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    A Hundred Summers
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    A Hundred Summers
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    A Hundred Summers
    Audiobook11 hours

    A Hundred Summers

    Written by Beatriz Williams

    Narrated by Kathleen McInerney

    4/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this audiobook

    As the 1938 hurricane approaches Rhode Island, another storm brews in this New York Times bestseller from the author of The Secret Life of Violet Grant and Along the Infinite Sea.

    Lily Dane has returned to Seaview, Rhode Island, where her family has summered for generations. It's an escape not only from New York's social scene but from a heartbreak that still haunts her. Here, among the seaside community that has embraced her since childhood, she finds comfort in the familiar rituals of summer.

    But this summer is different. Budgie and Nick Greenwald-Lily's former best friend and former fiancé-have arrived, too, and Seaview's elite are abuzz. Under Budgie's glamorous influence, Lily is seduced into a complicated web of renewed friendship and dangerous longing.

    As a cataclysmic hurricane churns north through the Atlantic, and uneasy secrets slowly reveal themselves, Lily and Nick must confront an emotional storm that will change their worlds forever...

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherPenguin Random House Audio
    Release dateMay 30, 2013
    ISBN9781101620892
    Unavailable
    A Hundred Summers
    Author

    Beatriz Williams

    Beatriz Williams is the bestselling author of over a dozen novels, including The Beach at Summerly, Our Woman in Moscow, and The Summer Wives, as well as four other novels cowritten with Lauren Willig and Karen White. A native of Seattle, she graduated from Stanford University and earned an MBA in finance from Columbia University. She lives with her husband and four children near the Connecticut shore, where she divides her time between writing and laundry.

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    Reviews for A Hundred Summers

