As the 1938 hurricane approaches Rhode Island, another storm brews in this New York Times bestselling beach read from the author of Her Last Flight and The Golden Hour. Lily Dane has returned to Seaview, Rhode Island, where her family has summered for generations. It’s an escape not only from New York’s social scene but from a heartbreak that still haunts her. Here, among the seaside community … still haunts her. Here, among the seaside community that has embraced her since childhood, she finds comfort in the familiar rituals of summer.
But this summer is different. Budgie and Nick Greenwald—Lily’s former best friend and former fiancé—have arrived, too, and Seaview’s elite are abuzz. Under Budgie’s glamorous influence, Lily is seduced into a complicated web of renewed friendship and dangerous longing.
As a cataclysmic hurricane churns north through the Atlantic, and uneasy secrets slowly reveal themselves, Lily and Nick must confront an emotional storm that will change their worlds forever…
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I love this author and couldn’t wait to read this one when I picked it up from a BB deal. Loved every minute of her incredible descriptions and interesting characters. I enjoyed the plot twists too. Can’t wait to read more from her.
Beatriz Williams is one of my absolute favorite historical fiction authors and A Hundred Summers is one of her best books. I was hooked from the first page as the romance gripped me, evoking an almost visceral reaction. The chemistry between Nick and Lily is beautifully done and the slow burn of their romance–and the forbidden nature–keeps the reader rooting for their happy ending throughout the story.
Williams creates beautiful settings and this one made me feel as though I was on the beach in Rhode Island alongside the characters. The extended cast is whimsical and witty, the plot filled with interesting twists and turns that will keep the reader guessing until the very end. This is historical fiction at its finest.
This is my first Beatriz Williams book, and I can see why she always gets so much buzz. It took me a few chapters to get into the book, but once the narrative found it’s stride, I was fully hooked. I found Lilly to be an endearing narrator and loved the historical setting – I don’t know that I’ve ever read a pre-war book quite like it, and I really enjoyed the fact that the history was second to the characters, and that the focus seemed always to be on the moments of emotion and drama.
A beautiful story of love, betrayal of a friend and a family member. Disappointment and sorrow. Surprises throughout the story. A happy ending for some. I read this book straight through and enjoyed it very much.
Fun, fun, fun. A Hundred Summers is fab. I liked The Secret Life of Violet Grant a little better for some reason I can’t fathom, but A Hundred Summers was a great read as well. It has the parallel plot lines that for me, create interest and the desire to see how the intertwining mysteries are revealed at the end.
These characters are awesome. The storylines unfold between 1931 and 1938 with lots of glamour and tribulation. I adore historical fiction and books set at the beach. Introduce a natural disaster to pressure the characters and I will probably fall in love every time. Williams is a master at taking me back in time and using fashion flounces, stereotypes (and characters who break all the stereotypes), and issues of “the day,” to craft a compelling, enticing read.
I love all of Beatriz Williams books.
So I finally read this book after I got at least three glowing recommendations. If you ignore for a moment everything that seems illogical in the book, it has a good story, and it is also well written, but the feeling I got from it, is that the book was written to become a movie. Maybe it’s just me, and unfortunately, although I tried, I couldn’t relate to the feelings that the author tried to convey in the book.
Another great Beatriz Williams book.
This is one of my favorite books. I highly recommend it.
I tried to really like this book as it came highly recommended by a friend and by other reviews. But, honestly, it just did not live up to my expectations. Don’t get me wrong, it was well written and easy to read and the ending (with major secrets coming out right at the end) is the only thing that saved this book for me. That being said, let me explain what let me down. First the setting – it is set in the 1930s (chapters alternating between 1931 and 1938), but the author does not use the time period in any way that makes a difference in this story. It could have been set in much more modern times easily. The only reason it was set in the 30s is because of the historic hurricane that hit New England without warning in September of 1938. Second, the characters were the stereotypical shallow, rich, elite vacationing “summering” on an exclusive peninsula. You got to know the main character, but even she is a little naive. Finally, while the format of the telling of the story using flashbacks in alternating chapters works for this story, for me, it is an overused technique. All that being said, it is a good story and many people obviously really like the book, so my advice would be read it and judge for yourself.
Easy beach read. Good characters.
Wonderful historical fiction!!
Great read!
An interesting read. At times the story moved slowly.
4.5 stars
Wonderfully written – a story well told. A romantic tale to hold your attention to the end.
Just have to know why the author refers to smoking and cigarettes CONSTANTLY throughout this book? So much so, not to spoil an ending, do they all end up with cancer. It was annoying and distracting. Unnecessary. Please explain because if you were paid by the word, you did a great job with smoking fillers. Good book and story but could have been much better without being distracted by you obsessed smoking fetish.
Beatriz weaves beautiful stories with well developed characters. I look forward to reading whatever she has written!
I fell in love with this book from the description. My “gut” told me it was a good read and my gut was right. The story was engaging and sweet, at times haunting and the twist at the end was brilliant. I teared up on the final pages and became a fan of Beatriz Williams. Highly recommend.
Beatriz Williams delivers another page-turner, inspired by the Hurricane of 1938, which doesn’t actually make its appearance until late in the book.
Williams again uses the device of alternating chapters, from two different times, 1931 and 1938. The central character and narrator is Lily Dane– a privileged, well-educated New Yorker whose family has owned a beach house along the coast of Rhode Island for generations.
At the start of the book, Lily and her lifelong friend, “Budgie” Bryne, travel from Smith College to Dartmouth one weekend where they meet up with a couple of prominent football players. The shifting relationships and romances among these four characters lay the foundation for the story. Layered on top of that, mix in a bit of elite snobbery, alcoholism, anti-Semitism, Depression era financial disasters, and a secret lovechild and you get all the elements needed to make this a compelling read.
There are lots of twists and turns to the plot that don’t get resolved until the final chapter. While I don’t think this book has quite the substance or sophistication of THE SECRET LIFE OF VIOLET GRANT, I definitely plan to keep reading Beatriz Williams.