Set on the fictional Winthrop Island, where the who's who of New England high society spend their summers, THE SUMMER WIVES by Beatriz Williams is an atmospheric and deeply emotional novel, taking place in the years after WWII. Miranda Schuyler is fresh from high school and spending her first summer on the island because her mother is marrying the dashing heir to the Fisher fortune. Miranda and her new stepsister Isobel, spend the months after the wedding going to parties at the club, sailing, and finding reasons to go into town to see the handsome son of a lobsterman, Joseph Vargas. Smart, strong, and resourceful, Joe is the perfect first love for Miranda. He's also the only person on the island who has any control over the defiant Isobel.

In addition to Miranda's green summer in the early 1950s, we also get to see Miranda in the late 60s, returning to Winthrop Island after eighteen years away. Now a stunning movie star, Miranda has never forgotten her summer there and is haunted by events that took place one fateful night, taking Joe away from her forever, and changing her relationship with her mother and Isobel. Her return sets off a series of events that will affect them all in more ways than one.

Then there's the earlier, 1930s tale of Bianca, a Portuguese townie, innocently smitten with one of the summer families' most promising sons. Their story is one of forbidden love, and one that will make everyone question what is right and wrong...

Breezy, yet melancholy, harrowing yet heartfelt, THE SUMMER WIVES by Beatriz Williams is an impassioned look at class struggles, dark family secrets, and true love. Young Miranda is devoted to doing what she thinks is right, and when she grows up, you feel for the woman she has become. Circumstances change everything, and Miranda is right in the middle of things, but still treated as an outsider. It's an interesting position for her to be in, and one that will captivate readers. The story of Bianca and her tumultuous love affair is heartbreaking, and its repercussions will come to light years later. Williams' skillful prose flows from page to page, making this an easy read, even with a serious subject matter. Her characters come fully to life, and the plot ebbs and flows, much like the ocean where many important things take place... Recommended for historical fiction lovers.