I have somewhat mixed feelings about this novel. The overall story was okay, but at times, I felt like I was struggling to get through parts that felt unnecessarily dense. Told from primarily the perspective of Abigail, a young woman vacationing on the North Carolina Outer Banks with her family in 1868, this novel portrays the development of a romance between the relatively well-off Abigail and Benjamin, a local young fisherman she's teaching to read. As Abigail and Benjamin learn about each other, and challenge each other, they also witness the struggles of the post-Civil War South, as a nearby community of free Blacks is threatened by Abigail's father and his compatriots. While I really appreciated parts of this novel, I do wish the story flowed together a little better and not ended so abruptly. ( )

The Outer Banks House by Diann Ducharme was supposed to be the AlphaKIT for February but didn't get done. I finally put it at the top of the list, looking for a good story in a setting that I know and love, the area around Nags Head on the Outer Banks of North Carolina. The story takes place just after the Civil War as Reconstruction is bearing down on the south and the KKK is being born as the not-so-underground resistance. Fashionable white families from inland Edenton, NC, have begun to vacation on the Banks, staying in newly built houses and dining at the local hotel, interacting with the "Bankers," mostly for domestic and touring support. The story also explores the history of the Freedmen's Colony on Roanoke Island, organized by escaped slaves who took refuge on Roanoke after it was occupied by Northern troops. The main character is a planter's daughter, Abigail Sinclair, who is just beginning to question the future set for her (marriage, babies, and so forth) when she discovers the beauty and danger of the islands. There is love and loss and all the elements of a good story and I loved escaping to the beach for a few hours. ( )

This is an enjoyable book and quite impressive for a debut offering. The characters are well portrayed for the most part and the plot is interesting. The descriptions of the location are lovely and the struggles of the heroine to deal with everything around her are well examined.
My main problem is with the conclusion. It was highly dramatic, opened the heroine's eyes to several horrors she now had to address and yet it all seems to resolve itself itself remarkably quickly and easily. Also, the heroine's mother clearly had a story which seemed to be developing and climaxing towards the end but nothing came of it.
So, apart from the loose ends and sloppy finish - a good read. ( )

Abby Sinclair is the neglected daughter of a plantation owner. Three years after the end of the Civil War, she is still mourning the loss of her uncle and her family is still adjusting to the loss of their slaves. When her father decides to move the whole family out to the Outer Banks of North Carolina for the summer, Abby is excited to see the ocean for the first time. Something about the wildness of the ocean stirs up a wildness that had almost been lost in herself. And then she meets "Banker" Benjamin Whimble, a dirty, uneducated young man who nevertheless has something to teach her.

I loved the descriptions of the Outer Banks in the 1860s. It's hard to think of them as they are now, crowded with houses up to the water's edge in places, and read about how no one built close to the water in this time period because of the harshness of the storms. At the very beginning, Abby runs clear across Nags Head from the sound to the ocean, finding nothing but sand on the way. I'm thinking about the traffic, outlet malls and shops and restaurants, and the Wright Brothers Memorial that she would meet today. "Progress" is of course inevitable, but reading something like this makes me wonder if it's worth the cost.

I liked watching Abby come into her own. The loss of her uncle, who was more truly her father than her father is, has left her reeling. She's withdrawn and bookish, and she's starting to be pushed around a little too much by her parents. She slowly and believably starts to regain her old confidence and to even make some surprising decisions for herself.

I liked Benjamin a lot. He sees the world clearly through his intense blue eyes. He has ambitions for more than just the hand-to-mouth life most Bankers have. He also doesn't suffer from a false sense of modesty. He knows his strengths and weaknesses and he knows his own value. When he wants something he goes for it. Plus, he's pretty cute.

His character is the biggest thing that knocked this back to three stars. After developing such a great character, he all of a sudden starts to act completely out of character. There's a reason given, but I can't buy him choosing the course of action he follows for any reason at all. And if he did, I can't imagine him living easily with the consequences. This is hard to write without giving anything away, so I'm probably not making any sense.

I think this will appeal most to those who are interested in the post-Civil War time frame and those who are in love with the Outer Banks.

I received an ARC for review from the publisher. ( )

The story was well written with wonderful descriptions of the Outer Banks and the tensions in North Carolina after the Civil War. I thoroughly disliked the story about the romance between a plantation owner's daughter and the illiterate fisherman. The idea is charming, but for some reason, the rendering by Ducharme was distasteful. Many times, I wanted to discontinue reading, but since this is for a book club, I finished the story. ( )