The Summer Wives
Now in paperback
The instant New York Times bestseller is the essential novel of the season – a ravishing postwar fable of love, class, power, and redemption set among the inhabitants of a rarefied island off the New England coast.
An instant New York Times bestseller, debuting at #7 on the hardcover list
Now in development for television with John Wells Productions, with the author to adapt
Named a “Best Book of Summer” by Goodreads, Buzzfeed, PopSugar, Bookish, BookBub, Kirkus, and more
A Book of the Month Club selection
A Costco “Pennie’s Pick”
An Amazon Editor’s Pick
An IndieNext pick
A SkimmReads selection
About "The Summer Wives"
In the summer of 1951, Miranda Schuyler arrives on elite, secretive Winthrop Island as a schoolgirl from the margins of high society, still reeling from the loss of her father in the Second World War. When her beautiful mother marries Hugh Fisher, whose estate on Winthrop overlooks its famous lighthouse, Miranda’s catapulted into a heady new world of pedigrees and cocktails, status and swimming pools. Isobel Fisher, Miranda’s new stepsister—all long legs and world-weary bravado—is eager to draw Miranda into the arcane customs of Winthrop society.
But beneath the Island’s patrician façade, there are really two castes: the summer families with their steadfast ways and quiet obsessions, and the working class of Portuguese fishermen and domestic laborers who earn their living on the water and in the laundries of the grand houses. Uneasy among Isobel’s privileged friends, Miranda finds herself drawn to Joseph Vargas, whose father keeps the lighthouse with his mysterious wife. In summer, Joseph helps his father in the lobster boats, but in September he returns to Brown University, where he’s determined to make something of himself. Since childhood, Joseph has enjoyed an intense, complex friendship with Isobel Fisher, and as the summer winds to its end, he and Miranda are caught in a catastrophe that will shatter Winthrop’s hard-won tranquility and banish Miranda from the Island for nearly two decades.
Now, in the landmark summer of 1969, Miranda returns at last, as a renowned actress hiding a terrible heartbreak. On its surface, the Island remains the same–determined to keep the outside world from its shores, fiercely loyal to those who belong. But the once-powerful Fisher family is a shadow of itself, and Joseph Vargas has recently escaped the prison where he was incarcerated for murder eighteen years earlier. What’s more, Miranda herself is no longer a naive teenager, and she begins an impassioned quest for justice to the man she once loved . . . even if that means laying bare every last one of the secrets that bind the families of Winthrop Island.
Rave Reviews for The Summer Wives
“With The Summer Wives, [Williams] has perhaps crafted her most evocative and stirring novel yet…it’s impossible not to draw comparisons to Atonement.” —Entertainment Weekly
“With just the right touch of bitters, Williams mixes a satisfyingly tempestuous—and eminently beachworthy—follow-up to her beloved Schuyler Sisters series.” —Kirkus (starred review)
“Romance, class issues, dark secrets, and murder—it’s all here in this deliciously rich novel.” —Bustle
“Exquisitely depicted…what the term “beach read” was made for.” —Buzzfeed
“Historical fiction fans: Drop what you are doing. Beatriz Williams is out with a new book, and you’re going to want to get your hands on it ASAP.” —Bookish
“Williams’ latest will captivate readers with rich, romantic stories of being young and falling in love… The writing is precise and descriptive, and reading The Summer Wives is like watching a film, complete with love and drama to be envied, bemoaned, and enjoyed.” —Booklist
“The author displays a mastery of character building while thoughtfully planting evocative details about the setting and the era’s social structures. Longtime Williams fans, readers of historical fiction and mysteries, and anyone seeking engaging plot twists will find satisfaction in these pages.” —Library Journal
“A satisfying simmer of a read…Miranda is a beautifully crafted character.” —USA Today
“Delving into the inner sanctum of wealthy families to expose the dark sides of their lives is something Williams excels at. As always the backdrop is well drawn and the plot compelling, making this a hard-to-put-down read and one you’ll want to savor.” —RT Book Reviews
“Engrossing and gripping, you will finish this book in one sitting.” —St. Louis Post-Dispatch
“The Summer Wives has gotten major praise this summer, and for good reason.” —Women.com
“One of Williams’s strongest novels to date.” —Auburn Citizen
Advance Praise from Authors
Bookseller Praise
Bookseller Praise