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book_concierge's review
3.0
3.5***
Lily Dane comes from an established wealthy New York family and leads a quiet idyllic life, with a Park Avenue apartment and a summer cottage in Seaview, Rhode Island. The Danes are at the center of elite Seaview social life, and on Memorial Day 1938 are anticipating a lovely summer season. That is until Budgie and Nick Greenwald decide to take up residence in Seaview. Lily’s former best friend and former fiancé have recently married, and set off a storm of gossip as a result. Lily does her best to keep her head held high, and bristles at the community’s snubbing of the Jewish couple. She continues to lunch with Budgie and even attends a few beach picnics hosted by them. Still, no one can believe she has truly embraced the Greenwalds … after all everyone knows Nick ruined and then abandoned her in January 1932. And to have now married her best friend? Scandalous!
This is a captivating beach read with more secrets and efforts at obfuscation than many soap operas. Lily’s story alternates between the fall and winter of 1931-1932, and the present day summer of 1938, teasing the reader with dribs and drabs of information, innuendo, gossip and outright lies. I guessed the central secret before the half-way point, but was still hooked on the story and eager to see how Williams would reveal all.
The major flaws in the book are the lack of character development for the supporting cast. Nick and Lily are pretty well drawn, but even Budgie comes off as two-dimensional at best. Aunt Julie is an Auntie-Mame-type right out of central casting. The big drama that ends the story is based on the all-too-true Hurricane of 1938 which devastated the Northeast, but it reads like a bad B-movie. Still, Williams kept me turning pages to the very end.
Lily Dane comes from an established wealthy New York family and leads a quiet idyllic life, with a Park Avenue apartment and a summer cottage in Seaview, Rhode Island. The Danes are at the center of elite Seaview social life, and on Memorial Day 1938 are anticipating a lovely summer season. That is until Budgie and Nick Greenwald decide to take up residence in Seaview. Lily’s former best friend and former fiancé have recently married, and set off a storm of gossip as a result. Lily does her best to keep her head held high, and bristles at the community’s snubbing of the Jewish couple. She continues to lunch with Budgie and even attends a few beach picnics hosted by them. Still, no one can believe she has truly embraced the Greenwalds … after all everyone knows Nick ruined and then abandoned her in January 1932. And to have now married her best friend? Scandalous!
This is a captivating beach read with more secrets and efforts at obfuscation than many soap operas. Lily’s story alternates between the fall and winter of 1931-1932, and the present day summer of 1938, teasing the reader with dribs and drabs of information, innuendo, gossip and outright lies. I guessed the central secret before the half-way point, but was still hooked on the story and eager to see how Williams would reveal all.
The major flaws in the book are the lack of character development for the supporting cast. Nick and Lily are pretty well drawn, but even Budgie comes off as two-dimensional at best. Aunt Julie is an Auntie-Mame-type right out of central casting. The big drama that ends the story is based on the all-too-true Hurricane of 1938 which devastated the Northeast, but it reads like a bad B-movie. Still, Williams kept me turning pages to the very end.
a_friendlyghost's review against another edition
emotional
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
4.25
annamk1704's review
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.25
iceangel32's review
5.0
Loved it...absolutely loved it. Not only did I learn about an new author, I found a new topic to research. This book was inspired from Super storm Sandy. It is however about the 1938 hurricane that devastated New England. In it is a love story with racism, distorted friendships, secrets, and lies. Once you think you figured it out Beatriz has more twists for you. Great book.
lizbeth5's review
5.0
Hooray! A good old fashioned romance set on the good old fashioned late '30s. Badly behaved rich New England preppies living their lives summer to summer. Just the page turning antidote to the more "literary" titles I've been pushing through. Grab this book and head to the beach!
hamilgrom's review
4.0
I thought this book was very enjoyable. I found it had a little more depth and interesting details than a your typical "beach read" or "chick lit" book. I would have liked Lily's character to be fleshed out a little bit more, even though we spent the entire book with her I don't feel like I really ever understood her personality or what motivated her, the same can be said for Budgie and Nick, but maybe less so for him. What shined most brightly in this book was the setting and the plot. The plot really hummed along taking me a lot of places that I saw coming and some that I did not. Whether I guessed the next twist or not I still enjoyed the ride. Will definitely be reading more of Beatriz Williams this summer, looking forward to seeing what else she has out there!
scnole2021's review against another edition
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25