there. I am a beach lover and I read her books longing to be on Nantucket. The places she mentions, the stores and shops seem so comforting and places I want to see and go to. I love that her books are light reading for the most part but you still are gripped by her stories, get emotionally invested in them and the characters you swear you'd know by the time you finish that last page. I still have some books to go before I have read all of hers but I like to savour them so I still have them to look forward to.
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LibraryThing member pegmcdaniel
Elin Hilderbrand is one of my favorite authors and I have enjoyed all of her novels. This one, not so much. It's set on Nantucket where all of her novels are set but somehow the location did not enhance this novel like before.

Two ex-wives and a current wife who was getting ready to divorce her
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husband, celebrity chef Deacon, are gathering on Nantucket to spread his ashes. He recently passed away and they are coming together because this was Deacon's last request. I had a hard time keeping the characters straight. The storylines were not all that interesting to me but I stayed with it because I felt it would get better. It didn't.

Ms. Hilderbrand has written a lot of wonderful books and maybe she has run out of ideas. This novel didn't measure up to the others.
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LibraryThing member jbarr5
Here's to us by Hilderbrand_ Elin
Have read and enjoyed other works by the author. Book starts out with Decan and his dad Jack and they are going on an adventure trip just themselves. They end up at Nantucket Island.
The country club where they get whatever they want... as the day slips into
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nightmine they have left the island.
John Buckley is in charge of gathering all the women together because his friend , the famous chef has died and it's up to him to contact the family-there are a lot of women from previous marriages.
As the executor he's not finding good news in the paperwork-he's broke!
Recipes included as the story follows those women involved and their children as they gather at the island house...
Chapters go back in time when he had met and dated and married and events of them breaking up. Hard to follow at times as I am listening to this on tape and there are so many characters, they meld together.
Lots of lies, secrets, catching cheating spouses, drama, sex and island life that goes back in time to the present and everything in between. I feel each set of the family could've had their own book.
Recipes included.
I received this book from National Library Service for my BARD (Braille Audio Reading Device).
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LibraryThing member mchwest
Elin Hildebrand never disappoints when you need a good read that leaves you wanting more!! Her continuous stories from Nantucket are what draws me to her books, it's like I visit the island once a year and know the town and all the old glory homes. It doesn't get better than this.
LibraryThing member FlowerchildReads
Three extremely different women married to the same man come together after his death to a single house, his daughter coming to grips with her complicated relationship with him (and them). What could go wrong? Family is messy, it's not neat in a bow. As a rule I don't like my beach reads too messy,
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too drawn out with termoil and issues (I have other literary genres for that). Elin Hildebrand does a perfect job of banancing for this reader. Add a stunning location, a bit of romance, and it all adds up to a great read.
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LibraryThing member Carolee888
Not my favorite of Elin Hildenbrand's books. The beginning was awful, middle was better and the ending was the best of the story!

It is the story of three x-wives of a famous chief, Deacon Thorpe and his children who met on Nantucket at the house owned by Deacon. I didn't feel close to any of the
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wives. I kept wondering why they were not shocked and dismayed at the drug use of one of the children. They didn't seem to catch the signs and spring into action. But alcohol flows freely through the pages. The only ones that was drawn to was the old fashioned friend of Deacon. Some of his character reminded me of myself!

I am determined to read or listen to all of Elin Hildenbrand's books because I have been very much rewarded but this one is just OK.
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LibraryThing member cherybear
A famous chef dies and leaves his Nantucket house to his 3 wives. They couldn't be more different, or dislike each other more. The wives and their children gather at the Nantucket house to spread his ashes. We learn more about all of them in flashbacks. Lots of conflict, but a satisfactory
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(although a bit unrealistic) ending.
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LibraryThing member Robinsonstef
I love Nantucket, so it was fun to read about many of the places I have been. The characters are interesting and varied. Their lives are intertwined by one person and emotions run high. I read this quickly and enjoyed the story.
LibraryThing member LoriKBoyd
Deacon is a famous chef, but his life is a mess. He has 3 ex-wives and 3 kids, everyone with different issues. When the unthinkable happens, they all come together to say goodbye and in the process face reality.

This story line was a little different from the author's usual writing, and I enjoyed
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it. This author never disappoints, but some of her books can be a little like the other.
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LibraryThing member zmagic69
this an Elin Hilderbrand book made for reading at the beach. It is very light reading very predictable, and everyone is happy at the end. Which if you are a wealthy author living in Nantucket, you would probably write books like this too.
I do like this authors books but this one really is pretty
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basic.
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Language

ISBN

9780316375146
Page: 0.4458 seconds