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Montauk
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...
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...
400 pages, Paperback
First published June 4, 2019
1209 people are currently reading
13305 people want to read
About the author
Nicola Harrison
4 books529 followersHi, Thanks for stopping by to visit. I'm the author of three works of historical fiction, HOTEL LAGUNA (June, 2023) MONTAUK and THE SHOW GIRL. I'm originally from Hampshire, England, and moved to California when I was 14. I studied Literature at UCLA and received an MFA in creative writing at Stony Brook University. Soon after college I moved to NYC and worked in magazine publishing. I was the fashion and style staff writer for Forbes and had a weekly column at Lucky Magazine. I spent many summers in Montauk, which inspired my first novel, but after 17 years in the Big Apple I recently moved back to California and have settled in Manhattan Beach with my husband, two sons and two chihuahuas. When I'm not writing I love to paddle board, do yoga and get outside with my boys.
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March 19, 2019
“No matter how perfect all these lives seemed from a distance, so full of possibilities and promise, we all wanted more.”
Montauk is a historical novel about one woman’s path to self-discovery through an unexpected romance.
Beatrice, a young housewife, summers in Montauk amongst the wealthy and privileged crowd, but yearns for more. She has lived a sheltered life, to say the least. Away from the bustle of New York City, she begins to recognize the cracks in her marriage. Struggling to fit in with the cutthroat society women, she befriends a laundress who introduces her to another kind of life, one filled with simplicity but built around love. When she meets a lighthouse keeper named Thomas, her life is altered forever. She finds herself being forced to choose between luxury and true love.
Told through Beatrice’s eyes, Montauk is a slower-paced character study. While the reader gets an honest but, sometimes, frustrating view on Beatrice's life and the choices she makes, for me, it was too much telling and not enough seeing.
I both enjoyed and struggled a bit with Montauk. I loved the setting, but I had trouble connecting with Beatrice, which was partially due to the narrative style. The transitions between narrative and dialogue were sometimes a little stiff and at other times rushed. The novel did feel authentic and while Beatrice is a product of her time, there were some moments when I just couldn’t read any more about her lack of awareness when it came to certain situations. On the other hand, Beatrice is a very likable character. I couldn’t stop myself from rooting for her. I found it much more interesting towards the end and was even a little surprised by how it ended.
Montauk is in no way a bad read. I think this is one of those cases of it’s me, not the book!
I received an ARC of this book through a Goodreads giveaway!
Montauk is a historical novel about one woman’s path to self-discovery through an unexpected romance.
Beatrice, a young housewife, summers in Montauk amongst the wealthy and privileged crowd, but yearns for more. She has lived a sheltered life, to say the least. Away from the bustle of New York City, she begins to recognize the cracks in her marriage. Struggling to fit in with the cutthroat society women, she befriends a laundress who introduces her to another kind of life, one filled with simplicity but built around love. When she meets a lighthouse keeper named Thomas, her life is altered forever. She finds herself being forced to choose between luxury and true love.
Told through Beatrice’s eyes, Montauk is a slower-paced character study. While the reader gets an honest but, sometimes, frustrating view on Beatrice's life and the choices she makes, for me, it was too much telling and not enough seeing.
I both enjoyed and struggled a bit with Montauk. I loved the setting, but I had trouble connecting with Beatrice, which was partially due to the narrative style. The transitions between narrative and dialogue were sometimes a little stiff and at other times rushed. The novel did feel authentic and while Beatrice is a product of her time, there were some moments when I just couldn’t read any more about her lack of awareness when it came to certain situations. On the other hand, Beatrice is a very likable character. I couldn’t stop myself from rooting for her. I found it much more interesting towards the end and was even a little surprised by how it ended.
Montauk is in no way a bad read. I think this is one of those cases of it’s me, not the book!
I received an ARC of this book through a Goodreads giveaway!
March 17, 2019
Nicola Harrison's debut takes place in 1938, a turbulent time in history, where dark clouds hint of a world war to come, she explores the stifling expectations and roles of women at the time and a story that is revealing of the class inequalities of the period, the differences in the vacuous inconsequential lives of the rich and the more precarious lives of those that are poor, or making more modest livings. It is set in the spectacular natural beauty of the small fishing village of Montauk, Long Island, known for its hurricanes, where for 3 months has the wealthy elite of New York City descend on it. Hoping to rekindle her marriage to Harry, Beatrice Bordeaux is staying amongst the high society wives at The Montauk Manor, a coastal hotel. Beatrice has been desperate for a child in her 5 year marriage, but there has been an increasing distance between the couple. Harry, however, has other plans, he is spending most of his time back in New York.
Beatrice has little in common with the high society women, and they do little to welcome her. Beneath the glamour and fashion, these ghastly rich wives may have children, but have little to do with their care, they are marked by their dissatisfaction, rivalries, bigotry, the propensity to judge, are small minded, gossipy and with an overwhelming arrogance and air of superiority when it comes to the locals. Beatrice feels a sense of dislocation and finds these women of little interest, instead begins to connect with some of the locals, such as Elizabeth, the hotel's laundress, who reminds her of her more modest past life and the person she used to be and Thomas, the lighthouse keeper, the polar opposite of Harry as a man, and to whom she feels drawn. Unsavoury aspects of Harry's life spill out, leaving Beatrice stranded amidst the wreckage of her marriage, a consequence of the life she has chosen, and hopes for a life that is more true to who she is.
Beatrice is pushed to discover just how strong and resilient she can be in her efforts to become a more independent woman. Harrison evokes this historical period beautifully, its fashion, and with its attendant social norms and attitudes, the class inequalities, and its antisemitism. For me, I particularly appreciated the great sense of location, and the depiction of the beauty of Montauk, and the locals that inhabit the place, who share little in common with the rich that flood the village. I found this an enjoyable, light and entertaining read, and I was drawn to the character of Beatrice, the trials she faced, her changing sense of identity and the quandry of facing up to what she desires. Many thanks to St Martin's Press for an ARC.
Beatrice has little in common with the high society women, and they do little to welcome her. Beneath the glamour and fashion, these ghastly rich wives may have children, but have little to do with their care, they are marked by their dissatisfaction, rivalries, bigotry, the propensity to judge, are small minded, gossipy and with an overwhelming arrogance and air of superiority when it comes to the locals. Beatrice feels a sense of dislocation and finds these women of little interest, instead begins to connect with some of the locals, such as Elizabeth, the hotel's laundress, who reminds her of her more modest past life and the person she used to be and Thomas, the lighthouse keeper, the polar opposite of Harry as a man, and to whom she feels drawn. Unsavoury aspects of Harry's life spill out, leaving Beatrice stranded amidst the wreckage of her marriage, a consequence of the life she has chosen, and hopes for a life that is more true to who she is.
Beatrice is pushed to discover just how strong and resilient she can be in her efforts to become a more independent woman. Harrison evokes this historical period beautifully, its fashion, and with its attendant social norms and attitudes, the class inequalities, and its antisemitism. For me, I particularly appreciated the great sense of location, and the depiction of the beauty of Montauk, and the locals that inhabit the place, who share little in common with the rich that flood the village. I found this an enjoyable, light and entertaining read, and I was drawn to the character of Beatrice, the trials she faced, her changing sense of identity and the quandry of facing up to what she desires. Many thanks to St Martin's Press for an ARC.
June 17, 2019
I'm between 3.5 and 4 stars.
It's 1938, and a large number of New York City's wealthiest residents descend upon Montauk, Long Island to spend the summer in this new East Coast playground. The wives will spend the entire summer there at the luxurious Montauk Manor, a hotel by the sea, while many of their husbands will return to their business interests in the city and then come to Montauk on weekends.
Beatrice Bordeaux is among those wives who will spend their summer in Montauk, but she is surprised to learn that her husband Harry will be leaving her during the week. One of the main purposes of this trip was that the couple could rekindle their marriage and hopefully become pregnant with the baby that has eluded them for five years. Although Bea would like to relax and read, Harry wants her to socialize with the other society matrons, so that he may find a foothold for his investment interests in Montauk.
While Bea is taken by the beauty of Montauk, she quickly grows bored of the women's talk of frivolous things, even charitable activities that seem more self-serving than generous. She befriends Elizabeth, the Manor's laundress, whose down-to-earth nature reminds Bea more of the life she knew before she met Harry, even though such a friendship would be frowned upon.
Bea is also disillusioned by the state of her marriage. Harry seems less and less interested in being with her, only wanting her to help advance his interests and make appearances at his side. When she discovers that Harry is not the devoted husband she thought he was, she begins to do things that interest her, regardless of whether they're appropriate for a married woman (or a woman at all). She also strikes up a friendship with a handsome, sensitive man who is Harry's complete opposite, a man who has a connection to her life before Harry, a time when everything changed.
As she and Harry drift further apart, and she takes her future in her own hands, she is ready to follow her heart for perhaps the first time in her life. But the course of happiness never runs smoothly, and she has to decide whether to do what she wants or do what might be best for everyone, or the risk might be too great.
Montauk is an interesting, beautifully written look at a time in history where a woman was expected to do what she was told, not to ask questions, and simply be happy being cared for by her husband. "Good wives" simply were willing to sit idly by as their husbands did as they wished, and they should be content with filling their days with superficial and social activities. Nicola Harrison did a great job capturing that time, and her descriptions of Montauk and the grandeur of the Manor created vivid images in my mind.
The story was a bit more predictable than I hoped it would be, and as it sped toward its climax things became really melodramatic, but I still found Montauk an enjoyable read. There are some interesting characters in the book, particularly Bea's friend Dolly, who flouted many of the conventions of her time and was pretty fascinating, and I liked Bea's sass and intelligence.
I was fortunate to be part of the pop-up book tour for Montauk . Thanks to BookSparks and St. Martin's Press for providing an advance copy of the book in exchange for an unbiased review!
See all of my reviews at itseithersadnessoreuphoria.blogspot.com.
Check out my list of the best books I read in 2018 at https://itseithersadnessoreuphoria.blogspot.com/2019/01/the-best-books-i-read-in-2018.html.
You can follow me on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/the.bookishworld.of.yrralh/.
It's 1938, and a large number of New York City's wealthiest residents descend upon Montauk, Long Island to spend the summer in this new East Coast playground. The wives will spend the entire summer there at the luxurious Montauk Manor, a hotel by the sea, while many of their husbands will return to their business interests in the city and then come to Montauk on weekends.
