Overall I enjoyed the past and present storylines about 3 generations of women who share a close connection to Cliff House, their grand family home on Nantucket. In the present day, Cissy tires to save Cliff House from the effects of erosion, while her daughter Bess tries to convince her otherwise. The characters and engaging and interesting, but the direction of the plot is somewhat predictable. The other storyline, set in the 1940s, features Cissy's mother Ruby and her struggles to keep her family together despite the challenges of WWII and a changing world. While a bit more serious in nature, the heavy use of 1940s slang was annoying and it detracted from the overall impact of the story. This is definitely a book of summer as it makes for a good beach or vacation read.