The Family Beach House

May 31, 2010
Larchmere, a seaside estate in Ogunquit, Maine, becomes a bone of contention for its possible heirs in Chamberlin's predictable but pleasant latest (after One Week in December). Bill McQueen's adult children worry that Dad's much younger girlfriend, Jennifer, might inherit Larchmere if Bill decides to marry her. Eldest brother Adam is livid; less angry but nevertheless concerned are his sisters, relatively early widow Tilda, and Hannah, who's contemplating having children with her wife. Youngest brother Craig, meanwhile, seems unconcerned. After observing the 10th anniversary of their mother's death, life-changing discoveries help the siblings confront their emotional difficulties with varying success. Though poky in spots and annoying in others (particularly when Adam's front and center), it does the trick as a beach book and provides a touristy taste of Maine's seasonal attractions.