The Matchmaker by Elin Hildebrand

by:  Elin Hildebrand
published by:  Little, Brown and Co.
publish date:  June 10, 2014

Dabney Kimball Beech, the 48-year-old fifth generation Nantucketer, has had a lifelong gift of matchmaking (52 couples still together to her credit). But when Dabney discovers she is dying of pancreatic cancer, she sets out to find matches for a few people very close to home: her husband, celebrated economist John Boxmiller Beech; her lover journalist Clendenin Hughes; and her daughter, Agnes, who is engaged to be married to the wrong man.  As time slips away from Dabney, she is determined to find matches for those she loves most - but at what cost to her own relationships? 

I'm a huge Elin Hilderbrand fan.  I've loved all her books.  This one was no different.  However, I did feel it had a different atmosphere than her other books.  I felt very frustrated with the main character throughout the story.  This character is dealing this a life changing illness and Elin Hilderbrand herself was recently diagnosed with cancer, so perhaps it may have been some of that in the writing.  I don't know how much of the writing happened during or after her diagnosis.

The biggest frustration I had with the character Dabney was that she just wouldn't go to the doctor.  She kept thinking she was "lovesick".  What the heck?  Is that really a thing?  You're a 50 year old woman, you should know better right?  Then, the people around her didn't seem to be very forceful about making her go either.  However, the reader has the luxury of knowing what's wrong with Dabney.

Once again, Elin Hilderbrand has written an excellent Summer read.  It's the perfect book for a lazy day at the beach or pool to dream about living on Nantucket.  We wish Elin the best of luck in her recovery and I hope she gets back to writing books really soon!