An epic and cinematic novel by debut author Nicola Harrison, Montauk captures the glamour and extravagance of a summer by the sea with the story of a woman torn between the life she chose and the life she desires. Montauk, Long Island, 1938. For three months, this humble fishing village will serve as the playground for New York City’s wealthy elite. Beatrice Bordeaux was looking forward to a … Beatrice Bordeaux was looking forward to a summer of reigniting the passion between her and her husband, Harry. Instead, tasked with furthering his investment interest in Montauk as a resort destination, she learns she’ll be spending twelve weeks sequestered with the high society wives at The Montauk Manor–a two-hundred room seaside hotel–while Harry pursues other interests in the city.
College educated, but raised a modest country girl in Pennsylvania, Bea has never felt fully comfortable among these privileged women, whose days are devoted not to their children but to leisure activities and charities that seemingly benefit no one but themselves. She longs to be a mother herself, as well as a loving wife, but after five years of marriage she remains childless while Harry is increasingly remote and distracted. Despite lavish parties at the Manor and the Yacht Club, Bea is lost and lonely and befriends the manor’s laundress whose work ethic and family life stir memories of who she once was.
As she drifts further from the society women and their preoccupations and closer toward Montauk’s natural beauty and community spirit, Bea finds herself drawn to a man nothing like her husband -stoic, plain spoken and enigmatic. Inspiring a strength and courage she had almost forgotten, his presence forces her to face a haunting tragedy of her past and question her future.
Desperate to embrace moments of happiness, no matter how fleeting, she soon discovers that such moments may be all she has, when fates conspire to tear her world apart…
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You don’t have to go to Montauk to enjoy the beach. In this lovely debut novel, Nicola Harrison brings the beach to you, along with its people, its mores, and its contradictions. I so enjoyed Montauk, and I look forward to many more novels by Nicola Harrison.
I added Montauk to my list to read as soon as I caught a glimpse of the beautiful cover! The story inside is just as beautiful. Set in 1938, Montauk tells the story of Beatrice, a middle class girl who married up into higher society. She spends the summer at Montauk Manor while her husband works in the city and visits on weekends. The time spent apart exposes serious issues in their marriage and Beatrice finds herself falling in love with the local village life…and the lighthouse keeper. Montauk is a solid debut novel filled with history, the divide between classes and romance. I can’t wait to read Nicola Harrison’s next book!
Glittering galas, lavish living, and the spoils of hedonism crash against the lush, wild, primitive beauty of an Atlantic Coastal fishing village, creating a perfect storm. Caught between the two worlds, one woman must discover who she truly is, even if it means losing everything in the process. Montauk is a stunning debut by a gifted storyteller.
Nicola Harrison offers a rich and decadent peek into the glamorous ― and not so glamorous ― lives of pre-war Manhattan society. Beautifully written with an expert eye for historical detail, Montauk is both love story and social commentary, but at its heart it’s the thought-provoking story of a woman with the courage to find her voice and inner strength. Heartbreaking and heartwarming, Montauk is a lovely book, meant to be savored.
This book really kept me flipping pages to see what in the world will happen next. Not a “suspense” but sure did feel like it at times. Beatrice has secrets. Will they be exposed? Great story of love and betrayal set against the beautiful Montauk and trips into Manhattan. Glamorous characters of Montauk as well as locals kept me intrigued. Definitely a great debut! I look forward to seeing what’s next by this author.
Thanks to St Martins Press for sending the ARC
It’s 1938 and for Beatrice Bordeaux the opportunity to spend the summer in Montauk seems like just what she needs to reignite the passion that’s missing in her marriage. The Manor—an up-and-coming vacation getaway for the wealthy—promises leisure, sport, and the opportunity for networking.
But Beatrice’s husband is becoming more distant and spends more time in the city than working on their marriage. After five years, Beatrice is still longing for a child, but pregnancy seems far less likely as her husband’s affections are directed elsewhere.
With her modest upbringing, Bea finds herself growing less comfortable with the society ladies and spends time with the locals, including the handsome man who runs the lighthouse.
Now Bea finds herself on the precipice of two worlds, tottering between the world she committed to, and the one she longs for. Will Bea get to make a choice between them before fate intervenes?
Montauk is a descriptive historical novel that explores a woman—as well as a country—on the verge of great change. Author Nicola Harrison has effectively shown the struggle with women’s roles, family life, and class inequality. The setting is vividly depicted and you can imagine yourself sitting on the beach or at the yacht club listening as conversations take place. While the opening may have felt a bit slow to me, I was effectively caught up in the story as it progressed to a somewhat surprising conclusion.
Montauk is a satisfying read that’ll transport you to this sleepy summer town on the cusp of notoriety.
*I received a copy of Montauk from NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press in exchange for an honest review.
This tells the story of Beatrice Bordeaux who is married to Harry. They live in Manhattan but spend their summers in Montauk. Beatrice feels she does not fit in with the over wives on Montauk and doesn’t want to go. Plus, Harry is only out there on the weekends, if at all. They are having marital troubles due to the fact that they haven’t conceived yet. While in Montauk, Beatrice finds an ally in Dolly, another Manhattan/Montauk wife and they become friends. Bea also befriends Elizabeth who is a laundress at the Manor, where the Manhattanites are all staying. One day, Bea meets Thomas who is one of the lighthouse keepers on Montauk and he says something about Bea’s younger brother that unnerves her yet they form an unlikely friendship which turns into romance.
