Pieces of Blue
A Novel
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4.0 • 27 Ratings
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- $14.99
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- $14.99
Publisher Description
A Best Book of Summer (The New York Times Book Review, The Washington Post)
"Bursting with humor, chaos, and raw tenderness." —Oprah Daily
"Pieces of Blue is a brilliant and bighearted page-turner." —Maria Semple, New York Times bestselling author of Where'd You Go, Bernadette
From New York Times bestselling author Holly Goldberg Sloan, a compelling and heartfelt novel for fans of Maria Semple and Emma Straub about a family trying to restore a ramshackle beachside motel—and their own lives
What good was thinking the future only held cloudy skies? Wasn’t the reality that pieces of blue were always there, waiting to break through?
When Paul Hill drowns in a surfing accident, his broken-hearted wife, Lindsey, and their three children are left in huge financial trouble. Once Paul’s life insurance finally comes through, Lindsey impulsively uses the money to buy a charmingly ramshackle motel in Hawai’i, hoping for a fresh start. Teenage Olivia quickly develops a crush on a handsome but monosyllabic skateboarder. Twelve-year-old Carlos reinvents himself as a popular kid named Carl. And Sena, the youngest, will do whatever it takes to protect her beloved motel chickens.
But while the kids adjust, Lindsey is flailing, trying to pretend she knows how to bring a motel—and herself—back to life. Then a handsome stranger rolls into the motel parking lot, and she’s surprised to feel a long-dormant part of herself stirring. She accepts his offer to help, unaware that he may have secrets of his own. And all the while, out in the Pacific, the trade winds are fiercely blowing.
Funny and tender, full of twists and turns and heart, Pieces of Blue is a portrait of an irresistible family learning to start over.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Goldberg Sloan (I'll Be There) captures the resilience of a widow seeking to provide stability for her children in this emotional contemporary romance. After Lindsey Hill's husband, Paul, disappears—and presumably drowns—in a surfing accident, Lindsey untangles the financial fallout of Paul's struggling tech company's demise and takes a chance at rebuilding her family's life by buying a remote Hawaiian motel, sight unseen, with Paul's life insurance money. The angst of solo parenting three children—14-year-old Olivia, 12-year-old Carlos, and seven-year-old Sena—coupled with a lack of experience at motel management proves difficult. Enter Chris Young, who stayed at the motel with his wife before she died from cancer and offers to help Lindsey make some much needed repairs. Lindsey is surprised to feel the spark of attraction long missing from her life—but nothing is as simple as it seems, and Chris has some secrets of his own. Empathetic yet flawed characters navigating deep, painful problems add authenticity to the resonant story, and the mystery of Paul's disappearance keeps things tense. Readers will devour this in one sitting.
