Amy 
women's fiction
Ten Beach Road told the story of three very different women pulled together when a Bernie Madoff-like character ran away with all of their money and they found themselves with no income or savings on which to live. A Florida mansion's ownership, one of very few assets the federal government had been able to acquire, was passed to the three of them as partial compensation for their losses. However, the mansion had been vacant and neglected for years and was not worth much money if they sold it in its condition. Therefore, the three co-owners decided to renovate the mansion, which sat on a prime stretch of beach, in an effort to realize a larger sale price. In the process, they formed binding friendships as each struggled to overcome their own issues and situations.
I read this novel because I wanted to experience a novel by the Atlanta-based author, Wendy Wax. I enjoyed it! The largest flaw to me was that one of the characters, Madeline, an empty nester with some marital issues, seemed unrealistic. She seemed unbelievably "hands off" and non-urgent regarding her family issues. Aside from that, and the fact that you could tell where romantic interests were going to end up from the very beginning, the story engaged me and made me want to keep listening to the audio book. It made me think about how Madoff's victims have managed carrying on with their lives. I liked watching the relationships build as the house was likewise improved. I will read the next one in the series to follow the characters in their journeys.
The audio book was read by Amy Rubinate. Her voice is clear but often robotic. In fact, I believe it made me enjoy the novel less than I would have if I'd read it. She didn't have a lot of different voices in her repertoire--just subtle changes between them--and when not speaking as a character was very monotone. Therefore, I give her a B-.
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