Jump to content

Elin Hilderbrand

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
(Redirected from Elin Hildebrand)

Elin Hilderbrand
Born (1969-07-17) July 17, 1969 (age 57)
Collegeville, Pennsylvania, U.S.
EducationJohns Hopkins University
OccupationAuthor
Writing career
LanguageEnglish
Genres
  • Romance
  • mystery
Main Street, Nantucket. Featured in many of Hilderbrand's books.

Elin Hilderbrand (born July 17, 1969) is an American writer of mystery and romance. Her novels are typically set on and around Nantucket, where she resides.[1][2] In 2019, New York magazine called her "the queen of beach reads".[3]

Early life and education

[edit]

Born and raised in Collegeville, Pennsylvania, Hildebrand spent her summers on Cape Cod, until her father died in a plane crash when she was 16. She spent the next summer working in a factory that made Halloween costumes. While working at the factory, she decided to find a way to spend every summer at the beach.[4]

She attended Johns Hopkins University, majoring in creative writing.[5] After graduating, she became a teaching and writing fellow at the Iowa Writers' Workshop.[6]

Career

[edit]

Hilderbrand moved to Nantucket in 1993, working on classified ads at a local newspaper. During her first trip to Nantucket, she met her now ex-husband, Chip Cunningham.[4]

Her first novel The Beach Club was published in 2000. This novel was chosen as the People magazine Beach Read of the Week. Beginning in 2000, her novels were published by St. Martin's Press.[7] Since Barefoot in 2007, they have been published by Little, Brown and Company.[5]

Hilderbrand's novels' locations realistic to current-day Nantucket, featuring local businesses and landmarks like the Brant Point Light and The Chicken Box.[8] Despite many of her books not being a part of an official series, characters and locations overlap.[9]

Her 2018 book The Perfect Couple, which was her first murder mystery, was adapted by Netflix and released as a miniseries with the same name in 2024, starring Nicole Kidman, Liev Schreiber, Eve Hewson and Dakota Fanning.[10]

Ellen Pompeo has been working with ABC to adapt Hilderbrand's Paradise Trilogy into a TV series, in which she would star after her departure as the lead in Grey's Anatomy.[11]

After her 30th book was published, Swan Song, Hilderbrand made the decision to retire from Nantucket-based novels. She wrote a two-part book series with her daughter, Shelby Cunningham, based on the latter's experience at St George's School in Newport, Rhode Island. The first book of the series, The Academy, released on September 16th, 2025, and its follow-up, The Thoroughbreds, is scheduled to release in September 2026.[5]

Personal life

[edit]

In 1995 Hilderbrand married Chip Cunningham at The Chanticleer in the Nantucket village of Siasconset.[12] They have three children,[13] and were divorced in 2015.[12]

Hilderbrand was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2014, undergoing a double mastectomy. Since 2014, she has undergone many reconstructive surgeries.[14] Hilderbrand has been vocal about her diagnosis and empowering other women through her movement, #mamastrong. This initiative sends her books to cancer centers around the United States.[15]

Bibliography

[edit]

Novels

[edit]
Book TitleYear PublishedISBN
The Beach Club2000ISBN 978-0-312-38242-1
Nantucket Nights2002ISBN 978-0-312-98976-7
Summer People2003ISBN 978-0-312-99719-9
The Blue Bistro2005ISBN 978-0-312-99262-0
The Love Season2006ISBN 0-312-36969-7
Barefoot2007ISBN 978-0-316-01859-3
A Summer Affair2008ISBN 978-0-316-01860-9
The Castaways2009ISBN 978-0-340-91980-4
The Island2010ISBN 978-0-316-04387-8
Silver Girl2011ISBN 978-0-316-09966-0
Summerland2012ISBN 978-0-316-09983-7
Beautiful Day2013ISBN 978-0-316-09976-9
The Matchmaker2014ISBN 978-0-316-09975-2
Winter Street2014ISBN 978-0-316-37611-2
The Rumor2015ISBN 978-0-316-33452-5
Winter Stroll2015ISBN 978-0-316-26113-5
Here's To Us2016ISBN 978-0-316-37514-6
Winter Storms2016ISBN 978-0-316-44948-9
The Identicals2017ISBN 978-1-473-61123-8
Winter Solstice2017ISBN 978-0-316-43545-1
The Perfect Couple2018ISBN 978-0-316-37526-9
Winter in Paradise2018ISBN 978-0-316-43551-2
Summer of '692019ISBN 978-0-316-42001-3
What Happens in Paradise2020ISBN 978-0-316-43557-4
28 Summers2020ISBN 978-0-316-42004-4
Troubles in Paradise2020ISBN 978-0-316-43558-1
Golden Girl2021ISBN 978-0-316-42008-2
The Hotel Nantucket2022ISBN 978-0-316-25867-8
The Five-Star Weekend2023ISBN 978-0-316-25877-7
Swan Song2024ISBN 978-0-316-25887-6
The Academy2025ISBN 978-0-316-56785-5

