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A Slice of Life
by Francine Brokaw
The Hot Flash Club Chills Out By Nancy Thayer
The popular series about middle aged women continues with a hot summer on Nantucket. Even if you’re not familiar with this series of books, you can understand and enjoy the antics and adventures of these women as they continue to strive to figure out their lives. Together this group of women own (with their shareholders) The Haven, a wellness spa near Boston, and when one of their investors offers them her house in Nantucket for the summer, they jump at the chance to get away from their everyday lives and stresses. They put together a calendar where they can each spend as much time in the lovely old house as they desire. Sometimes they will be there together, and sometimes they might have to enjoy the solitude of the island themselves, but they are all eager and willing to experience a different kind of summer. And in the space of the few months they each realize new things about themselves and what they want to do with the rest of their lives.
Now, the first rule of The Hot Flash Club is “Interfere.” These women thrive on helping each other through their ups and downs. And their other main rule is “Don’t let fear rule your life.” This is a lesson even those of us who are not part of the club can strive for.
While on Nantucket they set down some new rules for the summer. No dieting and no worrying! Nantucket is going to be their retreat from the troubles they face in their everyday lives. Whether it’s trouble with health, family, love, or work, they are going to leave all that behind when they leave the mainland and sail off to the lovely island where civilization is much slower and they can simply take it easy. Whether they want to shop, paint, enjoy the beach, or just take long walks, Nantucket is their own retreat.
These women are enjoyable and very funny. As they commute back and forth between their island retreat and their lives in the city, each one sees a different escape in Nantucket. Getting old doesn’t mean we lose the desire for love and intimacy, and these women face that issue as well as others. True, their droopy bodies might not look as enticing in a bathing suit as those of twenty-five year olds, but they have not lost their desire for love and companionship.
While Marilyn plans her wedding, she has some concerns that creep up during the summer. Faye sets to work painting landscapes and falling in love with the island. Polly comes to a realization about her boyfriend Hugh, Shirley falls for a new man who shows her how to enjoy the island in a new way. And Alice realizes she cannot keep up the pace of taking care of her granddaughter full time. She has to find a solution for her family’s situation.
These menopausal mavens are a riot as they make it through the wonderful summer balancing their serene escapes to Nantucket with the stresses of their lives.
Nancy Thayer continues with these delightful characters in this fourth installment of The Hot Flash Club. Anyone over 40 will definitely see the humor in these women. And anyone over 50 will sympathize with them. And those over 60 will laugh out loud. Enjoy the summer with Marilyn, Faye, Polly, Alice, and Shirley – five women who have more in common than hot flashes. They are true friends.
© 2007 Francine Brokaw
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