The Lost Summers of Newport

The Lost Summers of Newport follows three women across different time periods at Sprague Hall, a mansion in Newport, Rhode Island. In 2019, a television producer named Lucky arrives to film an episode about the historic house's restoration, while dealing with the eccentric resident Helen Sprague. In 1899, Ellen Daniels serves as a singing teacher to a wealthy heiress at the same mansion, becoming entangled in the social aspirations and secrets of Newport's Gilded Age society. The narrative also traces Lucia "Lucky" Sprague in 1957 as she navigates life in the declining Newport mansion while facing mounting pressures from her family. These three storylines connect through the mansion's hidden passages, long-buried secrets, and generations of the Sprague family's complex history. The story centers on themes of preservation versus progress, social class boundaries, and the ways women across different eras must navigate societal expectations and personal independence.

Most readers found this multi-timeline historical novel enjoyable but not groundbreaking. The Newport mansion setting and architectural details resonated with fans of historical fiction. Readers appreciated: - Rich historical research about Newport society - The three interconnected timelines - Descriptions of Gilded Age customs and fashion - Strong female characters across generations Common criticisms: - Plot becomes predictable - Too many characters to track - Present-day timeline weaker than historical ones - Romance elements feel forced Ratings: Goodreads: 4.0/5 (22,000+ ratings) Amazon: 4.3/5 (5,800+ ratings) Barnes & Noble: 4.3/5 (450+ ratings) Several readers noted they "couldn't put it down" despite finding parts formulaic. One frequent complaint was the modern storyline "dragged compared to the historical sections." Multiple reviews praised the authors' attention to architectural preservation details while criticizing the "overly neat" ending.

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🌊 Newport's iconic Cliff Walk, which features prominently in the book, spans 3.5 miles along the shoreline and passes by many of the Gilded Age mansions that inspired the story. 🏰 Author Karen White collaborated with Beatriz Williams and Lauren Willig to write this novel, marking their fourth successful writing partnership together. 💎 The novel's storyline about a reality TV show renovating a Newport mansion was partially inspired by real preservation efforts in Newport, where many historic mansions have been saved and restored. 🕰️ The book weaves together three timelines (1899, 1957, and 2019) to tell the story of Sprague Hall and its inhabitants, reflecting the actual practice of Newport mansions changing hands multiple times throughout their histories. 👗 The detailed descriptions of 1899 fashion in the novel accurately reflect the elaborate dress codes of Newport's Gilded Age, when women would change clothes up to six times per day for different social occasions.