Summer Island
Years ago, Nora Bridge walked out on her marriage and left her daughters behind. Now she is a famous talk show host. Her daughter Ruby is a struggling comedienne. The two haven’t spoken in more than a decade. Then a scandal from Nora’s past is exposed, and Ruby is offered a fortune to write a tell-all about her mother. Reluctantly, she returns to the family house on Summer Island, a home filled with frayed memories of joy and heartache. Confronting a past that includes a never-forgotten love, a sick best friend, and a mother who has harbored terrible family secrets, Ruby finally begins to understand the complex ties that bind a mother and daughter—and the healing that comes with forgiveness.
Themes & atmosphere
Also by Kristin Hannah
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What you might want to know about Summer Island
The questions readers send us most often, answered without spoilers.
When advice queen Nora Bridge is exposed in the tabloids, she retreats to her family's island home off Washington. Her estranged daughter Ruby, a struggling stand-up, takes a paid magazine job to expose her.
Summer Island was written by Kristin Hannah and published in 2001. Hannah is also the author of The Nightingale, The Great Alone, The Four Winds, and Firefly Lane.
Summer Island is a standalone novel. Kristin Hannah's later works are largely independent of each other, though they share her interest in family conflict and women's relationships.
Summer Island is 407 pages in standard print editions, though page counts vary slightly between hardcover, paperback, and large-print formats.
At an average reading pace of about 250 words per minute, Summer Island takes most readers 6 to 9 hours to finish.
Summer Island is a standalone novel by Kristin Hannah, not part of a series.
Summer Island is available in hardcover, paperback, ebook, and audiobook formats from Amazon, Bookshop.org, ThriftBooks, and most major bookstores.