A Hundred Summers

A Hundred Summers by Beatriz Williams

It's official.  Autumn has arrived.  Hold on to those last, lazy summer days with this delicious beach read.....

As children, Lily Dane and Budgie Byrne enjoyed endless vacation days at their family homes on the beaches of  Seaview, Rhode Island.  Now they are both students at Smith College.  Budgie with her shiny dark curls, silver grey eyes and irresistible charm; Lily, meeker,  polished,  blessed  with a subtle beauty.  So different, yet what a strong friendship they share.  A road trip to a Dartmouth football game in 1931 will change their lives forever.  Budgie's boyfriend, Graham, introduces them to quarterback Nick Greenwald, and he is immediately attracted to Lily.  A romance ensues in the months ahead, marred by the fact that Nick is Jewish and her family's refusal to accept him. 

It is now seven years later.  Lily returns to Seaview.  Her constant companion is her "sister" Kiki, a precocious six-year-old child and the source of gossip to all the inhabitants of Seaview.  Lily's mother, cold and distant, seems perfectly content to have Lily raise the child.  Two other people return to Seaview this fateful summer. Mr. and Mrs. Nick Greenwald.  Yes, Budgie has recently married Nick, Lily's one true love. So begins the intricately woven story of why.  The chapters alternate between the early 1930's and 1938. The reader will marvel at hidden family secrets, the heartache of lost love, jealousy, insecurities, and the true meaning of friendship.

The Great New England Hurricane of 1938 plays heavily in the final chapters.  Not only does the author explicitly describe the destruction of the area, she also sets the scene for the final moments in complicated lives.

No murder or mayhem in this one-just a touching story of lost love and redemption.

Keep summer alive a moment longer....