The Summer Wives Summary
Beatriz Williams

The Summer Wives Overview

The Summer Wives by Beatriz Williams is a historical novel that follows the perspectives of two women, Portuguese-American Bianca Medeiro and American Miranda Schuyler, throughout the twentieth-century on Winthrop Island, New York. Both women experience their first loves on the Island during the summer months of 1930 and 1951, and their experiences closely intertwine in a murder mystery which resolves itself when Miranda returns in 1969. The novel highlights female resilience and power over the span of two generations, allowing Miranda to be with her first love by the end of the novel. The Summer Wives deals with themes of marriage, womanhood, classicism, secrecy, and culture.