The Summer of Good Intentions: A Novel

by Wendy Francis

Overview

Cape Cod summers are supposed to remain reassuringly the same, but everything falls apart when three sisters and their families come together for their annual summer vacation—and they are carrying more secrets than suitcases.

Maggie is the oldest. She feels responsible for managing the summer house and making sure everything is as it always has been. But she’s hurt that her parents’ recent divorce has destroyed the family’s comfortable summer routines, and her own kids seem to be growing up at high speed. Is it too late to have another baby?

Jess is the middle sister. She loves her job but isn’t as passionate about her marriage. She’s not sure she can find the courage to tell Maggie what she’s done—much less talk to her husband about it.

Virgie is the youngest, her dad’s favorite. She’s always been the career girl, but now there’s a man in her life. Her television job on the west coast is beyond stressful, and it’s taking its toll on her—emotionally and physically. She’s counting on this vacation to erase the symptoms she’s not talking about.

The Herington girls are together again, with their husbands and kids, for another summer in the family’s old Cape Cod house. When their mother, Gloria, announces she’s coming for an unscheduled visit—with her new boyfriend—no one is more surprised than their father, Arthur, who has not quite gotten over his divorce. Still, everyone manages to navigate the challenges of living grown-up lives in close quarters, until an accident reveals a new secret that brings everyone together in heartbreak…and then healing.

Poignant, compelling, and so real that you could shake the sand out of the pages, The Summer of Good Intentions is by a rising star who aims her fiction square at the heart of readers who love Elin Hilderbrand, Dorothea Benton Frank, and Mary Kay Andrews.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781451666427
Publisher:	Simon & Schuster
Publication date:	07/07/2015
Pages:	320
Sales rank:	24,834
Product dimensions:	5.58(w) x 8.40(h) x 0.74(d)

About the Author

Wendy Francis is the author of the novel The Summer of Good Intentions and Three Good Things. She is a former book editor whose work has appeared in the Huffington Post and The Improper Bostonian. She lives outside of Boston with her husband and son.

Editorial Reviews

"A lovely summer read. Wendy Francis deftly explores the bonds of sisterhood and the complexity of family relationships."

Wendy Wax

"The Summer of Good Intentions is a tender and vivid portrait of a family by the sea, of three unforgettable sisters and the tidal pull of their love and secrets. Wendy Francis is a wonderful writer. She made me feel the salt air."

Luanne Rice

"I was immediately engrossed by this story of three adult sisters who share their own bonds, heartbreak and challenges. So much more than a beach read, this very real, poignant, and funny novel will make you look at your own family in fresh, new ways."

Lee Woodruff

"There is much to like in Wendy Francis's The Summer of Good Intentions. Love in all of its messiness is written with convincing thoughtfulness and insight, each flawed character beautifully and realistically portrayed. Feel the sand between your toes as you explore the special bonds of sisterhood and family in what promises to be one of the best books of summer."

Karen White

"Wendy Francis's book thrilled me like a ride in a race car along the coast with the top down. It is everything a summer read should be."

Elin Hilderbrand

"Wendy Francis has created both a family and a story I did not want to leave. These three sisters on a summer vacation display the strong ties that can both hurt and heal a family. Filled with the sweet briny air of Cape Cod, this extraordinary tale shows that, together, we can weather all the seasons of life."

Patti Callahan Henry