Bestseller Luanne Rice returns with a novel as timeless as the sea on which it's set. From the beloved New York Times bestselling Luanne Rice comes a heartwarming yet heart-wrenching portrait of three far-flung sisters who come home to Martha's Vineyard one last time. Their mother's beach house is the only place any of them ever found true happiness and they need to begin the difficult process of letting go. Memories of their grandmother, mother, and their Irish father, who sailed away the year Dar turned twelve, rise up and expose the fine cracks in their family myth-especially when a cache of old letters reveals enough truth to send them back to their ancestral homeland. Transplanted into the unfamiliar, each sister sees life, her heart, and her relationship to home in a new way. But how do they let go of a place that contains the complicated love of their imperfect family? Without the house, where will they be together? The novel is a season on Martha's Vineyard; a mission to Ireland; a cast of friends, including one wildly off-the-grid Zen genius; passionate love in the surf; and three very different sisters with lives filled with beauty, sorrow, and deep love they'd never been quite sure they could trust. The Silver Boat is Luanne Rice at her very best, complete with her singular talent for capturing a family in all its flawed complexity.
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"At first I thought I wasn't going to enjoy it, but by the end I was staying up until 2:30 to finish it. In the early part of the book the author was very descriptive re: sex between the leading character and her boyfriend. It was not a necessary part of the book. It had nothing to do with the storyline and made me think I had purchased a Harliquin romance novel. But fortunately the rest of the book was interesting"
— Connie (4 out of 5 stars)
" I honestly can not even review this one...That's how much I truly did not enjoy it at all...It was depressing, slow, and just didn't draw me in at all...I've seen so many books by this author and this one was my first time trying to read one...I don't know if it's just this one that was a complete miss for me or if these types of books just aren't my reading preference...Once again I was suck in by such a gorgeous cover, which it is, it looks even more stunning in person...lol...But, what was inside was so disappointing to me...I can't believe I actually finished this one...I hate giving bad ratings, but, I would assume we're supposed to be honest so that's why I feel like I have to do this...I know Ms' Rice's books are extremly popular maybe I'm not mature enough to read them...And I'm almost 35...lol... "
— Monique, 2/17/2014" Not very memorable... "
— Krisi, 2/7/2014" I love the writings of Luanne Rice, but this was definately not one of her best. It was a slow read. I can usually finishing her books in a day or two this one took me a while. It was good but not her best. "
— Michelle, 2/1/2014" I don't think I'll read any more of her books. I skimmed most of this one. "
— Cindy, 1/24/2014" I have read several of Luanne Rice's books and this was not one of the best. I liked the setting of the story and the characters. The relationships between the characters weren't particularly well developed. Dar McCarthy, a recovering alcoholic, artist and graphic novelest is the central character, surrounded by her two sisters, lover and childhood friend. Dar's father abandoned the family nearly 30 years earlier to go to Ireland to look for a land grant that gave him property on Martha's Vinyard. I normally find Rice's stories a little dark, and this is certainly no exception. The story revolves around Dar's search for the truth about her father and the disposition of the family's waterfront home on the Vinyard. Dar tracks the relationship between the sisters in her graphic novels about a character named Dulse. None of that worked for me. I have the sense that the author "called it in" on this one. "
— Jeanne, 1/22/2014" I *usually* thoroughly enjoy Luanne Rice books. This story was just.... so-so. A slow start, and never picked up much speed. A sweet story but not her best. "
— Pamela, 1/12/2014" This is an ok story - nothing earth-shattering about it. The plot and characters kept my interest so that I at least wanted to know how it would end. However, once again, I am turned off by the author's seemingly perfunctory inclusion of a couple of overly detailed sex scenes and the need to drop the "eff" bomb several times in the dialog. This novel (like many others) was not enhanced in any way by these additions. If they had been eliminated no one would have noticed. They had absolutely nothing to do with the basic plot and added nothing to the storyline. I really do not understand why author's feel the need to include this stuff in what otherwise is a good story and a "clean" novel. "
