Montauk: A Novel

by Nicola Harrison

Hardcover, 2019

Status

Available

Publication

St. Martin's Press (2019), Edition: First Edition, 400 pages

Description

Fiction. Literature. Historical Fiction. HTML: An epic and cinematic debut from 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 Manorâ??a two-hundred room seaside hotelâ??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 â??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 apar… (more)

User reviews

LibraryThing member grumpydan
Set in Montauk in 1938, where the rich take over for the summer, enjoying the beaches, playing tennis and partying. Men go back to work in NYC by taking the train. The woman relax while their nannies take care of their children. This is the life that Beatrice Bordeaux is now part of after marrying
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Harry. But she is not happy in her marriage, and he like all the others have affairs. She is not happy with these society women except her friend Dolly. Then she meets lighthouse keeper Thomas, and she is enlightened.

What I enjoyed about the novel is the description of the locale and people of that era. It pulled me right into it. The story flowed and was predicable though. I was expecting more. I thought the climax was too convenient and history adjusted to fit the story. I’d still read another novel from this author.
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LibraryThing member CassiesBooksReader
Montauk by Nicola Harrison is a stunning first book. Montauk is historical fiction that reminds us how different life was in 1938 America. I liked the depictions of the life of wealthy, middle and lower class New Yorkers, the struggles of life and death, how our actions affect so many. It’s a
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realistic story of each characters plans, but how little power they have to implement them because of circumstances they can’t control. Nicola Harrison has been added to my favorites list.
. I received a complimentary copy of this book from Netgalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. I appreciate the opportunity and thank the author and publisher for allowing me to read, enjoy and review this book.
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LibraryThing member tamidale
There is a storm headed to Montauk and Beatrice Bordeaux is right in the middle of it. And the worst part of it is, it’s a storm of her own making.

Beatrice is a young woman trapped in an unfulfilling marriage. She’s a woman who is ahead of her time, in that she does not want to stay home and
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play the role of the perfect wife. She also has married up and is uncomfortable with the social mores of the wealthy.

When her husband Harry takes her to Montauk and leaves her there for the summer in the company of other wealthy wives, Beatrice feels out of place and separates herself from most of the women. Because of this, Beatrice opens herself up to their petty gossip.

Beatrice hates that the wealthy have their dirty little secrets, but then Beatrice begins to collect her own secrets. These secrets gain momentum and at the end of the novel things go horribly awry.

For readers looking for a scandalous beach read, this may be right up your alley. For readers wanting good historical fiction, this won’t quite hit the mark. I found the first part of the book a bit slow moving, but once Beatrice got herself deeper and deeper into a compromising situation, I found I was riveted to the story.

I’d give this 3 stars for the slow beginning and the lack of character development, especially where Harry is concerned. I also had some issues with the way the story wrapped up.
For the tension and scandal in the story, I give it 4 stars.

Many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for allowing to read an advance copy and give my honest review.
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LibraryThing member bemislibrary
Harry and Beatrice Bordeaux have problems and a getaway to beautiful Montauk, Long Island seems to be a perfect place to start anew. Harry’s insincerity, selfishness, and reckless disregard for his marriage takes an unexpected turn as Beatrice tastes new found freedom on the island. A twist at
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the end will leave readers wondering if being part of the wealthy elite is really grass greener on the other side.
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LibraryThing member GrandmaCootie
Nicola Harrison does an amazing job of bringing Montauk, Long Island in 1938 to life. Although I would have liked to see more descriptions of the beach and the view from the lighthouse, the setting and atmosphere of Montauk and the Montauk Manor are lush, elegant and glamourous and make it seem the
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perfect place to spend the summer. The looming development of Montauk and what it will do to the locals is a fascinating story. Harrison also captures the not-so-perfect restrictions, prejudices, class distinctions, anti-Semitism and male/female rules, restrictions and expectations and social mores of the time. Some of the behavior and attitudes of so-called professionals were eye-opening to say the least.

While I loved the historical aspect of Montauk, I was not as pleased with the character development and romance. Beatrice Bordeaux is naïve, immature, innocent, deeply hurt by Harry. She has never really fit in with the society life and its expectations she’s been thrust into, and now rather than the opportunity to rekindle the romance with her husband, she is faced with 12 weeks with women she doesn’t know or feel comfortable with. She may never have married Harry in the first place had she not withdrawn so much after her brother Charlie’s death.

