The famous, the wealthy and the not-so-wealthy all come together on Winthrop Island each summer in Beatriz Williams’ new novel, UNDER THE STARS. For those who read HUSBANDS & LOVERS, a few characters will be familiar. Nevertheless, readers will be touched by this story about three women, all of whom end up on Winthrop Island, hoping that their lives will change for the better.

The novel is told from the points of view of Meredith Fisher, Audrey Fisher and Providence Dare. Providence's tale is conveyed through her journal entries depicting not only the time just before the wrecking of the steamship Atlantic around Thanksgiving Day, but her life prior to that traumatic event. Audrey is a chef whose husband has just disappeared, leaving her with staggering debt and a broken heart. Her mother, Meredith, was born on Winthrop Island but left to become a movie star, a goal that she accomplished.

"You will never forget these three women. You may not like them all, but you will respect some of the choices they make in this heartfelt, beautifully conceived novel."

When Meredith is offered a plum role in a film, but a requirement is that she stop drinking, her agent knows that she must get out of the public eye. She also is aware that Audrey is in need of money. So she asks Audrey to accompany Meredith to Winthrop Island, where they have a family home, for three months so that her mother can sober up. Audrey’s beloved dog has just died, and she doesn't know what her next step will be now that her husband, who jointly owned their restaurant, has left her and emptied their bank accounts.

The third narrative is Providence's written account of the days leading up to the wreck of the ship that she is taking to flee from Boston to go to New York City in order to disappear. At first, we are not sure from whom or what she is running, or why, but gradually her detailed journal entries make that clear. What we don't realize until Williams masterfully sets the stage --- piece by piece, act by act --- is the commonality that draws the women, each of a different age, together.

In addition to creating compelling characters who all are definitely flawed to some minor or not-so-minor degree, Williams provides a timeline that moves us flawlessly forward while also looking back at the history of these ladies to see what events molded them and made them into the women they became.

Interestingly, this was just a discussion in my book club, and some participants expressed that they did not care for time shifts in novels. However, I pointed out that when done skillfully (as Williams certainly does), they offer readers greater perspective into the characters and their motivations than a strictly chronological timeline might have done.

The chapters are clearly labeled so we know from whose perspective the narrative is, and some are from other points of view, which bring more breadth to the novel. There are a few surprising twists, and readers will enjoy seeing how the relationship between Meredith and Audrey changes and grows over the course of the story. There also is some romance, which is carefully and movingly constructed and executed.

There is mystery as well when a centuries-old trunk is found in the basement of the bar that Audrey's father owns on the island. How do its contents relate to what we know of the three women? Again, we benefit from Williams' consummate skills as she gathers together the pieces of the story she has provided and shapes them into something we don't suspect but makes perfect sense.

UNDER THE STARS is a lovely summer novel perfect for reading under blue skies and on a beach or poolside. But it's just as appropriate for a cold winter's day when the trials of Providence during that frigid November chill on the trapped ship can be felt. You will never forget these three women. You may not like them all, but you will respect some of the choices they make in this heartfelt, beautifully conceived novel.