Beatrice Bordeaux is among those wives who will spend their summer in Montauk, but she is surprised to learn that her husband Harry will be leaving her during the week. One of the main purposes of this trip was that the couple could rekindle their marriage and hopefully become pregnant with the baby that has eluded them for five years. Although Bea would like to relax and read, Harry wants her to socialize with the other society matrons, so that he may find a foothold for his investment interests in Montauk.
While Bea is taken by the beauty of Montauk, she quickly grows bored of the women's talk of frivolous things, even charitable activities that seem more self-serving than generous. She befriends Elizabeth, the Manor's laundress, whose down-to-earth nature reminds Bea more of the life she knew before she met Harry, even though such a friendship would be frowned upon.
Bea is also disillusioned by the state of her marriage. Harry seems less and less interested in being with her, only wanting her to help advance his interests and make appearances at his side. When she discovers that Harry is not the devoted husband she thought he was, she begins to do things that interest her, regardless of whether they're appropriate for a married woman (or a woman at all). She also strikes up a friendship with a handsome, sensitive man who is Harry's complete opposite, a man who has a connection to her life before Harry, a time when everything changed.
As she and Harry drift further apart, and she takes her future in her own hands, she is ready to follow her heart for perhaps the first time in her life. But the course of happiness never runs smoothly, and she has to decide whether to do what she wants or do what might be best for everyone, or the risk might be too great.
Montauk is an interesting, beautifully written look at a time in history where a woman was expected to do what she was told, not to ask questions, and simply be happy being cared for by her husband. "Good wives" simply were willing to sit idly by as their husbands did as they wished, and they should be content with filling their days with superficial and social activities. Nicola Harrison did a great job capturing that time, and her descriptions of Montauk and the grandeur of the Manor created vivid images in my mind.
The story was a bit more predictable than I hoped it would be, and as it sped toward its climax things became really melodramatic, but I still found Montauk an enjoyable read. There are some interesting characters in the book, particularly Bea's friend Dolly, who flouted many of the conventions of her time and was pretty fascinating, and I liked Bea's sass and intelligence.
I was fortunate to be part of the pop-up book tour for Montauk . Thanks to BookSparks and St. Martin's Press for providing an advance copy of the book in exchange for an unbiased review!
See all of my reviews at itseithersadnessoreuphoria.blogspot.com.
Check out my list of the best books I read in 2018 at https://itseithersadnessoreuphoria.blogspot.com/2019/01/the-best-books-i-read-in-2018.html.
You can follow me on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/the.bookishworld.of.yrralh/.
May 4, 2019
This is a story of it’s not you, it’s me. I mistakenly thought this would be more historical fiction than romance novel. And it’s definitely not. Montauk tells the story of Beatrice, a young woman who has married into money and is struggling to fit in with the high society crowd summering in Montauk. It’s 1938 and the country is still recovering from the depression, not that these folks have any problems. The book covers the differences between the haves and the have nots, the sexes, gentiles and Jews.
Harrison does a good job setting the time and place. You truly see the beauty of Montauk.
It’s a typical woman realizes she can be more than just a wife story. And also that she’s not happy in her marriage. It’s easy to see where this one was going. It’s an easy read, a beach read (no pun intended).
This wasn’t my cup of tea, but It is well written. Those looking for a love story will probably find this entrancing.
My thanks to netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for an advance copy of this book
Harrison does a good job setting the time and place. You truly see the beauty of Montauk.
It’s a typical woman realizes she can be more than just a wife story. And also that she’s not happy in her marriage. It’s easy to see where this one was going. It’s an easy read, a beach read (no pun intended).
This wasn’t my cup of tea, but It is well written. Those looking for a love story will probably find this entrancing.
My thanks to netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for an advance copy of this book
June 15, 2019
sᴜɴ. sᴀʟᴛ. sᴀɴᴅ. ᴍᴏɴᴛᴀᴜᴋ.
Nicola Harrison completely captivated me with this dazzling tale set against the backdrop of 1938 Montauk Long Island. The story had a great sense of place and time. You really got a good handle on the role of women and the class divide in the late 1930s. Sometimes a character would do or say something that would make me cringe and I had to put it in perspective and realize this was a different place and time. This was a romance with a historical setting rather than historical fiction with some romance. Beatrice is a strong smart savvy woman who finds herself in a loveless and childless marriage. Excited and a little hesitant to spend her summer on Montauk Beatrice is hopeful to rekindle things with her husband. When she finds out that he will only be spending the weekends with her she is less than thrilled how is she going to pass her time with these women that she has nothing in common with? Fortunately Beatrice befriends Dolly an older and wiser woman and Elizabeth a local who does laundry for the hotel. Beatrice finds herself more drawn to the locals and the natural beauty of Montauk rather than the socialites and the glitz. When she meets Thomas the lighthouse keeper there is an instant attraction. He is kind and caring and authentic the complete opposite of Beatrice‘s husband Harry. As the summer goes on Beatrice realizes that she is going to need to choose between a life of luxury and true love.
Beatrice was such a likable character I really wanted her to find her happily ever after even if she was technically cheating. Her husband was unfaithful, inattentive, and a misogynist, so I guess I gave her a bit of a pass. I could also see why she was drawn to a simpler life in this charming fishing village rather than trying to position herself all the time in society. Her friend Dolly was such a breath of fresh air. She was so spunky, so ahead of her time, and such a great support to Beatrice. And the hats! Oh the hats! Elizabeth was also a great character a little quieter but just as supportive. The romance in the story was so sweet and tender, I could really sense the chemistry between Thomas and Beatrice. The ending to the story really took me by surprise, and I’m still not quite sure what to think. In the audiobook there was an interview with the author at the end and she said that she always knew that was how the book was going to end. This book is the perfect addition to your summer reading plans. A little romance. A little glamour. A little history. And a whole lot of goodness.
🎧🎧🎧 Erin Bennett narrates the audio and really brings life to the story. Bringing a voice to the character of Beatrice who this entire story is told through the eyes of. In the author interview on the audio Nicola Harrison mentions that she hears the characters voices in her head as she is writing. I thought that was so interesting and how exciting it must be for an author to hear their story brought to life through audio.
*** thank you so much to St. Martin’s Press and Macmillan Audio for my copy of this book ***
Nicola Harrison completely captivated me with this dazzling tale set against the backdrop of 1938 Montauk Long Island. The story had a great sense of place and time. You really got a good handle on the role of women and the class divide in the late 1930s. Sometimes a character would do or say something that would make me cringe and I had to put it in perspective and realize this was a different place and time. This was a romance with a historical setting rather than historical fiction with some romance. Beatrice is a strong smart savvy woman who finds herself in a loveless and childless marriage. Excited and a little hesitant to spend her summer on Montauk Beatrice is hopeful to rekindle things with her husband. When she finds out that he will only be spending the weekends with her she is less than thrilled how is she going to pass her time with these women that she has nothing in common with? Fortunately Beatrice befriends Dolly an older and wiser woman and Elizabeth a local who does laundry for the hotel. Beatrice finds herself more drawn to the locals and the natural beauty of Montauk rather than the socialites and the glitz. When she meets Thomas the lighthouse keeper there is an instant attraction. He is kind and caring and authentic the complete opposite of Beatrice‘s husband Harry. As the summer goes on Beatrice realizes that she is going to need to choose between a life of luxury and true love.
Beatrice was such a likable character I really wanted her to find her happily ever after even if she was technically cheating. Her husband was unfaithful, inattentive, and a misogynist, so I guess I gave her a bit of a pass. I could also see why she was drawn to a simpler life in this charming fishing village rather than trying to position herself all the time in society. Her friend Dolly was such a breath of fresh air. She was so spunky, so ahead of her time, and such a great support to Beatrice. And the hats! Oh the hats! Elizabeth was also a great character a little quieter but just as supportive. The romance in the story was so sweet and tender, I could really sense the chemistry between Thomas and Beatrice. The ending to the story really took me by surprise, and I’m still not quite sure what to think. In the audiobook there was an interview with the author at the end and she said that she always knew that was how the book was going to end. This book is the perfect addition to your summer reading plans. A little romance. A little glamour. A little history. And a whole lot of goodness.
🎧🎧🎧 Erin Bennett narrates the audio and really brings life to the story. Bringing a voice to the character of Beatrice who this entire story is told through the eyes of. In the author interview on the audio Nicola Harrison mentions that she hears the characters voices in her head as she is writing. I thought that was so interesting and how exciting it must be for an author to hear their story brought to life through audio.
*** thank you so much to St. Martin’s Press and Macmillan Audio for my copy of this book ***
May 29, 2019
Thank you to St. Martin's Press who provided an advance reader copy via NetGalley.
I received an invitation widget from the publisher to read and review this book. Otherwise, this wouldn't have caught my eye as something I would want to read. I'm not into the historical romance genre, but every once in awhile I travel outside my comfort zone. Technically this is classified as women's fiction. I steer clear of those too.
Beatrice Bordeaux has been married to Harry for five years. It's 1938, she's now thirty and childless. Beatrice came from humble beginnings, but has been living a privileged existence with Harry so successful in the finance field. When they first got married they couldn't keep their hands off each other, such was their ardent hunger for one another. Now Harry is spending more time away on business and it seems like their marriage is on auto-pilot.
The Bordeauxs live in New York City, but like many other well-to-do couples, they are going to Montauk (at the tip of Long Island) for the summer. The wives stay at the opulent hotel "The Manor" flying solo during the week, while their husbands join them on the weekend. The wives just have fun playing tennis, sunbathing, swimming and other indulgent activities while boarding at The Manor. They send the laundry to be done by a young local named Elizabeth, and mothers even send dirty cloth diapers out to be cleaned by someone else. Meals are taken in the hotel and mothers have nannies to tend to their children. They plan charity functions to fundraise for various causes. The ladies wear the finest gowns and jewelry, especially on weekends when their husbands will dine with them.
Beatrice isn't like the other rich ladies that vacation at Montauk. She's more fascinated with the locals. The men have sinewy limbs from working hard at physical jobs. The laundry girl Elizabeth has four young children to take care of while cleaning the rich people's laundry. Beatrice is particularly drawn to a man named Thomas, the island's lighthouse keeper.
This was an OK read. The book was 400 pages and it felt like 400 pages. By the time I got to the end, I felt cheated by the climax.
