The Bookshop at Water's End

By: Patti Callahan Henry

Narrated by: Andi Arndt, Lauren Fortgang, Shannon McManus, Dorothy Dillingham Blue

The women who spent their childhood summers in a small Southern town discover it harbors secrets as lush as the marshes that surround it....

Bonny Blankenship's most treasured memories are of idyllic summers spent in Watersend, South Carolina, with her best friend, Lainey McKay. Amid the sand dunes and oak trees draped with Spanish moss, they swam and wished for happy ever afters, then escaped to the local bookshop to read and whisper in the glorious cool silence. Until the night that changed everything, the night that Lainey's mother disappeared.

Now in her early 50s, Bonny is desperate to clear her head after a tragic mistake threatens her career as an emergency room doctor, and her marriage crumbles around her. With her troubled teenage daughter, Piper, in tow, she goes back to the beloved river house, where she is soon joined by Lainey and her two young children. During lazy summer days and magical nights, they reunite with bookshop owner Mimi, who is tangled with the past and its mysteries. As the three women cling to a fragile peace, buried secrets and long ago loves return like the tide.

©2017 Patti Callahan Henry (P)2017 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

“Patti Callahan Henry has written the best novel of her career with The Bookshop at Water’s End. I absolutely adored it and predict it will be one of the most-loved books of the year. In fact, it’s so good I wish I’d written it myself!” (Dorothea Benton Frank, New York Times best-selling author of Same Beach, Next Year)

“The Bookshop at Water’s End carries us along the graceful curves and outwardly serene story line of two childhood friends returning to their summer riverside home. But like the river she writes about, Patti’s plot roils with strong undercurrents of murky secrets, tragedy and the pulsing tides of self-discovery. No one writes about the power of family and friends like Patti Callahan Henry. The Bookshop at Water’s End is a must-read for your summer!” (Mary Alice Monroe, New York Times best-selling author of Beach House for Rent)

“From the very first page, Patti Callahan Henry draws you in like the tide, revealing long-simmering secrets that will test family and friendships, and explores the question: do we tell our stories or do our stories tell us? In lush, lyrical prose, Henry explores the power of forgiveness, especially in ourselves. Every page was a treat.” (Laura Lane McNeal, best-selling author of Dollbaby)

Wanted to hear the ending

The story line was good enough to keep us listening to the end. I had trouble believing the doctor could be so indecisive about her personnel life but was supposed to be so decisive about her performance as a doctor.

Good YA book

Sweet, but predictable story that was a good listen. Had a setting with notable characters.

So connected to this book

What made the experience of listening to The Bookshop at Water's End the most enjoyable?

I could really get in the mind of the characters. I loved the narration and the story...

Who was your favorite character and why?

The daughter, even though she was the youngest I loved her spirit.

Which scene was your favorite?

Any scene with intense dialogue between the generations of women

If you could rename The Bookshop at Water's End, what would you call it?

It's perfect

Any additional comments?

This book inspired me to start journaling again! Thank you

Kind of like a Hallmark Christmas stor

If you like The Hallmark channel you will like this piece of froth. Sometimes I will pick a book and have my vocabulary improved or my life view challenged.Ypu won't find that here.

Very satisfying

Why Read it? Do you need to ask? It has bookshop in the title what other reason do I need! I have listened to at least one other by this author and liked it as well.

Plot. Two summer friends end up back at the beach house they knew as children. Lainey lost her mother there when she was 13 yrs and has never got over it - lost as in went missing. Bonnie is a doctor who had something go wrong in the emergency room and she is awaiting the outcome. And she has just left her husband. As well there is her daughter Piper who has a few issues. Mimi runs the bookshop and she knows what her buyers need to read, not what they might want.

What Appealed to me? I loved this story of three women, lost somewhat, at turning points in their lives. It was thought provoking as well. It was about loss and love, making mistakes, finding out who you really are. I listened to the audio version of this book and the three narrators were excellent. I think this will be one of my favourite books of 2017.

Wonderful

loved it. Bonnie s voice was my favorite. so smooth and clear . recommend this book to all women

so good

Everything was perfect about this book! From the complexity, to the narration. I love how easily the story flowed back to the past and forward.

Southern drama

I liked listening to this multiple viewpoints Southern drama told from Bonny, Lainey, Piper, and Mimi’s perspectives and in the past and present. Bonny returns to Water’s End, SC, when her career and life are upended, taking her 19-year-old daughter with her. She asks her best friend to join them even though it is where Lainey’s mom disappeared years ago.

Could have been a 5*

The story line was a 5 but the bad language was so unnecessary. The reviews were mixed and I took a chance. Like I said, the story was good; the narrator was good but the bad language made it bothersome.

the perfect end-of-summer read!

I absolutely loved this book. This was my second book by Patty and I love this one even more. I loved all of the female relationships and struggles that each of the characters face. I loved the choices that the characters made and how they overcome their own mistakes. I'm super excited to discuss this book and a book club with friends and fiction book club members and other fans alike!