Welcome

 
 
Life’s a bit of a beach these days for Ginger Walsh, who finds herself single at 41 and back home living in the family FROG (finished room over the garage) in the fictional town of Marshbury. She’s spent a few too many years in sales, and is hoping for a more fulfilling life as a sea glass artist, but instead is babysitting her sister’s kids and sharing overnights with Noah, her sexy glassblower boyfriend with commitment issues and a dog Ginger’s cat isn’t too crazy about. You can almost smell the salt air as you take this rollicking ride with one slightly relationship-challenged single woman, one older BlackBerry obsessed married-with-children sister on the verge of turning fifty, one dump picking father, one kama sutra t-shirt wearing mother, one movie crew come to town with a very cute gaffer, plus a couple of Red Hat Realtors and a pair of evil twins. Life’s a Beach sparkles with warmth, wit, and wisdom—and a real understanding of what it takes to move forward at any stage in life. Book Club Conversation Starters 1. Are you a Ginger? Do you have a sister just like Geri? Do you think most women you know fall into one category or the other? 2. Have you ever met an Allison Flagg in real life? Was she dead-heading a beach rose? 3. Do you think Ginger ended up with the person she was meant to be with? If you could date either Noah or the gaffer, which one would you pick and why? Do you think their characters are based on real men, and if so, do you think Claire Cook has their phone numbers? 4. The father in Life's a Beach is a bit of a dump picker. Do you have a family member who can't stay away from the dump? Is there a Take It or Leave it, a Put 'n' Take, or a Swap Shop in your town? (Or a great dumpster in your city?) What's the best thing you ever found there? 5. Ginger Walsh, the heroine of Life's a Beach, is transitioning from a life in sales to what she hopes will be a more fulfilling life as a sea glass artist. Claire Cook always wanted to be a novelist, yet didn't go after her dream until she was in her forties. If you decided to quit your current job, what dream would you pursue? 6. Who is your favorite minor character in Life's a Beach? Why? 7. Would you ever let one of your own children become a child actor? Why or why not? 8. Ginger's older sister Geri is struggling with how to celebrate her fiftieth birthday. What will/did you do for yours? Of all the ideas listed in "User's Guide to the Fun, Feisty and Fabulous" at the back of the book, which one would you most like to try? When book groups met to discuss Must Love Dogs, they often served Sarah's Winey Macaroni and Cheese, made without butter, with white wine instead of milk, and served in wine glasses for best effect. What will your book group serve when discussing Life's a Beach? 10. Which scene in Life's a Beach made you laugh the hardest? Which one brought a tear to your eye? Which one gave you the biggest jolt of recognition? 

Life’s a Beach

Life's a Beach was a Good Morning America summer book pick!



"Midlife love, laughter, sibling rivalry and self-discovery...Goes down as easy as it sounds."

     -People Magazine


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“Dive into this gleefully quirky coming-of-age story centered on… a 41-year-old. With the help of her hippie parents, Boyfriend the cat, and a shark-crazy movie crew, Ginger Walsh is finally growing up - and there's no escaping a few growing pains.”

                                  -Redbook


"Laugh out loud"

              -Good Housekeeping


"a fun beach novel with moments of depth...a delightful and surprisingly compelling page turner."

                 -The Boston Globe

"Claire Cook has an original voice, sparkling style and a window into family life that will make you laugh and cry. LIFE'S A BEACH is filled with hilarity, sister love and sister hate, juicy arguments and hard won reconciliations but most of all, heart. I'm giving it to my sister today!"


--Adriana Trigiani



"If I had a sister, I'd want her to be Claire Cook. If I had a summer, I'd want it to be the summer that two sisters stropped their tongues and sparred over everything from fertility to photography to family. And if I could follow up the wry, wacky poignancy of MUST LOVE DOGS with any book, it would be LIFE'S A BEACH. Claire Cook is wicked good."


--Jacquelyn Mitchard



"LIFE’S A BEACH is a delicious coming of age novel—about two forty-something sisters who don’t quite manage that feat until it’s almost too late. I devoured this slice of family life served up in Claire Cook’s inimitably warm and witty style. Tender, touching and terribly, terribly, funny!"


--Mary Kay Andrews



"Claire Cook's smart, delightful new book made me laugh on the first page and on every single page all the way through -- even when it also made me cry. True, tender, insightful, and hilarious -- I loved it."


--Pamela Redmond Satran



"Claire Cook has given us a heroine you’ll cheer for and a book you won’t be able to put down. I loved it."


--Karen Quinn