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She grew up in suburban Philadelphia on a steady diet of Jackie Collins and Judith Krantz novels. After college, she moved to New York City to live like the heroines of her favorite books. Her novels include the national bestseller THE FOREVER SUMMER and GILT. Jamie divides her time between Philadelphia's Main Line, Provincetown, and New York City. It's a book about the importance of communication, of second chances, and of not being afraid to lean on others when we're at our most vulnerable—as well as actually admitting we're vulnerable in the first place. Great writing, I felt the book had some sluggish parts which I wished I would have skimmed over.
She is certain Penny and her mom, Emma, manipulated an old man to inherit his fortune. As one might expect, the battle for Henry’s estate pits Emma and Bea against one another. As each woman vies for control of the estate, Brenner makes an attempt to sell readers on the progression of Emma and Bea's relationship, but it's a stretch. Unfortunately, the house garners more focus than any meaningful moments shared between the characters. Back in Manhattan, legendary art patron Bea Winstead's grief at her lifelong friend and former business partner Henry's passing turns to outrage at the news of his shocking bequest. Bea, with her devoted assistant Kyle in tow, descends on Sag Harbor determined to reclaim the house and preserve Henry's legacy.
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I wasn't as sold on a romance subplot with this one, in terms of Emma and another character. Personally, I felt she just needed to focus on her daughter. Overall, it was a good story that is the perfect beach read.
Single mother Emma Mapson has lived in Sag Harbor, a popular summer destination for the wealthy, her entire life. She works the front desk at The American Hotel and is busy raising her teenage daughter, Penny. When a local artist dies and mysteriously leaves his waterfront mansion to Penny, let's just say it comes as a complete shock to everyone, including his lifelong friend and former business partner, Bea.
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My favorite part of this story is the picturesque historical town of Sag Harbor and the iconic American Hotel. I didn’t read this one on vacation or on the beach however I felt like I was swept away to this charming town and was sitting on a lounge chairs with a drink close by soaking up the sun. At the same time, Bea discovers a large number of Henry’s art pieces around Sag Harbor. Penny helps Bea find them all, and through them, they learn a giant secret about their shared history. Having grown up in Sag Harbor, a historic Long Island town dependent on summer tourism, Emma Mapson thrives on hard work. But when a near stranger bequeaths his multimillion dollar estate to her daughter, Emma's world spins out of control.
Penny's love of drawing sparking an unlikely friendship with renowned artist and local celebrity, Henry Wyatt. I’ve had a tough go finding authors who check the boxes necessary to land a spot on my short and very exclusive “beach read” list. My pickiness knows no bounds and comparisons, while wildly unfair, seem to be unavoidable.
Book Summary:
Henry's death has made it even harder for Penny, who is struggling with OCD and is becoming more rebellious to express her displeasure at being stuck in this small town. Her boss is unhappy with the burst of publicity that is following Emma as a result of Henry's bequest to Penny. And to top it off, her ex (and Penny's dad) resurfaces, suddenly wanting to be closer to his daughter. (Could it have anything to do with the house she just inherited?) The last thing Emma has energy for is to battle Bea over Henry's will. As they’re dealing with this amazing shock, Bea Winstead, Henry’s former agent, storms into town ready to contest the Will and claim what she feels is rightly hers.
She comes into town with her assistant, Kyle, determined to fight for the house as she knows she is the best person to help preserve her friend's legacy. Jamie Brenner is one of my favorite writers and while the story summaries and book covers may look like her books are just another fluffy beach read, they are much more. This one is a summer beach story, a family story and a story of friendship. Thanks to Netgalley, Jamie Brenner and Little Brown & Company to the opportunity to review this one ahead of the publish date of May 7, 2019. Jamie Brenner, Author of "Drawing Home" has written an intriguing, captivating, enthralling, delightful, heartwarming and thought-provoking novel.
Then the ex-husband and father of Penny comes to town to suddenly be a father to Penny. Years of long shifts at The American Hotel left Emma with little time for her 14-year-old daughter, Penny, who suffers from OCD and anxiety. Penny's absentee father, Mark, who divorced Emma to pursue his dreams of acting and producing, hasn't helped much; even his child support payments are late.
Last year I fell in love with Jamie Brenner’s writing when I read The Husband Hour and I knew after reading just one of her books that I had found a new must read author for myself. From the stunning cover to the very final page this one had me enraptured throughout and only made me even more sure that the author is an auto buy for me. Overall, Drawing Home is another lighthearted, beautiful, beach read by Brenner that mixes a side of a mystery with her innate ability to delve into all the psychological and emotional entanglements found in nuclear families.
By the end of the 19th century and into the 20th, Sag Harbor became the destination for the wealthy to summer; and that tide still flows into the 21st. While I enjoyed this one, I do feel it moved at a slow pace and I found myself challenging some of the characters decisions. It did pick up during the last half and I was surprised and satisfied with the wrap up. The setting of the picturesque and historic town of Sag Harbor during the summer months was a nice backdrop to the novel.
When Henry Wyatt suddenly dies, Emma and Penny's world is thrown upside down as Henry has bequeathed his beach front home to Penny. This is obviously life changing to both Emma and Penny and Emma is pretty stunned by the whole turn of events. To complicate matters further, Henry Wyatt's best friend and former business partner, Bea, comes to town determined to find out why Henry would have left his estate and the artwork inside it to a teenager. Just when you think Emma has things figured out, Penny's father comes back to town and wants to be a part of Penny's life and quite suddenly. Drawing Home by Jamie Brenner isn't an overly saccharine beach read. It's set in Sag Harbor, which makes it the perfect beachy setting, but the issues that Emma and Penny deal with are serious.
And the plot is a wonderful mix of life, loss, forgiveness, grief, love, familial drama, friendship, community, contentment, coming-of-age, and art. I did like the message that a family is what you make of it. Sometimes people can enter your life and have more of a positive impact on your life than some of your blood relatives. I wouldn't say this book is a must-read but it was a decent summer read.
We have Bea's, Emma's, and Penny's POVs throughout the book, and I really liked this approach. While Bea drove me insane almost the entire book, I still appreciated being able to see things through her eyes as Henry's old friend and manager of his career for many years. Emma was doing the best she could as a single mom, and I was so moved by Penny's struggle with OCD. The thing I loved most about this book was the personal journey every single character took.
While Emma is busy with the incoming weekend crowd and Penny steps out to get some yogurt across the street, Henry suddenly falls off his bar stool and collapse on the bar’s floor. Paramedics arrive to fight through the onlookers while the bartender realizes Henry is dead. Penny hears the news from the crowds outside and is devastated. She’s also the single Mom to her 14-year-old daughter, Penny.
First, she must prove her statements, which becomes difficult as she speaks negatively of Emma and even Penny all around town. Bea tries to take over Henry’s house by blatantly moving in and starts cataloging his art work. Get ready for a passionate and often illogical fight over Henry’s estate. I found it a bit slow moving at times and was super frustrated with the characters at times. I was disappointed as well with the predictability of the story but was very impressed with Brenner's writing style.
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