FICTION

A Hundred Summers

by Beatriz Williams
Putnam. Jun. 2013. 368p. ISBN 9780399162169. $26.95; ebk. ISBN 9781101596517. F
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In 1938 Lily Dane is summering in Seaview, RI, where her family has vacationed for generations. But her hopes for a quiet, uneventful holiday with her young sister, mother, and aunt are dashed with the appearance of longtime friend Budgie and her husband, Nick Greenwald. Seven years ago it was Lily who fell in love with Nick, and his marriage to Budgie broke Lily's heart. His reappearance forces her to revisit emotional terrain she'd hoped was past. As the summer builds to a cataclysmic event, Lily and Nick's relationship is told through flashbacks. Just how did their love for each other go so wrong?
VERDICT While Williams's new novel (after her acclaimed debut, Overseas) starts strongly, it becomes a bit mired in melodrama in the latter third. Lily makes for an appealing protagonist and the setting and period will appeal to fans of Downton Abbey. The problem is that only Lily and Nick are fleshed out as characters. Budgie's motivations are never fully clear, and Lily's mother, who plays a key role, is never present at all. The lack of development of the supporting cast weakens the eventual exploration of just what happened. [See Prepub Alert, 1/6/13.]
Reviewed by Jane Jorgenson, Madison P.L., WI , Mar 15, 2013
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