The Martha’s Vineyard Beach and Book Club is WWII home front historical fiction and is filled with more intrigue, mystery, and suspense than the cover and title might suggest.

The Martha’s Vineyard Beach and Book Club

Genre/Categories/Setting: Historical Fiction (WWII home front) and Contemporary Fiction, Books About Books, Book Club, Friendship, Sisters, Coming of Age, Mystery, Intrigue, Martha’s Vineyard

My Summary:

In this dual timeline story, Mari Starwood uncovers family secrets from the past. The WWII timeline and characters dominate the story while the contemporary timeline piques our interest.

My Thoughts:

Dual Timeline

The Martha’s Vineyard Beach and Book Club is structured in a tried-and-true dual timeline format in which Mari (contemporary) seeks to uncover secrets from the past. Very often, I’m more interested in the historical timeline than the contemporary one, so the focus on the historical in this story was perfect for my reading tastes. I was busy trying to put together clues and unravel the past alongside Mari.

Friendship, Sisters, and Books

This looks like a beach read, amirite? Books about books are my kryptonite, and I am delighted when an author incorporates the joy of reading into any genre. The Song of Bernadette, National Velvet, and Rebecca are mentioned, along with references to Jane Eyre. The content is more substantial than the cover might suggest.

Meet the main characters: Cadence and Briar are sisters. Candence drives the idea of a book club and also has a vision for getting books to soldiers stationed nearby. She is also an aspiring writer and writes a column for the local newspaper. Meanwhile, Briar is focused on searching for German U-boats and spies in her spare time. She makes so many reports of suspicious activity to the authorities that she’s known as “Briar the Liar.” Beth is their brother’s fiancée and lives with the family when he leaves for the war. The young women work together to maintain the farm, establish the book club, deliver books to the soldiers, and support Briar as her spying causes some difficulty for the family. Their relationships and bravery are at the heart of the story.

WWII Home Front

I have read many home front stories set in England, so it’s a nice change to read about how the war affected people in other locations. The WWII home front is a favorite subgenre of historical fiction for me. I have a post with other titles about women on the home front here.

Recommending The Martha’s Vineyard Beach and Book Club:

Fans of Martha Hall Kelly and WWII home front histfic will appreciate this new release. My favorite of the author’s work is Sunflower Sisters, but I know that many readers might appreciate this lighter and less gritty story that still has plenty of intrigue, mystery, and suspense. More substantial content than the cover and title might suggest.

Related: Also by Martha Hall Kelly: The Lilac Girls (read but not reviewed), Lost Roses, Sunflower Sisters, The Golden Doves

My Rating: 3.5 Stars (rounded to 4)

More Information Here

Meet the Author of The Martha’s Vineyard Beach and Book Club, Martha Hall Kelly

Martha’s debut novel LILAC GIRLS, about socialite Caroline Ferriday and her fight to help a group of concentration camp survivors, became an Instant NY Times bestseller in 2016 and went on to sell over two million copies. Once the paperback stayed on the NYT list for fifty-four weeks, and became published in fifty countries she wrote two more novels: LOST ROSES about Caroline’s mother, and SUNFLOWER SISTERS about her great grandmother, which also became Instant NY Times best sellers.

Martha grew up in Massachusetts and now splits her time between Connecticut and New York City.

You’ll find more info about the incredible, true stories behind all of her books at her website: http://www.marthahallkelly.com

---

---

QOTD:

Have you read Martha Hall Kelly?

---

---

Let’s Get Social!

Find me at:
Twitter/X
Blue Sky
Instagram (Threads link in bio)
Goodreads and StoryGraph
Pinterest
SubStack: @carolreadingladies
Reading Ladies Book Club on Facebook

---

---

Happy Reading Book Buddies!

“Ah, how good it is to be among people who are reading.”
~Rainer Maria Rilke
“I love the world of words where life and literature connect.”
~Denise J Hughes
“Reading good books ruins you for reading bad ones.”
~Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society
“I read because books are a form of transportation, teaching, and connection. Books take us to places we’ve never been, teach us about our world, and help us understand human experience.”
~Madeleine Riley

---

---

***Blog posts may contain affiliate links. This means that at no extra cost to you, I can earn a small percentage of your purchase price.

All books I review are purchased or borrowed from the library unless explicitly stated that the book is free (arc).

Amazon or an author’s (or publisher’s) website receives all credit for book covers and author photos.

© ReadingLadies.com