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There are currently 41 member reviews
for The Summer Wives
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Cynthia A. (Grand Rapids, MI)
WOW!! What a story!!
I loved this book! It kept me interested from start to finish and the end is just perfect! Even though most of the characters were from two different classes, in the end they want the same things in life. This is really obvious when outsiders come on the island. I can't wait to read more of her books!
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Barbara H. (Thomasville, GA)
A Summer read not to miss!
I love Beatriz Williams and her amazing novels. I could not put The Summer Wives down! It was a wonderful story that took me back to a different era and to the scenic New England coast. The characters and scenery were all so real that I felt a part of this wonderful story and did not want it to end.
This is just a great read to simply get lost and taken away in.
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Shirley L. (Norco, LA)
THE Summer Book
I enjoy all of Beatriz Williams' books and this one is my favorite. The uniqueness of this story is not the plotline but rather the time- bending fashion in which it is told. Reminiscent of the hit TV show "This is Us", rather than learning events in a linear manner the reader follows a spiral timeframe circling around, going deeper and deeper in our understanding of the characters.
The setting is a tiny island in Long Island Sound and the tension between the woking class year round residents and the upper class summer people. The time period is presented as June 1930, 1951, 1969; July 1930, 1951, 1969; and finally August 1930, 1951, 1969. A clever style in which to write a very interesting story. I highly recommend it for summer reading.
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Katherine P. (Post Mills, VT)
Pretensions, Secrets and Summer Romance
There are always places in the world where folks live and work the whole year through but that are so attractive that the more affluent come during their most beautiful seasons, temporarily make them their own and then pack their bags and go away. The mountains in winter bring the ski chalet people, lakes in summer bring the cottage and boat people, and islands in the sun bring them, too. Generation after generation they come, interact but don't MIX with the locals, sometimes pal around with the young ones, if they are attractive enough and then go away and forget it all until the next season. These seasonal folks think of the place as much theirs as that of the locals, sometimes even more theirs and in many ways lord their ownership over the ones they leave behind.
And sometimes, especially among the young, romance blooms and even a true love. Both of them know that it is a summer thing but once in awhile the love is real and the romance continues although as secretly as possible. And sometimes that love leads to secrets and unhappiness and causes tragedy that ripples out through families, relationships and the years. This is such a story and it is written in such a compelling way, alternating back and forth from the earliest onset of new young love to the years after and back again. There is mystery for all the secrets are not revealed at once and the reader turns the pages rapidly hoping to find them. And like an onion or the tissue paper surrounding a shiny new toy, the author uncovers each bit, slowly, increasing the desire in the reader for the revelations. Some are euphoric, some sad, some tragic, some surprising, others inevitable but in the end, when all the pieces are out there, resolution and the hope for happiness.
I read this book until the wee hours, slept a bit and woke up to finish it. Haven't done that with a book for a long time!
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Sandi W. (Illinois)
Island Secrets
Although I have heard that Beatriz Williams was a good author, I had never read her before. I do have a number of her books on my TBR list however. Now that I have read one of her books, all the rest of them need to be elevated to the top of my reading list. I found her character development to be superb. The story line was well thought out and flowed well, while bouncing between the years of 1930, 1951 and 1969 and alternating between Miranda Schuyler Thomas and Bianca Medeiro.
An Island of summer homes, where the rich and elite vacationed throughout each summer. Miranda was thrown into the mix when her mother married Hugh and Isobel's father. One of her first acquaintances on the Island was the son of the light house keeper, Joseph, one of the poorer working-year-round residents. As the summer draws to a close Miranda is banished from the Island and Joseph is imprisoned for murder.
Eighteen years later Miranda returns to the Island, still being dismissed by the social elite. Joseph has escaped from prison - is he back at the Island? Isobel, who had always laid claim to Joseph, is still as spoiled and remains in the inner circle of popularity. Miranda wants to reignite the love she had for Joseph and prove his innocence. It does not take long for the Island's secrets to begin to unravel.
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Joanne W. (Ossining, NY)
Good summer read
Well crafted story of old New England monied mixing with the people who work for them. Most of the story is wrapped around the life and loves of Miranda, Isobel, Joseph and Clay. Young adults full of passion maturing into adults with all
complications that life can bring. There are secrets hidden by the adults around them that influence their lives.
I definitely recommend this as a good summer read for anyone into romantic historical fiction with a dash of mystery thrown in!
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Kathleene M. (Running Springs, CA)
Privilege and prejudice
1950s to 1960s, Winthrop Island, on the New England East Coast is where the wealthly spend their summers. The local Portuguese families earn their wages catering to the wealthy. The summer families and the local working class try to stay out of each others way, but two half sisters find their way into a young, aspiring college boys life that leads to catastophe and heartache. The struggles of class, society, race and status are prominent in this story of love and loyalty.
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