The Beach at Summerly
A Novel
Published on 21. May 2024
Book
Paperback/Softback
368 pages
978-0-06-302085-6 (ISBN)
Description
"There are few more skilled practitioners of the craft of summer fiction than Beatriz Williams." - The New York Times Book Review
A ravishing summer read from New York Times bestseller Beatriz Williams, sweeping readers back to a mid-century New England rich with secrets and Cold War intrigue.
June 1946. As the residents of Winthrop Island prepare for the first summer season after the sacrifice of war, a glamorous new figure moves into the guest cottage at Summerly, the idyllic seaside estate of the wealthy Peabody family. To Emilia Winthrop, daughter of Summerly's year-round caretaker and a descendant of the island's settlers, Olive Rainsford opens a window into a world of shining possibility. While Emilia spent the war years caring for her incapacitated mother, Olive traveled the world, married fascinating men, and involved herself in political causes. She's also the beloved aunt of the two surviving Peabody sons, Amory and Shep, with whom Emilia has a tangled romantic history.
As the summer wears on, Emilia develops a deep rapport with Olive, who urges her to leave the island for a life of adventure, while romance blossoms with the sturdy and honorable Shep. But the heady promise of Peabody patronage is blown apart by the arrival of Sumner Fox, an FBI agent who demands Emilia's help to capture a Soviet agent who's transmitting vital intelligence on the West's atomic weapon program from somewhere inside the Summerly estate.
April 1954. Eight years later, Summerly is boarded up and Emilia has rebuilt her shattered life as a professor at Wellesley College, when shocking news arrives from Washington-the traitor she helped convict is about to be swapped for an American spy imprisoned in the Soviet Union, but with a mysterious condition only Emilia can fulfill. A reluctant Emilia is summoned to CIA headquarters, where she's forced to confront the harrowing consequences of her actions that fateful summer, and a choice that could destroy the Peabody family-and Emilia's chance for redemption-all over again.
"Grand and gripping...shot through with suspense, romance, and glorious, beach-laden locales. I could not put it down."--Marie Benedict, New York Times bestselling author of The Mitford Affair
A ravishing summer read from New York Times bestseller Beatriz Williams, sweeping readers back to a mid-century New England rich with secrets and Cold War intrigue.
June 1946. As the residents of Winthrop Island prepare for the first summer season after the sacrifice of war, a glamorous new figure moves into the guest cottage at Summerly, the idyllic seaside estate of the wealthy Peabody family. To Emilia Winthrop, daughter of Summerly's year-round caretaker and a descendant of the island's settlers, Olive Rainsford opens a window into a world of shining possibility. While Emilia spent the war years caring for her incapacitated mother, Olive traveled the world, married fascinating men, and involved herself in political causes. She's also the beloved aunt of the two surviving Peabody sons, Amory and Shep, with whom Emilia has a tangled romantic history.
As the summer wears on, Emilia develops a deep rapport with Olive, who urges her to leave the island for a life of adventure, while romance blossoms with the sturdy and honorable Shep. But the heady promise of Peabody patronage is blown apart by the arrival of Sumner Fox, an FBI agent who demands Emilia's help to capture a Soviet agent who's transmitting vital intelligence on the West's atomic weapon program from somewhere inside the Summerly estate.
April 1954. Eight years later, Summerly is boarded up and Emilia has rebuilt her shattered life as a professor at Wellesley College, when shocking news arrives from Washington-the traitor she helped convict is about to be swapped for an American spy imprisoned in the Soviet Union, but with a mysterious condition only Emilia can fulfill. A reluctant Emilia is summoned to CIA headquarters, where she's forced to confront the harrowing consequences of her actions that fateful summer, and a choice that could destroy the Peabody family-and Emilia's chance for redemption-all over again.
"Grand and gripping...shot through with suspense, romance, and glorious, beach-laden locales. I could not put it down."--Marie Benedict, New York Times bestselling author of The Mitford Affair
Reviews / Votes
"There are few more skilled practitioners of the craft of summer fiction than Beatriz Williams." - New York Times Book Review"Grand and gripping...shot through with suspense, romance, and glorious, beach-laden locales. I could not put it down." - Marie Benedict, New York Times bestselling author of The Mitford Affair
"[A] satisfying simmer of a read." - USA Today on The Summer Wives
"There are few more skilled practitioners of the craft of summer fiction than Beatriz Williams." - New York Times Book Review
"Readers will be hooked from the first page." - Publishers Weekly
"Full of evocative, whip-sharp dialogue... [T]he author's deft exploration of many thought-provoking issues, from social class to personal responsibility and regret, make this one a winner. A well-researched exploration of love and redemption against the backdrop of post-World War II New England." - Kirkus Reviews
"The Summer Wives is an exquisitely rendered novel that tackles two of my favorite topics: love and money. The glorious setting and drama are enriched by Williams's signature vintage touch. It's at the top of my picks for the beach this summer." - Elin Hilderbrand
"Full of evocative, whip-sharp dialogue... [T]he author's deft exploration of many thought-provoking issues, from social class to personal responsibility and regret, make this one a winner. A well-researched exploration of love and redemption against the backdrop of post-World War II New England." - Kirkus Reviews
"Beatriz Williams's vivid historical novel alternates with measured suspense between present and past." - Booklist
"Williams has crafted a kaleidoscope of a novel-a mystery, a romance, and an utterly beguiling examination of the cost of secrets . . . The Summer Wives is a startling portrait of the courage it requires to make your own second chances." - Entertainment Weekly
"Beatriz Williams's vivid historical novel alternates with measured suspense between present and past." - Booklist
"Grand and gripping...shot through with suspense, romance, and glorious, beach-laden locales. I could not put it down." - Marie Benedict, New York Times bestselling author of The Mitford Affair
"[A] satisfying simmer of a read." - USA Today on The Summer Wives
"Readers will be hooked from the first page." - Publishers Weekly
"Engrossing and gripping, you will finish this book in one sitting." - St. Louis Post Dispatch on The Summer Wives
"Satisfyingly tempestuous-and eminently beachworthy." - Kirkus (starred review) on The Summer Wives
"Williams has crafted a kaleidoscope of a novel-a mystery, a romance, and an utterly beguiling examination of the cost of secrets . . . The Summer Wives is a startling portrait of the courage it requires to make your own second chances." - Entertainment Weekly
"Engrossing and gripping, you will finish this book in one sitting." - St. Louis Post Dispatch on The Summer Wives
"Satisfyingly tempestuous-and eminently beachworthy." - Kirkus (starred review) on The Summer Wives
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
New York
United States
Publishing group
HarperCollins Publishers Inc
Product notice
Paperback (trade)
Unsewn / adhesive bound
Dimensions
Height: 200 mm
Width: 130 mm
Thickness: 23 mm
Weight
278 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-06-302085-6 (9780063020856)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
E-Book
06/2023
HarperCollins
€9.99
Available for download
Person
Beatriz Williams is the bestselling author of over a dozen novels, including The Beach at Summerly, Our Woman in Moscow, and The Summer Wives, as well as four other novels cowritten with Lauren Willig and Karen White. A native of Seattle, she graduated from Stanford University and earned an MBA in finance from Columbia University. She lives with her husband and four children near the Connecticut shore, where she divides her time between writing and laundry.