Swan Song

4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars | 26,340 ratings

Price: 21.83

Last update: 01-28-2025


About this item

The beloved #1 New York Times bestselling author brings her Nantucket novels to a brilliant finish: when rich strangers move to the island, social mayhem and a possible murder follow. Can Nantucket’s best locals save the day, and their way of life? Includes special audio content!

Chief of Police Ed Kapenash is about to retire. Blond Sharon is going through a divorce. But when a 22-million-dollar summer home is purchased by the mysterious Richardsons—how did they make their money, exactly?—Ed, Sharon, and everyone in the community are swept up in high drama. The Richardsons throw lavish parties, flirt with multiple locals, flaunt their wealth with not one but two yachts, and raise impossible hopes of everyone they meet. When their house burns to the ground and their most essential employee goes missing, the entire island is up in arms.

The last of Elin Hilderbrand's bestselling Nantucket novels, SWAN SONG is a propulsive medley of glittering gatherings, sun-soaked drama, wisdom and heart, featuring the return of some of her most beloved characters, including, most importantly, the beautiful and timeless island of Nantucket itself.

The audiobook edition features an interview between Elin and her longtime narrator Erin Bennett.


Top reviews from the United States

  • Laura H.
    5.0 out of 5 stars Entertaining
    Reviewed in the United States on December 4, 2024
    This plot weaves together romance, mystery, and drama, set against the picturesque Nantucket backdrop. It follows Coco, an aspiring screenwriter who navigates the complexities of working for the wealthy Richardson family. The book explores multiple intersecting storylines involving love, betrayal, and self-discovery. The richly developed characters and the tension between the island’s old elite and newcomers are central to the story​

    Without spoiling the book, the resolution provides closure, it may feel predictable for some, leaving the mystery aspects somewhat unsatisfying.

    The Swan would make an excellent series, much like The Perfect Couple, thanks to its compelling characters and the potential for ongoing storylines that explore the complexities of Nantucket's high-society​
  • readerrunnermom
    4.0 out of 5 stars Very enjoyable!
    Reviewed in the United States on July 28, 2024
    I love Elin's books. The only one I DNF was Blue Bayou, only because it had too many detailed descriptions of food. It got boring and kind of gross actually. Anyway, Swan Song is highly captivating and smart, with a juicy plot and well-developed characters. The plot is well thought out and layered. The characters stand out, and Elin does a masterful job of describing them in emotional and physical detail. Her character descriptions were one of my favorite things about this book. The only part I didn't like was the chapter titles. Some were dates, and some were words. At times I had difficulty figuring out how that chapter fit with the timeline. I am not sure why authors do this. It was confusing and completely unnecessary. Nevertheless, the book was highly enjoyable and I will probably re-read it. It is a lengthy book and held my interest until I finished. Swan Song is a brilliant final book for this author.
  • NZLisaM
    5.0 out of 5 stars Elin Hilderbrand’s Last Hurrah was Pure Escapism!
    Reviewed in the United States on June 20, 2024
    It’s the start of the summer and the arrival of the elite, cultured, seductive Richardsons – husband and wife Bull and Leslee – has Nantucket locals in an excited frenzy.

    Everybody who is anybody is dying to be invited to one of the extravagant, exclusive parties at their newly-purchased, twenty-two-million-dollar, seaside mansion – 888 Pocomo Road – but only a select few will be deemed worthy to glide its halls.

    Fast forward to August and the Richardsons are persona non grata. What happened?

    Then on the evening of August 22nd a double tragedy strikes the Richardsons. While partying out to sea aboard their yacht (with some non-locals) they receive a call from the Fire Chief to say their house is ablaze. And when their boat docks, they are one person short – a young woman is missing presumed to have gone overboard. Did she fall? Did she purposefully jump? Or was she pushed? It’s time for the Richardsons to face the music.

    Swan Song was an indulgence. I relished all the juicy interpersonal melodrama, scandalous behaviour, betrayals, sweet romances, emotional highs and lows, side of mystery, and immense wealth and privilege. It was hard for me not to daydream over what it would be like to be one of these characters living the dream in a lap of luxury on Nantucket (lobster rolls, yes please). The descriptions of 888 Pocomo Road and everything within its walls (clothes, food, etc) were hilariously insane – fascinating yes, but such an over-the-top waste of money. There were a good mix of spoilt unlikeable characters coupled with more down-to-earth ones to keep me happy and entertained.

    It’s the fourth in a series but can be enjoyed by itself. I’ve only read #3 The Perfect Couple (5 stars), meaning some of the characters were familiar to me, but most were new to Swan Song and specific to this story. And any that were regulars were introduced with all the relevant information from the previous instalments.

    I’m sorry to report that after thirty fictional books set on Nantucket, Elin Hilderbrand is retiring so sadly Swan Song is her last release. I wish her the best, and luckily for me I still have a lot of her backlist to read including the first two in this series.

    I devoured the audiobook, and Laurence Bouvard was sensational. I see she has also narrated some of this author’s previous books which makes me so happy. Elin Hilderbrand read the final chapter which left me misty-eyed.

    A poignant and touching send off!
  • Stephanie Kristin
    5.0 out of 5 stars Absolutely loved it! Going to miss her novels every summer!
    Reviewed in the United States on July 18, 2024
    I now have all of Elin Hildebrand's books. I waited excitedly for this one to arrive and then when it came, I had to make sure that I took my time to savor each page. I'm definitely going to miss the Nantucket beach novels each summer, but Swan Song was a great way to end things.
    If you are familiar with Ms Hilderbrand and her summer reads, you're going to be thrilled to see some of the characters returning for this last novel.
    There's a good balance of familiar characters and new ones who have some quirky, interesting personalities.
    The storyline does go back and forth between current day and recent past in order to explain what's happening and why.
    As usual with Hildebrand's books, there's a mystery, combined with friendships, some frenemies and a dash of romance. And oh! ...that ending!! I'm usually able to see something coming, but for some reason, that ending did take me by surprise!
    The only disappointment with Swan Song is that this is to be the last time we head to Nantucket in one of Elin Hildebrand's highly anticipated summer reads!

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