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The Summer Wives: A Novel
The Summer Wives: A Novel
The Summer Wives: A Novel
Audiobook11 hours

The Summer Wives: A Novel

Written by Beatriz Williams

Narrated by Kristin Kalbli

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

4/5

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About this audiobook

New York Times bestselling author Beatriz Williams brings us the blockbuster novel of the season—an electrifying postwar fable of love, class, power, and redemption set among the inhabitants of an island off the New England coast . . .

In the summer of 1951, Miranda Schuyler arrives on elite, secretive Winthrop Island as a schoolgirl from the margins of high society, still reeling from the loss of her father in the Second World War. When her beautiful mother marries Hugh Fisher, whose summer house on Winthrop overlooks the famous lighthouse, Miranda’s catapulted into a heady new world of pedigrees and cocktails, status and swimming pools. Isobel Fisher, Miranda’s new stepsister—all long legs and world-weary bravado, engaged to a wealthy Island scion—is eager to draw Miranda into the arcane customs of Winthrop society.

But beneath the island’s patrician surface, there are really two clans: the summer families with their steadfast ways and quiet obsessions, and the working class of Portuguese fishermen and domestic workers who earn their living on the water and in the laundries of the summer houses. Uneasy among Isobel’s privileged friends, Miranda finds herself drawn to Joseph Vargas, whose father keeps the lighthouse with his mysterious wife. In summer, Joseph helps his father in the lobster boats, but in the autumn he returns to Brown University, where he’s determined to make something of himself. Since childhood, Joseph’s enjoyed an intense, complex friendship with Isobel Fisher, and as the summer winds to its end, Miranda’s caught in a catastrophe that will shatter Winthrop’s hard-won tranquility and banish Miranda from the island for nearly two decades.

Now, in the landmark summer of 1969, Miranda returns at last, as a renowned Shakespearean actress hiding a terrible heartbreak. On its surface, the Island remains the same—determined to keep the outside world from its shores, fiercely loyal to those who belong. But the formerly powerful Fisher family is a shadow of itself, and Joseph Vargas has recently escaped the prison where he was incarcerated for the murder of Miranda’s stepfather eighteen years earlier. What’s more, Miranda herself is no longer a naïve teenager, and she begins a fierce, inexorable quest for justice for the man she once loved . . . even if it means uncovering every last one of the secrets that bind together the families of Winthrop Island.

LanguageEnglish
PublisherHarperAudio
Release dateJul 10, 2018
ISBN9780062849526
The Summer Wives: A Novel
Author

Beatriz Williams

Beatriz Williams is the bestselling author of over a dozen novels, including The Beach at Summerly, Our Woman in Moscow, and The Summer Wives, as well as four other novels cowritten with Lauren Willig and Karen White. A native of Seattle, she graduated from Stanford University and earned an MBA in finance from Columbia University. She lives with her husband and four children near the Connecticut shore, where she divides her time between writing and laundry.

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Reviews for The Summer Wives

