Nantucket Sisters

I just returned from my annual eye exam and nothing has changed, everything’s fine, so I came home and celebrated by enjoying four enormous truffles from the box that my son-in-law gave me at Christmas. (At least I haven’t eaten the entire box yet.). This reminded me that when I was young, my favorite activity was reading a book while eating chocolate-covered cherries. (Awful, I know.) I don’t eat them anymore. But, hey, my eyes are still good! Maybe all those cherries. . .

My favorite early books were The Secret Garden, Anne of Green Gables, and Little Women. Those books were magical. Of course, I read every Nancy Drew mystery I could find. My talented friend Jill made this notebook for me from Nancy Drew material, and a Nancy Drew blanket!

Nantucket Sisters is about two girls, one rich, one poor, who bond over their love of books when they’re little. Maggie MacIntyre lives on the island with her mother and her older brother Ben. Their mother supports them with seamstress work while Emily spends most of the year living in New York with her wealthy parents. In the summer, the girls create worlds of their own, calling themselves Nantucket Sisters. I added titles of the different parts of this book, like writers used to do.

The Secret Garden
Nantucket Glossy
Siren Song
Treasure Island
Hail, Lord Boulder!
Warrior Princess

For years, the girls live in fantasies, but as they grow older, everything changes, especially when they fall in love with the same man.

A quote from the book:

“This doesn’t count as stealing, she thinks. Anyone would understand that this is love.”

While I was writing, I was also addicted to another make-believe world. I loved Downton Abbey!

Two of my favorite fictional worlds these days are historical novels by Rhys Bowen and Patti Callaghan Henry. We all need our make-believe worlds. Enjoy!