Barefoot: A Novel

This is my sixth Elin Hilderbrand book. I honestly loved them all, but this one really touches my heart. I am actually not finished with it yet, but I'm very attached to it, and not looking forward to it ending... especially since Hilderbrand has nothing else out for me to read yet. Anyway... my mom died 2 1/2 years ago after being diagnosed with a very aggressive lung cancer. I took her to her chemo treatments and Ms. Hilderbrand totally captured the entire experience; from the dreaded ride to the hospital, the "chemo team", the kind doctors, the blood counts, the weakening of the body after chemo that is more painful than the cancer itself. It's all in this book. I agree with another reviewer who said that the character development was a little strange in the beginning, but at this point, I care about what happens to all 3 of the women and who wouldn't love Josh?? Although I don't know how this book will end, I can still wholeheartedly recommend it!!

I really enjoyed this book. The characters were all very likeable and easy to relate to. Nice book for the beach!!

Barefoot is by far Elin Hilderbrand's best book yet! It moves quickly and is a fantastic summer read. and like her other books, the characters, their dilemmas and flaws stick with you and I find myself continually thinking aobut the summer that the three women experienced like I had heard about it all first hand. The predicaments are real and the women are people you know and it was just great! Definitely pick it up - I loved it!

After reading The Love Season, I was a little worried about a new book by Hildebrand, but this book blew me away. The story is about 3 women spending the summer together in Nantucket (of course) together to get through some very rough times. The main character, Vicki, has just been diagnosed with lung cancer - it is her idea to spend the summer at her beach house with her two very young children and her sister, Brenda, and best friend, Melanie. Brenda and Melanie have problems of their own to settle over the summer. Brenda was just fired for dating a student at the college she taught at and sued for throwing a book into a painting. Melanie just found out she was pregnant after months of trying with the husband who has been cheating on her. The girls are all saved by a young college boy home for the summer who baby-sits Vicki's kids and brings normalcy and solace to the women. If you've ever lost someone to cancer or have cared for someone going through chemo, this is a very emotional and sensitive book to read, it's so dead-on to what you feel and go through when you're involved in something like that. It was just such a good book, and I would recommend it to anyone.

Reviewed by Debra Gaynor for Reader Views (6/07) Josh Flynn, a creative writing student, immediately noticed the three women and two small children as they embarked from the airplane. Perhaps the twenty-two-year old smelled a good story. He knew his dad would be watching, so he was subtle as he sniffed out the stories. He was training himself to be observant. Two of the women looked like they could be sisters. One sister looked sad as though she was about to cry. The other looked unhappy, maybe angry. The three women together looked miserable. Brenda had agreed to come to Nantucket to help her sister Vickie, who had been diagnosis with cancer. Vicki had invited her friend Melanie. Melanie found out that her husband was having an affair just as she discovered she was pregnant. She left without telling her husband where she was going. Brenda had her own set of problems. She was no longer employed or employable. She had had an affair with one of her students. It did not matter that the handsome Australian was a year older than she, at thirty-one, and that they really cared for each other. Josh soon becomes the babysitter. They need him as much as he needs them. He encourages, assists and challenges the three women. "Barefoot" by Elin Hilderbrand will be the hit of the summer. Hilderbrand has written the perfect woman's book. Three women, all with their own set of problems, escaping to Nantucket, add in a sexy college student who offers more than babysitting services, and you have the formula for a bestseller. This is not an action-packed thriller; the plot flows along smoothly, drawing readers in like a slow-moving river. The characters are well-developed. Vicki is the most likable and draws the most sympathy. Melanie likes to complain, a lot! Brenda shows signs of possessiveness and jealousy. All show attributes of three "normal" women. The cover is delightful. The legs of three women standing together on a beach with their jeans rolled up and no shoes, as they gaze at the ocean -- three women comfortable with each other, learning to bond together in friendship and need. I highly recommend this one to women!