Rating: 3.847826018729097 out of 5 stars
4/5

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  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    The story was interesting but I didn’t like the way the book ended.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Excellently crafted tale. I loved the depth of this story. My only complaint is that there were several graphic sexual scenes, which I could have done without. Otherwise, a fantastic historical fiction read. The narrator was also great.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    With alternating story lines set in different decades but revolving around the same core characters, this tale provides a seeming ending early on and then reveals of how the characters got from here to there. And then gives a final ending. The characters are absolutely addicting and also irritating sometimes. Beautiful story that I loved.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Engrossing. Took me a bit to follow the timeline due to the audiobook version, but once I was in, i became engrossed and never wanted to press “pause.”
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Well done loved the characters
    Nice ending
    Thank you
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    The characters weren’t sympathetic and there was too much melodrama. There was literally a death bed confession.
  • Rating: 1 out of 5 stars
    1/5
    I see this author's name everywhere. She churns out a new book at least once a year, maybe more often. After trying to read this one, I understand how she does it: just keep writing, use stereotypical characters, and don't worry about plot inconsistencies. I didn't finish it, but I'm taking credit because it was so painful to read the first half. The story is set on a posh summer island where the residents are divided into the wealthy summer families and the year-round residents, most of whom are poor Portuguese fishing families. It begins in 1951 when teenager Miranda Schuyler arrives for her mother's wedding to a rich, handsome man. Miranda is a sucker for the dark, hairy type and immediately falls for Joseph Vargas, a young fisherman (and Catholic to boot). Then there's an unbelievably naive Portuguese girl who thinks that having sex with the soon-to-be groom is like communing with God (since she keeps saying he IS God--how can a Catholic girl be so stupid?). Anyway, some tragedy happens and Miranda's stepfather is killed and Joseph gets blamed for it. Miranda defends him and becomes persona non gratis and doesn't return to the island until 1969. in the meantime, she has become a Hollywood star, married to a second-rate director who is abusive and possessive. She has returned after her husband beat her, accused a friend of fathering her child, and caused a drunken accident that resulted in the death of the unborn baby.So anyway, that's probably all you need to know to understand why I quit this drivel midway. It's a big old soap opera--and not in a good way. The characters are all unbelievable and painted with a very broad brush, and it drags on and on and on. I didn't care what happened to them and don't care how it ended. It represents the worst of what I think of as typical popular "women's fiction." I won't be exploring this author's work again.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Oh, what a tangled web we weave. Crazy rich people. But it all worked.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    The Summer Wives by Beatriz Williams is an intriguing historical novel that takes place during three distinct time periods.

    In the early 1930s, local islander Bianca Medeiro is an orphan who lives with her aunt and uncle. While working in the family store, she becomes quite smitten with one of Winthrop Island wealthy summer visitors. Bianca's story arc is the slow-moving and initially confusing, but her starry-eyed crush is the foundation for events that occur in the future.

    In 1951, Miranda Schuyler arrives on Winthrop Island for her mother's nuptials to Hugh Fisher. She is welcomed by her new step-sister, Isobel, who, despite her engagement to wealthy Clay Monk, is a bit rebellious and adventuresome. During the months after their parents' wedding, Miranda acts as a go-between for messages Isobel exchanges with Joseph Vargas. Joseph's father is the lighthouse keeper who also supplements the family's income as a lobsterman. Despite her certainty that Isobel and Joseph's relationship might run deeper than friendship,  Miranda is rather besotted by the handsome young man. By summer's end, tragedy strikes and Miranda leaves Winthrop Island under a scandal-ridden cloud.

    In 1969, Miranda is a popular actress whose return to Winthrop Island is viewed with suspicion and dislike due to her role in the events of 1951. Her mother and Isobel live at the Fisher family estate which they have turned into an artist's colony due to their financial straits. Miranda's arrival on the island occurs during a rather tumultuous time that is linked to the events that precipitated her departure eighteen years prior. Miranda's homecoming stirs up old resentments but will it ultimately prove to be healing when secrets from the past are revealed?

