(Reviewed by Don Jung)
What happens when you are content with your current life, but circumstances force you to make unexpected changes?
Fifty-seven-year-old grandmother, Nancy, thought she was happy, but then caught her husband with another woman on their yacht. This wasn’t a one-time occurrence. This had been going on for years. However, he doesn’t want Nancy to leave as there are too many assets at stake.
Should she stay with him or leave, giving up her comfortable and lavish lifestyle? While she agonizes over this, her friends come to her aid.
Intertwined with the complexities of leaving her nest egg, she decides to buy her own sailboat to live on in the marina . She meets other boat dwellers, who are men- divorced, broke, but happy and enjoying life. As the only woman living on a boat in the marina, she decides to introduce herself by hosting a poker party and finds a new set of friends with a fascinating lifestyle that she didn’t know existed.
In order to get a divorce from her husband, Nancy decides to challenge him to a sailboat race from Newport Beach to Ensenada. If she wins, he will grant her a divorce and give her his boat. While her daughter think she is crazy, her granddaughter supports her, and they develop a relationship that was unexpected. The story gets complicated as several unforeseen events occur before the big regatta.
The characters in Beware the Mermaids are fascinating as they discuss what is next in their lives. It’s a heartwarming story of what friends are for and who you can trust when your life unravels.
This is a great summer read with lots of questions of who your friends are and how you can find happiness when money alone is not the answer. You will have fun enjoying this seaward journey.
