Martha Hall Kelly has carved out a distinctive niche in historical fiction with her previous novels Lilac Girls, Lost Roses, Sunflower Sisters, and The Golden Doves. Each has demonstrated her remarkable ability to interweave multiple timelines while illuminating lesser-known aspects of wartime history. In The Martha’s Vineyard Beach and Book Club, Kelly returns to familiar territory—World War II—but with a fresh perspective that feels both intimate and expansive, personal and universal.
This dual-timeline narrative, set against the backdrop of Martha’s Vineyard during WWII and the present day, showcases Kelly’s evolution as a storyteller. Where her earlier works sometimes struggled with pacing across multiple generations, this novel achieves a more seamless flow between past and present, creating a reading experience that feels both nostalgic and urgent.
The Heart of the Story: Two Timelines, One Family Legacy
Present Day: Mari’s Journey of Discovery
The contemporary storyline follows Mari Starwood, a thirty-four-year-old Californian adrift after her mother’s death. Her journey to Martha’s Vineyard to meet the mysterious painter Elizabeth Devereaux serves as more than just a framing device—it becomes a meditation on grief, belonging, and the stories that shape our identities. Kelly handles Mari’s emotional journey with particular sensitivity, avoiding the pitfalls of making her either too passive or unrealistically resilient.
Mari’s character development feels authentic as she transforms from a woman running from her problems to one ready to embrace an unexpected legacy. The revelation of her connection to the Smith family unfolds naturally, without the contrived coincidences that often plague dual-timeline narratives.
1942: The Smith Sisters and Their Wartime World
The historical timeline centers on the Smith sisters—aspiring writer Cadence and sixteen-year-old Briar—as they struggle to maintain their family farm during the war. Kelly’s portrayal of wartime Martha’s Vineyard is meticulously researched and vividly rendered. The island becomes a character itself, transformed from a peaceful retreat into a strategic military outpost where German U-boats lurk offshore and young soldiers train for battles yet to come.
Cadence emerges as the novel’s strongest character, her literary ambitions and romance with British Major Gilbert providing both personal stakes and historical context. Her relationship with the enigmatic major crackles with tension, made more complex by the wartime setting where trust becomes a luxury few can afford. Briar, the younger sister obsessed with military strategy and spotting enemy submarines, brings a unique perspective that grounds the espionage elements in believable teenage determination.
The Power of Community: Books as Resistance
The Book Club as Symbol and Sanctuary
One of Kelly’s most successful elements is the titular book club itself. What begins as an attempt at normalcy—Cadence and her friend Bess reading together on the beach—evolves into something more significant: a form of resistance against the chaos of war. The club’s evolution from a casual gathering to a connection with New York publishers who create portable books for soldiers overseas demonstrates Kelly’s understanding of literature’s role during wartime.
The Armed Services Editions subplot provides fascinating historical detail about how books became “weapons in the war of ideas.” This element elevates the novel beyond simple romance and espionage, suggesting that stories themselves can be acts of defiance against forces that would diminish human dignity and connection.
Character Relationships That Feel Real
Kelly excels at creating believable relationships between her characters. The friendship between Cadence and Bess feels genuine, built on shared dreams and mutual support rather than convenient plot mechanics. Bess’s pregnancy and the complications surrounding her wealthy family add layers of class tension that ring historically true.
The mysterious Peter Muller, the German deserter who washes ashore, could have been a stock character, but Kelly invests him with genuine moral complexity. His relationship with the family—particularly the ethical dilemmas his presence creates—adds philosophical depth to what could have been a straightforward spy thriller.
Strengths That Shine Through
Atmospheric Writing and Historical Detail
Kelly’s prose shines when describing the island setting and wartime atmosphere. Her descriptions of the mock invasion exercises, the U-boats lurking offshore, and the transformation of a peaceful community into a military staging ground are particularly vivid. The author’s own connection to Martha’s Vineyard—her mother grew up there during WWII—infuses the narrative with authentic local color and intimate knowledge of island life.