    4/5

    212 ratings37 reviews

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    • 4/5
      Good book. I will search out this author again.
    • 3/5
      As I was reading this book, I was going back and forth about how I felt about it. Some of the narrative was a bit lame but the story ended with a bang. My final answer is that it was a good summer read but I'm glad I waited and borrowed it from the library.
    • 5/5
      Breathtaking!
    • 4/5
      Intelligent tale of love, betrayal, and secrets which takes place in the 1930s in coastal Rhode Island and New York City. The writing is atmospheric and a famous hurricane is even thrown in for dramatic effect. The ending was unfortunately too predictable, but nevertheless it was an enjoyable read. P.S. take note of how much and how often people smoked during this time period.
    • 5/5
      This is another book skillfully woven with two separate storylines that are extremely connected. Lily and Nick are destined to be together, yet they make decisions in their youth that lead to unforeseen consequences. It’s not until a hurricane that wipes out everything that you find out if they will be together in the end.
    • 5/5
      I devoured this delicious novel in one day. Nick and Lily are on the cusp of getting married. All that is holding them back is Lily's father blessing (Nick is half Jewish, quite the shockerooni for the day) but they aren't going to wait much longer. One massive misunderstanding later and Nick and Lily have gone their separate ways and Nick is married to Budgie, Lily's best friend! Oh no she didn't, oh yes she did! Where does that leave Lily? Well for one thing she's raising her little sister that everyone thinks is her and Nick's kid. She also needs to dig out that knife her best "friend" planted in her back. Seven years later Budgie has the nerve to parade Nick around Lily at the shore retreat in Rhode Island. Oh what a tangled web we weave. When first we practice to deceive. Lives will collide and secrets will spill as the storm clouds gather to form the deadly hurricane of 1938.I really, really, loved this book. The chapters are told alternating in time from when Nick and Lily begin their romance in 1931 and when they meet again in 1938 at the shore. In the end everyone gets what they richly deserve and you can't have a more satisfying conclusion than that. Historical, romance lovers, toss this in your beach bag now! I am off to find Overseas, Williams first book.
    • 4/5
      Definitely a great summer read! The storyline has some holes, but overall, is reminiscent of the times (1930s). We glimpse into the lives of the rich who have not only a home on the Upper East Side of Manhatten, but also on the coast for the summer. There's a main clubhouse (which I couldn't help but equate to the one in Dirty Dancing for some reason) and in it, are housed the secondary characters who definitely have some strong views on what is okay and NOT okay.The characters themselves are well done. Nick is tormented, handsome, irrisistable. You can't help but adore him, even if he has his share of faults. Kiki loves everyone, and her quest to just be a kid and play in the sand is, well....endearing. Lilly? Well, she is definitely the main character as the story is told from her perspective. I love her devotion to her family, however misdirected that is at times, but wanted to shake her at times and tell her to look around every once in a while. Strange that she's lived in a bubble for 7 years and not thought of what people think? As for Budgie (great name, btw), I think we all know someone like her. She's well written as a vapid socialite that is truly unhappy but relies on those around her to make her feel nomal. Seems like she stepped out of Gatsby a little. Graham? Stereotypical professional athlete. I never warmed up to him. Recommended as a summer read. In a book club, could easily discuss characters and what constitutes morality.
    • 4/5
      A HUNDRED SUMMERS tells the story of two friends, Budgie and Lily. They have grown up spending their summers together on Seaview, a oceanfront community in Rhode Island. The book begins in 1931 while the two are in college and meet two dashing football players, Nick and Graham. What happens between the four of them that year and the years ahead is what is the premise of the story. There are secrets, betrayals, and long-held beliefs that will change Lily and Budgie's friendship forever. The book begins with Budgie and Lily attending a football game. Budgie is there to see Graham Pendleton and is hoping to introduce sweet, quiet Lily to the quarterback, Nick Greenwald, who just happens to be Jewish. Lily is smitten and their weekend together has them both head over heels in love. Then we suddenly jump to 1938, with Lily, her 6 year old sister, Kiki, their mother, and Aunt Julie settling into their beach house for the summer. At a gathering, Lily finds out that Budgie and her husband, Nick Greenwald are coming for the summer to restore her family beach home. So, at this point, the reader is obviously shocked because you are wondering how did Nick and Budgie end up marrying each other when Nick and Lily were so in love. You also find out that Lily and Budgie haven't spoken in the last 7 years. As Budgie works her way back into Lily's life, she also brings back an old friend, Graham Pendleton, to stir up their summer. As each chapter tells the story, you flip back and forth between 1931 and 1938. The author is wise in her telling, revealing just enough from each timeline to keep you guessing and turning the pages. You will have suspicions, predictions, and absolute angry moments as the story is revealed to you. Lily is well loved by all and you find out she has been alone all these years with a deep pain in her heart, blaming herself for the past. As you read, the truth of the past is revealed to you right along with Lily and you feel her anger, shock, pain and heartache.As if there wasn't enough drama in the book, the final chapters end with a hurricane that slams into Seaview, similar to the New England hurricane that hit in 1938. The author took great care in the