There are few more skilled practitioners of the craft of summer fiction than Beatriz Williams. Her latest is both a spy thriller and a Romeo and Juliet tale of would-be lovers torn apart by fate and circumstance ... Enriched by fascinating historical details and an espionage theme ... Williams has crafted a layered narrative celebrating a heroine who embodies verve, pluck and courage. Ultimately The Beach at Summerly is an ode to a season and a feeling. If our summers past represent a paradise lost, as selves that once were, or might have been, then in Williams’s pages we may briefly recapture the delicious freedom we used to feel when the days became longer and warmer, and we were young and in love.
This historical novel from Williams builds tension, drops in details, and hints at actions in the past that are not fully disclosed until the end ... This page-turner has depth of feeling and intriguing historical details that will sweep readers off their feet.
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.
[An] exciting story ... Williams complements her complex narrative with a keen perspective on the island’s class strata. Readers will be hooked from the first page.
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.
