The Martha's Vineyard Beach and Book Club

"The Martha's Vineyard Beach and Book Club" is a dual-timeline story, with one timeline during the early days of WWII and the other being in 2016.The story starts in 2016, when a grieving Mari Starwood sets out to discover why her recently deceased mother had planned to meet the reclusive artist, Mrs. Devereaux, on Martha's Vineyard. But she is ill-prepared to handle what she finds out.In order to explain why Mari's mother was coming to visit her, Mrs. Devereaux shares an intricate tale of the role the Smith family of Martha's Vineyard had played in WWII. Two teenage girls, Cadence and Briar Smith, are tasked with keeping the family farm going while their brother Tom heads off to war. However, Cadence dreams of leaving the island to head to NYC and pursue a career in publishing, while Briar as a bit of a reputation for crying wolf one too many times (even though she was right every single time!) by calling in sightings of a German U-boat off the shoreline near their farm.Soon after Tom leaves, and while Briar is still mourning the loss of her German neighbor and friend, Briar finds a wounded defector that puts the family at risk. And as they nurse Peter back to health, he shares crucial information he has with them, unfurling a mystery that Briar is determined to solve in addition to discovering who killed their neighbor. But danger lurks at every turn, and it's hard for the girls to know who they can trust.And as Mrs. Devereaux's story comes to its conclusion, it gives Mari the answers she was looking for as well as leaving her with some life-altering choices to make.Overall, I found the story to be engaging, but the story was told through multiple character viewpoints, which could be a bit jarring at times. It was usually fairly easy to tell which time you were in, but within the WWII timeline, there were at least three different characters who narrated those chapters.I will say that I was tickled when I read in the acknowledgments that the author's hometown bookstore was my childhood hometown bookstore. So the shout-out to the Hickory Stick Bookshop was a small thrill for me.Thanks to Martha Hall Kelly, Random House, and NetGalley for an advance review copy.

Very good condition for being used. Good novel.

This is a wonderful historical novel/ family saga, set in Martha’s Vineyard, which was a training ground for our military as WW II started. The characters are well developed; and the story has its ups and downs, just like real life. I won’t spoil it for future readers by discussing how it ends; but Martha Hall Kelly did a fantastic job of tying the loose ends together and creating a meaningful story. I highly recommend this book.

Gram, Tom, Cadence , Briar and Bess all live on the farm together on Martha's Vineyard. World War Two has started and Tom trains to be a Ranger in the Army. He heads off to Europe without knowing that Bess is carrying his child. Enjoy the story told between 1942 and 2016 when Mari Starwood comes for a painting lesson with the reclusive artist Elizabeth Devereaux.

Love this author! Can’t wait to read this new book!

What a wonderful story about a magical place, throughout a terrible time in our history. The author absolutely captured the resolve of Vineyarders.

Present time has Mari visiting Martha's Vineyard to meet stranger Mrs. Devereaux, whom Mari believes has a connection to her mother. Getting to know each other, Mrs. Devereaux tells Mari about the history of a local home.In the dual timeline, it's the 1940s and the U.S. is at war. Sisters Cadence and Briar, close friend Bess, and their grandmother are trying to hold things down and keep their family farm running. Concurrently, the girls' brother is deployed, and troops are in training on Martha's Vineyard, where it seems there also is a spy. Cadence and Bess start the titular book club as an attempt at normalcy, while life is anything but.The book had really great storytelling about a time that I don't know much about. Obviously I know WWII but more what was happening in Europe. I don't know nearly enough about life in the States at that time so I was intrigued by the details Martha Hall Kelly provided, especially around books and publishing at that time. Because of rationing, budgeting and businesses closing, many libraries were forced to close so books were at a premium. In this story, for the bookclub, one book would be shared among all those who were interested in reading it. Setting aside the circumstances under which this came to be, the idea of an entire island sharing one book was so endearing and special. You could sense how worn a book would become simply from having so many hands on it.I was completely engaged in the 1940s timeline that I almost forgot we had a present time story. You kind of know they are going to come together - as majority dual timelines do - but I lost interest in Mari and that side of the story.My challenge with the book was each chapter alternating POVs of Cadence and Briar. The author didn't give enough time for each one so it felt choppy. At one point, they start coming together as one narrative but then abruptly changing POV broke the flow. I don't mind multiple POVs but would have given each sister more than one chapter at a time.

