The High Season by Judy Blundell

THE HIGH SEASON by Judy Blundell is the first adult novel from this winner of the National Book Award for Young People (What I Said and How I Lied). This new novel takes place on Long Island as Memorial Day weekend arrives and Ruthie Beamish, her ex-husband Mike, and teenage daughter Jem prepare to vacate their beach house. They rent it each summer to help cover expenses and this year’s tenant is Adeline Clay, the widow of a renowned artist for whom Ruthie (now the local museum director) once worked. 

Romance, celebrity, social climbing by haves and have-nots, an affair, questions of ethics and potentially dangerous choices quickly fill this book. There’s also plenty of art, feelings of entitlement and jealousy, plus many more characters and sub-plots as Ruthie schemes and contemplates revenge. Even with so much to track, THE HIGH SEASON received starred reviews from Library Journal (“sophisticated and delicious portrayal of subtle class warfare at the shore”) and Kirkus. Interested? You can read an excerpt (and see a reading guide) on the publisher's site.

As you establish your own beach reading list, don’t forget to consul recommendations from:

IndieNext: https://www.indiebound.org/indie-next-list
LibraryReads – monthly lists: http://libraryreads.org/
Great American Read (from pbs) with America’s 100 most loved books: http://www.pbs.org/the-great-american-read/books/#/

GoodReads; see especially the annual Choice Awards by category: https://www.goodreads.com/choiceawards/best-books-2017