The historical research is thorough without becoming overwhelming. Kelly seamlessly integrates details about rationing, blackout procedures, and the specific military operations that took place on Martha’s Vineyard. The Cape Cod Commandos, the mock invasions, and the very real German U-boat presence off the New England coast are woven into the narrative with expertise that never feels like homework.
Multiple Perspectives Done Right
Unlike some historical fiction that struggles with multiple viewpoints, Kelly manages her various narrators effectively. Each character has a distinct voice and perspective that serves the larger story. Briar’s sections, told from the viewpoint of a brilliant but socially awkward teenager, capture both her isolation and her unique insights into the unfolding spy drama.
Areas Where the Novel Struggles
Pacing Issues in the Middle Third
While the opening and conclusion of the novel maintain strong momentum, the middle sections occasionally lag. The spy plot, involving the mysterious identity of a German collaborator on the island, sometimes feels drawn out beyond its natural tension. Kelly seems uncertain whether she’s writing a cozy mystery or a serious espionage thriller, and this ambiguity occasionally weakens the narrative drive.
The revelation of the spy’s identity, while surprising, doesn’t feel entirely earned. Some readers may find the resolution relies too heavily on coincidence and last-minute revelations rather than the careful clue-laying that makes mystery plots satisfying.
Romantic Elements That Don’t Always Convince
While Cadence’s romance with Major Gilbert provides important emotional stakes, their relationship occasionally feels more functional than passionate. Their initial antagonism transforms perhaps too quickly into attraction, and some of their dialogue reads as overly formal, even accounting for the historical period and Gilbert’s British origins.
The romantic elements work better when they’re integrated with the larger wartime themes—the uncertainty about the future, the compressed timelines that make every moment precious—but sometimes feel like obligations to the genre rather than organic character development.
Historical Fiction at Its Most Engaging
Comparisons to Similar Works
Readers of The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah or The Alice Network by Kate Quinn will find familiar pleasures in “The Martha’s Vineyard Beach and Book Club”, but Kelly brings her own distinctive voice to the WWII fiction landscape. Unlike some novels that focus on European theaters of war, Kelly’s American home front perspective offers fresh insights into how the war transformed even seemingly isolated communities.
The book club element calls to mind The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, but Kelly’s treatment feels less whimsical and more grounded in the practical realities of wartime life. The connection between reading and resistance resonates particularly strongly in our current moment when the value of literature and education faces ongoing challenges.
Technical Craft and Writing Style
Kelly’s prose style has matured since her earlier novels. While Lilac Girls sometimes felt overly sentimental, this novel strikes a better balance between emotional engagement and historical authenticity. Her dialogue has improved significantly, with characters speaking in ways that feel both period-appropriate and natural to contemporary readers.
The author’s handling of the dual timeline structure shows growing confidence. The connections between past and present feel organic rather than forced, and the revelation of family connections unfolds with appropriate dramatic timing.
A Worthwhile Addition to WWII Fiction
The Martha’s Vineyard Beach and Book Club succeeds as both entertainment and historical education. Kelly has created a novel that honors the complexity of wartime experience while celebrating the power of literature to sustain communities under pressure. The book’s emphasis on female friendship, literary passion, and community resilience provides an uplifting counterpoint to the darker elements of espionage and war.
While the novel has its flaws—particularly in pacing and some romantic elements—its strengths far outweigh its weaknesses. Kelly’s deep research, authentic character development, and evocative setting create a reading experience that will satisfy both casual historical fiction readers and those seeking deeper engagement with WWII American home front history.
For readers who have followed Kelly’s work through her previous novels, this represents a significant step forward in her development as a historical novelist. For newcomers to her work, it serves as an excellent introduction to her particular gifts for combining personal stories with larger historical movements.
“The Martha’s Vineyard Beach and Book Club” ultimately succeeds in its most important goal: making the past feel immediate and relevant while honoring the experiences of those who lived through one of history’s most challenging periods. In our current moment of global uncertainty, Kelly’s reminder about the power of books, community, and courage feels particularly resonant.