The Beach at Summerly

A Novel

By: Beatriz Williams

Narrated by: Saskia Maarleveld

Length: 10 hrs and 54 mins

Publisher's summary

"There are few more skilled practitioners of the craft of summer fiction than Beatriz Williams." — The New York Times Book Review

A ravishing summer story from New York Times bestseller Beatriz Williams, sweeping listeners back to a mid-century New England rich with secrets and Cold War intrigue.

June 1946. As the residents of Winthrop Island prepare for the first summer season after the sacrifice of war, a glamorous new figure moves into the guest cottage at Summerly, the idyllic seaside estate of the wealthy Peabody family. To Emilia Winthrop, daughter of Summerly’s year-round caretaker and a descendant of the island’s settlers, Olive Rainsford opens a window into a world of shining possibility. While Emilia spent the war years caring for her incapacitated mother, Olive traveled the world, married fascinating men, and involved herself in political causes. She’s also the beloved aunt of the two surviving Peabody sons, Amory and Shep, with whom Emilia has a tangled romantic history.

As the summer wears on, Emilia develops a deep rapport with Olive, who urges her to leave the island for a life of adventure, while romance blossoms with the sturdy and honorable Shep. But the heady promise of Peabody patronage is blown apart by the arrival of Sumner Fox, an FBI agent who demands Emilia’s help to capture a Soviet agent who’s transmitting vital intelligence on the West’s atomic weapon program from somewhere inside the Summerly estate.

April 1954. Eight years later, Summerly is boarded up and Emilia has rebuilt her shattered life as a professor at Wellesley College, when shocking news arrives from Washington—the traitor she helped convict is about to be swapped for an American spy imprisoned in the Soviet Union, but with a mysterious condition only Emilia can fulfill. A reluctant Emilia is summoned to CIA headquarters, where she’s forced to confront the harrowing consequences of her actions that fateful summer, and a choice that could destroy the Peabody family—and Emilia’s chance for redemption—all over again.

"Grand and gripping...shot through with suspense, romance, and glorious, beach-laden locales. I could not put it down."--Marie Benedict, New York Times bestselling author of The Mitford Affair

©2023 Beatriz Williams (P)2023 HarperCollins Publishers

An easy listen with some great twists

It was one I enjoyed from the start, had several twists I thought I had figured out, but was wrong,
and this was a fantastic double play of how people and country allies can often be our “frenemies”.
and as they say, Keep your friends close…..

Good story

This was an interesting story and one I have never read anything about before. Well told. I liked the story and the performance.

Intrigue

This story starts out slowly building the plot but once it takes off it is a page turner and you never know what is going to happen next. Most of the story occurs right after WWII during the Cold War with Soviet Union and how all this affects the main characters with covert activity, love going wrong and secrets that I never saw coming.

Another good one!

Love this book! Sad it’s over…love how Beatriz had characters from her other books! Makes it so much more interesting! I have binged ALL of her books this year & hate that I now have to wait for another one!!! That’s a good thing tho!

Fun summer read just as expected!

If you're a fan of Beatriz Williams, then read with confidence. You'll get interesting characters with 2 different timelines (though not that far apart) in the context of historic intrigue. Her books are always so well researched that it's especially fun when the topic is something I'm less familiar with. This book isn't as war-heavy as others, which I personally enjoyed for what I was looking for right this minute. It's a great beach read! Or in my case a great listen that transported me from the yard work at hand. ...I'm so curious about the person who claims to be a BW fan and gave it one star. That's crazy. There has to be some kind of secret motive - perhaps working for the Russians! Or an embittered twin sister who feels Beatriz has had it much too easy! It's just not that different from her other books - I liked it better than Her Last Flight, but not as much as Our Woman in Moscow; better than Cocoa Beach, but not as much as Summer Wives. And Saskia Maarleveld turned in the performance you would expect similar to the other books she's read for Beatriz Williams as well as Kate Quinn and a ton of other historical fiction.

Just ok

This book sounded like something I would really be drawn to but the story just fell flat for me. I felt confused with the time jumps and also didn’t understand the ending at all. I’ve read other books by this author that I’ve really enjoyed but this book felt like I had to slog thru it to the end. Just ok

Slow start but magnificent women characters

I loved the relationship between Olive and Cricket and the description of their friendship, mentorship and Olive’s overreach. I wished the story was twice as long. Felt like so many characters could use more development, especially Shep and Susanna. We needed more 1946 interactions to know of Shep and Olive’s post-war connection and the consequent loss when everything transpired. Felt rushed.

A Cold War Summer

Hi love everything by Beatrice Williams. The Beach at Summerly did not disappoint. I could feel the seabreeze and smell the salty air. I knew a lot of how the story was going to unfold, but that didn’t detract from my enjoyment I highly recommend it.

A thoroughly enjoyable read!

I thoroughly enjoyed this read. I was a little confused by the different characters at the start, and thought the story took a second to start, but once it did, boy were we in for a ride! I loved seeing recurring characters from Our Woman in Moscow, and having their stories rounded out. I got to care for the characters, appreciated the love story, and was so grateful for a happy ending. 💕

I must also add that the narration was excellent! I LOVE Saskia Maarleveld, and will listen to anything she reads! 5 brilliant stars for narration 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

Started Slowly

I am glad that I stuck with this. At first, it seemed to wander all over the place. I wasn't sure what genre it was.