Overall, a beautifully written story with some mystery, intrigue and romance. I did feel that the ending was a bit rushed.
Historical fiction at its finest! I loved the strong, leading female character of Beatrice. As she struggles to find her place between her roots and a world where money talks, she does it all with class. 1938 Montauk, with its wealthy summer break crowd and the hardworking locals, is a charming read full of romance, deceit, unlikely friendships and heartbreak. This is the perfect summer book!
I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book which I received from the author. All views expressed are only my honest opinion.
My Review for Montauk
By Nicola Harrison
Back in the 1930’s when women fell in love with wealthy men, they gave up their dreams of having a career or future other than being the wife and future mother to her husband’s children. Long gone were the days where she was seen as anything other than being “The Wife of….”. And never mind the thought if you were unhappy or if your husband wasn’t faithful, because what would you have or who would you be without his money or his friends with their respective wives. Divorce was unheard of.
Beatrice Bordeaux is excited for the chance to rekindle that spark that she had when she fell in love with her husband Harry, a Banker. He plans a getaway to Montauk Manor, a two hundred year old seaside hotel with other high society wives. But she finds herself alone more often than not while he returns to the city for work during the week & eventually most weekends too. Beatrice eventually catches on to his “extracurricular activities”.
Montauk is where Beatrice finds friendship and nemesis’s that change her as a woman, how she views herself & others and makes her rethink the life she is living.
She participates in helping making a change for the poor townsfolk people that she has grown to know and love. One particular man, Thomas that leads a life completely the opposite of her husband, she is particularly drawn to and is fascinated with him. He is the upmost gentleman and sees her and listens to her, unlike her husband.
After years of trying to get pregnant Beatrice basically has given up hope of being a mother, being told that at 27 she is now to old. And they suspect her husband’s infertility may be to blame. But soon after a night that Harry sexually assaults her; she ends up pregnant. Is it a miracle or is it from the nights of passion that she has found in the arms of another man?
When all that is revealed and all that transpires in this action filled ending. Your knuckles will be white and your nerves on edge until the last page.
This was a page turner for me from page one. I could not put it down. It fulfilled everything I need in a great book. My attention never wavered and I was very emotional at parts. This was amazing writing for this debut Author and I will be on edge praying and waiting until her next book to come out ASAP.
Despite being nearly 400 pages, Montauk was a relatively quick read because I didn’t want to set it down. The writing was beautiful and I loved getting lost in the world of 1930s high society. But what I loved even more were the very real issues handled in this historical fiction.
Although Harrison begins the story in the world of opulence, she’s quick to cover privilege and highlight the fact that wealth doesn’t equal happiness. Infertility, infidelity, sexism, anti-Semitism and many other things are touched on in this book.
I’d recommend this one to the historical fiction lovers.
(I received a copy in exchange for my review.)
One of my favorite things to read about are super rich white folks from way back in the day. Why? Because the lifestyle just seems to insanely unfathomable, that it’s kind of like watching a train wreck. . . You can’t turn away. And the whole “back in the day” part? I love seeing a glimpse of the fashion, the cars, and the societal norms and expectations from a time period I’ll never experience.
Enter Montauk. This book transported me to the east coast circa 1938 just like I had hoped it would. I had a blast with the ambiance of the setting and felt like I could smell the ocean air. I enjoyed watching the drama unfold as Bea found herself questioning her marriage and Harry’s actions. And the scandal as she finds herself drawn to another man. . .
This is exactly the type of story I love to take along for a beach read. The drama combined with the historical ambiance work as a fantastic escape. If this combo strikes your fancy, I definitely recommend adding Montauk to your beach bag ASAP.
What an incredible debut novel by Nicola Harrison.
Set in 1938, Montauk on Long Island, at The Montauk Manor.
The characters are wonderfully crafted, some likeable some not so much, those love to hate type of characters. Each individual character is well written , complex and fleshed out.
This novel speaks to the differences in class especially during the 1930’s. The relationship between Beatrice and Harry is a familiar one, poor though educated woman marries wealthy man. But this story is so much more than that.
The story is compelling and dives into relationships , not only romantic, but friendship.
I felt transported back to a different time and I loved every minute of it!
“Montauk” by Nicola Harrison was a 5 for me! I loved it!! It was such a beautiful debut novel! I could totally see this one being a movie! It takes place in 1938 Montauk, Long Island. Beatrice has married into wealth, and her husband Harry has her spending a summer in Montauk with all of the well to do wives, at the Montauk Manor Hotel , while their husbands go back to the city during the week for business. They hope that over the summer they can rekindle their marriage! Beatrice finds out that Harry isn’t who she thought he was, and hasn’t been faithful! She ends up meeting a lovely, kind, sensitive man that she feels and instant connection to. I don’t want to say too much and spoil this story, but so much goes on in this book, and I was so enthralled with it! I loved all of the descriptions of Montauk in the summer, and the whole 1930s living, and all the gossipy drama!! This was a quick read, I got through it in 2 days, it was THAT good!! I can’t believe this was a debut! I will definitely be looking forward to more books by Nicola Harrison!!