    Despite a bit of a slow start, The Summer Wives is an engrossing novel that is rather enthralling. The characters are multi-dimensional,  well-developed and easy to like. The plot is interesting but the significance of Bianca's role does not become clear until the novel's end. Winthrop Island is an idyllic setting and  Beatriz Williams brings the location and the community vibrantly to life. I greatly enjoyed and highly recommend this enigmatic novel.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Tangled relationships and secrets abound in this intriguing tale of love found and lost and sometimes found again. The story takes place on an island which is home to the well-off summer people as well as the working class fishermen. The tale is also comprised of different time periods, and the reader gradually learns the backstories of the various characters as the story goes back and forth between them. Forbidden love is a key concept and two different women are drawn to men who are outside their social standing. These lines are crossed with dire circumstances. There is loss and tragedy, and yet hope abides. There are several twists and unexpected plot developments. The characters are rich in detail and well drawn. Their compelling lives in this entertaining tale will keep you turning pages until the very end.
  • Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
    2/5
    When I first saw this book sitting on the shelf of my local library, I knew I had to read it. The description and the cover drew me in. I was excited to begin reading. Unfortunately, I was not impressed. It was a boring read and I struggled to read. Maybe in the future I may re-read it and possibly change my rating, but for now this book was not for me.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    The Summer Wives was not one of my favorite books by Beatriz Williams. The mystery was too predictable; I was waiting to be surprised but I was not. Some of the characters were too good or too evil; I didn't anticipate (or receive) a lesson or a change in behavior.My favorite novels by Beatriz Williams involve two characters in different eras who are somehow connected. The Summer Wives was primarily Miranda's story in 1951 and 1969.I did love the setting. I've never been to Fisher's Island (Winthrop's real-life name) but it's visible from my favorite beach in Rhode Island. When I was young my father took his boat just off the island to skin dive. Because of it's location and distance from me it has always been a place of mystery. Too bad this novel didn't live up to that mystery.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Book on CD narrated by Kristin KelblyWilliams sets this historical novel on the fictional Winthrop Island, where the year-round residents are the families of Portuguese fishermen, but whose governing group consists of the upper-class families who summer here. In the summer of 1951 Miranda Schuyler is introduced to this society when her widowed mother marries the high-class Hugh Fisher. His daughter, Isobel, introduces Miranda to the country-club set, and to Joseph Vargas, the son of a lobsterman. Years later Miranda, now a famous actress, return to the island after the break-up of her marriage. The Fisher estate has fallen into disrepair, and Joseph has recently escaped from prison where he’s been incarcerated since that summer when Miranda met him. I love how Williams weaves the stories and intrigues of these characters together. There are plenty of secrets to go around and enough twists and turn to keep things interesting. I did find Miranda a bit irritating and wanted to slap Isobel more than once. And the mothers! Every one of them – Isobel’s mother, Miranda’s mother, Joseph’s mother – My stars, but they were a piece of work! Still, the story kept me interested and I eagerly kept going to see how Williams would tie it all together. Not sure why she needed to have that interlude with Miranda’s European husband, but whatever …. Final verdict: a delicious soap-opera of a summer beach read. Kristin Kelbly does a fine job of narrating the audiobook. She has a number of characters to voice and she manages to give them sufficiently unique voices so that I was never confused.
  • Rating: 1 out of 5 stars
    1/5
    I've never read this author before, but thought I would give this book a try for light reading because she is so popular. What a mistake! Preposterous plot, bad writing, and characters who are vapid and unsympathetic. A weekend I'll never get back
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Miranda Schuyler is eighteen years old when she arrives on elite, secretive Winthrop Island in Long Island Sound. Her beautiful mother is about to marry Hugh Fisher whose summer house on the Island overlooks the famous lighthouse. Miranda's new stepsister, Isobel, is eager to draw her into the customs of their society. The Fisher's fall into the wealthy summer families while the other clan on the Island are the working class Portuguese fishermen and domestic workers who earn their living on the water and from those who summer on the Island. Fast forward nearly two decades later to the first time Miranda has returned to the Island since a murder caused her to flee. She wants to clear the name of the man she met and fell in love with as a teenager even if it means uncovering all the messy secrets that bind the families of Winthrop Island together.I feel like my reviews of Beatriz Williams books are all the same. She's my favourite author and can do no wrong. Everything is perfect in this book - the writing, the characters, the setting. This book has lots of secrets, lies and cocktails. It has murder. Families are torn apart but also families do not rat on fellow Islanders. There are three different timelines - 1930 tells the story of Bianca Medeiro, 1951 tells the story of eighteen year old Miranda Schuyler and 1969 brings Miranda back to the Island. Bianca's chapters were short but vital. Nothing that happened was overly shocking but it was a compelling read. I just love Williams writing, it's so dreamy and vivid and magical *sigh*