I received an invitation widget from the publisher to read and review this book. Otherwise, this wouldn't have caught my eye as something I would want to read. I'm not into the historical romance genre, but every once in awhile I travel outside my comfort zone. Technically this is classified as women's fiction. I steer clear of those too.
Beatrice Bordeaux has been married to Harry for five years. It's 1938, she's now thirty and childless. Beatrice came from humble beginnings, but has been living a privileged existence with Harry so successful in the finance field. When they first got married they couldn't keep their hands off each other, such was their ardent hunger for one another. Now Harry is spending more time away on business and it seems like their marriage is on auto-pilot.
The Bordeauxs live in New York City, but like many other well-to-do couples, they are going to Montauk (at the tip of Long Island) for the summer. The wives stay at the opulent hotel "The Manor" flying solo during the week, while their husbands join them on the weekend. The wives just have fun playing tennis, sunbathing, swimming and other indulgent activities while boarding at The Manor. They send the laundry to be done by a young local named Elizabeth, and mothers even send dirty cloth diapers out to be cleaned by someone else. Meals are taken in the hotel and mothers have nannies to tend to their children. They plan charity functions to fundraise for various causes. The ladies wear the finest gowns and jewelry, especially on weekends when their husbands will dine with them.
Beatrice isn't like the other rich ladies that vacation at Montauk. She's more fascinated with the locals. The men have sinewy limbs from working hard at physical jobs. The laundry girl Elizabeth has four young children to take care of while cleaning the rich people's laundry. Beatrice is particularly drawn to a man named Thomas, the island's lighthouse keeper.
This was an OK read. The book was 400 pages and it felt like 400 pages. By the time I got to the end, I felt cheated by the climax.
January 24, 2019
Nicola Harrison presents her debut novel, Montauk, nestled on the tip of Long Island. It's the summer of 1938 and we, as readers, step into a time period wrapped in social mores, societal webbings, and male/female designated roles.
Not one to be enamored with romance novels, this was a bit of a challenge for me, but through no fault of the writing skills of Nicola Harrison. She sets the tone precisely for the era and her complicated characters reflect that. My backbone arched a bit every time these individuals' actions demonstrated such tunnel vision in their societal roles. Yes, they were dancing fitfully to the beat of the music played on their dance cards. Right as rain.
But I wished for thunderstorms in Montauk. Our main character, Beatrice Bordeaux, has been landlocked on Long Island for the entire summer by her aloof husband, Harry, who has taken up quite the extracurricular activities in New York City. He peppers his trail with lie upon lie and as women it was to be taken with a grain of salt. (Oh, sorry about that!) Beatrice longs for a baby and sits within the ruination of her marriage. Let them see you smile, Sister.
My suggestion would be to take this one out for a spin and see what you think. Romance lovers will be enthralled as other reviewers gifted it with 5 Stars. It may ring the bell for your own sensibilities, but it left mine straining to hear more. We'll just have to see if Nicola Harrison continues in this particular genre or sets sail in a different direction next time around.
I received a copy of Montauk through NetGalley for an honest review. My thanks to St. Martin's Press and to Nicola Harrison for the opportunity.
Not one to be enamored with romance novels, this was a bit of a challenge for me, but through no fault of the writing skills of Nicola Harrison. She sets the tone precisely for the era and her complicated characters reflect that. My backbone arched a bit every time these individuals' actions demonstrated such tunnel vision in their societal roles. Yes, they were dancing fitfully to the beat of the music played on their dance cards. Right as rain.
But I wished for thunderstorms in Montauk. Our main character, Beatrice Bordeaux, has been landlocked on Long Island for the entire summer by her aloof husband, Harry, who has taken up quite the extracurricular activities in New York City. He peppers his trail with lie upon lie and as women it was to be taken with a grain of salt. (Oh, sorry about that!) Beatrice longs for a baby and sits within the ruination of her marriage. Let them see you smile, Sister.
My suggestion would be to take this one out for a spin and see what you think. Romance lovers will be enthralled as other reviewers gifted it with 5 Stars. It may ring the bell for your own sensibilities, but it left mine straining to hear more. We'll just have to see if Nicola Harrison continues in this particular genre or sets sail in a different direction next time around.
I received a copy of Montauk through NetGalley for an honest review. My thanks to St. Martin's Press and to Nicola Harrison for the opportunity.
January 26, 2019
Beatrice Bordeaux, born lower/middle class, was college educated and married to wealthy Harry Bordeaux. Her story takes place the summer of 1938, in the fishing village of Montauk, the latest vacation hotspot for the wealthy. Beatrice and Harry's marriage is failing, not helped by the fact that Beatrice has still not gotten pregnant after five years of marriage. Thinking this summer vacation will be a new beginning for the two of them, Beatrice is dismayed to find that her husband plans to spend almost the entire summer back in the city, working, drinking, even conducting numerous affairs with other women, while Beatrice must pretend all is well with their marriage.
Beatrice is bored, unhappy, and has nothing in common with the rich, snobby, summering wives, most who have children, nannies, and want more and more despite all their wealth. Naive Beatrice inserts herself into the lives of the poor, struggling service workers of the village, not realizing that her interference can endanger their jobs, the only thing that brings food on their tables. She even finds herself up on the hill of the lighthouse and ends up very involved in the life of Thomas, the lighthouse keeper. Beatrice has to face what she wants from her life, as the summer draws to a close.
I enjoyed this predictable at times story although I was frustrated with Beatrice's intrusion in the lives of others, not thinking until it was too late, how her interference could hurt people in so many ways. I look forward to reading future books from Nicola Harrison. Thank you St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for this ARC.
Beatrice is bored, unhappy, and has nothing in common with the rich, snobby, summering wives, most who have children, nannies, and want more and more despite all their wealth. Naive Beatrice inserts herself into the lives of the poor, struggling service workers of the village, not realizing that her interference can endanger their jobs, the only thing that brings food on their tables. She even finds herself up on the hill of the lighthouse and ends up very involved in the life of Thomas, the lighthouse keeper. Beatrice has to face what she wants from her life, as the summer draws to a close.
I enjoyed this predictable at times story although I was frustrated with Beatrice's intrusion in the lives of others, not thinking until it was too late, how her interference could hurt people in so many ways. I look forward to reading future books from Nicola Harrison. Thank you St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for this ARC.
May 27, 2019
This debut novel is set in the summer of 1938 in Montauk, Long Island.
Beatrice was a great character and it was interesting to see how she reacted to different situations with some of the wealthy wives. She came from a more middle-class background. Her husband was a truly unlikable guy.
A bit more of a romance than I was expecting. It is well written, but a bit of a slow burn for me. There is quite a lot going on with themes of the class privilege, infidelity, politics and romance. A bit predictable, although I was very surprised at the ending.
Thanks to NG / SMP for my review copy. OUT June 2019
.
Beatrice was a great character and it was interesting to see how she reacted to different situations with some of the wealthy wives. She came from a more middle-class background. Her husband was a truly unlikable guy.
A bit more of a romance than I was expecting. It is well written, but a bit of a slow burn for me. There is quite a lot going on with themes of the class privilege, infidelity, politics and romance. A bit predictable, although I was very surprised at the ending.
Thanks to NG / SMP for my review copy. OUT June 2019
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May 31, 2019
2.5 stars
I was invited by the publisher to read and review this book as part of the blog tour and while I don’t regret accepting the invitation, since the story did appeal to me at the time when I read the summary, I have to admit that this way fell way short of expectations for me. To be honest, when I accepted this one, I actually thought it was historical fiction – since that’s one of my favorite genres, plus I had seen some good reviews for the book, I thought I would really be able to get into this one. It turns out I was wrong, as this one was not historical fiction, but rather historical romance + women’s fiction, with heavier emphasis on the romance part and not that much on the historical. I’m not a fan of romance novels and women’s fiction is usually a hit and miss for me (I’ve read good and not-so-good books in both genres), so reading this book was definitely a struggle for me. It also didn’t help that I didn’t like the main character Beatrice all that much, as I felt she was weak and whiny and I got increasingly annoyed with her as the narrative wore on – unfortunately, the entire story was narrated from her first person point of view, so that made reading this even more frustrating.
Clocking in at 400 pages, this book was WAY.TOO.LONG! The story was super draggy and there really wasn’t much of a plot to speak of to be honest. But what made this a truly tedious read for me was all the “over-describing” of things and events that were not important and at times not even relevant to the story. In other words, there was a lot of what I like to call “fluff” – basically space fillers that did nothing but bog down the story. The biggest sign that this book wasn’t for me though was the fact that, barely a quarter of the way through the book, I had already nodded off 3 times – each time, it took a lot of effort for me to want to pick the book back up and continue with it. I ended up skimming much of the rest of the book and was relieved when I finally got to the end of it. I honestly think that if I hadn’t signed up for the blog tour, I probably would have just abandoned this one altogether.
Overall, I would say this book wasn’t necessarily bad, as the writing was pretty decent and it did flow better than I thought it would, plus the author did a good job when it came to describing the locale (Montauk resort) as well as some of the historical bits – but all of that wasn’t enough to keep me interested in the story unfortunately. Perhaps I just wasn’t the right audience for this book, as I honestly don’t care all that much about wealthy housewives from high-society who spend their time gossiping and being busybodies while their husbands are away on “business” trips doing who-actually-knows-what and who, in their loneliness, end up getting entangled in romantic affairs (yes, that’s pretty much what the book was about). But don’t necessarily take my word for it, as there are quite a few 4 and 5 star reviews for this book, so it obviously has its appeal. If you’re a historical romance fan, I would suggest giving this one a try and see if it works out for you.
Received ARC from St. Martin’s Press via NetGalley.
I was invited by the publisher to read and review this book as part of the blog tour and while I don’t regret accepting the invitation, since the story did appeal to me at the time when I read the summary, I have to admit that this way fell way short of expectations for me. To be honest, when I accepted this one, I actually thought it was historical fiction – since that’s one of my favorite genres, plus I had seen some good reviews for the book, I thought I would really be able to get into this one. It turns out I was wrong, as this one was not historical fiction, but rather historical romance + women’s fiction, with heavier emphasis on the romance part and not that much on the historical. I’m not a fan of romance novels and women’s fiction is usually a hit and miss for me (I’ve read good and not-so-good books in both genres), so reading this book was definitely a struggle for me. It also didn’t help that I didn’t like the main character Beatrice all that much, as I felt she was weak and whiny and I got increasingly annoyed with her as the narrative wore on – unfortunately, the entire story was narrated from her first person point of view, so that made reading this even more frustrating.
