Miranda Schuyler is eighteen years old when she arrives on elite, secretive Winthrop Island in Long Island Sound. Her beautiful mother is about to marry Hugh Fisher whose summer house on the Island overlooks the famous lighthouse. Miranda's new stepsister, Isobel, is eager to draw her into the customs of their society. The Fisher's fall into the wealthy summer families while the other clan on the Island are the working class Portuguese fishermen and domestic workers who earn their living on the water and from those who summer on the Island. Fast forward nearly two decades later to the first time Miranda has returned to the Island since a murder caused her to flee. She wants to clear the name of the man she met and fell in love with as a teenager even if it means uncovering all the messy secrets that bind the families of Winthrop Island together.
I feel like my reviews of Beatriz Williams books are all the same. She's my favourite author and can do no wrong. Everything is perfect in this book - the writing, the characters, the setting. This book has lots of secrets, lies and cocktails. It has murder. Families are torn apart but also families do not rat on fellow Islanders. There are three different timelines - 1930 tells the story of Bianca Medeiro, 1951 tells the story of eighteen year old Miranda Schuyler and 1969 brings Miranda back to the Island. Bianca's chapters were short but vital. Nothing that happened was overly shocking but it was a compelling read. I just love Williams writing, it's so dreamy and vivid and magical *sigh*
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