— Charmaine, 1/11/2014" This was an interesting novel, but I found the characters underdeveloped although the story moved through a series of settings. My favorite character, not one of the major characters, was Andy, boyfriend to Dar. "
— Academicsupport, 1/10/2014" I really enjoyed this book. "
— Clocklin, 1/1/2014" Quick beachy read- too bad it's freezing in January. It tells the story of 3 sisters coming together at the family home in Martha's Vineyard and searching for what happened to their father. "
— Phaedra, 12/22/2013" This book makes me want to visit Martha's Vineyard again. "
— Cheryl, 12/22/2013" I loved it! About 3 sisters who grew up on Martha's Vineyard. Their father had disappeared when they were small and they set out to find out what happened. Part of it takes place in Ireland. One of my favorite authors. "
— Toby, 12/22/2013" This is just an okay story. "
— Kathy, 12/21/2013" I would have given this 2 1/2 stars if allowed. Not the greatest. "
— Beate, 11/19/2013" Luanne Rice has the power to take the reader deep into her books. Although, this book had the same power on me, it was a feeling of deja vu. I already knew how it would end. It seems to follow the common theme within all of Rices' books. The book was likable but, not original. "
— Brittany, 9/12/2013" Liked it well enough for a short book. Didn't really like the sisters. They seemed so self focused and hard to get along with. No wonder they had relationship problems. "
— Barbara, 8/27/2013" Not as good as some of her others "
— Andra, 11/6/2012" A fluff, predictable, happily ever after story. I don't think I will read her books again. Fine if you have a day at the beach and don't want to spend it in the water on the boogie board. "
— Jayne, 5/14/2012" I liked this book. It started out a little slow, but by Part 2 it really picked up and it had a really nice tone to it. A must-read for anyone who loves Martha's Vineyard and Ireland-beautiful descriptions of both, as this book takes place in both places. "
— Abbs1178, 5/11/2012" This was okay. I just couldn't really get into it and get all that excited about reading it. "
— Lesley, 5/6/2012" A great summer read!! I love Luanne Rice books! "
— Diane, 4/15/2012" This author's book are always good - not great - but really good stories of interesting characters particularly women. "
— Sarah, 8/10/2011" I am already wondering why they are selling this glorious piece of family history. I hated the new people as they barged on the sisters. <br/><br/><br/>I loved the characters. well at least Dar. "
— Sandra, 5/21/2011" A fluff, predictable, happily ever after story. I don't think I will read her books again. Fine if you have a day at the beach and don't want to spend it in the water on the boogie board. "
— Jayne, 5/17/2011" Liked it because of the setting, otherwise bland. "
— Denise, 5/16/2011" Excellent story about 3 sisters. I enjoyed it and recommend it highly. "
— Jill, 5/14/2011" Luanne Rice's earlier books were much more entertaining than this read, it was rather a lack lustre <br/>book for me, I am glad I read it and will read her further novels but I think she has to pick up her game somewhat "
— Lyn, 5/12/2011" I would have given this 2 1/2 stars if allowed. Not the greatest. "
— Beate, 5/9/2011" This is just an okay story. "
— Kathy, 5/8/2011" This was a light easy read...I hated putting it down. It made me wish that A) I had sisters and B) I was down the shore. "
— Michelle, 5/5/2011" This was okay. I just couldn't really get into it and get all that excited about reading it. "
— Lesley, 4/29/2011" There is just something so comforting about reading Luanne Rice's books. They are about families, some who have major problems, but they are overcome with a great deal of stamina in the characters and a great deal of love. Old friends. "
— Diane, 4/29/2011Luanne Rice is the author of more than thirty novels, including the New York Times bestseller Sandcastles. Many of her novels have been made into movies for television. Her short stories, essays, and articles have been widely published in magazines and newspapers. She received the 2014 Connecticut Governor’s Arts Award for excellence and lifetime achievement in the Literary Arts category.
Blair Brown is an award-winning narrator and a Tony Award–winning actor. Besides earning several AudioFile Earphones Award, she received the prestigious Audie Award for Best Fiction Narration in 2020. She has appeared on Broadway, in film, and on television in numerous miniseries and TV movies and received five Emmy Award nominations for her starring role in The Days and Nights of Molly Dodd.