Clocking in at 400 pages, this book was WAY.TOO.LONG! The story was super draggy and there really wasn’t much of a plot to speak of to be honest. But what made this a truly tedious read for me was all the “over-describing” of things and events that were not important and at times not even relevant to the story. In other words, there was a lot of what I like to call “fluff” – basically space fillers that did nothing but bog down the story. The biggest sign that this book wasn’t for me though was the fact that, barely a quarter of the way through the book, I had already nodded off 3 times – each time, it took a lot of effort for me to want to pick the book back up and continue with it. I ended up skimming much of the rest of the book and was relieved when I finally got to the end of it. I honestly think that if I hadn’t signed up for the blog tour, I probably would have just abandoned this one altogether.
Overall, I would say this book wasn’t necessarily bad, as the writing was pretty decent and it did flow better than I thought it would, plus the author did a good job when it came to describing the locale (Montauk resort) as well as some of the historical bits – but all of that wasn’t enough to keep me interested in the story unfortunately. Perhaps I just wasn’t the right audience for this book, as I honestly don’t care all that much about wealthy housewives from high-society who spend their time gossiping and being busybodies while their husbands are away on “business” trips doing who-actually-knows-what and who, in their loneliness, end up getting entangled in romantic affairs (yes, that’s pretty much what the book was about). But don’t necessarily take my word for it, as there are quite a few 4 and 5 star reviews for this book, so it obviously has its appeal. If you’re a historical romance fan, I would suggest giving this one a try and see if it works out for you.
Received ARC from St. Martin’s Press via NetGalley.
June 11, 2019
Favorite Quotes:
As we drove up the tight and winding road, tree branches reached overhead toward each other like lovers’ hands desperate to connect…
I’d felt paranoid that everyone already knew about Harry’s philandering. How could they not? Women talked and Harry, apparently, was about as discreet with his affairs as a pack of rats going through a dumpster.
Sometimes I yearned for that forever feeling—those hours that stretched into days and days into a week, without a thought for tomorrow. It was simple then. We wore swimsuits all day long and we slept long and deeply at night, eager for it all to start again the next day, never thinking for a second that another day wouldn’t come.
“What’s important in situations like these is that you find a way to relax and nature will most certainly take its course.” … He jotted these thoughts down on a prescription pad, tore off the page and handed it to me. “Take this seriously,” he said. “It’s your duty to your husband and to America.”
As a kid anything seemed possible; in the real world, though, nothing was. Youth gave us an inflated sense of possibility, that you could achieve anything if you really went for it, but it felt as if you’d have to fight your whole life to get there, and most of us just got married and had children.
My Review:
This beautifully written story was taut with tension and kept me on edge while I was mesmerized by the lushly descriptive and enticing writing style. The storylines were wincingly well crafted and easily believable. This emotive tale upended me, I was quickly sucked into a confining and misogynistic 1938 vortex, something I would typically avoid - but not this time - I couldn’t put it down. I am totally in awe; this debut author has major skills and a bright future ahead.
Lies, deceit, rampant infidelities, and the petty dramas of social climbing women marked the days and nights of the betrayed and deeply disappointed Beatrice, and in many ways, she was just as tarnished and culpable as the rest, although she saw the hypocrisy and at least felt some guilt about it. Apparently the entitled wealthy and social elite still existed and lived quite well throughout the Depression. These compelling characters were rather vile yet kept me holding my breath and gripping my kindle from the very beginning to the crescendo finish that nearly broke me and left me in definite need of a spa day.
As we drove up the tight and winding road, tree branches reached overhead toward each other like lovers’ hands desperate to connect…
I’d felt paranoid that everyone already knew about Harry’s philandering. How could they not? Women talked and Harry, apparently, was about as discreet with his affairs as a pack of rats going through a dumpster.
Sometimes I yearned for that forever feeling—those hours that stretched into days and days into a week, without a thought for tomorrow. It was simple then. We wore swimsuits all day long and we slept long and deeply at night, eager for it all to start again the next day, never thinking for a second that another day wouldn’t come.
“What’s important in situations like these is that you find a way to relax and nature will most certainly take its course.” … He jotted these thoughts down on a prescription pad, tore off the page and handed it to me. “Take this seriously,” he said. “It’s your duty to your husband and to America.”
As a kid anything seemed possible; in the real world, though, nothing was. Youth gave us an inflated sense of possibility, that you could achieve anything if you really went for it, but it felt as if you’d have to fight your whole life to get there, and most of us just got married and had children.
My Review:
This beautifully written story was taut with tension and kept me on edge while I was mesmerized by the lushly descriptive and enticing writing style. The storylines were wincingly well crafted and easily believable. This emotive tale upended me, I was quickly sucked into a confining and misogynistic 1938 vortex, something I would typically avoid - but not this time - I couldn’t put it down. I am totally in awe; this debut author has major skills and a bright future ahead.
Lies, deceit, rampant infidelities, and the petty dramas of social climbing women marked the days and nights of the betrayed and deeply disappointed Beatrice, and in many ways, she was just as tarnished and culpable as the rest, although she saw the hypocrisy and at least felt some guilt about it. Apparently the entitled wealthy and social elite still existed and lived quite well throughout the Depression. These compelling characters were rather vile yet kept me holding my breath and gripping my kindle from the very beginning to the crescendo finish that nearly broke me and left me in definite need of a spa day.
February 18, 2019
A masterpiece! A book of sheer beauty and delight. Extremely visual and mesmerizing. This is a book to sit down and get lost in. A book written so beautifully that I felt like I was there in Montauk.
This book deserves and award. The raw emotion and sheer beauty of how this book was written is something that should be loved, cherished and breathed in. Horray for Montauk!!
Thank you NetGalley for my free e-copy of Montauk by Nicola Harrison!
This book deserves and award. The raw emotion and sheer beauty of how this book was written is something that should be loved, cherished and breathed in. Horray for Montauk!!
Thank you NetGalley for my free e-copy of Montauk by Nicola Harrison!
June 9, 2019
Montauk by Nicola Harrison is a historical fiction novel that is set in the very real destination of Montauk, Long Island in 1938. Montauk much like the neighboring area of The Hamptons is/was known for being a vacation destination for the rich even back in 1938.
Beatrice Bordeaux was looking forward to a short summer vacation with her husband, Harry but instead Harry changes up their plans. Harry is looking into investing in Montauk so he arranges for Beatrice to stay for the entire three months while he commutes back to the city during the week and returning only for weekends.
Beatrice quickly feels out of place with the other wives staying at The Montauk Manor but does her best to fit in and take part although she finds herself much more comfortable around the help. Before long Harry is showing up less and less and when Beatrice tries to surprise him she finds things are not as good as they seemed.
I know I have a lower rating on this one but I did still enjoy reading the story and getting engrossed in that era of Montauk. The writing is solid but the particulars of what goes on that summer with Beatrice was not really anything new or overly creative but instead too predictable. I would say this one is entertaining in the moment but probably won’t stick with me long and end up forgettable thus the three stars.
I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.
For more reviews please visit https://carriesbookreviews.com/
Beatrice Bordeaux was looking forward to a short summer vacation with her husband, Harry but instead Harry changes up their plans. Harry is looking into investing in Montauk so he arranges for Beatrice to stay for the entire three months while he commutes back to the city during the week and returning only for weekends.
Beatrice quickly feels out of place with the other wives staying at The Montauk Manor but does her best to fit in and take part although she finds herself much more comfortable around the help. Before long Harry is showing up less and less and when Beatrice tries to surprise him she finds things are not as good as they seemed.
I know I have a lower rating on this one but I did still enjoy reading the story and getting engrossed in that era of Montauk. The writing is solid but the particulars of what goes on that summer with Beatrice was not really anything new or overly creative but instead too predictable. I would say this one is entertaining in the moment but probably won’t stick with me long and end up forgettable thus the three stars.
I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.
For more reviews please visit https://carriesbookreviews.com/
June 4, 2019
Thanks to Netgalley for an arc in exchange for an honest review.
HAPPY PUB DAY
3.5 stars
Montauk 1938: This was a bit of a slow burn read about a young wife, Beatrice, childless after 5 years of marriage and taking a break from New York City to summer in Montauk. While her distracted husband, Harry, is busy with his investment career in the city, Beatrice begins to wonder what type of future she can expect. Bored with the trivial pursuits of the other summer people, Beatrice finds herself becoming more and more interested in the lives of Montauk's locals. When a journalist approaches Beatrice to consider writing a column about the comings and goings of the high society, she embarks on a journey that just might rock more than the magazine's readership.
Despite the fact that I knew exactly which road this story was going to eventually lead the main character, I did feel that Nicola Harrison managed to recreate late 1930's America and all the prejudices that existed between people of different social classes. Beatrice's plight that she will never measure up to the other women of her class, the anti-Semitism targeted at a character, the fear of another world war looming, and the lack of freedom that women held in their marriage all created an engaging plot.
I did have to remind myself that Beatrice was a woman who as Nicola Harrison relates in her back story was a woman of her time. So sometimes when she acted with naivete, I had to push down my 21st century impatience. Thank goodness for characters like Elizabeth and Dolly that played the role of reasoning.
I would be very interested in reading more of this author in the future.
Goodreads review published 23/02/ 19
Expected publication 04/06/19
HAPPY PUB DAY
3.5 stars
Montauk 1938: This was a bit of a slow burn read about a young wife, Beatrice, childless after 5 years of marriage and taking a break from New York City to summer in Montauk. While her distracted husband, Harry, is busy with his investment career in the city, Beatrice begins to wonder what type of future she can expect. Bored with the trivial pursuits of the other summer people, Beatrice finds herself becoming more and more interested in the lives of Montauk's locals. When a journalist approaches Beatrice to consider writing a column about the comings and goings of the high society, she embarks on a journey that just might rock more than the magazine's readership.
Despite the fact that I knew exactly which road this story was going to eventually lead the main character, I did feel that Nicola Harrison managed to recreate late 1930's America and all the prejudices that existed between people of different social classes. Beatrice's plight that she will never measure up to the other women of her class, the anti-Semitism targeted at a character, the fear of another world war looming, and the lack of freedom that women held in their marriage all created an engaging plot.
