Beach Reads

By Cindy Bilbao

Secrets of the Lighthouse

Santa Montefiore

Ellen desperately needs to get away from London, her controlling mother, and her well-connected but boring fiancé. She escapes to Ireland and the home of her Aunt Peg, whom she has never met, deep in the countryside near a lonely lighthouse that has fallen into disrepair. Ellen fears she won’t be able to handle the quiet country life after being a Londoner for so long, but that fear quickly turns into intrigue.

She meets a whole cast of characters: family members she never knew existed, quirky neighbors, and the residents of Connemara. She wonders why her mother hasn’t been back home to visit in more than thirty years, and why didn’t she tell Ellen about her wonderful, large family of uncles, aunts, and cousins living in Ireland.

Though everyone warns Ellen not to get involved with the dark and brooding widower in town, Ellen quickly falls for Conor. His wife Caitlin died under mysterious circumstances at the abandoned lighthouse and the town has been suspicious of Conor ever since Caitlin’s “accident.” While this book is sometimes predictable, the Caitlin’s ghost narrates parts of the novel, giving the story a haunting, ethereal quality. Caitlin has a unique point of view that really holds a reader’s attention.

The warmth of family, the mysteries surrounding the past, and the beauty of the Ireland seaside shine through in the writing and were thoroughly enjoyable. Readers will not want to put this book down!

Freckled

TW Neal

Imagine the surf scene in Hawaii in the 1960s: images of tanned bodies, colorful surfboards, turquoise waves, and the wild freedom of living by the sea come to mind. Surfing all day without the responsibilities of a 9 to 5 job in one of the most beautiful places on Earth certainly can seem perfect upon first glance. This is the life that Toby Neal grew up in with hippie parents on the North Shore of Kauai.

Told from her perspective beginning at age four, Toby tells of her family and a life where she was considered an outsider. One of her earliest obstacles was her red hair, fair skin, and freckles, which immediately differentiated her from the Hawaiian, Chinese, Portuguese, and Japanese families who lived there. These differences made it hard for her to fit in with the other kids she encountered.

The hippie lifestyle was a tough life for Toby—not nearly as romantic as we may imagine. Toby spent much of her youth fending for herself while helping to care for her younger siblings. Her parents were often high and self-absorbed and their answer to housing was to live in tents, shacks, and the back of vans resulting in a series of moves and schools for Toby.

These hardships contrast with the stunning beauty of the lush land and wild beaches of her home, and it makes this story so interesting and hard to put down. Toby’s determination to succeed, resilience, and will to survive are motivational, and her vivid and honest writing is a joy to read.

Read more beach book recommendations from Cindy Bilbao.

This article appeared in Beachcombing Magazine Volume 42 May/June 2024.

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