But this is the life she chose, and she comes off as careless and irresponsible in her forced interaction with the locals. She may feel more naturally at home with them, but she is not of their world anymore and she puts their livelihood at risk. She insists on becoming a part of Elizabeth’s life, and she’s playing with fire with Thomas, putting not only her own reputation and way of life at risk but those of so many others, especially Elizabeth and her family and Thomas. Beatrice is also putting herself at risk with her newspaper articles, not just because she is doing something independent, anonymous and a little radical, keeping it secret, but because she continues to associate with a Jew after being told not to. It’s kind of hard to wrap your mind around how restrictive and confining by today’s standards the lives of these wealthy privileged pampered women were, and how narrow-minded and casually cruel everyone could be, and Beatrice seems justified in making her own choices, especially when she is welcomed into the local world. But actions have consequences and she is heedless of them.

I found the first half of the book excellent. Montauk was beautiful and the characters were turning out to be very, very interesting. But then the story began to lose momentum and feel rushed. In three short months Beatrice gets herself into a predicament from which there is no easy escape. Someone is going to be hurt, someone’s reputation is going to suffer, and there may be real physical danger. Again, I was pleased with her independence but couldn’t help feeling that even though this is not the life she imagined it is the life she chose and she needed a well-thought out way to extricate herself. At some point it started to feel like a thriller, as I was waiting for her to get caught. It was a bit unbelievable that she continued to sneak around without anyone seeing her and confronting her until nearly the end of the book. Even if Montauk Manor is large, she is part of a small group and it seems like someone would have been asking about or looking for her more often. Because of the secrets she kept and the corner she backed herself into, there were only so many ways the story could end.

Thanks to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. Montauk was an enjoyable read and a good beginning for a debut author.
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LibraryThing member Cherylk
This is a lovely story. I did feel like I was swept away to Montauk. Ms. Harrison invited me into a world of beauty, friendship, love, and second chances with engaging characters and a beautiful scenery all wrapped in up her novel, Montauk.

Beatrice was definitely the voice of this story. The more
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familiar I became with her, the more I fell in love with her. She is someone that I would have wanted to be friends with back in this time era. She was not snotty. Which, speaking of snotty; there were a few women like that but some that also was very nice as well.

Finally, there is the love story between Beatrice and Thomas. It was a beautiful one filled with love; unlike, Beatrice's current marriage that was just about duty and image. I look forward in glee to reading the next book from Ms. Harrison.
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LibraryThing member BettyTaylor56
It is the summer of 1938 and the city people escape the heat by going to Montauk, Long Island. Like most resort towns, there is always the underlying friction between the wealthy summer folks and the poor locals who provide the services.

This is Beatrice Bordeaux’s first summer in Montauk. She was
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hoping to get her marriage back on track. After five years of marriage they are still childless. Her husband Harry seems more and more distant. But Beatrice quickly learns that her husband will only be spending weekends with her as he returns to his work – and other interests - in the city during the week. Having married into money and now left on her own she feels out of place among the social-climbing wives. She much prefers exploring the local fishing village and soon makes friends with Elizabeth, the local laundress. Beatrice finds herself drawn to the local lighthouse keeper who is everything her husband is not. Caught between the two worlds and two men Beatrice finds the courage to determine her own future.

Beautifully written, she transported me to Montauk where I could see and feel the beauty. I could hear the sea gulls and the crashing waves and smell the salty air of the little fishing village. Harrison captures the era perfectly with her descriptions of what was expected of the wives of the social elite. So glad I did not live in that era! The characters came to life as she took me on an emotional ride of real life situations and real emotions.

The perfect summer escape with passion and suspense. If you enjoyed Beatriz Williams’ THE SUMMER WIVES, you will love Nicola Harrison’s debut novel MONTAUK.

Many thanks to St Martin's Press and NetGalley for the ARC
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LibraryThing member teachlz
Nicola Harrison, Author of “Montauk” has written an intense, suspenseful, thought-provoking, intriguing, emotional and captivating novel. The Genres for this novel are Domestic Fiction, Fiction, Women’s Fiction with a touch of Suspense thrown in. The timeline for this story is 1938 in
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Montauk. I love the author’s vivid description of the beach and sandy shore, and the cool beautiful water, and the lighthouse. The author describes the wealthy opulent hotel contrasted with the shacks that local residents live in. There is a contrast between the tourist and resident, and the rich and poor. The author describes her characters as complex and complicated. Some of her characters are prejudiced and dysfunctional.

Beatrice Bordeau and her husband are spending their summer in Montauk, hopefully improving their marriage. That is Beatrice’s hope, only to find that her husband will be working mostly in the city and she is spending time with the other wives in Montauk. Beatrice comes from a simpler life and is not comfortable with the wives that flaunt their wealth, clothing, jewelry and mannerisms.

