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Synopsis (From Goodreads):
Montauk, Long Island, 1938.
For three months, this humble fishing village will serve as the playground for New York City’s wealthy elite. Beatrice Bordeaux was looking forward to a summer of reigniting the passion between her and her husband, Harry. Instead, tasked with furthering his investment interest in Montauk as a resort destination, she learns she’ll be spending twelve weeks sequestered with the high society wives at The Montauk Manor—a two-hundred room seaside hotel—while Harry pursues other interests in the city.
College educated, but raised a modest country girl in Pennsylvania, Bea has never felt fully comfortable among these privileged women, whose days are devoted not to their children but to leisure activities and charities that seemingly benefit no one but themselves. She longs to be a mother herself, as well as a loving wife, but after five years of marriage she remains childless while Harry is increasingly remote and distracted. Despite lavish parties at the Manor and the Yacht Club, Bea is lost and lonely and befriends the manor’s laundress whose work ethic and family life stir memories of who she once was.
As she drifts further from the society women and their preoccupations and closer toward Montauk’s natural beauty and community spirit, Bea finds herself drawn to a man nothing like her husband –stoic, plain spoken and enigmatic. Inspiring a strength and courage she had almost forgotten, his presence forces her to face a haunting tragedy of her past and question her future.
Desperate to embrace moments of happiness, no matter how fleeting, she soon discovers that such moments may be all she has, when fates conspire to tear her world apart…
Review:
Historical fiction is one of my favorite genres. I love reading details in these books that will make me feel as though I am living in a different era. Generally, the lives of the characters are overshadowed in these books by real life historical events. This novel seemed more about a society marriage, something that could have taken place in almost any time period. While I did find parts of this novel compelling, I would have loved to see more of how the threat of an upcoming war would affect these characters.
What I Liked:
Characters:Beatrice is not the same as most of the shallow society women summering in Montauk. First, she married into this group. She was raised on a farm in Pennsylvania. Although she has been married five years, she hasn't had a child yet. This makes her an outsider to all the goings on at this beach-side resort. She is able to observe, but is also at a distinct disadvantange of not having all the social connections other have.
At the beginning of the story, Beatrice is a very meek character. She suspect her husband is unfaithful. Rather than acting on this if it's true, she chooses to pretend it isn't happening. Although she makes excuses for her husband, Harry, throughout the book, she does come to appreciate her own worth. I also like that by the books ending, Beatrice couldn't care less about what people think of her.
Romance:
With such a pompous, self-centered husband, is it any wonder that Beatrice will fall in love with someone else? I think this book would make a wonderful movie, given all the sweeping lighthouse scenery.
What I Was Mixed About:
Historical Details: While the story gave many examples of how differently women were treated way back when, there weren't enough specific details at the beginning of the book to establish what era this was. I honestly had to stop reading at one point and look back to find the year the story was set in. It could have been any time from 1928 to 1978.
Later in the story there are several references to President Roosevelt, and the troubles in Europe, but they upcoming war doesn't seem to affect the characters in any way.
What I did notice was all the wonderful details about fashion and food. The author takes great care in describing the many gowns the women wear, and how food was prepared.
What I Didn't Like:
Ending:As the story was more of a romance novel, I had a feeling the characters weren't all going to get a happy ending. But the climatic scene happens very quickly (literally "out of the blue") and was a bit melodramatic. This also gives the main character, Beatrice, a reason never to have to really face the aftermath of her choices. Even though she has been terribly wronged by some people, she made some mistakes as well, but she never needs to face any consequences.
Trigger Warning for sexual violence
Rating:
Release Date: June 4th, 2019
Author: Nicola Harrison
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Genre: Historical Fiction
Page Length: 400 Pages
Source: NetGalley
Format: E-Book
Recommendation: A solid read if your looking for a swoon-worthy romance. Although there may not be enough historical details for some.
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