Distant Shores
Ratings4
Average rating4.8
15
Ratings4
Average rating4.8
In her remarkable New York Times bestseller, Summer Island, Kristin Hannah struck a chord in readers and critics alike with her portrayal of the bittersweet reunion between an errant mother and her unforgiving daughter. Now Hannah once again reveals the fragile ties that bind a family in transition, as two people choose to escape the limits of their ordinary lives and reach for the extraordinary promise that lies on Distant Shores.
Elizabeth and Jackson Shore married young, raised two daughters, and weathered the storms of youth as they built a future together. But after the children leave home, they quietly drift apart. When Jack accepts a wonderful new job offer, Elizabeth puts her needs aside to follow him across the country. Until the sudden death of her father changes everything.
Grieving and alone, she retreats to an isolated beach house where she packs away the last remnants of her parents’ lives. There, the pieces of a past she never knew unfold to reveal a tender story of lasting devotion, the kind of steadfast commitment that Elizabeth admits is missing from her own marriage. Faced with her own disillusionment, she makes a terrifying decision, risking everything she has for a second chance at happiness.
Enriched by soul-stirring emotion and an appreciation for the simple joy of everyday miracles, Distant Shores is an exquisite reminder of the most precious gifts in life: friends and family, children and lovers, the strength to change, and the courage to forgive-all flawlessly captured by the graceful hands of Kristin Hannah.
Reviews with the most likes.
I think I've given 5 stars to almost all of Hannah's books, and this is no exception. For this book, I felt like a peeping Tom, sticking my nose into the most intimate moments of a marriage. No not the stuff in the bedroom. The stuff where they try to decide if they could stay together. Realistic, hot stuff.
For those who've had rough patches in their marriage, here's a wise tale you should read. Almost everyone married long enough, at one point or another, has wondered if separation or divorce would be the answer to their troubles. I think Hannah does an excellent job of covering what that might look like without the reader actually having to end their own relationship to find out.
Elizabeth and Jackson Shore have seemed to have survived everything life could throw at them. Raising daughters, job loss, frequent moves, death of family members. But what might be visible to those outside the marriage isn't what's really transpiring inside.
Jackson has dreams of making it big again. Elizabeth believes it's now “her turn” to direct where they live and how. They both have valid points, but those points send them in opposite directions. Away from each other.
Elizabeth longs to “find herself” again after years of putting everyone else's needs first. Jackson is trying to recreate his youth. We, the reader, go along for this journey of discovering whether they can live more happily apart than together. It's well worth taking the trip.