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I listened to this book on audio for the past three days while desperately trying to finish a work project and this book made for a good companion (unfortunately, the work didn't get finished nearly as quickly as the book did). I enjoyed the atmosphere of an island community that jealously guards its privacy and secrets and I appreciated how the central plot developed, although I wasn't certain how everything tied together for the first half of the book. And I don't want to give anything away, but I was happy with how things turned out for Joseph and Miranda.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    THE HAVES AND THE HAVE NOTS......the genesis of many a tome. Here, it is a summer enclave on Long Island Sound, where the wealthy come to their summer mansions, their country club, their parties. The year round people make their living from shops, as servants and from the ocean. Miranda arrives at the age of seventeen, when her mother marries into one of these wealthy families, not used to the ways of the rich. She will fall in love and become entangled in something she little understands. Different timelines, one from the past, one in the present, and one when Miranda returns to the island as an adult. Nicely written, but I am not the target reader for this book. As a light summer read it is entertaining, so it will make a good beach read. I am not a fan though, of soap opera type novels, and this one novel would make a great one. Nor am I am fan of dramatic, and the ending of this book contains plenty. So, in essence, a lighter change of pace read, and z great book to take to the beach or on vacation.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Atmospheric and beautiful; this historical coming of age novel of romance, mystery, and murder is hard to put down. Alternating between three timelines, but all set on a small ritzy island where the divide between the "families" who summer there and the islanders who live there year round is palpable and unchanging. When Miranda's mother meets and marries a rich islander in the early fifties they move to the island and Miranda becomes better acquainted with her new stepfather and stepsister. Miranda has no idea how quickly her life will change when she starts to crush on the boy next door (aka the lighthouse next door). The story alternates between that seemingly idyllic summer as a teenager and her life as a famous actress returning to the island nearly two decades later. There is a lot of unanswered questions about what happened that summer and how the ripples of their actions changed everything. Intrigue, secrets, murder, cocktails, romance, and more. For fans of historical romance.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Another fabulous book by Beatriz Williams. A great beach read. This book is about the clash of two cultures here – the rich, privileged summer families and the immigrant working class local families who live on the island year round. The interaction of these cultures sets us up for intrigue, mystery, and romance.Set on exclusive Winthrop Island off the New England Coast, the book alternates between the 1930s with the story of the love affair between a local year-round resident girl and her rich lover, and the 1950s and 60s with Miranda Schuyler’s story.Miranda’s father has died in the war and in 1951 Miranda and her mother arrive on Winthrop Island. Her mother is marrying Hugh Fisher, part of the inner circle on the island. She also meets her new stepsister Isobel who educates her on the ins and outs of the high society summer families and the year-round local families. Miranda is immediately smitten when she sees Joseph Vargus, one of the locals. Joseph’s father the local lighthouse keeper and in the summers Joseph helps his father maintain their lobster boats. But when summer is over Joseph attends college, wanting to make something of himself. Joseph and Isobel have always had a close relationship and Miranda battles with her attraction for Joseph and her desire not to hurt her sister.Then in 1969 Miranda returns to Winthrop Island. She is now a famous actress but is shunned on the island because of her association with Joseph who is in prison for the murder of Miranda’s stepfather. Miranda, healing from her own disastrous marriage, learns that Joseph has escaped from prison. She now becomes determined to prove Joseph is innocent.Beatriz Williams is a master storyteller so you know her books are always beautifully written. The tightly held secrets of the Islanders will slowly unravel as outsiders probe into the mysteries. The characters are relatable and likeable. As I read I could feel myself going with the ebb and flow of the island life. I highly recommend this book.Thank you to William Morrow books for the advance reading copy.