The Beach House

 What was it about the beach house?

Jo, Char, Mollie, and Andie grew up together, sharing the secrets of their lives.  Eventually, careers and marriages pulled them in different directions and they drifted apart.  Twelve years after they were last together, Jo invites them all for a week on the beach.  Each woman travels with more luggage than just her clothes.  As they begin to catch up with each other, their personal issues and struggles are revealed.  Will the ties of friendship hold?  Will faith in God come through?

This book was excellent!  The characters were well written, the setting was realistic, and the plot interesting.  It wasn't hard to find something of myself in each of the four main characters, thus feeling a personal connection with their storyline.  This is not a book where the characters get easy answers to their problems.  They have real issues and must work through them just as real people must.  Cliches are not solutions to real problems, nor are they offered as such in The Beach House.  I had a hard time putting this book down and would have read through if I had less responsibility.  I think I neglected things a bit as it was.  Life isn't always fun and pretty, but with the right people around us, it is better!  This book gets five out of five pieces of bacon!


Sally John writes across a broad spectrum.  She has written novels, computer software manuals, and magazine articles.  She is a speaker at conferences about writing and family issues.  She has worked independently and collaborated with others.  In the past she also taught.  Sally John is a mother, grandmother, and wife.

The Beach House was written by Sally John, published by Harvest House Publishers.

And right there, in the middle of the Chicken Pie Shop while ordering cherry pie a la mode, Jo made up for the dozen years she had not wept.