Our Place on the Island

Three generations of women reunite at their family’s beach house in this passionate tale of love and loss from Montgomery (A Summer to Remember). In 1948, working-class newlywed Cora Campbell struggles to fit in to her husband’s world of wealth. Her neighbors are judgy and her husband is often away on business. Then she meets Max Dempsey, the contractor hired to renovate her kitchen, and the pair develop a strong bond. In 1999, three years after Cora’s husband’s death, she and Max announce their engagement. Her daughter, Hedy, and granddaughter, Mickey, head to Cora’s home on Martha’s Vineyard to celebrate, but secrets threaten to derail the joyful gathering. Hedy is not pleased with someone replacing her father and suspects that her mother may have been having an affair with Max years ago. Mickey, who’s always had a close bond with her grandmother, is more supportive of the union, but she’s keeping a secret from her own boyfriend that casts a pall on her mood. Toggling between the two timelines, Montgomery tells a stirring, magnetic story about the tension between commitment and desire. The characters are as flawed as they are sweet, and their bond rings true. The result is a nostalgic tale that will warm the coldest hearts. (June)