I did have to remind myself that Beatrice was a woman who as Nicola Harrison relates in her back story was a woman of her time. So sometimes when she acted with naivete, I had to push down my 21st century impatience. Thank goodness for characters like Elizabeth and Dolly that played the role of reasoning.
I would be very interested in reading more of this author in the future.
Goodreads review published 23/02/ 19
Expected publication 04/06/19
July 1, 2019
The year is 1938 and the setting is New York City where college educated Beatrice Beaudreaux lives with Harry, her husband of five years. They’ve tried unsuccessfully to have a child and she’s noticed that some of the spark is missing between them. When Harry makes plans for them to spend the summer in nearby Montauk, Beatrice believes this will be their chance to reconnect. Unfortunately, he’s only there on weekends and much of his time when there is spent with his other friends and potential investors. She’s also finding it difficult to connect with the other spouses and soon turns her attention to other attractions on the island.
I initially found Beatrice emblematic of most married women of that era, focused on satisfying her husband’s needs and eager to start a family. Her attention and interests centered around Harry’s with her own identity secondary or nonexistent. The author does a great job of establishing the environment for women, so well that it was jarring to recall the massive journey we’ve made since that time. I had to adjust my mindset as the images were vividly crafted including fashion, vernacular and conversation.
Beatrice wasn’t raised in the society world so her drift away from these shallow women was somewhat predictable even though her friendships with the townspeople and relationship with a certain lighthouse keeper weren’t. The disintegration of her marriage was painful as Harry’s cruelty and disregard was insensitive and rather public. But, at the same time, it was uplifting to see her embrace independence and pursue her own interests, talents and romance.
This was a slow burn as it took some time to create that strong sense of time, place and atmosphere of the era and the author did that so effectively. It was impossible to appreciate Beatrice’s story otherwise and I found myself completely immersed in her environment. I was unprepared for the poignant ending but appreciated the direction taken. I came to really like Beatrice even though at times her liberties with the townspeople felt intrusive. But, her motives were pure and admirable. It’s an interesting story that, through Beatrice, contrasted the world of the wealthy and entitled with those of the people in the surrounding community whose livelihoods depended on them. It had me appreciating simple values and be reminded that privilege sometimes exacts a princely price. I enjoyed this debut novel.
Posted on Blue Mood Café
(Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for my complimentary copy. All opinions are my own.)
I initially found Beatrice emblematic of most married women of that era, focused on satisfying her husband’s needs and eager to start a family. Her attention and interests centered around Harry’s with her own identity secondary or nonexistent. The author does a great job of establishing the environment for women, so well that it was jarring to recall the massive journey we’ve made since that time. I had to adjust my mindset as the images were vividly crafted including fashion, vernacular and conversation.
Beatrice wasn’t raised in the society world so her drift away from these shallow women was somewhat predictable even though her friendships with the townspeople and relationship with a certain lighthouse keeper weren’t. The disintegration of her marriage was painful as Harry’s cruelty and disregard was insensitive and rather public. But, at the same time, it was uplifting to see her embrace independence and pursue her own interests, talents and romance.
This was a slow burn as it took some time to create that strong sense of time, place and atmosphere of the era and the author did that so effectively. It was impossible to appreciate Beatrice’s story otherwise and I found myself completely immersed in her environment. I was unprepared for the poignant ending but appreciated the direction taken. I came to really like Beatrice even though at times her liberties with the townspeople felt intrusive. But, her motives were pure and admirable. It’s an interesting story that, through Beatrice, contrasted the world of the wealthy and entitled with those of the people in the surrounding community whose livelihoods depended on them. It had me appreciating simple values and be reminded that privilege sometimes exacts a princely price. I enjoyed this debut novel.
Posted on Blue Mood Café
(Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for my complimentary copy. All opinions are my own.)
August 21, 2019
EXCERPT: Something about the way Harry spoke to me that first night in Montauk gave me hope. We'd been married for five years but the last year or two had been difficult. I'd felt him pull away, distance himself from me, and I'd seen his eyes wander. But that night it was as if he wanted to come back to me fully, as if he wanted me to be an important part of his life again, for us to go back to the way we were when we first married, when it seemed that nothing mattered more than me and him. We were in love again. I felt this so strongly that I agreed to everything he proposed.
I had his undivided attention for the first time in months and was sure that something between us had changed. I slept in his arms that night and convinced myself we had turned a corner. I grasped at the possibility of a transformation, a shift, however small or insignificant, a new place for the summer, a new sense of partnership, something, anything different from our last year of marriage where I'd always felt he was just beyond my reach. A new beginning, I thought. I hoped.
ABOUT THIS BOOK: Montauk, Long Island, 1938.
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...
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.
MY THOUGHTS: If this is a debut novel, I am excited to see what Nicola Harrison has in store for us in the future!
Montauk has been described as a cinematic novel, and I have to agree wholeheartedly. I could hear the character's voices, see what they saw, experience their emotions....the whole gamut.
This is a beautifully written, evocative novel that certainly did not have the outcome I was expecting. I loved Bea's character...how many of us have not been swept off our feet into what we thought would be the marriage of our dreams, only to wake up to ourselves and, too late, realise what is really important in life; that it's not money and status, but love and happiness, sharing, contentment.
I have classed this as a coming-of-age novel, because Bea does come of age, like so many of us, rather too late.
Montauk is a lyrical, beautiful and emotional read. I wept, I laughed, I cheered Bea on.
4.5 absolutely brilliant stars!
THE AUTHOR: Originally from Hampshire, England, Nicola Harrison moved to California when she was 14. She studied Literature at UCLA and received an MFA in creative writing at Stony Brook University. She is a member of The Writers Room and has short stories published in The Southampton Review and Glimmer Train as well as articles in Los Angeles Magazine and Orange Coast Magazine. She was the fashion and style staff writer for Forbes and had a weekly column at Lucky Magazine. Nicola is also the founder of a personal styling business, Harrison Style. She has spent many summers in Montauk and currently lives in Greenwich Village, Manhattan. This is her first novel.
DISCLOSURE: Thank you to St Martin's Press via Netgalley for providing a digital ARC of Montauk by Nicole Harrison for review. All opinions expressed in this review are my own personal opinions.
For an explanation of my rating system, please refer to my profile page on Goodreads.com or the about page on my webpage, sandysbookaday/wordpess.com This review and others also appear on Twitter, Amazon, and my webpage
I had his undivided attention for the first time in months and was sure that something between us had changed. I slept in his arms that night and convinced myself we had turned a corner. I grasped at the possibility of a transformation, a shift, however small or insignificant, a new place for the summer, a new sense of partnership, something, anything different from our last year of marriage where I'd always felt he was just beyond my reach. A new beginning, I thought. I hoped.
ABOUT THIS BOOK: Montauk, Long Island, 1938.
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...
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.
MY THOUGHTS: If this is a debut novel, I am excited to see what Nicola Harrison has in store for us in the future!
Montauk has been described as a cinematic novel, and I have to agree wholeheartedly. I could hear the character's voices, see what they saw, experience their emotions....the whole gamut.
This is a beautifully written, evocative novel that certainly did not have the outcome I was expecting. I loved Bea's character...how many of us have not been swept off our feet into what we thought would be the marriage of our dreams, only to wake up to ourselves and, too late, realise what is really important in life; that it's not money and status, but love and happiness, sharing, contentment.
I have classed this as a coming-of-age novel, because Bea does come of age, like so many of us, rather too late.
Montauk is a lyrical, beautiful and emotional read. I wept, I laughed, I cheered Bea on.
4.5 absolutely brilliant stars!
THE AUTHOR: Originally from Hampshire, England, Nicola Harrison moved to California when she was 14. She studied Literature at UCLA and received an MFA in creative writing at Stony Brook University. She is a member of The Writers Room and has short stories published in The Southampton Review and Glimmer Train as well as articles in Los Angeles Magazine and Orange Coast Magazine. She was the fashion and style staff writer for Forbes and had a weekly column at Lucky Magazine. Nicola is also the founder of a personal styling business, Harrison Style. She has spent many summers in Montauk and currently lives in Greenwich Village, Manhattan. This is her first novel.
DISCLOSURE: Thank you to St Martin's Press via Netgalley for providing a digital ARC of Montauk by Nicole Harrison for review. All opinions expressed in this review are my own personal opinions.
For an explanation of my rating system, please refer to my profile page on Goodreads.com or the about page on my webpage, sandysbookaday/wordpess.com This review and others also appear on Twitter, Amazon, and my webpage
May 27, 2019
I received an Advance Reader Copy of this novel, 'Montauk' by Nicola Harrison. This novel will be published June 4, 2019. Many thanks to St. Martin's Press for sending me a copy.
When I began reading this novel, my first thought was that perhaps this book was not for me. I generally don't enjoy reading novels about idle, frivolous wealthy people and I initially thought that's what this novel would be. But as I made my way through the book, I realized that this story was so much more than I had thought or expected. This novel is historical fiction, a coming-of-age story, a sort of social commentary on classism in the United States and it even possesses an element of suspense... and I found myself quickly turning the pages.
The setting for the novel is Montauk, New York and the year is 1938. It is the beginning of the summer season and the wealthy elites are making their way to Montauk.. a charming beach community/fishing village located at the east end of Long Island. These wealthy families from Manhattan, eager to escape the suffocating heat of summer in the city, decide to spend their summer at the posh Montauk Manor, a seaside hotel with 200 luxurious rooms. The protagonist of this story is Beatrice Bordeaux. We meet Beatrice and her banker husband, Harry, as they arrive at Montauk Manor. Like the other socialite wives, Beatrice will be spending the entire summer in Montauk and Harry will be spending the weekdays working in the city and joining his wife only on the weekends. From the moment we first meet Beatrice, it's obvious that she isn't the typical socialite wife of a wealthy husband. Originally a rural Pennsylvania farm girl, Beatrice initially seems naive and far too eager to please both her husband and the other wives in her acquired social circle. She assumes a cheerful front for the world but inside, she is desperate and anxious. What the others don't know is that Beatrice is desperately hoping that their summer in Montauk will be a way to bridge the divide which has opened in her marriage to Harry. She feels that she and Harry have drifted apart and she blames herself because she has been unable to conceive a child. She is all too aware that both Harry and his family expect her to produce an heir.
