BAREFOOT by Elin Hilderbrand

Barefoot by Elin Hilderbrand

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

There were things that I really liked about this book. I liked how Josh's voice starts the book off almost like that joke, "Three men walk into a bar..." In this case he says, "Three women step off of a plane." There were moments of sweetness, sadness and even funny moments, but nothing that was gripping enough to pull me into the story and wish that it wold never end.

There are four main characters; Brenda, who's suffered a disgrace and public humiliation that has ruined her career. Vicki, Brenda's sister who has two small children and a loving husband, but happens to be suffering from lung cancer. Melanie, who's husband has been having an affair he doesn't seem to want to give up, while she's been try to have a baby to the tune of seven in-vitro fertilization tries, only to discover she's pregnant. And finally, there's Josh, the college senior, who wants to be a writer and knows immediately when he see's these women step off the plane in Nantucket, that they will somehow change his life... and they do.

The problem is that there are too many characters or voices in this story. I can't settle on who's story this is. I know it's about all four of them, but it just comes across as too much. Brenda and Melanie are so wrapped up in their problems that they can't focus on the one person they are there to care for. Where they end up having to hire Josh to take care of Vicki's two young sons. Though Josh has his problems and I like him, he's very one note. I also don't understand how he goes from immediate response to Brenda physically and emotionally, to reluctantly with Melanie to the point that he loves her. He almost ignores her and Melanie becomes jealous of his immediate attraction to Brenda. There is only a minor mention that he did notice Melanie first coming off the plane in explanation of his sudden change in attraction and devotion to her.

The author tells the story, as it folds out, from the 4 different perspectives and voices. So much so that I can't really tell who this is about, what is the moral of the story. It starts off with Josh's voice and ends with Vicki.

I didn't want to say it was just okay, because there were moments, but I can't say I "liked it" either. hard one to grade.

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