Review by Booklist Review
In 1954 in Massachusetts, Emilia Winthrop receives an unexpected phone call. An imprisoned Soviet spy, convicted years earlier, thanks to Emilia's testimony, has asked to meet with her. The dramatic request brings readers back to 1946 and a tumultuous summer on Winthrop Island, where her family has long served as caretakers for the affluent Peabodys' estate. Emilia is thrilled when childhood friend Nathaniel Peabody, affectionately called Shep, returns after the war. As the two navigate the slow-burn shifts in their now-adult relationship alongside the aftereffects of wartime trauma, Emilia is introduced to Shep's spirited aunt, who quickly takes Emilia under her wing and encourages her to explore the possibilities of a life beyond the island. Then everything changes when the mysterious Sumner Fox arrives for the summer and seeks Emilia's help on a research project, drawing her into an intricate, shocking web of espionage. As best-selling Williams' latest vivid historical novel alternates with measured suspense between present and past, secrets and infidelities are exposed, and Emilia finds herself forced to choose between loyalty and the desires of the heart.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Williams (The Summer Wives) revisits the fictional Winthrop Island off the coast of Connecticut in this exciting story of summer love and espionage. It's 1946 and 20-year-old Emilia Winthrop, who once dreamed of leaving for college, looks after her mother after she had a stroke. Her father, meanwhile, maintains the Peabody family's beachfront estate, where Peabody sons Amory and Shep return from the war, their brother having died in battle, and their aunt Olive arrives to live in the guest house. A budding romance develops between Emilia and Shep after she agrees to babysit for the worldly Olive. Emilia also meets a man named Sumner Fox, who claims to be writing a book. Later, Sumner shocks Emilia by revealing he is an FBI agent, Olive is a Soviet spy, and he needs Emilia's help in exposing her. Williams then jumps ahead eight years. Emilia is pursuing her doctorate at Wellesley College when she's contacted by Sumner, who requests her help in a prisoner exchange involving Olive. In flashbacks, Williams reveals the details of her cooperation with Sumner and fallout with the Peabodys back in the summer of '46. Williams complements her complex narrative with a keen perspective on the island's class strata. Readers will be hooked from the first page. Agent: Alexandra Machinist, ICM Partners. (June)
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Review by Library Journal Review
Told through two timelines set eight years apart, this historical novel from Williams (The Summer Wives) builds tension, drops in details, and hints at actions in the past that are not fully disclosed until the end. Emilia "Cricket" Winthrop, a descendant of the settlers of Winthrop Island, lives there year-round, in contrast with the wealthy mainland families who visit every summer, like the Peabodys. Cricket, the daughter of the caretaker of Summerly, the Peabody estate, spent many summers with the three Peabody boys. Then World War II took the boys away, and returned only two, Amory and Shep Peabody, both of whom have tangled romantic ties to Cricket. When the Peabodys come back to Summerly in 1946, they bring Mrs. Peabody's sister, Olive Rainsford, who becomes the catalyst for a tragedy that affects both families. Years later, in 1954, Cricket is called to Washington, DC, where she must reckon with the events of summer 1946. The novel's well-developed characters engage readers' emotions while representing a variety of economic and political viewpoints; Williams's account of how individuals might have been persuaded to spy for the Soviet Union is an unexpected bonus. VERDICT This page-turner has depth of feeling and intriguing historical details that will sweep readers off their feet.--Stacey Hayman
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Review by Kirkus Book Review
Shortly after World War II, a young woman falls for the prized son of a wealthy family and finds herself caught in a web of international espionage. The book opens in 1954 as Emilia Winthrop, a professor at Wellesley College, receives a phone call from her aunt informing her that the Peabodys are returning to Winthrop Island to restore their summer home. Summerly hasn't been used since just after the war, and the return of this prominent family raises many questions. The book then shifts to 1946, back when Emilia still lived on Winthrop Island. Though the island bears her family's name, the Winthrops sold their land generations earlier, and they have since acted as hired help for the wealthy vacationers who use the place as a summer playground. Emilia reconnects with Shep Peabody, her best childhood friend, who has returned from the war a hero. As they get to know each other all over again, Emilia wonders if she and Shep could be more than just friends, though she worries their family backgrounds are simply too different. Meanwhile, Shep's cosmopolitan and mysterious Aunt Olive has just arrived on the island, bringing along her high fashion and tales of Europe during the war. While Emilia revels in Olive's worldliness and sophistication, others on the island begin to grow suspicious of the long-lost aunt and her unusual behaviors. As the accusations against Olive grow increasingly serious, Emilia is forced to defend her new friend against allegations of disloyalty to the U.S., even whispers of treason and spying. As tensions continue to build, Emilia wonders whether Olive's presence on Winthrop might destroy her budding relationship with Shep, or worse. When the story shifts back to 1954, an older Emilia must confront the memories of that fateful summer and ask herself if she can claim the life she's always wanted. With a narrative that starts in the middle and jumps frequently between timelines, Williams' novel requires patience as readers get the lay of the land. Once the plotlines become clearer, suspense builds, and the novel becomes entirely engaging. Full of evocative, whip-sharp dialogue, the book shines especially in its description of fictional Winthrop Island, a New England vacation enclave something like Nantucket but with idiosyncrasies and traditions all its own. As the characters struggle to regain their footing after the war, there are moments when excessive description and lengthy backstory get in the way of the plot. Even so, the 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. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
