Elin Hilderbrand: Married to Nantucket

Elin Hilderbrand: Married to Nantucket

From Love Letters by The Boston Globe

January 13, 2026 · 25 min

About this episode

Meredith interviews best-selling author Elin Hilderbrand about her relationship with Nantucket and the themes of love in her writing.

Meredith has always been a little afraid of Nantucket. Despite living a fast ferry ride away, she’s only been there twice. As far as Meredith is concerned, the people on Nantucket are fancy, the drama is high, and because it’s an island, it’s hard to escape. For best-selling author Elin Hiderbrand, though, Nantucket represents comfort … even when it’s stifling. Nantucket is where Elin found happiness after leaving New York. It’s what inspired her writing. It’s where she found community – and the best kinds of love. In a live conversation recorded in November, Meredith interviews Elin about Nantucket, what it means to fall in love with a place, and why Elin decided to stop writing about the island after decades of living there. They also talk about the power of books about women and love. Elin novels include “The Perfect Couple,” which became a Netflix show starring Nicole Kidman, and “The Five Star Weekend,” which is slated to be a series starring Jennifer Garner. This talk was part of “Globe Summit,” a two-day Boston Globe event that featured journalists speaking with experts in their fields. Remember, Love Letters is also an anonymous advice column. When you ask a relationship…

People in this episode

Host: Meredith

Guest: Elin Hilderbrand

Topics covered

  • Nantucket
  • love
  • writing
  • community
  • women's literature

Keywords

  • island
  • books
  • relationships
  • Globe Summit

Mentioned in this episode

Products: The Perfect Couple, The Five Star Weekend

Books & works: The Perfect Couple, The Five Star Weekend

Places: Nantucket, Nantucket, New York

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