details of these events and shared similar (yet fictional) accounts of the true details of the hurricane and it's devastating aftermath. This is a book easily read in a weekend. The chapters flow quickly and once the story begins you won't want to put it down. Even though this is a perfect "beach read" since the setting is in an ocean community, it would also be the perfect read to warm you up as the winter storms are raging outside. I bought this book as a birthday gift for my cousin and also purchased it for myself so we could read it together. This would make for a great gift book for birthdays or holidays for someone you know who loves to read. A HUNDRED SUMMERS would also make for a great book club selection as there are many topics to discuss. Budgie's actions in the book will cause many frustrating moments as you read and will give you plenty to talk about. The time frame, location, and decisions made by each of the characters could be questioned and talked over for hours. Don't let the idea of this book being a "beach read" fool you. This book is full of rich detail, characters full of personality, and consuming drama and suspense.Lily is a character you will want to root for and even though not everything works out as it should, you hope everything works out for Lily in the end. You will just have to read it to find out!
    • 4/5
      I was thrilled to have the win the chance to read this book through ShelfAwareness and NetGalley. I really enjoyed the author's premiere novel, Overseas, and I was pleased to find that this book was also a wonderful read. Ms. Williams can tell a fascinating story, and she does a wonderful job with A Hundred Summers. It combined romance and history together with just the right amount of conflict to keep me totally absorbed. It was a quick read, but a satisfying story.A classic romance plot of two women friends who have a bit of competition between them for a guy is taken to a new level with some interesting twists that make for a rapidly moving plot. The author also goes back and forth between 1931 and 1938, slowly exposing the events of the past between the current which works very smoothly and effectively. The only thing that I really had any problems with in the book was the somewhat unbelievably perfect characterizations of Lily and Nick, two of the main characters. They were a bit too good to be true and as such not quite "real" to me, but it was easy to overlook as the story itself was too good to put down. The ending was particularly good reading and well done.If you happened to read and enjoy Overseas, you will definitely want to grab up this one. Ms. Williams has gotten even better at telling a great story. The timing and setting lend this well to a summer/beach read, and I do think it would be fantastic as such. A great romance with wealth, a touch of history, and some secrets all mix very well in this one. A Hundred Summers is a real winner for me.
    • 3/5
      A light summer read, but an exceptionally good one. The characters are clearly drawn and likable, and the setting is extremely beguiling -- an old summer colony on the coast of Rhode Island on the eve of a hurricane in 1938. This is basically a romance, but one that does not make you feel that you are killing brain cells by reading it. Beatriz Williams is a great storyteller, and I really liked her heroine, Lily Dane. Recommended!
    • 3/5
      The book takes place in Seaview, Rhode Island in 1938 and goes back and forth to 1931/32. Lily and Budgie have been friends forever until the summer of 1932. You do the back and forth to find out what happened to their friendship and how Budgie came to be married to Lily's boyfriend and in the end there is the great hurricane of 1938. An ok summer beach read for me.
    • 4/5
      I received a copy of this book through the Early Reviewers program, and though I'd never read Beatriz Williams before, this certainly made me want to go back and read her earlier novel, Overseas. I'll be recommending this title to reader friends as a great beach/summer read--because it's light enough reading for a sunny day in a hammock, but the story is written with substance, not just fluff. The story transports us to a picturesque seaside town filled with affluent families around the time of the Great Depression, and depicts the complicated relationships and romantic tangles among a core group of characters in a too-small town where everyone knows everyone else's business. The author's talent for description is well suited to historical fiction, and the way the story unfolds--partially in flashbacks and partially in the present time of the story, leading up to a disastrous hurricane that was the ripped-from-the-headlines inspiration for the story's setting--kept me turning pages. Every character has his or her secrets, and that always makes for a compelling read! While I found the ending a bit too conveniently tied up and not entirely surprising, this was still a satisfying novel, and I look forward to more from this author.
    • 5/5
      This summer novel is set in Rhode Island just prior to WWII. The author tells the story from Lily Dane's viewpoint in the years 1931 (set in college) and 1938 (set at the beach) in alternating chapters, which works well. The plot has some unexpected twists with a satisfying resolution. There is a mystery that the reader might think to have solved, only to be surprised - several times!Main characters, Lily, Nick, Budgie, Graham, and Kiki, are developed as the story advances. There are references to college football at Dartmouth, the New York Yankees, high society, religious discrimination, and the New England hurricane of 1938 that wiped out an entire beachfront town. The title of the book is in reference to this hurricane, the force of which is only seen once every one hundred years.Although cigarette smoking was common in the 1930's, the characters smoked incessantly, and the author made cigarettes an integral part of each social interaction. I found this to be annoying.This book would appeal to those who enjoy beach novels, romance, historical fiction, and stories about relationships among family and friends.