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    The Summer Wives, Beatriz Williams, author; Kristin Kalbli, narratorIn 1930, on Winthrop Island, off the coast of CT, Bianco Madeiro and Hugh Fisher fall in love and have a secret affair. Both are in their teens. Both swear their eternal love for each other, but there is a catch, Hugh is from the upper class and is about to be married to Abigail, a young woman also from the upper crust. Bianca happens to be an orphan. She is being raised by her working class, shopkeeper aunt and uncle. Their worlds do not intersect. Bianca thinks that Hugh loves her enough to give up Abigail, but when he tells her about his impending marriage, and the way things simply are, she realizes he will jilt her. However, he loves her and wants her to remain his mistress forever. She does not tell him that she is pregnant, and instead, she makes a play for her sister Francesca’s betrothed and steals him away from her. They wed soon after, so her son will be legitimate. When he is born, she gives him her husband’s name, Vargas, not Fisher, which is his father’s name. On the night she delivers her son, her sister Francesca drowns in a tragic accident, on the way to see her. Because of what she has done to her sister, she is blamed and rejected by everyone. She and her husband Pascal Vargas, move into the lighthouse where he is the new light-keeper. He is also a lobsterman. Although she has trapped him, he loves her enough not to care at all about being isolated or rejected. After all, he, too, has betrayed her sister Francesca. He is a homely, but hard-working man. He raises Joseph as his own.In 1951, Miranda Schuyler travels to Winthrop Island for her mother’s marriage to Hugh Fisher, at his estate called Greyfriars. He and his first wife Abigail have divorced. Miranda’s father died during WWII. He was motivated to volunteer to serve because of what was happening to works of art under Hitler’s rule, and was killed at sea. When Miranda arrives at the island, she meets her stepsister, Isobel, and they bond immediately, although Isobel is a bit of a snob who is very comfortable with her wealth and very aware of the differences between the classes. She schools Miranda in all the ways the rich are different. One morning, while looking out the window, Miranda witnesses a near drowning. A young man jumps into the water and saves an old man. That young man was Bianca’s son, Joseph Vargas. Miranda does not know Joseph’s history, nor does she know that her mother was about to be married to the man who fathered Joseph. It has been a well kept secret. She does not know that Isobel, her stepsister, is also Joseph’s half sister. Suddenly, after her mother returns from her honeymoon, death comes to Greyfriars. Miranda’s involvement in the tragedy causes her to be rejected by her family and the community. The people on Winthrop Island are very insular, and they close ranks against her. Isobel’s mother Abigail, however, takes Miranda to Europe to escape, where she remains for almost two decades. In 1969, Miranda, now Miranda Thomas and a famous actress, leaves Europe and her husband. With nowhere else to hide, she returns to Winthrop Island. She had been in a terrible accident, and she was pregnant at the time. She was severely injured and lost the child in her womb. She blames her husband who was angry that night and was driving although he was quite drunk. He was abusive when his “demons” possessed him. When the reader learns that Joseph has been in prison for murder for the past 18 years and has recently escaped; the coincidence of Miranda’s return at the same time will not be lost. It seems that Joseph’s mother, is quite alone and very ill. She refuses medical treatment and also refuses to cooperate with the authorities who are searching for Joseph. None of the islanders will help them either, in fact. As Isobel states, they protect their own. They all have their secrets and have all made foolish choices for which they must repent. In this, the classes unite.If you are looking for a beach read that is a bit mindless, a bit repetitive, but also fast moving, this is a good choice, although the dialogue can be trite sometimes, and the choices many of the characters make seem so foolish, they even defy reality. The action takes place on an island off the coast of CT, loosely based on Fishers Island, New York. It reads, kind of like a fairytale, especially at the end. Most of the characters are flawed and fairly unhappy with their lives, regardless of whether they are upper or lower class. The choices they have made have caused terrible conflicts, some of which can never be resolved happily. The rich seem to lounge around a lot, drink alcohol, and make statements as facts about the way they live that have very little moral value, but explain their shallow beliefs; meanwhile the townspeople labor on and hustle, without the luxury of leisure. They live in separate bubbles. The times are different and sexual activity of any kind, even kissing, is viewed as forward. Morality has an entirely different meaning than it does today, when it seems like anything goes. Their secrets were well hidden without the gossipy social media informing the world about their behavior. The story jumps from 1930 to 1951 to 1969, and finally to 1970. It is sometimes difficult to tell immediately that the tale has moved on or back. Perhaps a print book would make it more obvious than the audio.