Summer People: A Novel

From Booklist Manhattanite Beth Newton is taking her family to Nantucket for their typical island summer, except this year is anything but typical. Absent is Arch, Beth's husband and father to her twin son and daughter, Garrett and Winnie. Present (at Arch's invitation, before he died in a plane crash) is the black 17-year-old son of a woman Arch had been defending against the death penalty after she killed her sister-in-law and niece. The family intends to spend the summer resting and healing, but tensions quickly build over Garrett's resentment of Marcus' presence. Things heat up more when Beth finds that her first love, full-time Nantucket resident David, now separated from his wife, seems eager to rekindle old times. Meanwhile, the kids develop complicated relationships of their own: Garrett with David's older daughter, Winnie with Marcus. Hilderbrand's third Nantucket-set novel effectively juxtaposes the surface calm of the season with the turbulence of the characters' lives. More entertaining beach reading from the author of The Beach Club (2000) and Nantucket Nights (2002). Beth Leistensnider Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved Review "Things get more twisted at every turn, with enough lies and betrayals to fuel a whole season of soap operas...readers will be hooked."-- Publishers Weekly "Hilderbrand's third Nantucket-set novel effectively juxtaposes the surface calm of the season with the turbulence of the characters' lives. More entertaining beach reading from the author of The Beach Club and Nantucket Nights ."-- Booklist " Summer People is striking not only for the ingenuity of its riveting plot, but also for the acute sense of character and the finely tuned craftsmanship with which Elin Hilderbrand brings its every nuance to life." --Madison Smartt Bell, author of Charm City "I find there is so much to admire in this book, from its crystalline prose to the deeply felt and finely rendered emotion of characters younger and older, male and female alike. By the end, the characters feel like good friends. Reading Summer People makes you feel like you've taken a long weekend in Nantucket. Summer People is simply a great read." --Kathleen Hughes, author of Dear Mrs. Lindbergh: A Novel Contemporary Every summer the Newton family retreats to their beloved home on Nantucket for three months of sunshine, cookouts, and bonfires on the beach. But this summer will not be like any other. When Arch Newton, a prominent New York attorney, dies in a plane crash on his way home from a business trip, his beautiful widow, Beth, can barely keep things together. Above all, though, she decides that she must continue the family tradition of going to Nantucket, and at the same time fulfill a promise that Arch made before he died.Beth invites Marcus, the son of Arch’s final and most challenging client, to spend the summer with her and her teenage twins, Winnie and Garrett, who have mixed reactions to sharing their special summer place with this stranger. Always a place of peace before, Nantucket becomes the scene of roiling emotions and turbulent passions as Marcus, Winnie, and Garrett learn about loss, first love, and betrayal. And when they stumble upon a shocking secret from Beth’s past, they must keep it from destroying the family they’ve been trying so hard to heal. Every summer the Newton family retreats to their beloved home on Nantucket for three months of sunshine, cookouts, and bonfires on the beach. But this summer will not be like any other. When Arch Newton, a prominent New York attorney, dies in a plane crash on his way home from a business trip, his beautiful widow Beth can barely keep things together. Above all, though, she decides that she must continue the family tradition of going to Nantucket, and at the same time fulfill a promise that Arch made before he died. Beth invites Marcus, the son of Arch's final and most challenging client, to spend the summer with her and her teenage twins Winnie and Garrett, who have mixed reactions to sharing their special summer place with this stranger. Always a place of peace before, Nantucket becomes the scene of roiling emotions and turbulent passions as Marcus, Winnie, and Garrett learn about loss, first love, and betrayal. And when they stumble upon a shocking secret from Beth's past, they must keep it from destroying the family they've been trying so hard to heal. Every summer the Newton family returns to their home on Nantucket for three months, but when Arch Newton is killed in a plane crash, his widow Beth can barely keep her life, much less her family together, as she tries to continue the family's summer tradition A Summer Of Healing Turns Turbulent When A Grieving Widow And Her Teenage Twins Experience Passion, First Love, And A Dangerous Secret From The Widow's Past That Threatens To Destroy The Family. 25,000 First Printing. "Recently widowed Beth Newton returns to Nantucket for the summer with her teenage twins to continue a family tradition and to keep a promise her late husband made to another teen "-- Provided by publisher