Montauk by Nicola Harrison
A simple town on the brink of a glamorous future.
A marriage drifting apart.
A life on the edge of what is and what could be...
An epic and cinematic novel by debut author Nicola Harrison, Montauk captures the glamour and extravagance of a summer by the sea with the story of a woman torn between the life she chose and the life she desires.
Montauk, Long Island, 1938.
For three months, this humble fishing village will serve as the playground for New York City’s wealthy elite. Beatrice Bordeaux was looking forward to a summer of reigniting the passion between her and her husband, Harry. Instead, tasked with furthering his investment interest in Montauk as a resort destination, she learns she’ll be spending twelve weeks sequestered with the high society wives at The Montauk Manor—a two-hundred room seaside hotel—while Harry pursues other interests in the city.
College educated, but raised a modest country girl in Pennsylvania, Bea has never felt fully comfortable among these privileged women, whose days are devoted not to their children but to leisure activities and charities that seemingly benefit no one but themselves. She longs to be a mother herself, as well as a loving wife, but after five years of marriage she remains childless while Harry is increasingly remote and distracted. Despite lavish parties at the Manor and the Yacht Club, Bea is lost and lonely and befriends the manor’s laundress whose work ethic and family life stir memories of who she once was.
As she drifts further from the society women and their preoccupations and closer toward Montauk’s natural beauty and community spirit, Bea finds herself drawn to a man nothing like her husband –stoic, plain spoken and enigmatic. Inspiring a strength and courage she had almost forgotten; his presence forces her to face a haunting tragedy of her past and question her future.
Desperate to embrace moments of happiness, no matter how fleeting, she soon discovers that such moments may be all she has, when fates conspire to tear her world apart…
Review: It's 1938 and young Beatrice Bordeaux is hoping that a summer spent at The Montauk Manor, a seaside hotel for wealthy New Yorkers, will help reignite the passion between her and her husband Harry. Instead, her husband spends much of his time in the city, only returning to Montauk for the occasional weekend. And while college educated, Bea has never felt comfortable around the high society wives, so different from the modest country upbringing she enjoyed. As she and Harry continue to grow apart, Bea finds herself drawn closer to a man that lives in Montauk and begins to question her future.
This was such an enjoyable read! Harrison did such a great job setting the scene of a group of privileged wives, contrasted with the poverty of the locals, who are still suffering from the Great Depression. The author's background in fashion and design was evident in the character of Dolly, who runs her family's hat factory and has excellent taste, and also in the detailed descriptions of the characters' 30s fashion. I also have long had a fascination with lighthouses and their keepers, and loved that Harrison chose to make Thomas a lighthouse keeper. I also loved that the author chose to make Bea friends with the manor's laundry woman, Elizabeth. Her family and character added a lot of gravity and depth to Bea, who has a very frivolous life in many ways.
Parts of the plot were a little too convenient for Thomas and Bea. It wasn't entirely clear to me how Bea is able to sneak out of a hotel so much, especially given the time period. Her relationship and avoidance of her husband seemed a little too far-fetched or difficult to believe at times. Particularly in the aftermath of finding out about what he has been up to in the city. It seemed hard to believe that Bea would just gloss it over and not have a conversation with him about it.
The ending of this novel is dramatic and tragic, with the backdrop of a historic storm sweeping the island. While I doubt it's the ending readers expect or hope for, it did make this novel far more memorable. Harrison did a great job with this historical novel and created a wonderful cast of characters. I would love to read a spin off that told more about Elizabeth or Dolly's stories!
Stars: 4
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