Nantucket Novelist Nancy Thayer Releases New Book

Nancy Thayer

Nancy Thayer

NANTUCKET – Best-selling author Nancy Thayer has come out with a new novel, “The Guest Cottage,” which focuses on matters of the heart and the meaning of family.

Like Thayer’s other books, “The Guest Cottage” concerns the mysteries and romance of families and relationships.

Thayer whisks readers back to the island of Nantucket in a novel about two single parents who accidentally rent the same summer house—and must soon decide where their hearts truly lie.

“This book will bring readers back to Nantucket, where the island’s beauty and isolation set the backdrop for romance and soul-searching,” said Thayer. “I am so excited to offer this story to readers who have joined me before on this picturesque New England island.”

The story involves sensible 36-year-old Sophie Anderson, who had always known what to do. She knew her role in life: supportive wife of a successful architect and calm, capable mother of two.

But on a warm summer night, as the house grew quiet around her and her children fell asleep, she wondered what was missing from her life. When her husband echoed that lonely question, announcing that he was leaving her for another woman, Sophie realized she had no idea what was next.

Impulsively renting a guest cottage on Nantucket from her friend Susie Swenson, Sophie rounded up her kids, Jonah and Lacey, and left Boston for a vacation.

Best-laid plans run awry when Sophie and software entrepreneur Trevor Black, who recently lost his wife, realize they’ve mistakenly rented the same house.

Nancy Thayer's new novel, "The Guest Cottage."

Nancy Thayer’s new novel, “The Guest Cottage.”

Determined to make this a summer their kids will always remember, the two agree to share the Swensons’ Nantucket house.

But as the summer unfolds and the families grow close, Sophie and Trevor must ask themselves if the guest cottage is all they want to share.

Thayer, who lives on Nantucket, is the author of 23 novels, including “Summer House,” “The Hot Flash Club,” “Beachcombers,” “Heat Wave,” “Summer Breeze,” and “Island Girls.”

She has a bachelor’s and a master’s in English literature, both from the University of Missouri at Kansas City.

Before settling down to write and have children, she taught English at various colleges and traveled, living in Paris, Amsterdam and Helsinki.

In 1981, she was a Fellow at the Breadloaf Writers Conference.

She has lived on Nantucket Island year-round for 28 years with her husband Charley Walters. Her daughter is the novelist Samantha Wilde.

Thayer’s work has been translated into more than 14 languages, including Polish, Hebrew, Russian, and Serbo Croatian. Her novels have been condensed or excerpted in several magazines, including Redbook, Good Housekeeping, England’s Cosmopolitan, Holland’s Viva, and South Africa’s Personality.

“The Guest Cottage” was published last month by Ballantine Books, a division of Random House.

Nancy Thayer has two book signing events coming up on Cape Cod.

On Wednesday, July 15 from 3 to 4 p.m., she will be at Titcombs Bookshop at 432 Route 6A in East Sandwich.

Listen below as Nancy Thayer discusses her new novel “The Guest Cottage.”



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