May 2022

In MUSTIQUE ISLAND, Sarah McCoy transported me to this island that, aside from its sandy shores and blue water, has a storied history of being the playground for Princess Margaret and Mick Jagger. As a friend who has vacationed there at Christmas for more than two decades has told me, what happens on Mustique stays on the island. Over the holidays you will not hear what celebrities there are doing; it’s known to be a place where respect is given to those vacationing. So this trip there with Sarah’s characters is just brilliant fun.

The setting is the early 1970s, when Mustique --- one of the tiniest islands in the Caribbean --- was owned by British playboy Colin Tennant. As the book opens, Willy May, a former beauty queen, sails to Mustique looking for a place to reassess her life. She breaks ground on her own home there, called Firefly, as she is completely caught up in the magical vibe of the place. She also meets Tennant's famous friends, whose days are spent partying. The fun just builds from there as we are treated to the place as voyeurs.

As I found with Jane Green's SISTER STARDUST, it is period-perfect and harks back to a different time. This is as much a mother/daughter/sister story as it is a story about extravagant island life. And it has an ending that I never saw coming!

» Watch my "Bookreporter Talks To" interview with Sarah McCoy and listen to the podcast.