This book is truly wonderful!It is beautifully written, so well-researched and instantly transports you to Martha’s Vineyard during Workd War ll.I knew I would enjoy the book, but it exceeded my expectations!It is a such a treat and treasure! Sure to become a beloved novel!I would recommend this book to teens as well!Loved, loved, loved it!

I really enjoyed this book. It is very well written, and I really liked the characters. The book has a very satisfying ending. I would recommend this to my friends and family!

So well written. You are immersed into island life. I could picture everything, from the farm to the boathouse to the military base. The author is brilliant with her stories. Love, love, love this book, one I didn’t want it to end!

Wonderful historical fiction of Martha’s Vineyard during WWII. Martha Hall Kelly’s mother grew up on Martha’s Vineyard during this time and shared what life was like there during this time. I loved all of the characters some of whom are based on her mother & her mother’s friends. I have read all of Martha Hall Kelly’s books, this one was my favorite!

A large stretch , even for fiction, at many points in the story . It could have been a good book with a little more work

Good writing, story moved along and gave you enough descriptions to make you feel like you wanted to be part of the family. Family is a big part of this story. Martha's Vineyard was a wonderful place to live.

It is hard to put into words just how much I loved this book. I came to adore each of the characters living in the cottage with Gram. It was interesting to learn the characters different opinions and feelings as they were the voices of the different chapters. My family went to Cape Cod (Provincetown & Dennis) growing up (my Grandparents went to Nantucket for their honeymoon and named my Mom Nan, also my middle name) so it was fascinating learning more about the historical part of the area and the involvement in training the military during WWII. If you enjoy history, strong women, the ocean and characters you wish were part of your own family I would highly recommend this book. I finished the book last night and already miss the characters in the book. Thank you to Martha Hall Kelly for the joy this book brought me and also for sharing her family history and connection to Martha’s Vineyard at the end of the book.

Such a different path than other books I have read by this author. Loved seeing story from different character perspectives as well as life in Martha’s Vineyard. Though a story of WW2 it was done from perspective of US woman. Enjoyable and easy summer read.

I started reading this book last night and I am already halfway through the book. The author grabs your attention from the very beginning. This is the 5th book I have read that Martha Hall Kelly has written, and they have all been equally as good, as well as historically educational

I have just started the book and I am enjoying it immensely. I live on the Cape so I appreciate the references to Martha’s Vineyard. I am learning a lot about the island during WWII. The author is one of my favorites and she has not disappointed me.

This book is especially good for everyone who has some knowledge of Martha’s Vineyard: Places you will recognize, etc. Merging this with the WWII history and the personal stories of the characters makes for an entertaining read.

This book has definitely landed on my all-time favorites list, which is difficult to do! Having been to Martha's Vineyard, I couldn't wait for this release and preordered the book. I love the rich development of each character and the many stories within stories. An avid reader myself, I easily identified with Cadence and Bess. My inner tomboy related well to Briar. Martha H. Kelly has a true gift of research and writing compelling historical fiction, my favorite genre! Of course, my favorite part was the Author's Notes at the end, where Martha describes how the story came to be and who and what inspired her characters and events. Warning: I bawled my eyes out for the last fourth of the book--in a good way. If you're a crier, don't read the end in public, or at least have a good supply of tissues!

I loved the resource fullness of the islanders during WWII. I also fell in love with the the girls of the Vineyard. The men were fighting on the war, and the women were fighting at home with remarkable strength. God Bless all from The Greatest Generation.