    • 5/5
      A Hundred Summers tells the story of friendship, love and betrayal. Set in the 1930's, this book flashes between the early 30s when nick and lily were just starting out and in love and the late 30s when they are reunited because he has married her childhood friend. Beatriz Williams does a wonderful job in bringing the story full circle while unraveling the mystery that surrounds Nick and Lilys history. Once I started this book, I was unable to put it down until the end. Highly recommended!
    • 3/5
      In 1931 Lily Dane meets Nick Greenwald through her friend Budgie. Sparks fly and Lily and Nick begin an intense and loving relationship. Fast forward to 1938- Lily and Budgie haven't spoken in seven years and Nick and Budgie are now married. All three are spending the summer in Seaview, RI. During that summer secrets are revealed and all their lives are changed.This is a great summer read, but I think the author sacrificed character development for a brisk plot. Lily is put on a pedestal while Budgie is reviled, it seemed very black and white to me. There are some definite Madonna/Whore themes going on that are never explored.There is also a precocious child in the mix who does not talk or act like child. Not a big deal, but it's a trope that bugs me.All in all, this is a fun summer read, but there's not much depth to this book.
    • 3/5
      A quick reading book and perfect for the beach since it takes place on the East coast. The story revolves around two best friends since childhood whose families summer together and then they go off to college together. Lily meets Nick and falls in love but her friend Budgie ends up married to him and they part ways until six years later they all meet again at their summer houses and what an interesting summer it turns out to be! Kind of a chick lit but still good and the beach is calling for all the readers to come enjoy!
    • 3/5
      Shy, somewhat socially awkward girl meets handsome football hero from Dartmouth. They fall in love, but he is Jewish, which does not go down well with her upper class WASP parents. They decide to elope, but, of course, tragedy ensues and they are forced to separate. Seven years later, the girl is summering in her family's exclusive Rhode Island beach community and said young man, now married to her supposed best friend, shows up for the summer. They are still wildly attracted to one another, but all the social barriers stand in the ay of their happiness The plot twists and the plot turns until the great reveal just as the disastrous 1938 hurricane comes barreling up the Eastern seaboard. Even the most mildly astute reader, however, will have figured it all out about 100 pages beforehand.An entertaining beach read
    • 3/5
      This fast reading novel follows Lily Dane through the school year 1931-1932, and the summer of 1938. Lily meets Nick Greenwald in college, falls in love, but somehow, in 1938, he is married to her friend, Budgie. The story is told in alternating chapters from each of the two years. I love novels set in this era and loved reading about the slow pace of life at the summer home at the beach. A Hundred Summers is a fun book to take with you on vacation this summer.
    • 4/5
      Well paced story until the end.The last 75 pages had me turning so fast.The ending left me breathless.The writing reminds me of Kate Morton (to a point),so Morton fans may like this author.
    • 4/5
      Lily Dane and Budgie Byrne have been best friends since childhood. We first meet them in 1931 when Budgie coaxes Lily to accompany her to a college football game to watch her boyfriend, Graham Pendleton. Lily immediately notices Nick Greenwald, the quarterback. She is instantly attracted to him and he to her. Budgie thinks it's okay for Lily to like him, even date him, but he is not an appropriate man to consider for marriage. He's J-E-W-I-S-H. They appear to fall totally in love and we don't know what happened. The next time we see them it's the summer of 1938 and Nick is married to Budgie. The story switches between 1931 and 1938 and we slowly learn everything that happened. I think this book is a great summer read. It's takes place in a beautiful beach setting. I always enjoy reading about this time period and thought the author did a good job of capturing the mood, style, and society of that time. The characters were interesting and it was a fascinating look into friendship, betrayal and prejudice. Maybe it was just the moment I was reading it, but I ended up enjoying more than I expected.
    • 2/5
      I think I'm a definite minority in not liking this book, but I hated it. The characters were over the top, and none of them were likeable. The story was incredibly predictable, but still took a long time to get there. And the jumping from time period to time period every other chapter got incredibly tedious.
    • 4/5
      Good book if a bit predictable. Interesting period of time.
    • 5/5
      A love story with twists and turns. Lily and Nick are meant to be together but secrets and lies have kept them apart. I thought I had figured out the family secret, but I was surprised by that twist when it was finally revealed. Set against the backdrop of a wealthy Rhode Island seashore community, as well as New York City.
    • 5/5
      This is a perfect beach read. So of course that means that I read it during December. That's okay because I loved this book and reading it in December didn't make me love it any less. This book transported me back in time to a small beach community. This alternates between the present events (1938-1939 oh and also 1944) and the past (1931-1932). I felt the author did a really good job writing about those time periodsLily is back at the beach for the summer with her family, when to her surprise her former fiance and her former best friend who have now gotten married show show up on the beach. The further you read into this story the more you learn about the past and you learn about why her best friend and former fiance end up married. I hated Lily's former best friend Budgie (That is her stupid nickname. I have a better one for her, pardon my language, Bitchie). I can't believe the nerve of this girl. I could just go on and on rambling about my hatred for her but I'll spare you.I was on the edge of my seat for what happens towards the end. I had a hunch at what some of the revelations would be and I had actually managed to guess some. I was holding my breath towards the end after what happens when Lily finds out the truth. I was yelling at my kindle thinking the book would end a way I didn't want it to end, but then it ended perfectly. I was flailing with joy when I read the last page.So to recap (since I just ended up rambling on and not making much sense in order to avoid spoilers) I loved this book and would highly recommend it especially as a beach read.
