Escape to ‘The Summer Country’ in Lauren Willig’s Epic New Novel [REVIEW]

An exotic locale holds the key to an English woman’s future in The Summer Country. (Photo by Canva)

A vicar’s daughter. A surprise inheritance. Hidden family secrets. When one young woman gets the chance to forge her own destiny, will she be able to defy convention and build a life in an exotic land? Find out in Lauren Willig’s intoxicating new novel, The Summer Country.

William Morrow

Although Emily Dawson was born into a prominent English family, as a vicar’s daughter in the Victorian era she has never been anything but a poor cousin living on the fringe of prosperity. However, when her grandfather dies, she receives an unexpected inheritance, Peverills, a sugar plantation in Barbados—a place no one in the family even knew existed!

Emily’s cousin, Adam, and his wife accompany her on her journey to Barbados to see the plantation. However, upon their arrival, all they find is a burned-out shell that hints at the plantation’s former glory. While Adam asserts his opinions as to what Emily should do with the place, she has yet to make up her mind.

Emily wants to explore the rich history and culture of Barbados before she makes any decisions. Little does she know the secrets she will reveal along the way and the profound effect her discovery will have on her and those she loves.

In The Summer Country, Willig pens a magical tale steeped in history, tangled lies, and irresistible intrigue. It is the kind of epic saga readers will sink their teeth into, one which is captivating, dramatic, and fraught with emotion.

While I could relate to many of the characters within the pages of this novel, Emily spoke to me the most. Her insatiable quest to understand both the past and present, as well as her fierce determination not to allow anyone to make choices for her (despite social norms), will resonate with many who have sought equality and lived a life of adversity.

Here, readers have a bird’s eye view as we watch Emily Dawson come into her own, face down her fears, and valiantly emerge on the other side with keen insights into the ways a woman’s loyalties can be tested. Willig has once again struck gold with The Summer Country.

Lauren Willig
(Photo by Amanda Suanne Photography)

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Lauren Willig is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of The Ashford Affair and The English Wife, the RITA Award-winning Pink Carnation series, and two novels co-written with Beatriz Williams and Karen White—The Forgotten Room and The Glass Ocean.

An alumna of Yale University, she has a graduate degree in history from Harvard and a JD from Harvard Law School. She lives in New York City with her husband, a preschooler, a baby, and vast quantities of coffee.

Visit Lauren at her home on the Web, LaurenWillig.com, like her on Facebook and follow her on Instagram and Twitter.

THE SUMMER COUNTRY
By Lauren Willig
480 pp. William Morrow. $26.99

Purchase The Summer Country at one of these fine online retailers: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Books-A-Million, HarperCollins, IndieBound, and Powell’s.