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Miranda returns to Winthrop Island after a terrible accident. She may have returned under tragic circumstances but she had also left years earlier in a cloud of suspicion.There are a good many characters in this story so, as a reader, you have to pay attention or it can get confusing. I enjoyed Miranda. She is tough, tougher than she looks. Plus, she has a big heart. There is Isobel. She is sort of a wild child. There is Hugh. He is Miranda's brother, who is named after her step father, Hugh Fisher. Hugh Fisher allegedly (key word here) gets murdered by Joseph Vargas. These are just a few characters needed to tell this story.I enjoyed the mystery of this read. What happened to Hugh? Who did it? Did Joseph really do it? If not then who did? The mystery is really what keeps this tale alive and kicking. And Isobel...she is the best character out of the whole book she beats to her own drum with some heartbreaks along the way.This story is typical Beatriz Williams. Different narrators, different stories, different time periods all melding into a great tale. No one weaves a story through different generations quite like this author. I have read and loved all of her books. But, I did feel this story dragged a good bit. I wanted a little more action. It is a wonderful tale. Just a bit slow in places.I received this novel from the publisher via Edelweiss.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    The setting for this book is a little known exclusive island off the coast of Long Island, and the story spans decades there.The author shows us both sides of the people that live here, the wealthy summer residents, and the immigrant Portuguese’s, mainly the businesses and help.Be ready for a bit of mystery, murder, and how the population here is related to one another. There are several bombshells dropped, some of which I saw coming, but others are complete surprises. I guess, when the final facts come to light they do make sense.You will be quickly page turning to find all the facts here, but when the last page is turned there is a feeling of loss and a want for more.I received this book through Edelweiss and the Publisher William Morrow, and was not required to give a positive review.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    A special thank you to Edelweiss and William Morrow for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.Beatriz Williams' latest novel is mesmerizing. Set in the 1950s and '60s, it is a tempestuous story of romance, class, power, secrets, and murder set on picturesque Winthrop Island.It is the the summer of 1951 and Miranda Schuyler arrives on the elite, yet secretive Winthrop Island in Long Island Sound. She is a naive eighteen year old who is still reeling from the loss of her father in the Second World War. Miranda is a graduate of the exclusive Foxcroft Academy in Virginia and has always been on the cusp of high society. When her beautiful mother marries the dashing Hugh Fisher at his family summer home, Miranda is thrust deeper into the world of the elite with their pedigrees and cocktail hours. Isobel Fisher is Miranda’s new stepsister and she takes Miranda under her wing to educate her on the clandestine ways of the Winthrop upper crust. She is long-legged, blonde, a bit brash, and adored by her fiancé, Clayton Monk. The other residents of the island are not wealthy summer families; they are the working class made up of Portuguese fisherman and domestic service people who earn an honest days work from the seasonal inhabitants. Miranda finds herself attracted to the lighthouse keeper's son, Joseph Vargas, a lobster fisherman. He is also a childhood friend of Isobel's and attends Brown's in the hopes of bettering himself.Almost two decades later, Miranda, now a famous actress, finally returns to the Island. She is nursing a heartbreak and secrets of her own. On the surface, the Island appears to be the same, but Miranda quickly realizes that things are not as they appear. For one, the Fisher family no longer wields the same power and prestige it once did and Greyfriars, the Fisher family summer home, is in complete disrepair. Also, Joseph has escaped from Sing Sing where he has been serving a sentence for the murder of her stepfather eighteen years earlier. Miranda makes it her quest to bring justice to the man she once loved and still loves.This was my first Beatriz Williams' book and I was utterly enchanted! Williams is extremely seasoned with her character development—she lets the plot unfold through these rich, complex characters and her execution of this tumultuous story was flawless. The setting was gorgeous as is her writing. Speaking of gorgeous, can we take a moment to appreciate the beautiful cover? I love the whole vintage aesthetic and it also comes through in Williams' writing. The story was perfectly paced and just as visually stunning as the cover. This book will be THE book of the summer.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Old money. New money. Very little money. All three are enmeshed, entangled, and some even ensnared on one island off the coast of New England, where “The Families”, as the upper echelon are known, use the area as their seasonal playground, sometimes at the expense of the Portuguese fishermen and their families who depend upon the surrounding water for their livelihood. Co-existing on this island together looks simple from the outside, but things on Winthrop Island are rarely what they seem. Expertly volleying between different time periods to weave the stories of the Schyulers, the Fishers, the Vargases, and the Medeiros, Beatriz Williams shares with readers the world of Winthrop Island, first at a wedding that blends two families together in joy and renewed hope, but it is short-lived as