Despite her tentative feelings of hopefulness, it doesn't take Beatrice long to realize that her summer in Montauk is not going to be beneficial for her marriage and she isn't going to win many friends among the wives. She finds the women mean-spirited and phony... charming to each other's faces but critical and gossipy behind each other's backs. And those weekends with Harry... they don't turn out to be the intimate, romantic days with her husband that she has hoped for. Harry spends the weekends drinking heavily, gambling and hunting with the other men under the guise of needing to develop relationships which might benefit them financially. But often Beatrice spends her nights lying alone in bed, waiting for Harry to stumble drunkenly into their bedroom and promptly pass out.
In Beatrice's loneliness and isolation, she begins spending more and more time away from the hotel and among the locals of Montauk. She begins to feel that the life she has been living has been false. She isn't interested in and has nothing in common with the social climbing women she has been spending time with. Instead she begins to spend a lot of time observing the lives of the villagers and she notes with a twinge of envy spouses who truly seem like partners who take care of each other and their children.. and she wants those important intangibles for herself. But is that possible? She is torn between the life she knows she wants and the realities of being a woman in her social class. She is aware that her own family and Harry's family would never approve of divorce... the scandal and disgrace would be unacceptable. And if she completely gives up on Harry and their marriage, would she also be giving up on her dream of becoming a mother? This novel is the story of Beatrice's transformation and her hard-fought independence as a woman with her own ideas and opinions.
Beatrice Bordeaux's coming-of-age plays out against the backdrop of a beautiful and quaint setting.. a fishing village beside the sea, complete with a majestic and historical lighthouse and an equally compelling lighthouse keeper named Thomas Brown... a man whose path seemed destined to cross with Beatrice's pathing both wonderful and devastating ways. This book also perfectly illustrates the classism and anti-Semitism present in American society in 1938 and these class tensions and struggles are heightened by an undercurrent of anxiety and tension about the possibility of America being pulled into a war in Europe. The societal tensions in this novel, combined with Beatrice's personal anxieties about her future, provide a delightful feeling of suspense which kept me turning the pages and in the end, I wasn't disappointed.
If you're looking for a summer novel that will keep you engrossed and turning the pages, I suggest you read 'Montauk' by Nicola Harrison.
When I began reading this novel, my first thought was that perhaps this book was not for me. I generally don't enjoy reading novels about idle, frivolous wealthy people and I initially thought that's what this novel would be. But as I made my way through the book, I realized that this story was so much more than I had thought or expected. This novel is historical fiction, a coming-of-age story, a sort of social commentary on classism in the United States and it even possesses an element of suspense... and I found myself quickly turning the pages.
The setting for the novel is Montauk, New York and the year is 1938. It is the beginning of the summer season and the wealthy elites are making their way to Montauk.. a charming beach community/fishing village located at the east end of Long Island. These wealthy families from Manhattan, eager to escape the suffocating heat of summer in the city, decide to spend their summer at the posh Montauk Manor, a seaside hotel with 200 luxurious rooms. The protagonist of this story is Beatrice Bordeaux. We meet Beatrice and her banker husband, Harry, as they arrive at Montauk Manor. Like the other socialite wives, Beatrice will be spending the entire summer in Montauk and Harry will be spending the weekdays working in the city and joining his wife only on the weekends. From the moment we first meet Beatrice, it's obvious that she isn't the typical socialite wife of a wealthy husband. Originally a rural Pennsylvania farm girl, Beatrice initially seems naive and far too eager to please both her husband and the other wives in her acquired social circle. She assumes a cheerful front for the world but inside, she is desperate and anxious. What the others don't know is that Beatrice is desperately hoping that their summer in Montauk will be a way to bridge the divide which has opened in her marriage to Harry. She feels that she and Harry have drifted apart and she blames herself because she has been unable to conceive a child. She is all too aware that both Harry and his family expect her to produce an heir.
Despite her tentative feelings of hopefulness, it doesn't take Beatrice long to realize that her summer in Montauk is not going to be beneficial for her marriage and she isn't going to win many friends among the wives. She finds the women mean-spirited and phony... charming to each other's faces but critical and gossipy behind each other's backs. And those weekends with Harry... they don't turn out to be the intimate, romantic days with her husband that she has hoped for. Harry spends the weekends drinking heavily, gambling and hunting with the other men under the guise of needing to develop relationships which might benefit them financially. But often Beatrice spends her nights lying alone in bed, waiting for Harry to stumble drunkenly into their bedroom and promptly pass out.
In Beatrice's loneliness and isolation, she begins spending more and more time away from the hotel and among the locals of Montauk. She begins to feel that the life she has been living has been false. She isn't interested in and has nothing in common with the social climbing women she has been spending time with. Instead she begins to spend a lot of time observing the lives of the villagers and she notes with a twinge of envy spouses who truly seem like partners who take care of each other and their children.. and she wants those important intangibles for herself. But is that possible? She is torn between the life she knows she wants and the realities of being a woman in her social class. She is aware that her own family and Harry's family would never approve of divorce... the scandal and disgrace would be unacceptable. And if she completely gives up on Harry and their marriage, would she also be giving up on her dream of becoming a mother? This novel is the story of Beatrice's transformation and her hard-fought independence as a woman with her own ideas and opinions.
Beatrice Bordeaux's coming-of-age plays out against the backdrop of a beautiful and quaint setting.. a fishing village beside the sea, complete with a majestic and historical lighthouse and an equally compelling lighthouse keeper named Thomas Brown... a man whose path seemed destined to cross with Beatrice's pathing both wonderful and devastating ways. This book also perfectly illustrates the classism and anti-Semitism present in American society in 1938 and these class tensions and struggles are heightened by an undercurrent of anxiety and tension about the possibility of America being pulled into a war in Europe. The societal tensions in this novel, combined with Beatrice's personal anxieties about her future, provide a delightful feeling of suspense which kept me turning the pages and in the end, I wasn't disappointed.
If you're looking for a summer novel that will keep you engrossed and turning the pages, I suggest you read 'Montauk' by Nicola Harrison.
August 22, 2019
By now I'm quite sure or hope that many of you have read Montauk, one of the best summer reads for 2019. It is, however, a engrossing tale that surpasses the usual summer fare making it a delight to read any time. Set in the pre-WWII days of New York, it is the story of a woman who married "above her station" without fully comprehended all that would involve. When her husband tells that they are going to travel to Montauk for the summer, she assumes they will be there together. Sadly, she was mistaken and soon learns that not only is she alone, her husband is cheating on her with any woman who will allow it. Feeling displaced with the rich at the resort, she turns to the people who actually live in Montauk, the town, where she discovers friendship, grudging acceptance and more.
I don't usually read books set in the era as it is one of my least favorite times in American history. However, Montauk - the resort area - was actually envisioned and created by a developer from my home state. He built a resort here in Indiana and also developed Miami Beach, Florida. Naturally, my curiosity got the best of me. Montauk, the book, is more than just a romance or even historical fiction, it is a story of a woman trapped in the male dominated world of the early 20th century, a world full of lies, hypocrisy, misogyny and class wars. Her struggle becomes the struggle of all women from that era and one that many women today can relate to as well. The writing is brilliant, the characters come alive off of the pages and the story line is unforgettable. I highly recommend Montauk to any and all!
I don't usually read books set in the era as it is one of my least favorite times in American history. However, Montauk - the resort area - was actually envisioned and created by a developer from my home state. He built a resort here in Indiana and also developed Miami Beach, Florida. Naturally, my curiosity got the best of me. Montauk, the book, is more than just a romance or even historical fiction, it is a story of a woman trapped in the male dominated world of the early 20th century, a world full of lies, hypocrisy, misogyny and class wars. Her struggle becomes the struggle of all women from that era and one that many women today can relate to as well. The writing is brilliant, the characters come alive off of the pages and the story line is unforgettable. I highly recommend Montauk to any and all!
May 20, 2019
What a great debut Nicola Harrison! This has all the high-drama and scandal of a soap opera. Set in 1938, Beatrice has married Harry, who is very wealthy. She, herself, came from a more humble backgroung. Spending the entire summer in Montauk, New York - a beach resort town, Beatrice tries to throw herself into the high-society curriculum and make friends. She longs for a child and wants to rekindle her marriage which has become stale. She is pretty sure Harry is cheating on her.
This is a fascinating, scandal-filled view of lives of the privileged in a country on the verge of war. I enjoyed the read and my daughter will love it as she always likes books filled with "cheating". The themes are romance, scandal, women's issues, class inequality, and political issues - quite a range. The characters come alive on the page and the book is well-written.
Thanks to Nicola Harrison and St. Martin's Press through Netgalley for an advance copy of this book.
This is a fascinating, scandal-filled view of lives of the privileged in a country on the verge of war. I enjoyed the read and my daughter will love it as she always likes books filled with "cheating". The themes are romance, scandal, women's issues, class inequality, and political issues - quite a range. The characters come alive on the page and the book is well-written.
Thanks to Nicola Harrison and St. Martin's Press through Netgalley for an advance copy of this book.
February 11, 2019
Thought author, Nicola Harrison did a fine job (on her debut) of bringing the summer of 1938 MONTAUK Manor and the neighboring small village characters to life. The story of Beatrice, her humble beginnings, struggles with her sleaze of a husband and interaction with the obnoxious women of high society were interesting and at times even funny.
Although slow going at first and mostly predictable (except ending) enjoyed mention of historic figures of the time and romantic interlude, but overall just an okay read (for me).
***Many thanks to St. Martin's Press via NetGalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review***
February 8, 2019
Nicola Harrison delivers a beautifully enriched historical fiction novel with aspects of romance.
The story takes place in 1938 on a beautiful island and we all step into a time period wrapped in male/female societal roles and norms.
I am always hesitant to read historical novels because they're not me favorite genre but I was so impressed with Nicola Harrison's debut. She truly has a way with her words and writing style!
I think alone I would read another book by her because I was truly so enamored with her writing!!
I was fascinated with the characters and how much the societal norms were ingrained in so many individuals back then.
I really liked the romance act to it as well..... if you're not a romance person than I may say this isn't for you?
My only minor issue with this one was it was a tad long for me a very slow slow burn. I was loving her writing but wanted something to pick up in the beginning.
Overall, this was an enjoyable and beautiful read.
3.75 stars rounded up!
Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the arc in exchange for an honest review.
Published to Goodreads: 2/8/19
Publication date: 6/4/19
The story takes place in 1938 on a beautiful island and we all step into a time period wrapped in male/female societal roles and norms.
