What do readers think of The Summer Wives by Beatriz Williams? Write your own review.

While this may not win an influential literary prize, this book by Beatriz Williams is incredibly entertaining and will likely keep you up reading well past your bedtime. Beautifully written and brilliantly plotted, this is one of those books that will stay with you long after you finish the last page.

This is the story of two very different women—Bianca and Miranda—told over the summer months of three years: 1930, 1951 and 1969. This may sound overly complex, but it is an ingenious and creative way to tell this page-turning story that is not only narratively compelling, but also emotionally searing. The action takes place on Winthrop Island, an exclusive summer enclave for the very wealthy in the Long Island Sound area. There is a natural conflict—usually quite trifling, but sometimes quite dangerous—between the monied families and the year-round islanders who serve them. The book has it all: love, romance, seduction, secrets galore, murder and lots of suspense.

Written like an intelligent and exciting soap opera, it will totally consume you. Yes, dinner will be late tonight!

Quite possibly the best Beatriz Williams novel yet. I fell in love with all the characters and felt drawn into their lives. I felt their sorrows and celebrated their joys. This one kept me up reading very late, as I could not put this book down. The ending was one of the best. 5 stars

This book is an enjoyable read about the haves and have-nots on an island off of Long Island. The wealthy summer residents spend most of their time drunk and the year round poor residents work hard & are not appreciated by the summer visitors.

This was the first book I have read by this author. I have read good reviews of this author's other books so I was excited to receive this ARC. I loved this book. I enjoyed the story and the writing style. The descriptions were vivid and I almost felt like I was on the beach with the characters I will definitely recommend this book to my friends.

The story grabbed me from the beginning and I didn't want to stop reading. It is well written. Alternating between time periods and social classes helped build the suspense of the novel. What is the back story of these characters? What secrets are they hiding? I enjoyed reading about the summer lives of the wealthy. Are all island resort communities like this? The descriptions were so good that I felt as though I were there. I felt I got to know the characters fairly well. I cared about several of them and just felt sorry for others. I did think the story dragged a little toward the end and then the pace picked up again. There is much to discus here for book clubs. I look forward to reading more from this author.

I really loved this book! I had never read anything by Beatriz Williams and I want to read all that she has written. I like reading about families that vacation somewhere year after year and those who remain year-round, like Nantucket or Martha's Vineyard, for example and how the locals treat the vacationers. I was hooked from the beginning with wondering why Miranda has returned to the island. But I was a little confused at first because the book jumped from time period to another. But eventually I kept it all straight and enjoyed the book and all it's characters.

This was my introduction to Beatriz Williams and I will read her again. While I have mixed thoughts about this book I will start by saying I enjoyed it very much. The book has a book that has everything from love to angst, genteel versus real down-home folks, secrets, murder and redemption and Williams manages to pull it off!

My number one rule in reviewing a novel is there has to be at least one character that I care about and in Summer Wives that was easy. Where I was disappointed is that I wanted just a little more depth in her main characters. I found them, especially the upper society, a little too shallow and wanted more.

That said, the settings were beautifully written and I could picture them even though I have never been in one of these communities. I wanted to go visit....The story line had me right there most of the time but it began to drag towards the end. The predictability left me wondering if Williams was trying to suggest more mystery than she had created or she really didn't know how to finish it.

Beatriz Williams is a great story-teller. I would definitely recommend the book to anyone who just wanted to be entertained with a good story and didn't need award winning depth. Thank you Beatriz...I am ready for your next story.

The summer wives by Beatriz Williams was an excellent read gorgeously written and worth the time invested as I was transported to another place with friends I came to know and love. The author is truly talented and I highly recommend this book to anyone looking for an engaging read during those precious summer moments when we seek out time to do what we love most. For me, that is relaxing with a great, well crafted book. This qualifies as a must read!