The Matchmaker

The Matchmaker by Elin Hilderbrand

"The summer wind, came blowin' in from across the sea
It lingered there to touch your hair and walk with me..."

As I turned the pages of this novel, the lyrics of this timeless song came to mind. Once again, this author writes a meaningful story of lost love, forgiveness, and redemption against a backdrop of white sands and sunny skies. If you are looking for a beach read on a mellow summer day, give this one a try.

Dabney Kimball Beech lives on the Island of Nantucket; she has most of her life. There are a few things you should know about her. With her trademark pearls and polished appearance, Dabney excels as the director of the local chamber of commerce, admired and respected by all who know her. She is known as the "Matchmaker" because of her uncanny ability to unite compatible couples that result in happy, satisfying marriages. Behind this facade of contentment lie undeniable truths. Her mother left her one day with no explanation. Those scars will never heal. She is married to John Boxmiller Beech, a revered professor of economics at Harvard who officially adopted  her lovely daughter, Agnes, many years ago. He has been by her side through all the ups and downs, yet decidedly distant to her wants and needs. Perhaps that's because Dabney truly loves only one man; Clendenin Hughes, her daughter's biological father. When he left her brokenhearted eons ago, she never expected to see him again. But he's back on the Island and faded memories come hurdling toward her. Her life is spinning out of control, and she is determined to right the wrongs with the time she has left.

You see, Dabney is dying of pancreatic cancer.

One month before publication of this book, Erin Hilderbrand began her own battle with breast cancer. Little did she know how her words of fiction would relate to her own life. It's all just a bit fear-fetched, but nonetheless a captivating, emotional read, intended to entertain and isn't that what beach reads are all about....

It may just open your mind to the precious, fragile moments of life.  Fleeting.  Just like the summer wind.