The Islanders
The Smith family, headed by matriarch Ginny, has lived on the island their whole lives. When Ginny’s grandchildren come to live with her after the death of their parents, Copper Pond Farm is suddenly brimming with love and laughter again.There’s the oldest grandchild, Tom, 20, who handles most of the farm work now that Ginny has health issues. Then there’s Cadence, 19, who starts her own book club and aspires to work in a big New York City publishing house someday. For now, she has a column with the local Gazette. Then there’s the youngest, Briar, 16, whose keen interest in all things related to ships and shortwave radios has helped her find work making small-scale model ships that are used by the military for training purposes.
Tom gets ready to be shipped off to war. His girlfriend, Bess, and his sister, Cadence, work in the kitchen of the Bayside Beach Club. Cadence’s witty and clever newspaper column catches the attention of a beach club member, who introduces her to two ladies who work for G.P. Putnam’s Sons, one of the big New York City publishers. It seems that the older Smith girl’s dream of working in a Big Apple publishing house is about to materialize. However, with Tom now overseas and with her grandmother’s health issues, there is no way Cadence can leave the farm just yet.
One day, Briar discovers a strange man washed ashore on the beach near their farm. The stranger is a German deserter, and the Smiths are placed in a predicament. Harboring an enemy is in itself a crime punishable by imprisonment or death. Can they trust Peter or is he a spy? Should they turn Peter in or help him reunite with his family in Minneapolis?
A Dual Subplot
The book flip-flops between wartime 1942 and contemporary 2016. Mari Starwood is visiting renowned painter Elizabeth Devereaux at her farm in Martha’s Vineyard, supposedly to take painting lessons. Mari’s mother had just passed away, and Mari had come across the painter’s name among her mother’s things—along with the words “cadence” and “briar.” As the story unravels, Mari, who has never stepped foot on the island, will now realize just how closely she is connected to it.
The story is presented by alternating narratives by Cadence and Briar, with breaks from Mari’s contemporary events. And, as readers become invested in the story, questions arise: Will Cadence realize her dream to leave the farm and work in the big city? Will Briar get in trouble for all her snooping around the island? What will happen to Bess with Tom off to war? Will Ginny be able to hang on to the farm without Tom and the girls, who all want to lead their own lives? How does Mari fit into all this? And, perhaps, the most suspenseful of all, what to do about Peter?
History Brought to the Forefront
Author Kelly has written many historical novels, and this is probably one of the most compelling. It uses a little-known piece of WWII history—Operation Pastorius, a failed German operation to disrupt and destabilize America—as the basis for Peter’s predicament. German subs had dropped off four agents on Long Island and another four in Florida. Caught, two of them became informants, which led to a lighter sentence for them and the death of the other six.Another historical tidbit used to move the plot was the threat of American sympathizers to the Nazi cause. The book narrates how an informant, scheduled to meet one of the Germans in the U-boats, must be thwarted before the turncoat slips away through the watery underworld.
Community and Family Connections
The story features the strength of a tight-knit family as seen in how the Smiths support each other. It also embraces the quirks and nuances of living within an island community. They are the humble year-rounders—not the rich set that the island is more frequently associated with todayA book on books, an intriguing story on another facet of WWII history, and a heartwarming tale about community and reconnecting with family—this is another great title for fans of historical fiction.
