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A review by book_concierge
The Summer Wives by Beatriz Williams
3.0
Book on CD narrated by Kristin Kelbly
Williams 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.
Williams 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.