Beatrice feels more comfortable with the domestic help from the hotel and loves to see the fishing village and people. Beatrice is drawn to the beautiful lighthouse and views. Beatrice becomes friends with some of these people.

Things are not what they seem in Beatrice’s husband’s circle of friends. There are betrayals and threats. Some of the women are bullies.

Beatrice finds herself getting more involved with the resident’s and community problems and people. Only, Beatrice doesn’t realize the danger that she is in. I would highly recommend this thought-provoking novel. Be warned there are some Kleenex moments.
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LibraryThing member ivydtruitt
3.5 starsAfter the death of her brother Beatrice leaves Vassar before graduating and returns home to Pennsylvania try to help her parents cope with the loss. After a time her father encourages her go live her life. Beatrice moves to New York, gets a job, and meets handsome, rich Harry Bordeaux.
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Harry sweeps Bea off her feet, makes the loss of her brother less painful, and gives her a new life of privilege. Now, several years into their marriage they remain childless and are beginning to drift apart. Bea is expected to use her summer in Montauk to help further Harry's ambitions and make nice with the other rich ladies staying at The Manor. But here's the rub, Bea doesn't really fit anywhere lately.

The loss of her brother and her continued childless state weigh heavily on Bea. The former occasionally felt overplayed and the latter, in keeping with the times, is understandable. She doesn't fit with the "idle" rich wives and soon becomes friends with Dolly. A bit of an outlier herself, but Dolly knows well how to play the game.
While there were times it was easy to empathize with Bea there were also times it was difficult to like her. My favorite characters were actually Dolly and Elizabeth, a young mother and laundress from the village.
Bea's choices, often selfish (but don't we all do that on occasion), and refusal to listen to sound advice have repercussions far beyond anything she could've imagined. The ending dovetails perfectly with those decisions and any other would have been disappointing, at the very least.

MONTAUK does a primo job of reflecting the societal norms and strata of the time. The village of Montauk, The Manor, all of it is brought to life.
If you enjoy history and realistic flawed characters there's a good chance you'll enjoy MONTAUK.
A copy was received from the publisher via Netgalley. All opinions are my own.

3.5 stars
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LibraryThing member PattyLouise
Montauk
By
Nicola Harrison

What it's all about...

Beatrice finds herself in Montauk at an amazing hotel for the summer. Wealth, privilege and a husband are all that is required. Unfortunately she finds out that during the week...when her husband is supposed to be working in the city...he is
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entertaining women at their NYC apartment. Beatrice also discovers that she has more of a bond with the townspeople than she does with the wealthy ladies she is supposed to be spending her time with. This is the era of the 30’s and during the week at this hotel there are only women, children and their nannies. Beatrice is childless and this also puts her at loose ends. That is until she develops a friendship with Elizabeth...the laundry lady and Thomas...the lighthouse keeper. Beatrice is an admirable person...much different from the other idle women. She also writes and through a friendship with a newspaper writer submits a weekly column about life in Montauk. This is published anonymously.

My thoughts after reading this book...

I really enjoyed the early history of Montauk. The writing was fluid and clear. I loved reading about this period of time in our country’s history.

What I loved best...

I couldn’t help but love Beatrice and her baby steps into a real life. She stood up for what she believed in.

What potential readers might want to know...

This is a long slow simmering story. It’s an incredible look into the lives of the wealthy and the not so wealthy during this period of time. Readers who love this king of book should truly enjoy this one.

I received this book from the publisher through NetGalley. It was my choice to read and review it.
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LibraryThing member GRgenius
This is one of those moving, beautiful stories that was able to whisk me away to another time, another place, and yet has its footholds firmly in a reality that might have been. It shows us something in which we can really get to know the characters, their lives, and what may or may not be
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happening behind the scenes, but still instilled humor, hardship, and heart with every page. As the story progress, suspicions about some thing proved true several times over, my initial love of the locals was tampered when they couldn't take Bea at face value, and connections from the past were finally revealed. By book's end, I was totally wrecked! It was just THAT GOOD! A most unexpected twist happens towards book's end, well technically a few twists, but I was SO on the edge of my seat as I was swept away by the beauty, the drama, the tragedy, and magnificence that was this story.

