A Hundred Summers

I really enjoyed this story. Wish I was there sometimes. Set in the 30's this is a love story about Lily and Nick. Lots of little secrets going around also. I read it in a day. Some characters were quite annoying. There was some nail biting moments too. But all in all it was well written - no typos, etc which distract from the story. Couldn't wait to see how it all turned out. This book was really good. I loved the characters of Lily and Nick. They were in love but people and things separated them. Lily and Budgie was best friends and grew up together. A few years later Lily's former best friend Budgie turns up at Seaview with her husband Nick, whom Lily was once engage to. I loved the area where the story took place and all the machinations of the townspeople. I actually wished I was in Seaview myself - such a well written story - not to be missed.

Seaview, RI, the setting for this novel, is a fictional summer resort area that is an amalgam of several RI old money resorts that most closely resembles Weekapaug or Watch Hill, and Napatree Point in particular. The story begins in the fall of 1931, when Lily, the main character, and Budgie, her wild friend, are college seniors dating Nick and Graham, two Dartmouth football players. Lily falls hard for Nick. From that point, the narrative alternates between the fall and winter of 31, on Smith campus and in Manhattan, and the summer of 1938 in Seaview, where Lily and Budgie had first met as children, and where Lily has spent every summer of her life. It would spoil the novel to say much more about the characters or the story, which gradually unfolds with some surprises. I felt that the author did a good job portraying a time and lifestyle that is now gone, and capturing the mood, style, mores, and society of that time. The author really did her research, which is readily apparent to someone who is familiar with a specific historical event that occurs. Not to be mysterious, but it would be a spoiler - but when you read it, please be aware it is based on true facts, no matter how farfetched it seems. I also particularly enjoy novels set in places I'm familiar with - and since I live on the RI coast, this rings true, even though the colony is fictional. This is more historical fiction than an actual beach read, and I thoroughly enjoyed it: the story, the characters, and the setting.

This is the first book I've read by this author and I immediately had to rate it after I finished! It was such a draw, each time I put it down for the day, I couldn't wait to pick it up again. It was easy to imagine the characters as Budgie, Lily, Nick, Aunt Julie and Kiki were described with traits that remained consistent throughout the book. Budgie wasn't very likeable, but she was magnetic in her calculating behavior. Lily was warm and dependable and she seemed to be eclipsed by Budgie's dazzle, but it was nice to see her find herself and realize her own strength. Especially as she continually allowed Budgie to dominate and manipulate their friendship. The book flowed nicely and there weren't loose ends that left you feeling confused, even though there were a few times I wondered why the characters were so easily able to hurt those they cared about. The story culminated in a hurricane so descriptive I felt my heart rate increase as I flipped the pages! I'll certainly pick up another book by this author and I look forward to enjoying it just as much!

Typical boy-meets-girl, boy-loses-girl, boy-gets-girl-back story. EXCEPT it's so well written, the story is just quirky enough to make you understand that this isn't "just another boy meets girl", and the characters are all so well rounded (even the scoundrels) that I didn't want it to end. This author paints a picture with her words, but without getting in the way of her story or her characters. Her heroine, Lily, is the kind of person we are either glad we have or had as friends, or wish we had. Ms. Williams became a favorite author before I was half-way through this book. I'm recommending it to all my friends who enjoy a great read. Satisfying from beginning to end.

I noticed that some of the other reviews said that it was depressing or some such but I feel that life isn't always perfect and if you want a feel good book then there are plenty out there. But if you want something based on reality then that's fine too. I didn't quite think that it was a depressing book, yes, I wanted to slap the main character at times and want to tell her to speak up for herself and stop letting people run all over her, but in the real world there are people who lead and some who follow and then the ones who don't feel that they are good enough to speak up for themselves. I loved this book and found that it was written beautifully. I don't want to go into too much detail for not giving it away, but it's basically about a girl who is friends with another girl who is the cat's meow and makes her feel meager. Throughout most of the book her friend basically manipulates her to feel better about herself because although she is pretty and glamorous, she is cheap and easy and doesn't possess the better qualities that the main character does. I was really wrapped up in the book for the most part but towards the end, some of what happens just doesn't seem very likely and it just plays out not so well. I would still highly recommend this book and found it very entertaining.

Beatriz Williams does a stellar job of intertwining the stories of two different time periods in Lily Dane's life. One is set in 1931 - 1932 and beautifully captures the wonder and tenderness of first-love. The other is set in 1938, with Lily still dealing with the fallout from events in 1932 as her now-married former best friend and former boyfriend spend the summer in the the small community of Seaview, Rhode Island. I really enjoyed this book and read it cover-to-cover today, in between dips in the pool. It's a great summer read and it was easy to pick up and jump straight into. The two or three main characters are strong, as are some of the supporting cast (I loved Aunt Julie and Lily's father was a sweet and tragic figure). I did wish we saw more of Lily's mother though, and Lily's obtuseness was quite frustrating at times. The gender roles were very entrenched and I found Lily's constant deference to Nick a bit weak, but then again that is probably just due to the period it was set in. I think it dragged on a little in the third quarter but that's a minor quibble. I also enjoyed being immersed in two worlds I know little about (prohibition-era Rhode Island, and the years that followed the lifting of the ban, as well as the old school / old money / old family Rhode Island set). This is quite an old fashioned book, but perfect for a lazy day by the pool!

Tout ce qu'on attend d'un livre d'été. On se perd complètement dans l'histoire de Lily, Nick et Budgie, et la construction par chapitres interposés présent-passé contribuent à créer une délicieuse tension entre les personnages.

I read this on holiday in Italy in the sunshine. It was a great read. Other reviews mentioned that it is a gripping summer read, which prompted me to buy it. I enjoyed the setting in America and the characters were believable. I felt empathy and sympathy and was carried along with the plot to such an extent that I couldn't put the story down. The historical and factual links made this real for me and I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys fiction which has a historical basis. It is romantic without being sugary and there is enough intrigue to keep the reader guessing.

I'm usually not one for "old fashioned" novels set so far in the past, however I throughly enjoyed this book. It was recommended to me by a co-worker who couldn't put it down and I just had to check it out, however I normally would have just passed right by. It was a bit hard to get into it within the first chapter, but it was much easier to get into when the point of time changes. You learn just enough information to keep you satisfied with the character and story development yet it leaves you wanting more and on the edge of your seat. I will be looking into reading more novels from this author

I enjoyed this book, which was well written, but I didn't feel much empathy for the main characters. Some story elements seemed implausable, perhaps too coincidental, but overall didn't distract from a good yarn.