A Trip to the Beach: Living on Island Time in the Caribbean

This was light, fun reading for the beach and about a beach, but imbued with all the travails of running a restaurant. I enjoyed it from beginning to end and loved all the characters they encountered.

Really fun read! You feel a part of the Blanchards life. Anguilla is now on my bucket list. Read it!

I don't often read biographies or personal stories like this one, but this really resonated with me. We've been thinking of moving to Costa Rica, and this was an amazingly similar story. Melinda Blanchard really makes you feel like you're there with them, making each decision, facing each problem, making new friends. At the end, you say "Wow!".Now I'm going to get the cookbook too...

A great read

I was skeptical about this book, so I got a free sample for my Kindle. Within 10 minutes I was purchasing the full version!I am a lover of a good beach book, and have read a few lately that fell quite short. Not this one, I LOVED it!This is a fascinating story, written in an intriguing, relatable and interesting style. The Blanchards are truly fascinating people, and I have found myself desperately pondering planning a trip to Anguilla, JUST to eat at Blanchard's.The story is told, just like that..a story. Could have easily been interpreted as fiction had I not known it was a true story.The setting is obviously amazing, and she does a GREAT job of bringing it to life! You can almost feel the tropical breezes, and hear the palms swaying. The characters are brought alive and you feel like you personally know each of them by the book's end.I have been to all of the islands that neighbor Anguilla, and she made me feel like I had just taken a vacation. This was one of those books that you looked forward to snuggling up with, instantly transprting you...where you find yourself trying to carve time out of your day just to read.You will not be disappointed with this one!

Enjoyable story about a talented couple who decide to move to Anguila and open a restaurant. It is a quick read. No creative writing or memorable prose. Just a first person story written by the wife. And a few chapters from the husband’s point of view written in third person (not sure how their editor let that incongruency slip through). The people they met and the food they eat all sounded wonderful and made me want to travel to Anguila to experience it.

Good quality of writing

Caribbean vacationers who have ever wondered what it would be like to sell everything and operate a business on their favorite island retreat will find satisfaction in this easy going account of a Vermont couple who move to Anguilla. Anguilla is a sixteen mile long thirty-five square mile patch of land at the northern end of the gentle crescent of islands in the eastern Caribbean nestled close to the flashier and better known St. Martin. Here on this quiet island the Blanchards arrive with their life savings and a dream to open a restaurant. Their story is about the embrace of the gentler life rhythms of this special island paradise. For the Blanchards the secret of "island time" is a life of breathing deeper and walking slower. Along the way we meet the locals against a background of palms, bougainvilleas, frigate birds, blue skies, and sandy beaches. We follow the Blanchards during the holidays, a local election, a demanding wedding celebration, summer boat races, an employee's dismissal, a break-in, etc. Occasionally we are treated to a recipe, for example, banana bread or better yet, "banana cabana"! The gentle trade winds that are the text of this impressionistic account build to a natural climax - a direct hit from Hurricane Luis (1995). Stow this paperback in your carry-on bag for quick relief while you wait impatiently to board your fight to the island paradise of your choice.

This is such a great book - loved the story and the recipes. I felt like I was experiencing Anguilla along with the Blanchards!

I originally bought and read this book 20 years ago. I loaned it to someone, who loaned it to someone etc etc, (Don't you just hate it when that happens?) so I bought another copy recently and enjoyed it every bit as much this time I all those years ago. (The Blanchards only improve with time) My husband is Jamaican and we spend as much time on the island as possible, and this book is so nostalgic for me - so many similarities. I won't be loaning it out this time; it's readable and re-readable, and expensive to replace, BUT worth ever penny.

Enjoyable read. Makes you want to run away to a tropical island and live the simpler life. Snow is not necessary

Perfect! everything was as advertised and delivered on time. Thank you

not read it all yet