My family lost a special woman this year in Judith Hilderbrand Thurman, my stepmother, who introduced me to the beaches of Cape Cod over forty years ago. Like Kitty Blessing, Judy had a lot of rules, as my siblings will confirm, and all of them have served us well. The loss is immeasurable; her legacy will last for generations.
Thank you, Timothy Field. There’s too much to say here; just please know I’m grateful for you every day.
Like Mallory, I moved to Nantucket in the summer of 1993, and I too came from New York City, although under vastly different circumstances. As I enter my twenty-eighth summer here, I would like to thank Nantucket for being such a consistently alluring muse. I am at peace only when I’m home.
In closing, I would like to say a few words about the novelist Dorothea Benton Frank, whom the world lost in September 2019. Writing is, by its nature, a solitary job, and it took me a long time to become friends with other authors. I now enjoy friendships with Nancy Thayer, Adriana Trigiani, Jennifer Weiner, Jane Green, Jamie Brenner, and Beatriz Williams, among others. Dottie and I were the best of friends. I loved her instantly and completely. She was not only a charming and brilliant novelist but also the craziest, funniest, most delightful human being—generous and kind and wickedly irreverent. Losing her was a stunning blow and I feel it every single day. If you haven’t read a Dorothea Benton Frank novel, I implore you to do it now. Her last novel, Queen Bee, was my favorite among a host of favorites. I send my love and my eternal devotion to her family—Peter, Will, Victoria. Dottie’s voice will live on forever, and it is with the humblest broken heart that I offer you this book in her memory. XO
About the Author
Elin Hilderbrand first discovered the magic of Nantucket in July 1993. Her list of favorite things includes barre class, writing at the beach, cooking for her three nearly grown kids, and singing “Home Sweet Home” at the Club Car piano bar. 28 Summers is her twenty-fifth novel.
Also by Elin Hilderbrand
The Beach Club
Nantucket Nights
The Blue Bistro
The Love Season
Barefoot
A Summer Affair
The Castaways
The Island
Silver Girl
Summerland
The Matchmaker
Winter Street
The Rumor
Winter Stroll
Here’s to Us
Winter Storms
The Identicals
Winter Solstice
Winter in Paradise
Summer of ’69
What Happens in Paradise