soon after, a murder tears that same family apart for decades. I was captivated by the characters from the first page. I wanted to know their secrets (I just had no idea how many there would be!) and understand where all of the puzzle pieces fit. As entrenched in the story as I was, I still would have never guessed what would ultimately unfold in the final pages, tying everything together and leaving the reader shaking their head with satisfaction and understanding. I highly recommend this book and give five stars to the story in which “The Have Nots” possess far more than the “The Haves” could ever dream. If you like historical fiction, beach reads, are a fan of the movie “Mystic Pizza”, or stories with interesting twists, than this is for you! A huge thank you to BookBrowse.com and William Morrow Publishing for this Advanced Reading Copy in exchange for an honest review.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    There are 3 time lines in this historical fiction offering:Summer 1930Bianca Medeiro dreams of the elusive, wealthy Hugh Fisher.Summer 1951" Miranda Schuyler arrives on elite, secretive Winthrop Island in Long Island Sound as a naive eighteen year old, still reeling from the loss of her father in the Second World War." (book jacket)Her beautiful mother is to wed Hugh Fisher and his daughter Isobel will attempt to draw her into privileged circles.Instead, she finds herself drawn to the Portuguese working class.Summer 1969Estranged from her family, Miranda Schuyler Thomas , a now renowned Shakespearean actress returns to the island, scarred by a recent personal tragedy.The time transitions were well marked but I did stumble a bit in reentering them.A few events were not totally inconceivable but a bit far out.And I had a few melodramatic moments but I am a definite Beatriz Williams fan.This is perhaps not my favorite to date but I do recommend it as a good summer read.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Miranda Schuyler has arrived on Winthrop Island in the summer of 1951. Her mother is set to marry Hugh Fisher, and after the wedding she will be spending the summer in his home with her new stepsister, Isobel. Miranda soon realizes there are two types of people on the island, the wealthy who come to the island to stay in their vacation homes and dine at the country club, and the working class make ends meet by catering to the rich. As Isobel shows her around the island, Miranda is drawn to Joseph Vargas, who helps his father in the lobster boats and lives in the lighthouse across from the Fisher family home. Before summer's end, Miranda's path changes course and she leaves the island due to tragic circumstances. Decades later when she returns she realizes the island is still full of secrets as she attempts to seek justice.What I enjoyed about this book was due to the alternating timelines, you had an idea of what happened early on but needed the rest of the pieces to the puzzle to see the whole picture. I wouldn't say there were any truly shocking plot twists in this book but I still had a hard time putting the book down. I really enjoyed seeing the people of the island through the perspectives of Miranda and Bianca. The setting of Winthrop Island and how the rich and working class interacted were strong assets and made the book all the more enjoyable. My only disappointment with the book came with the ending. I didn't feel like it was the most satisfying ending. I don't know how to describe it other than when I finished the book I walked away with a "meh" type feeling whereas up until the last few chapters of the book, I had really enjoyed watching the story unfold. It certainly isn't a bad ending but for me it was the weakest part of the book. I received a free copy of this book from the publisher but was under no obligation to post a review. All views expressed are my honest opinion.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    This book had so many elements that worked well together and made it a book that I stayed up late to finish! There is a unique setting on an island where the class system unfortunately plays a role as we see the residents navigate summers with visitors. There is also romance (more than I expected, but it was well done) and most importantly a mystery. At times I was unsure why the author was writing about a character, but all of her words, and descriptions of island life were intentional and played a role in the story. At times, with the authors words, I felt like I was near the water, or at one of the grand parties with the characters and that added an extra layer to an already great story. I liked the format of the changing years and the characters narrating, it was easy to follow along with each of the stories. I know this book will well received by fans of Beatriz Williams this summer when it is released and I can't wait to read reviews and chat with others about this book when it is released. I am very appreciative to have had the opportunity to read an ARC of this book provided by HarperCollins Publishers Page Turners program.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I liked this book more than I thought I would - I had never read anything by Beatriz Williams before. Overall it was a good story but predictable - I was able to figure out the relationship between Joseph and Isobel very early on and even the conclusion was anticlimactic and somewhat expected. If you like historical fiction and want something fairly light, I would recommend this book. I received an ARC of this book from publisher.