I am always hesitant to read historical novels because they're not me favorite genre but I was so impressed with Nicola Harrison's debut. She truly has a way with her words and writing style!
I think alone I would read another book by her because I was truly so enamored with her writing!!
I was fascinated with the characters and how much the societal norms were ingrained in so many individuals back then.
I really liked the romance act to it as well..... if you're not a romance person than I may say this isn't for you?
My only minor issue with this one was it was a tad long for me a very slow slow burn. I was loving her writing but wanted something to pick up in the beginning.
Overall, this was an enjoyable and beautiful read.
3.75 stars rounded up!
Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the arc in exchange for an honest review.
Published to Goodreads: 2/8/19
Publication date: 6/4/19
June 20, 2019
Montauk, the debut novel by Nicola Harrison, is set in 1938 Montauk, Long Island, New York.
A quiet fishing village for most of the year and a summer resort for the wealthy.
The wives and children spend their summer there while the husbands work in the city during the week and come to the island on the weekends.
Beatrice Bordeaux looks forward to spending time in Montauk, trying to repair her marriage with her husband, Harry. Instead she realizes Harry wants her to begin friendships with the wives of the wealthy men that can help further his business ventures. She soon discovers that while in the city Harry is pursuing other interests and women.
While visiting the fishing village Beatrice meets the lighthouse keeper and is quickly drawn to him as well as the simple life of a small community. She then finds herself stuck between the world she is committed to and the world she longs for.
I thoroughly enjoyed this novel and look forward to more by this author.
Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an arc of this novel in exchange for my honest review.
A quiet fishing village for most of the year and a summer resort for the wealthy.
The wives and children spend their summer there while the husbands work in the city during the week and come to the island on the weekends.
Beatrice Bordeaux looks forward to spending time in Montauk, trying to repair her marriage with her husband, Harry. Instead she realizes Harry wants her to begin friendships with the wives of the wealthy men that can help further his business ventures. She soon discovers that while in the city Harry is pursuing other interests and women.
While visiting the fishing village Beatrice meets the lighthouse keeper and is quickly drawn to him as well as the simple life of a small community. She then finds herself stuck between the world she is committed to and the world she longs for.
I thoroughly enjoyed this novel and look forward to more by this author.
Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an arc of this novel in exchange for my honest review.
June 10, 2019
In 1938 Beatrice Bordeaux and her husband Harry begin a summer of adventure in Montauk, a new and developing seaside area the rich are flocking to near Long Island in New York. They are spending the summer, Beatrice there full-time and Harry taking the train there for weekends. Harry is deciding if he should invest in the beautiful seaport all his friends with money are investing in. Beatrice will spend the summer relaxing, attending parties, shopping and going to the beach.
Beatrice and Harry have been unable to conceive a child during their 5 year marriage, something which has been an embarrassment for her, but also something she wishes for desperately. She also hopes the summer will bring her relationship with Harry back to what is was. They seem to be drifting apart. But when Beatrice discovers some unsettling information about her husband, she must accept some harsh realities about their relationship.
While in Montauk, Beatrice meets and befriends Elizabeth, a laundry worker for the resort they are staying in. She begins to feel her life of fancy dresses, parties and shopping are nothing compared to the tireless work ethic of the locals. And although there is all this talk about investing, she realizes the locals are the ones who are truly in need of some money.
And then she meets someone who will change her life forever. A man she never dreamed she would be interested in. Someone she becomes attracted to for so many reasons. Perhaps even her soulmate.
Now Beatrice must make some decisions. Decisions that were unheard of in those days. What should she do...what CAN she do?
This is a beautifully written love story with believable characters and incredibly written majestic scenic passages with imagery that makes you feel you are there. It was quite the page turner with my heart leaping for joy and pounding from suspense. It possibly could be one of the best love stories I have read in quite awhile. Although I have yet to go to Montauk, with this book I feel like I have finally been!
Thank you #NetGalley #St. Martin's Press #Nicola Harrison #Montauk for this incredible advanced copy.
Montauk is on sale right now.
Beatrice and Harry have been unable to conceive a child during their 5 year marriage, something which has been an embarrassment for her, but also something she wishes for desperately. She also hopes the summer will bring her relationship with Harry back to what is was. They seem to be drifting apart. But when Beatrice discovers some unsettling information about her husband, she must accept some harsh realities about their relationship.
While in Montauk, Beatrice meets and befriends Elizabeth, a laundry worker for the resort they are staying in. She begins to feel her life of fancy dresses, parties and shopping are nothing compared to the tireless work ethic of the locals. And although there is all this talk about investing, she realizes the locals are the ones who are truly in need of some money.
And then she meets someone who will change her life forever. A man she never dreamed she would be interested in. Someone she becomes attracted to for so many reasons. Perhaps even her soulmate.
Now Beatrice must make some decisions. Decisions that were unheard of in those days. What should she do...what CAN she do?
This is a beautifully written love story with believable characters and incredibly written majestic scenic passages with imagery that makes you feel you are there. It was quite the page turner with my heart leaping for joy and pounding from suspense. It possibly could be one of the best love stories I have read in quite awhile. Although I have yet to go to Montauk, with this book I feel like I have finally been!
Thank you #NetGalley #St. Martin's Press #Nicola Harrison #Montauk for this incredible advanced copy.
Montauk is on sale right now.
June 10, 2020
Montauk The story is about Beatrice, a socialite from New York, who like the other women in society, summers in Montauk, Long Island. Beatrice is in a childless and stale marriage, and thought that summers in Montauk would rekindle their loveless marriage, but in reality, her husband would only come to Montauk on the train during the week ends. feeling isolated and not belonging to the gossiping and shallow socialites, she befriends some of the villagers. She gets to know Elizabeth who does their laundry and the handsome and charming lighthouse keeper Thomas.
I enjoyed Nicola Harrison's writing style. I felt the story world of the late 1930's from the language, the descriptions of the hotel, the women's' activities, the food and the clothes they wear were successfully presented. I enjoyed the difference between the haves and the have nots, with the opulent lifestyle compared to the poverty experienced by the villagers that service the summer vacationers. The book is very well researched that had accurate representation of the role of women during that time and how medicine has evolved from what it was to current medical advancements.
I would have enjoyed a few more chapters to close the loop on some of the characters. Overall, I really enjoyed reading this debut novel by Nicola Harrison. It was entertaining and for a few hours I did get lost in Montauk and in Beatrice's life in summer of 1938.
I enjoyed Nicola Harrison's writing style. I felt the story world of the late 1930's from the language, the descriptions of the hotel, the women's' activities, the food and the clothes they wear were successfully presented. I enjoyed the difference between the haves and the have nots, with the opulent lifestyle compared to the poverty experienced by the villagers that service the summer vacationers. The book is very well researched that had accurate representation of the role of women during that time and how medicine has evolved from what it was to current medical advancements.
I would have enjoyed a few more chapters to close the loop on some of the characters. Overall, I really enjoyed reading this debut novel by Nicola Harrison. It was entertaining and for a few hours I did get lost in Montauk and in Beatrice's life in summer of 1938.
October 26, 2019
Mind you, this story is based in 1938, and Montauk Manor is a high society seaside resort for wealthy New Yorkers.
Beatrice is married to Harry. She is college educated, but raised a modest country girl from Pennsylvania. This woman has humble roots and it’s very hard for her to rub elbows and befriend this snotty group of men and women. However, because of her husband, Harry, and his business ventures, she is expected to cultivate these relationships with him by her side, or on her own, when the men return to the workforce after each Summer weekend. The wives stay behind in Montauk with their children and their nannies and attempt to make themselves useful by planning parties, charity events, other social activities. Beatrice tries, oh how she tries, to be a good wife, an understanding wife, and do what is expected in her marriage and socially. But Harry has some other ideas up his sleeve.
We read about their marriage (dysfunctional) and their relationships, his friends, her friends, the friends she makes from the fishing village and the lighthouse. Remember what I said about her being a modest country girl? It’s so hard for her to put on airs, but she does when she has to. Deep inside, she is a caring, nature loving individual. She yearns to be truly happy and to be her own self. She cares about what makes the village people tick and is turned off by the snobby women at the club. The village people are afraid of being seen with her; this is not okay, socially, and they could lose their jobs by fraternizing with her.
Some readers felt that this was a predictable read. Maybe, maybe not. I enjoyed our main character, Beatrice, and I enjoyed her story. I was rooting for her all along the way. There were major life choices she had to make. And they were not easy. They also were not “correct” for a high society wife at the time. She was a person who was true to herself but got all caught up in Harry, their marriage and a high expectation that was getting more and more difficult for her to engage in. Harry came from an affluent family, so the expectations were always there for her to step up into. It was a mistake - She so much preferred hiking the waterfront and experiencing the pleasure of nature, the warmth of the sun on her face, instead of planning inane parties and dressing up in gowns with the other club ladies.
And as for Harry? Well, he comes off as a jerk at the beginning and continues to be a jerk all the way through, and finishes off with being an extremely major jerk at the end. This was no surprise, he was unlikeable from the get go.
Again, remember this is 1938 and a lot of important events were going on in the background of this story and many were referred to. Franklin D.Roosevelt was President. He founded the March of Dimes in that year. The famous Carnegie Hall Jazz Concert was recorded in New York City. The recession of 1937-1938. The New England Hurricane of 1938 strikes Long Island and southern New England, killing over 300 along the Rhode Island shoreline and approximately 600 in total. Nazi Germany invaded Austria.
In total, I enjoyed this read very much, it’s worth the full 4 star rating, in my opinion.
Beatrice is married to Harry. She is college educated, but raised a modest country girl from Pennsylvania. This woman has humble roots and it’s very hard for her to rub elbows and befriend this snotty group of men and women. However, because of her husband, Harry, and his business ventures, she is expected to cultivate these relationships with him by her side, or on her own, when the men return to the workforce after each Summer weekend. The wives stay behind in Montauk with their children and their nannies and attempt to make themselves useful by planning parties, charity events, other social activities. Beatrice tries, oh how she tries, to be a good wife, an understanding wife, and do what is expected in her marriage and socially. But Harry has some other ideas up his sleeve.