**copy received for review; opinions are my own
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LibraryThing member LoriKBoyd
1938, Montauk, Long Island. The Montauk Manor is where the wealthy go to escape the heat of New York City. The women and children summer there while the men travel back on weekends to escape work. But, all is not as it seems. The females are tucked away while the males enjoy other pursuits in the
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city. They can have their cake and eat it too. This book explores the class differences of the elite vs the working class, money can’t buy you happiness. It’s about finding your place and not being pigeon-holed into what other people or society say we belong. It’s about love....finding it in places outside the norm, and opening your heart. It’s about friendship in unexpected places. It’s about struggles that go on even now. It’s about finding yourself and being true to who you are and who you want to be.

The book started a little slow, then took off. Beautifully written characters, some you loved, quite a few you wanted to smack, some you wanted to cheer for! I thoroughly enjoyed the storyline and the writing. The ending wasn’t what I was thinking, but enjoyed it, even though it seemed rushed. I could have used another chapter or two.

Take this book to the beach or a lounge chair, it’s a little heavier than a normal beach read, but very enjoyable! I look forward to reading this author again.

I received an ARC of this book. Opinion is my own!
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LibraryThing member kbranfield
Set in 1938, Montauk by Nicola Harrison is a bittersweet historical novel with a picturesque setting.

Beatrice "Bea" Bordeaux is excited about spending the summer with her husband, Harry, in Montauk. Her delight quickly turns to disappointment once she discovers Harry will only be with her on
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weekends. She is also less than thrilled with his edict to get close to the other wives in order to further his business aspirations. The less time she and Harry spend together, the more Bea realizes the troubles in their marriage extend well beyond her inability to conceive. Finding herself at loose ends, Bea strikes up an unlikely friendship with Elizabeth, a local woman who works as laundress to the wealthy summer visitors. Bea also finds herself drawn to Montauk Lighthouse where she is fascinated and charmed by lighthouse keeper Thomas Brown. With summer's end fast approaching, will Beatrice return to New York with Harry? Or will she remain on the island where she has unexpectedly found happiness?

Beatrice is no stranger to tragedy but she has been relatively happy since marrying Harry. From a small Pennsylvania town, she has never quite fit in the wealthy world she inhabits but she fulfills her hostess duties with aplomb. Beatrice longs for a baby but despite following her doctor's advice, she remains childless. Even before arriving in Montauk, she is worried about her marriage and she is quite upset to learn Harry will be staying in town during the week. Pushing aside her dismay, Bea attempts to fit in with the other wives, but her dissatisfaction at their lavish and somewhat frivolous pursuits ignites a yearning in her for something more meaningful in her life.

Bea finds what she is searching for in a most unanticipated place. In spite the of the risks, she cannot stay away from the lighthouse and Thomas. Her time with him and Elizabeth reminds her of her childhood and she is thoroughly captivated by Thomas who has also experienced more than his fair share of heartache. As Bea's time in Montauk draws to an end, she will have to decide between duty and happiness.

Set against the idyllic backdrop of the beach resort and lighthouse, Montauk is an enthralling historical novel. Montauk, the lighthouse and its habitants spring vividly to life and it is quite easy to visualize the peaceful surroundings. Bea, Elizabeth and Thomas are vibrantly crafted characters who are quite likable and easy to root for. Bea's gradual realization that she needs more in her life is realistically portrayed as is her angst as she tries to make the right choice for her future. Nicola Harrison brings this poignant novel to a somewhat dramatic and completely unpredictable conclusion. I greatly enjoyed and highly recommend this alluring story to readers of historical fiction.
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LibraryThing member bookwyrmm
Harrison paints a stunning picture of Montauk in the 30s.
LibraryThing member IreneCole
There are two sides to Montauk, and the author portrays them in mesmerizing detail. There are the humble hard working families who struggle to make ends meet all year long, and the wealthy summer tourists who come to while away the summer days in The Montauk Manor, a swanky upscale seaside hotel.
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Most people will see one side or the other, but Beatrice Bordeax will see both. Never quite fitting in with the other wives and their trivial interests Bea finds herself befriending the laundry lady as her lonely days drag on. Her summer at the hotel was meant to rekindle her marriage, but with her husband away on "business" more days than not she begins to accompany Elizabeth the laundry lady into the village and discovers she feels more at home there than with the snobs at the hotel. It is through Elizabeth that she meets a man who seems oddly familiar and begins to imagine a more fulfilling life for herself. I could almost smell the salt air and feel the breeze off the ocean as I was swept into the story.
I received an advance copy for review.
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Language

Original language

English

Physical description

400 p.; 6.44 inches

ISBN

1250200113 / 9781250200112

Local notes

fiction

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