    • 4/5
       Synopsis: Lily Dane has spent most of her childhood in the shadow of her best friend: the beautiful and dynamic Budgie Greenwald. As young women, Budgie continues to bulldoze her way into the lives and hearts of whoever will most benefit her personal agenda, even at Lily’s expense. Has Budgie finally gone too far, even for the gentle and gracious Lily?What I liked: At heart, a romance novel, Williams sketches some likeable and subtly surprising characters. The setting and time period add to the story: the descriptions of Rhode Island beach life, the impact of the Great Depression on that East coast beach culture, and the lurking elements of prejudice in society all add not only to the story’s framework, but to motivations and decisions of the characters themselves. Additionally, the swooning romance between Lily and Nick is convincing and enjoyable. What I didn’t like: For as many nice and well-crafted elements as this book contains, it is at heart a romance novel that, while appealing, isn’t particularly memorable. However, I had never heard of the extraordinary New England hurricane of 1938, and that will stick with me a good, long while.Summary: This is a quick, easy summer read. It is well-written and thoughtfully crafted story with a few delicious little twists and turns along the way.
    • 4/5
      This is the definitive beach read. (I only wish I had been at the beach while reading it). It has been a long time since I picked up a book that held my attention like this one did. I couldn’t stop thinking about this story and hurried through my workday in anticipation of getting back into the story as quickly as possible. Ms. Williams is an incredible storyteller and I was hooked all the way through, wanting to know how the story would play out. I know a book is good when it can bring tears to my eyes. This is definitely one to put on your “to be read” list.
    • 5/5
      This is exactly what I would refer to as the perfect summer read… it has all the right elements, beach houses, owned and summered in for 100 years, affairs of the heart, twists and turns of plots and of course a major hurricane of epic proportions! So what makes this book even better is the wonderful writing and development of characters. Buy it, read it, and enjoy!
    • 5/5
      Lily Dane is still a college girl at Smith in 1931 when she meets Nick Greenwald for the first time while at a weekend Dartmouth football game with her effervescent childhood friend, Budgie Byrne. After a whirlwind romance and engagement, however, something goes terribly wrong. Several years later, in 1938, Lily returns to the fictional oceanfront community of Seaview, Rhode Island to enjoy another traditional summer…and then learns that her once best friend, Budgie, has landed there as well, accompanied by her new husband – who is none other than Nick. The two young women reconnect, but there is tension that strums beneath the surface and the local townspeople seem to be shunning the Greenwalds primarily because of Nick’s Jewish background. And then there are the rumors about the parentage Lily’s six year old sister. As the summer unfolds, dark secrets begin to surface, while a history-making hurricane barrels up the coast and threatens to change Nick, Budgie and Lily’s lives forever.A Hundred Summers is a terrific and luscious summer read. Narrated in Lily’s singular voice and moving back and forth from 1931 to 1938, the novel is compelling.Beatriz Williams catapulted onto the literary scene last year with her debut novel Overseas. Her sophomore effort establishes her as a serious writer of women’s fiction. She builds believable characters who hook the reader…and creates sizzling romance interspersed with riveting historical events. The New England Hurricane of 1938 is one of those real events – in fact, it is the basis for the title of the book (Williams explains in the historical notes that New England hurricanes of a Category 3 are called “hundred-year storms” because the probability of such a disaster occurring in any one year is about 1 percent).I remember my grandmother and grandfather talking about the 1938 storm which they lived through. They told of huge waves, flooding and downed trees which forced my grandfather to drive through neighbors’ back yards and winds which howled endlessly. In her novel, Williams recreates those tense moments perfectly and uses them to amp up the already conflict-ridden plot.I read through this novel in no time. The way Williams sets up the narrative, flipping back from past to present, kept me turning the pages long into the night. In case you haven’t figured it out yet, I really enjoyed this book! Readers who love women’s fiction, but who are also interested in historical fiction, will be drawn to A Hundred Summers. But it is Williams’ pitch perfect dialogue, emotionally engaging plot and fantastic characters who will keep them coming back for more. I’ll be looking for future novels by this talented writer.Highly recommended summertime read.
    • 4/5
      Would highly recommend this book (especially the audio version). Purchased from Audible.com and could not bring myself to pause at any time – the story was well written and the performer, Kathleen McInerney was excellent. I was still listening at the wee hours of the morning as, you cannot wait to find out what happens during the storm as it was described in such detail you imagine yourself in the setting.