Short stories

[edit]
Book TitleYear PublishedISBN
The Surfing Lesson: An Original Short Story2013ISBN 978-0-316-24286-8
The Tailgate: An Original Short Story2014ISBN 978-0-316-37616-7
Summer of '79: A Summer of '69 Story2020ISBN 978-0-316-54180-0
The Sixth Wedding: A 28 Summers Story2021ISBN 978-0-316-30917-2
Natural Selection2024ISBN 978-1662521478

References

[edit]
  1. ↑ Egan, Elisabeth (January 23, 2023). "Hilderbabes Take Nantucket". The New York Times. Retrieved February 26, 2023.
  2. ↑ Hilderbrand, Elin (June 12, 2014). "The True Story This Fiction Writer Has to Tell Today". HuffPost. Retrieved February 26, 2023.
  3. ↑ Heaney, Katie (June 18, 2019). "How Elin Hilderbrand Became the 'Queen of Beach Reads'". The Cut. Retrieved August 8, 2022.
  4. 1 2 Elin Hilderbrand (June 23, 2011). "What I Know for Sure about Sand in My Sheets". Oprah. Retrieved April 26, 2013.
  5. 1 2 3 Vaughan, Kelly (June 11, 2024). "Is Elin Hilderbrand retiring? The beach read queen clarifies her future plans". TODAY.com. Retrieved September 13, 2026.
  6. ↑ Tapp, Tom (July 13, 2026). "Elin Hilderbrand On Writing For TV: 'I Have No Interest'; Author Also Reveals New Book". Deadline. Retrieved September 13, 2026.
  7. ↑ Deahl, Rachel (June 15, 2013). "How Hachette Grew Elin Hilderbrand". Publishers Weekly. Retrieved January 23, 2016.
  8. ↑ McElwain, Claire (August 17, 2026). "Exploring Nantucket Through Elin Hilderbrand's Novels: 11 Must-Visit Locations". Nantucket Looms. Retrieved September 13, 2026.
  9. ↑ Bulin, Quincy (September 5, 2024). "I've Read Every Elin Hilderbrand Book—Here's How They Rank". The Everygirl. Retrieved September 13, 2026.
  10. ↑ Bitran, Tara (September 13, 2024). "Meet the Cast of Wedding Guests and Murder Suspects of The Perfect Couple". Tudum by Netflix. Netflix. Retrieved March 19, 2025.
  11. ↑ Otterson, Joe (January 25, 2021). "Ellen Pompeo to Produce Series Adaptation of Elin Hilderbrand's 'Paradise' Novels at ABC". Variety. Retrieved June 7, 2022.
  12. 1 2 Stanton, John (July 2021). "The Queen of the Beach Reads". Nantucket Today. Retrieved June 4, 2021.
  13. ↑ "Meet the Author: Elin Hilderbrand". South Shore Moms. May 4, 2020. Retrieved June 4, 2021.
  14. ↑ "Hilderbrand on double-mastectomy recovery". CBS News. June 17, 2015.
  15. ↑ Wise, Lisa (August 31, 2024). "Elin Hilderbrand on cancer, writing and perspective". The Washington Post. Retrieved March 19, 2025.
[edit]
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Elin_Hilderbrand&oldid=1374710973"