Brooke Lea Foster returns to the sun-drenched shores of Martha’s Vineyard with Our Last Vineyard Summer, a novel that captures the bittersweet essence of family legacy and the painful process of growing into one’s authentic self. Following her acclaimed debut Summer Darlings, Foster once again demonstrates her masterful ability to weave together the golden nostalgia of New England summers with the darker undercurrents of human complexity.
The story unfolds through a compelling dual timeline spanning 1965 and 1978, centering on the Whiting family and their beloved Martha’s Vineyard summer house. In the later timeline, we meet Betsy Whiting, a graduate student at Columbia struggling through her first year following her senator father’s death. When her mother Virgie—a prominent feminist and women’s movement leader—summons her daughters home to sell their cherished summer house to pay off debts, Betsy must confront not only financial crisis but the fractured relationships that have defined her family.
A Tale of Two Generations
Foster’s decision to employ a dual timeline proves both ambitious and rewarding. The 1965 storyline reveals a younger Virgie discovering her husband Charlie’s devastating betrayal—a secret affair that produced a daughter the same age as Betsy. This revelation becomes the foundation for understanding the family’s fractured dynamics thirteen years later. The parallel narratives create a rich tapestry where past wounds inform present struggles, and where patterns of betrayal and forgiveness echo across generations.
Betsy emerges as a deeply relatable protagonist, caught between her desire for independence and her need for family connection. Her relationship with her professor Andy Pines—a morally compromised figure who fails her academically while ending their affair—serves as a stark contrast to her reconnection with James, her childhood friend and first love. Foster skillfully uses these relationships to explore themes of self-worth, academic sexism, and the courage required to forge one’s own path.
The Weight of Feminist Legacy
One of the most compelling aspects of “Our Last Vineyard Summer” is its examination of feminist identity across generations. Virgie Whiting stands as a complex figure—a woman who championed women’s rights publicly while privately enduring her husband’s infidelity. Her character embodies the contradictions many women of her era faced: fighting for equality while maintaining traditional family structures. Foster doesn’t shy away from the uncomfortable truth that even feminist icons can struggle with personal agency in their private lives.
Betsy’s journey becomes a meditation on what it means to inherit a feminist legacy while forging individual identity. Her decision to have a child as an unmarried graduate student represents both rebellion against and continuation of her mother’s values. Foster handles this delicate balance with nuance, avoiding easy answers while honoring the complexity of women’s choices across different eras.
Masterful Sense of Place
Foster’s evocation of Martha’s Vineyard transcends mere setting description to become an integral character in the narrative. The island represents both sanctuary and prison, a place where childhood memories collide with adult realities. The author’s intimate knowledge of the Vineyard—evident from her acknowledgments—infuses every scene with authentic detail, from the ferry rides to the harbor views, creating an almost tangible sense of place that readers can taste and smell.
The contrast between the family’s struggling finances and the wealth surrounding them on the island adds another layer of social commentary. Foster expertly captures the particular anxiety of families trying to maintain appearances while facing financial ruin, a theme that resonates beyond the specific historical moment.
Character Development and Emotional Depth
Foster excels at creating multi-dimensional characters who feel authentically human in their contradictions. Betsy’s sisters, Louisa and Aggie, could have easily become stock characters, but Foster gives each distinct voice and motivation. Louisa’s anger at their father’s betrayal drives her practical approach to solving the family’s problems, while Aggie’s role as a young mother struggling with her own identity adds contemporary relevance to the historical setting.
The discovery of Melody and her daughter Vera on Nantucket provides the novel’s most emotionally charged moments. Rather than treating this subplot as mere melodrama, Foster uses it to explore themes of legitimacy, belonging, and the way family secrets shape multiple generations. The resolution—subdividing the Nantucket property to allow Melody to remain while providing income—demonstrates Foster’s commitment to nuanced solutions rather than simple villains and victims.
Narrative Structure and Pacing
The alternating timeline structure generally serves the story well, though occasionally the transitions feel somewhat mechanical. Foster’s decision to reveal certain information gradually creates effective dramatic tension, particularly around Charlie’s infidelity and its consequences. However, some readers may find the pacing uneven, with the 1965 sections sometimes feeling rushed compared to the more leisurely development of Betsy’s 1978 story.
The novel’s climax, where family secrets finally surface and resolutions emerge, feels both satisfying and realistic. Foster avoids the temptation to tie everything up too neatly, instead offering a conclusion that acknowledges the ongoing work required to heal family relationships while honoring individual autonomy.
Literary Craftsmanship
Foster’s prose style demonstrates significant growth from her debut novel. Her writing captures the period’s cadence without feeling forced or artificial, particularly in dialogue and internal monologue. The author shows particular skill in conveying the unspoken tensions that exist within families, those subtle power dynamics that shape relationships across decades.
The novel’s exploration of women’s education and professional opportunities in the late 1970s feels particularly relevant to contemporary discussions about gender equity. Betsy’s struggles in graduate school—facing dismissive male classmates and a professor who fails her academically while exploiting her romantically—ring with unfortunate authenticity.
Comparative Context
Foster’s work invites comparison to other authors exploring women’s experiences in mid-20th century America. Like Elin Hilderbrand’s Nantucket novels or Nancy Thayer’s Martha’s Vineyard settings, Foster uses New England island life as a backdrop for examining family dynamics and social change. However, her focus on feminist themes and political families gives her work a distinctive edge that sets it apart from purely escapist summer fiction.
The novel also echoes themes found in works by authors like Margo Livesey or Anita Shreve, particularly in its examination of how family secrets influence multiple generations and shape individual identity.
Minor Criticisms
While generally successful, “Our Last Vineyard Summer” occasionally suffers from predictable plot developments. Certain revelations feel telegraphed well in advance, and some supporting characters remain somewhat underdeveloped. The resolution of Betsy’s academic crisis—her decision to return to Columbia and complete her degree—could have been given more detailed exploration, particularly given the novel’s focus on women’s education.
Additionally, while Foster handles the dual timeline effectively overall, readers may occasionally lose track of which era they’re reading, particularly during transitions between sections.
Books for Further Reading
Readers who enjoy Foster’s blend of family drama and historical setting in “Our Last Vineyard Summer” might appreciate:
- The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid
- The Guest List by Lucy Foley
- Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng
- The Paper Palace by Miranda Cowley Heller
- Summer of ’69 by Elin Hilderbrand
Final Verdict
Our Last Vineyard Summer succeeds as both an engaging family saga and a thoughtful exploration of women’s evolving roles in American society. Foster has crafted a novel that honors the complexity of family relationships while never losing sight of individual agency and growth. Despite minor pacing issues and occasionally predictable plot developments, the book offers a satisfying reading experience that lingers beyond the final page.
Foster’s ability to balance nostalgia with clear-eyed examination of past limitations makes this novel particularly appealing to readers interested in women’s history and family dynamics. The Martha’s Vineyard setting provides the perfect backdrop for a story about preservation and change, about holding onto what matters while having the courage to let go of what doesn’t serve.
This is historical fiction at its most accessible and emotionally resonant—a novel that reminds us that even in our most challenging moments, we retain the power to choose our own paths forward.