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devansbooklife's review against another edition
4.0
I have read some of the reviews and feel I must have read a different book altogether. I loved this book. I loved the alternating time lines that kept me guessing. I loved the sweet, palpable tenderness between Miranda and Joseph. The character I had the hardest time connecting to was Isobel. Her behavior seemed completely irrational and often infuriating. The final twist wasn't as shocking once all of the information had been gathered. Even though this book is set in the past, I found the basic principles very relevant to today. The Families as they are known, appear happy on the outside. Much like many people on social media. But no one really knows what is going on behind closed doors or what actual lives are like without the filter. I found this book engrossing and it left me wanting more.
mbkarapcik's review against another edition
4.0
After a few novels that were of less interest to me, I enjoyed Beatriz Williams latest book. It seems that the novels that involve the Schuyler family appeal to me more. A few parts were a little slow, but most of the book contained surprising entanglements and family secrets. The end was exciting and sped the plot up to a satisfying conclusion. I wish the author included more stories about Miranda's acting career and life after the incident, which made her a pariah of Winthrop Island.
cindyreads2024's review against another edition
5.0
Yet another beautiful story written by Beatriz Williams!
amykay_kenny's review against another edition
4.0
Ok, so looking back, I read this book kind of fast, but it felt really long. I really like the other books by this author, but this one was just ok for me. I definitely enjoyed the plot line of the past more than the present.
bookswithmaddi's review against another edition
4.0
Uhhhhhh this was sooo good??? How is no one talking about it??
jalowenberg's review against another edition
4.0
I really enjoyed this book- slow start as Beatriz Williams gives the back story, but hang in there. It’s gets juicy later on! Murder, mystery, drama and romance!
The back and forth from era to era is hard to get used to in the beginning, but as it furthers along, it brings the story all together.
The back and forth from era to era is hard to get used to in the beginning, but as it furthers along, it brings the story all together.
novelvisits's review against another edition
4.0
{My Thoughts}
What Worked For Me
Quintessential Beatriz Williams – If you’ve read much Beatriz Williams before you know that most of her books have a bit in common and The Summer Wives easily fits into what Williams does best.
- Accurate historical fiction with a lovely atmospheric vibe to it.
- Dramatic story of a woman facing and overcoming obstacles.
- Love lost and found.
- Light, predictable mystery elements.
- Likeable characters.
Island Life – I very much enjoyed Winthrop Island in the 1930’s, 50’s and 60’s as the setting for The Summer Wives. Williams was able to do so much with this small isolated locale.
“I’d forgotten about the scent of the Sound, which had its own particular tang, different from anywhere else in the world, the English Channel, or the Mediterranean or the South Pacific – or maybe it didn’t, and that was all in my imagination.”
To the locals it was home where they ran the shops, worked as lobstermen, went to church and in the summers served the families that swarmed to the island. Though the locals and the summer inhabitants were outwardly friendly, the class distinctions were dramatic and systemic. Nowhere was that more obvious or more life changing than in the forbidden attractions that ran through this story.
Miranda – Most of The Summer Wives unfolded with first-person narration by Miranda Schuyler. She first arrived on Winthrop Island in 1951, fresh out of high school and there to attend her mother’s wedding to Hugh Fisher, one of the wealthiest of the summer inhabitants. Miranda spends the rest of that summer with her new stepsister, Isobel, learning the ins and outs of island life. Eighteen years later she returns, a famous actress, looking for the island’s solitude to nurse her broken heart. Miranda’s back and forth telling of the island’s history through her limited lens worked very well and kept me wanting more.
What Didn’t
Weak Women – As much as I liked Miranda as a storyteller, I found her to be frustrating in that she tended to let others dominate her. As a 17-year old thrust into a level of society she’d never really been a part of this made sense. However, it seemed she should have gathered a little more wisdom as she aged. I don’t want to give away anything in the story, so I’ll just say that I also found both Isobel and Miranda’s mother to be disappointing to me as females. It especially seemed out of character for Isobel, so outgoing and social in the beginning, to lose much of herself over time.
The Mystery to the Story – I found the “unknown” element to the story unsurprising, and just a little hard to believe. It didn’t matter much to me that I was able to predict what had happened because I still enjoyed the journey, but I wish Williams had provided a little more of the backstory to make her twist just a little more real.
