Our Last Vineyard Summer
Brooke Lea Foster
Gallery Books
In 1965 feminist icon and voice of her generation Virgie Whiting is living life under fierce public scrutiny as a US Senator’s wife. She fights to maintain her independence while raising her young daughters in the boys-will-be-boys world that expects her to play the part of the docile wife and mother. Her refusal to do so causes ructions through her family for years to come. She knows her husband has secrets, something only to be expected in the heavy masculine world of power politics. What she doesn’t know is exactly what Senator Whiting is hiding, and what it means for her family.
In 1978 the Senator dies. Now his creditors are calling, and they won’t take no for an answer. Virgie faces losing her beloved home on Martha’s Vineyard to pay off the debts. Cherished memories will be all she and her daughters have left. Following Virgie’s summons her graduate student daughter Betsy returns to the family home suffering from heartache after a forbidden romance turns sour. She meets her sisters to face the consequences of her father’s legacy, something that’ll never be easy given their strained relationships. When Betsy discovers a hidden letter from her father she and her family are forced to face long-buried secrets.
In Our Last Vineyard Summer Foster elegantly captures the trials facing women navigating love, loss, and womanhood. Nostalgic and poignant, this novel brings to life a cherished summer home and the consequences buried secrets have on relationships.
