SUMMER HOUSE (Nancy Thayer)

First of all, I wonder who created the cover art for this novel?  Here it is:
   If you haven't read a description of the novel, your assumption would be that this is pure chick lit, possibly about 2 young women who are friends or sisters spending a the summer at the beach, probably with at least one handsome romantic interest.  Needless to say, I don't like the cover.  I think it misrepresents the book.

In reality, Summer House is about family relationships.  Four generations of the wealthy Wheelwright family gather each summer at the family house on Nantucket, home to ninety-year-old Anne "Nona" Wheelwright.  Her son, Worth, works at the family-founded bank in Boston, as does her son-in-law Kellogg and grandsons-in-law Claus and Douglas.  The story is told from the points of view of three women: Nona, her sixty-year-old daughter-in law, Helen (could they be the leggy girls in the hammock?), and Helen and Worth's 30-year-old daughter, Charlotte.  Worth is disappointed that none of his 3 children have chosen a career in the family banking business.  Son Oliver is a successful architect living in San Fransisco in a committed relationship with his partner, Owen.  Charlotte, the oldest, tried working in the bank to please her father and is now an organic gardener, growing and selling produce on her grandmother's land, to the consternation of her cousins.  Youngest child, Teddy, is 22 and has a history of drug and alcohol problems and now has a wife and a child on the way.  Helen loves her family and is stunned to discover that handsome, successful husband Worth has been unfaithful. 

As the summer progresses and family relationships change and evolve, Helen ponders how to resolve her marriage problems, Charlotte focuses on the future, and Nona, in the twilight of her life, decides that the time has come to face past secrets. Thayer allows her readers to revisit significant events in Helen and Nona's past through dreams and reminiscences, which adds depth and insight to the story.  Is there any romance?  Some, but it is secondary to the overall story.  Is this chick lit? Definitely not, despite the cover.  If you are looking for an intersesting story about the twists and turns of family relationships, friendship, marriage, and parenthood, look no further.  Summer House is highly recommended!