Julie's Review: Enchanted August

Author: Brenda Bowen
Series: None
Publication Date: June 2, 2015
Publisher: Pamela Dorman
Pages: 320
Obtained: Amazon Vine
Genre:  Contemporary Fiction, Women's Fiction
Rating: 3.75/5
Bottom Line: Fun, eclectic characters is a gorgeous setting
Grab, Just get it at the library, or Remove from your TBR list? Library

Summary: A sparkling summer debut of love and reawakening that transports the classic The Enchanted April to a picture-perfect island in Maine. Its a rainy summer in Park Slope, Brooklyn, when two unhappily married women, Lottie Wilkinson and Rose Arbuthnot, spot a tattered ad on their children's preschool bulletin board: Hopewell Cottage Little Lost Island, Maine. Old pretty cottage to rent Spring water, blueberries, sea glass. August. Neither can afford it, but they are smitten. To share expenses, they find two companions: Caroline Dester, the exquisite darling of the independent movie scene, and elderly Beverly Fisher, who is recovering from heartbreaking loss. Transformed by the refreshing summer breezes, steamed lobsters, and cocktail hours on the wrap-around porch, the unlikely quartet gradually begin to open up to one another, and ultimately rediscover their capacity to love and be loved. With a cast of quirky and endearing characters set against the beauty of an idyllic New England summer, Enchanted August brilliantly updates a beloved classic and offers readers a universal fantasy: one glorious summer month away from it all. ~powells.com  

Review: Enchanted August is the perfect summer read if you are curled up on the beach or pool. Ms. Bowen does a fantastic job of making you want to find a cottage on some remote island in Maine for a month. Now, as school around here goes back in session in August, I'm not sure I could take that whole month and really unless your uber-rich, who can. I like to suspend reality for these books and just wish I had that kind of money.

I liked the eclectic mix of characters and the fact that none of them are friends when they first arrive at the house. There is one big shocker when they all first arrive at the cottage and it does take a little bit to put aside your assumptions. It does take a while for the 4 of them to click since 2 of them really want to be left alone.

I wouldn't say that any particular character stood out for me because I really did like them together as a quartet. Beverly, Rose, Lottie and Carolyn are each trying to figure life out. I do think that perhaps Lottie has it figured out the best out of them. She knows that something is up with her husband but instead of hounding him about it, she takes off for a month leaving their son's care up to him. She just knows that he'll end up at the island as well. 

I liked the idyllic sound of days spent going to the library, the market and getting the food brought in daily. I'm sure that last one isn't cheap either. I like the idea of doing a lobster boil on the beach but it does seem like a lot of work but one that might pay off in the end.

Ms. Bowen does a great job of wrapping the novel up in a way that you know the characters will be fine but it's not a perfectly wrapped bow. I liked that it was one of the more realistic points of the book.

I enjoy books like Enchanted August because you get caught up in them easily and finish them just as quickly.


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