      I am always intrigued with eras of the 20s, 30s, and 40s. As The Great Gatsby, there is so much glam, wealth, jealousy, romance, best friends, drinking/smoking, affairs, loss of money, stock market crash, suicide, scandals, etc…..Always love the city/coastal connection and so many secrets. Would love to see a movie based on this novel.

      I look forward to reading more from this author, and have already purchased Overseas, as it sounds like another winner!
    • 3/5
      3.5***

      Lily Dane comes from an established wealthy New York family and leads a quiet idyllic life, with a Park Avenue apartment and a summer cottage in Seaview, Rhode Island. The Danes are at the center of elite Seaview social life, and on Memorial Day 1938 are anticipating a lovely summer season. That is until Budgie and Nick Greenwald decide to take up residence in Seaview. Lily’s former best friend and former fiancé have recently married, and set off a storm of gossip as a result. Lily does her best to keep her head held high, and bristles at the community’s snubbing of the Jewish couple. She continues to lunch with Budgie and even attends a few beach picnics hosted by them. Still, no one can believe she has truly embraced the Greenwalds … after all everyone knows Nick ruined and then abandoned her in January 1932. And to have now married her best friend? Scandalous!

      This is a captivating beach read with more secrets and efforts at obfuscation than many soap operas. Lily’s story alternates between the fall and winter of 1931-1932, and the present day summer of 1938, teasing the reader with dribs and drabs of information, innuendo, gossip and outright lies. I guessed the central secret before the half-way point, but was still hooked on the story and eager to see how Williams would reveal all.

      The major flaws in the book are the lack of character development for the supporting cast. Nick and Lily are pretty well drawn, but even Budgie comes off as two-dimensional at best. Aunt Julie is an Auntie-Mame-type right out of central casting. The big drama that ends the story is based on the all-too-true Hurricane of 1938 which devastated the Northeast, but it reads like a bad B-movie. Still, Williams kept me turning pages to the very end.