I enjoyed the story overall, and was definitely the kind of book to get lost in, however, I was disappointed with the ending. Felt pretty abrupt and I wondered about why the author chose to finish it that way.
I don’t know if I can actually convey all of my feelings about Montauk by Nicola Harrison, but I can say WOW, this is an incredibly memorable and smashing debut novel for this author.
I listened to the book almost fully on audio and I loved it, the narrator Erin Bennett was quite fantastic, especially on 2x speed! She made the perfect narrator for this novel and brought the story and book to life for me. Montauk is basically a character in itself and I loved learning more about what it was like in the late 30s. The setting was so vivid and the characters so real, I almost felt like I was right there with them. I loved Dolly and Beatrice the most, but there were plenty of characters to both love and hate.
In the nature of full disclose, I actually picked Montauk up and had started it but even though I liked it, I knew it just wasn’t the right time to read it. I am so glad I picked it back up when I did and went with the audio the second time around. I ended up loving it and I’m happy I didn’t try to finish it when I wasn’t in the mood for it. This is a highly atmospheric, historical fiction novel with romance so make sure you are ready for that when/if you read it.
Montauk made my heart hurt, and even though I didn’t full on cry during it, there were definitely plenty of moments that brought tears to my eyes. Overall I think it was a quick read although I highly recommend going the audio route since the narrator was so good. I listened to it on Audible and there was an interview with the author at the end which just made me love the book even more.
Song/s the book brought to mind: Again and Again by Jewel
Final Thought: Montauk is a beautifully written novel and I am seriously impressed it is a debut. Harrison did a great job of bringing the location to life, and the plot had many layers which I enjoyed. The romance, tragedy, and fashion in Montauk all came together for me and I won’t be forgetting this one any time soon.
Thank you to the publisher for my advance review copy via NetGalley. All opinions and thoughts are my own.
I saved this book so I could read it on the beach during my vacation. It was a good beach read, with an okay story line and some likeable characters. But the ending of the book just pi**ed me off.
Third favorite of my must summer read
I received this book as an Advanced Readers’ Edition. The story is set in the early 1900s. It involves a college educated woman who married a man from a different social circle with different mores than herself. She finds her marriage evolving and tries to save it. She discovers herself in the process and a love that was unexpected while endeavoring to fit into a social circle with little to offer her. The book continues in unexpected directions when the summer ends with a real and a natural disaster…
The year is 1938 and the setting is New York City where college educated Beatrice Beaudreaux lives with Harry, her husband of five years. They’ve tried unsuccessfully to have a child and she’s noticed that some of the spark is missing between them. When Harry makes plans for them to spend the summer in nearby Montauk, Beatrice believes this will be their chance to reconnect. Unfortunately, he’s only there on weekends and much of his time when there is spent with his other friends and potential investors. She’s also finding it difficult to connect with the other spouses and soon turns her attention to other attractions on the island.
I initially found Beatrice emblematic of most married women of that era, focused on satisfying her husband’s needs and eager to start a family. Her attention and interests centered around Harry’s with her own identity secondary or nonexistent. The author does a great job of establishing the environment for women, so well that it was jarring to recall the massive journey we’ve made since that time. I had to adjust my mindset as the images were vividly crafted including fashion, vernacular and conversation.
Beatrice wasn’t raised in the society world so her drift away from these shallow women was somewhat predictable even though her friendships with the townspeople and relationship with a certain lighthouse keeper weren’t. The disintegration of her marriage was painful as Harry’s cruelty and disregard was insensitive and rather public. But, at the same time, it was uplifting to see her embrace independence and pursue her own interests, talents and romance.
This was a slow burn as it took some time to create that strong sense of time, place and atmosphere of the era and the author did that so effectively. It was impossible to appreciate Beatrice’s story otherwise and I found myself completely immersed in her environment. I was unprepared for the poignant ending but appreciated the direction taken. I came to really like Beatrice even though at times her liberties with the townspeople felt intrusive. But, her motives were pure and admirable. It’s an interesting story that, through Beatrice, contrasted the world of the wealthy and entitled with those of the people in the surrounding community whose livelihoods depended on them. It had me appreciating simple values and be reminded that privilege sometimes exacts a princely price. I enjoyed this debut novel.
(Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for my complimentary copy. All opinions are my own.)
Montauk is the perfect summer read! Set in 1938, it’s a look at the summer days. The wealthy from New York have started to spend the summer at Montauk, Long Island. Beatrice is there with her husband Harry. The husbands go back to the city for the week. The wives are busy with their society organizations and hanging out at the club and the manor where they are staying. Beatrice is struggling with what she had hoped for her marriage and what it actually is. The story shows us what life was like for the wealthy elite and also what it was like for the villagers and the people who live in Montauk all year round. Beatrice finds her way forming new friendships and avoiding the snobbier women. And she meets a man who will change her life forever.