A Summer Affair

A Novel

By: Elin Hilderbrand

Narrated by: Isabel Keating

Length: 14 hrs and 41 mins

Publisher's summary

The perfect wife and mother finds the perfect temptation in this "perfect summer cocktail of sex, sun, and scandal" (Kirkus Reviews).

Claire has a problem with setting limits. All her life she has taken on every responsibility, assumed every burden, granted every request. Claire wants it all—and in the eyes of her friends, she has it: a devoted husband, four beautiful children, even a successful career as an artist. So when she agrees to chair the committee for Nantucket's social event of the year, she knows she can handle it. Claire can handle anything.

But when planning the gala propels her into the orbit of billionaire Lock Dixon, unexpected sparks begin to fly. Lock insists on working closely with Claire—often over a bottle of wine—and before long she can't ignore the subtle touches and lingering looks. To her surprise, she can't ignore how they make her feel, either. Claire finds the gala, her life, and herself spinning out of control.

A Summer Affair captures the love, loss, and limbo of an illicit romance and unchecked passion as it takes us on a brave and breathless journey into the heart of one modern woman.

"Think you know where this is going? Think again. Hilderbrand is way too smart to give away the whole story in her title." —Elisabeth Egan, New York Times

©2008 Elin Hilderbrand (P)2008 Hachette Audio

Critic reviews

"Think you know where this is going? Think again. Hilderbrand is way too smart to give away the whole story in her title."—Elizabeth Egan, New York Times

Great story but horrible narrator

If you could sum up A Summer Affair in three words, what would they be?

Another Hilderbrand hit

What didn’t you like about Isabel Keating’s performance?

Her Irish accent was awful, also whenever she did the voice of Claire's husband Jason I cringed. He sounded like he had a mental disability, it was borderline offensive.

Any additional comments?

I love Elin Hilderbrand and all of her books. Anyone looking for a fun, emotional, easy beach read or if you want to travel to Nantucket via book can always count on her.

Lovely story

Definitely didn’t see some of that coming the way it did. Lovely story. Definitely a must read.

Story was a little long, but it held our interest.

narrator s good, struggled with the New England accent. left is hanging on Gavin's demise. Wish we could have found out what happened to all the characters in the end.

Fun read

This story was a fun read. A little different from other books by this author but it was good. The characters are interesting. The protagonist was very real and relatable. A relaxing read with enough twists and turns to make it engaging.

Enjoyable and trashy

Quite Enjoyable for a trashy novel that’s outdated and somewhat sexist. A quick,light read.

A fun book

A fun story that lets you escape - takes you back to some high school
Memories

Fake Irish accent :-(

Sorry was ok and relatively entertaining, just had to see where the affair went. Hated the fake Irish accent. This is my first from this author, will try another before I decide 100% that I’m not riveted by her style

Listened for Swan Song

I enjoy listening to Elin Hildebrand, her characters feel authentic and well. The story sometimes does not end the way you want it to it ends the way it should. I listened to “A Summer Affair” in preparation for “Swan Song” as I’ve listened to the books out of order of publishing. This book reminds me a lot of 29 summers, only I liked that one better. This book was okay but not one of my favorites. While the story took place on Nantucket, it didn’t have the same nostalgic feel of summertime that the other books did. As silly as it sounds, I enjoy the name dropping that comes with Hildebrand‘s books, of characters who dance at the chicken box and eat fabulous meals.

Mediocre…my unfortunate least fave

I had read this book years ago and decided to listen on Audible. Unfortunately listening did not make the story any more palatable.

Marriages are indeed flawed, and when kids are involved along with every day life, it is tougher yet. The personality flaws within Claire are only magnified by the way her husband treats her, and unfortunately that lingering desire to fulfill her own needs is what draws her to Locke.

I’ve never read a Hildebrand novel where ALL of the characters are so messed up and drama-laden. Even her best friend, Siobhan, is downright mean and overly righteous. With all of the drama and plot issues needing to be resolved, it is no wonder that I came away from reading feeling as though none of the conflicts had been fully resolved.

What happened to Isabel? Did Gavin go to jail? What about Carter? Did he get help with gambling? Most importantly, did Claire ever tell Jason about her infidelity? The readers are left to draw their own conclusion, and while I don’t mind novels that leave something to the imagination, this one leaves a LOT to the reader. For these reasons, it’s the one Hildebrand book I can’t review very high.

Professional and moral conflict

The two affairs went on too long. Should have been resolved before the event Clare was not believable having sex 7 nights with Jason and then 4 nights with her lover for a year