We read about their marriage (dysfunctional) and their relationships, his friends, her friends, the friends she makes from the fishing village and the lighthouse. Remember what I said about her being a modest country girl? It’s so hard for her to put on airs, but she does when she has to. Deep inside, she is a caring, nature loving individual. She yearns to be truly happy and to be her own self. She cares about what makes the village people tick and is turned off by the snobby women at the club. The village people are afraid of being seen with her; this is not okay, socially, and they could lose their jobs by fraternizing with her.
Some readers felt that this was a predictable read. Maybe, maybe not. I enjoyed our main character, Beatrice, and I enjoyed her story. I was rooting for her all along the way. There were major life choices she had to make. And they were not easy. They also were not “correct” for a high society wife at the time. She was a person who was true to herself but got all caught up in Harry, their marriage and a high expectation that was getting more and more difficult for her to engage in. Harry came from an affluent family, so the expectations were always there for her to step up into. It was a mistake - She so much preferred hiking the waterfront and experiencing the pleasure of nature, the warmth of the sun on her face, instead of planning inane parties and dressing up in gowns with the other club ladies.
And as for Harry? Well, he comes off as a jerk at the beginning and continues to be a jerk all the way through, and finishes off with being an extremely major jerk at the end. This was no surprise, he was unlikeable from the get go.
Again, remember this is 1938 and a lot of important events were going on in the background of this story and many were referred to. Franklin D.Roosevelt was President. He founded the March of Dimes in that year. The famous Carnegie Hall Jazz Concert was recorded in New York City. The recession of 1937-1938. The New England Hurricane of 1938 strikes Long Island and southern New England, killing over 300 along the Rhode Island shoreline and approximately 600 in total. Nazi Germany invaded Austria.
In total, I enjoyed this read very much, it’s worth the full 4 star rating, in my opinion.
October 12, 2019
A great debut historical novel, easy and enjoyable to read.
SUMMARY
Beatrice Bordeaux grew up in rural area of Pennsylvania. She’s never felt comfortable among the privileged women summering on Montauk, Long Island. It’s 1938, and New York City’s wealthy elite are staying at the Montauk Manor. Beatrice was hoping this vacation on Montauk would strengthen her five-year marriage with her husband Harry, and possibly result in a baby. But Harry, after depositing Beatrice on Montauk with the other wives, is spending the summer in the city pursuing other interest.
The more Beatrice learns about how the women of New York spend their time on Long Island, the more isolated she feels. She has nothing in common with these women, and doesn’t fit in. Instead she make friends with Elizabeth, the hotel’s laundress who reminds her of her Pennsylvania roots. Beatrice is particularly drawn to the Montauk lighthouse and it’s keeper who shows her the natural beauty and the community spirit of the island. She is torn between the life she has and the life she wants to have.
“No matter how perfect all these lives seemed from a distance, so full of possibilities and promise, we all wanted more.”
REVIEW
Make sure you have plenty of tissues close by when you read this, because it’s a tear-jerker of a story. Author Nicola Harrison has written a beautiful debut novel, a story of love, loss and friendship. Montauk is a well written story in a historical period that allows you to feel and see the social norms of the time. The setting is so beautifully descriptive that I would love to visit to see what the Montauk Manor and the lighthouse are like today.
Beatrice’s makes the perfect character for the story. She is vulnerable and pushes herself to find the strength to do what’s right. She stands up for for herself as well as for the town people. I also liked Beatrice’s best friend, Dolly, who was a smart and intelligent business woman, well ahead of her time. Overall, Montauk is a light, easy and enjoyable read. Great for a day at the beach.
“As we drove up the tight and winding road, tree branches reached overhead toward each other like lovers’ hands desperate to connect...”
Publisher St. Martin’s Press
Published June 4, 2019
Review www.bluestockingreviews.com
SUMMARY
Beatrice Bordeaux grew up in rural area of Pennsylvania. She’s never felt comfortable among the privileged women summering on Montauk, Long Island. It’s 1938, and New York City’s wealthy elite are staying at the Montauk Manor. Beatrice was hoping this vacation on Montauk would strengthen her five-year marriage with her husband Harry, and possibly result in a baby. But Harry, after depositing Beatrice on Montauk with the other wives, is spending the summer in the city pursuing other interest.
The more Beatrice learns about how the women of New York spend their time on Long Island, the more isolated she feels. She has nothing in common with these women, and doesn’t fit in. Instead she make friends with Elizabeth, the hotel’s laundress who reminds her of her Pennsylvania roots. Beatrice is particularly drawn to the Montauk lighthouse and it’s keeper who shows her the natural beauty and the community spirit of the island. She is torn between the life she has and the life she wants to have.
“No matter how perfect all these lives seemed from a distance, so full of possibilities and promise, we all wanted more.”
REVIEW
Make sure you have plenty of tissues close by when you read this, because it’s a tear-jerker of a story. Author Nicola Harrison has written a beautiful debut novel, a story of love, loss and friendship. Montauk is a well written story in a historical period that allows you to feel and see the social norms of the time. The setting is so beautifully descriptive that I would love to visit to see what the Montauk Manor and the lighthouse are like today.
Beatrice’s makes the perfect character for the story. She is vulnerable and pushes herself to find the strength to do what’s right. She stands up for for herself as well as for the town people. I also liked Beatrice’s best friend, Dolly, who was a smart and intelligent business woman, well ahead of her time. Overall, Montauk is a light, easy and enjoyable read. Great for a day at the beach.
“As we drove up the tight and winding road, tree branches reached overhead toward each other like lovers’ hands desperate to connect...”
Publisher St. Martin’s Press
Published June 4, 2019
Review www.bluestockingreviews.com
June 4, 2019
☕☕☕☕☕
A Delightful Slow Burn!
The setting is summer, 1938 Montauk Long Island. Need I say more! I loved the vivid setting. The haves and the have nots. And Beatrice who is just trying to fit into it all and fix her marriage. When Beatrice suddenly finds herself drawn to Thomas her life changes. Have some tissues. This was deeply heart felt and full of emotions.
I was given a copy from the publisher for my honest review.
Dawnny-BookGypsy
Novels N Latte Review
Novels N Latte Book Club
Hudson Valley NY
December 5, 2018
This was such a lovely debut novel! Set in 1938 in Montauk, it revolves around Beatrice and her overbearing husband, Harry. As they've come to "summer" there at a lovely resort, Beatrice looks forward to spending lazy days and lavish party-filled nights with her husband. But he's only there for weekends as he must work in the city to support them. What Beatrice discovers is that her wealthy "friends" are not all they appear to be; instead they are petty, jealous, mean-spirited, and judgmental of the locals who work for them. Beatrice discovers a whole new world when she meets the somewhat-eccentric lighthouse keeper in the fishing village and this opens her eyes to a world she never knew existed. I loved everything about this book: the time period where women were supposed to be "obedient," the catty chatter of women believing themselves to be superior, the lovely setting of the village and its people, and especially the character of Beatrice who proves that women are a force to be reckoned with! The novel is heartbreaking and heartwarming, both lyrical and realistic. It is a book to be savored.
Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC!
Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC!
May 23, 2019
Montauk is a debut novel by Nicola Harrison, but you wouldn't know it was her first book by reading it. It's an incredibly well-written and romantic Gatsby-esque novel that I was enthralled by. Even though the story is quite different from The Great Gatsby, it gave me very similar feels. I could easily imagine it unfold on a big screen.
I was captivated by Bea's story from the first page and could not stop reading it. I thought this book was perfection up until the last few pages. I must say I feel conflicted about how the story ended, it was not quite what I expected. I would've given this book five stars but the ending knocked it down to four. I still think this book is exquisite and I cannot wait to read more from this author.
*ARC provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
I was captivated by Bea's story from the first page and could not stop reading it. I thought this book was perfection up until the last few pages. I must say I feel conflicted about how the story ended, it was not quite what I expected. I would've given this book five stars but the ending knocked it down to four. I still think this book is exquisite and I cannot wait to read more from this author.
*ARC provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
October 22, 2018
This will be a bestseller. St. Martin's Press states a release date for June 4, 2019 and may advertise it as a perfect beach read.
This fish out of water story is sure to be embraced by those, who enjoy tales of forbidden love. I enjoyed that the story mainly because it has a character driven plot. The key characters had depth and they reactions to each other at times seemed out of character and yet, the gossip, backbiting and sabotage would probably make most people react at some point in like manner - these moments had me smiling and once even laughing out loud.
Likewise, her ability to describe Montauk's beauty in it's near pristine state back 1938 was vivid.
I really appreciate how the author portrays the upper class constant pursuit of wanting more... as well as their insensitivity to those without wealth. Beatrice, the lead female character is greatly distressed by what she observes and seeks to have a positive impact.
Ms. Harrison writing is captivating and she should be pleased with her debut! Her ability to describe the beauty of Montauk in 1938 was vivid.
It's downfall for me was the foreshadowing was a bit to obvious for me - however, it was still interesting to me. There were some details that were not accurate (which hopefully will be revised or remedied before the 2019 Public release), that would push it to 4 or 5 star for me. However, if you read the publisher's blurb, you have a decent insight about the story going in. I had a little difficulty at the beginning, however, it became more intriguing as it went forward.
Thank you to St. Martin's Press, the author and Goodreads for making this copy available to me in exchange for my honest opinion.
This fish out of water story is sure to be embraced by those, who enjoy tales of forbidden love. I enjoyed that the story mainly because it has a character driven plot. The key characters had depth and they reactions to each other at times seemed out of character and yet, the gossip, backbiting and sabotage would probably make most people react at some point in like manner - these moments had me smiling and once even laughing out loud.
Likewise, her ability to describe Montauk's beauty in it's near pristine state back 1938 was vivid.
I really appreciate how the author portrays the upper class constant pursuit of wanting more... as well as their insensitivity to those without wealth. Beatrice, the lead female character is greatly distressed by what she observes and seeks to have a positive impact.
Ms. Harrison writing is captivating and she should be pleased with her debut! Her ability to describe the beauty of Montauk in 1938 was vivid.
It's downfall for me was the foreshadowing was a bit to obvious for me - however, it was still interesting to me. There were some details that were not accurate (which hopefully will be revised or remedied before the 2019 Public release), that would push it to 4 or 5 star for me. However, if you read the publisher's blurb, you have a decent insight about the story going in. I had a little difficulty at the beginning, however, it became more intriguing as it went forward.
Thank you to St. Martin's Press, the author and Goodreads for making this copy available to me in exchange for my honest opinion.
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