{The Final Assessment}
This time of year many of us are looking for lighter summer reads and The Summer Wives fits that bill perfectly. Much more than just fluff, Williams’s novel is an old-fashioned sort of story, rich in drama over love and money. It’s most definitely a beach-worthy read. Grade: B
Note: I received a copy of this book from William Morrow (via Edelweiss) in exchange for my honest review.
What Worked For Me
Quintessential Beatriz Williams – If you’ve read much Beatriz Williams before you know that most of her books have a bit in common and The Summer Wives easily fits into what Williams does best.
- Accurate historical fiction with a lovely atmospheric vibe to it.
- Dramatic story of a woman facing and overcoming obstacles.
- Love lost and found.
- Light, predictable mystery elements.
- Likeable characters.
Island Life – I very much enjoyed Winthrop Island in the 1930’s, 50’s and 60’s as the setting for The Summer Wives. Williams was able to do so much with this small isolated locale.
“I’d forgotten about the scent of the Sound, which had its own particular tang, different from anywhere else in the world, the English Channel, or the Mediterranean or the South Pacific – or maybe it didn’t, and that was all in my imagination.”
To the locals it was home where they ran the shops, worked as lobstermen, went to church and in the summers served the families that swarmed to the island. Though the locals and the summer inhabitants were outwardly friendly, the class distinctions were dramatic and systemic. Nowhere was that more obvious or more life changing than in the forbidden attractions that ran through this story.
Miranda – Most of The Summer Wives unfolded with first-person narration by Miranda Schuyler. She first arrived on Winthrop Island in 1951, fresh out of high school and there to attend her mother’s wedding to Hugh Fisher, one of the wealthiest of the summer inhabitants. Miranda spends the rest of that summer with her new stepsister, Isobel, learning the ins and outs of island life. Eighteen years later she returns, a famous actress, looking for the island’s solitude to nurse her broken heart. Miranda’s back and forth telling of the island’s history through her limited lens worked very well and kept me wanting more.
What Didn’t
Weak Women – As much as I liked Miranda as a storyteller, I found her to be frustrating in that she tended to let others dominate her. As a 17-year old thrust into a level of society she’d never really been a part of this made sense. However, it seemed she should have gathered a little more wisdom as she aged. I don’t want to give away anything in the story, so I’ll just say that I also found both Isobel and Miranda’s mother to be disappointing to me as females. It especially seemed out of character for Isobel, so outgoing and social in the beginning, to lose much of herself over time.
The Mystery to the Story – I found the “unknown” element to the story unsurprising, and just a little hard to believe. It didn’t matter much to me that I was able to predict what had happened because I still enjoyed the journey, but I wish Williams had provided a little more of the backstory to make her twist just a little more real.
{The Final Assessment}
This time of year many of us are looking for lighter summer reads and The Summer Wives fits that bill perfectly. Much more than just fluff, Williams’s novel is an old-fashioned sort of story, rich in drama over love and money. It’s most definitely a beach-worthy read. Grade: B
Note: I received a copy of this book from William Morrow (via Edelweiss) in exchange for my honest review.
qu33nofbookz's review against another edition
2.0
Thank you net gallery and the publisher for this book I won in a givaway
The story of two families and three lives intertwined spanning years of summer spent on an island for rich families. The stupidity of cloistered young women who are treated as decoration and make mistakes that shape the rest of their lives and the man who gets away with it all because of money and his heritage. The story dragged on a little longer then it needed but the detail was good and the characters entertaining enough. There was slow growth for them but they finally managed to come out of their shells to be wiser and more independent. However, it took place in fits and starts and didn't really take off until the end of the book. The first half of the book is slow and predictable and there was a lot that didn't need to be there as it is implied or rehashed later.
Last this story has been told before and often.
The story of two families and three lives intertwined spanning years of summer spent on an island for rich families. The stupidity of cloistered young women who are treated as decoration and make mistakes that shape the rest of their lives and the man who gets away with it all because of money and his heritage. The story dragged on a little longer then it needed but the detail was good and the characters entertaining enough. There was slow growth for them but they finally managed to come out of their shells to be wiser and more independent. However, it took place in fits and starts and didn't really take off until the end of the book. The first half of the book is slow and predictable and there was a lot that didn't need to be there as it is implied or rehashed later.
Last this story has been told before and often.