May 29, 2021 BITTER SWEET LOVE

I used to look forward to going to my grandparents house when I was young. It's the only time I can  remember being taken care of.  Not sure if those are the right words--what I'm trying to say is--it was the only time I remember feeling special. I spent my early years taking care of my brothers and little sister. Cooking, cleaning, changing cloth diapers with pins and rubber pants. I can vividly remember telling my 6th grade teacher that I could stay after school for volleyball as long as I got home by 4:00 to put the chicken in the oven. He must have thought I was nuts-- I thought nothing of it. My grandparents knew I was always taking care of others--so when I went to their house--I was treated like a queen. My grandmother made my bed--cooked whatever I wanted for breakfast--lunch--dinner AND we had giant hot fudge sundaes every night for DE. Those were the days. Today I spent three hours in the kitchen making a few platters of eggplant parmesan for my son. It's his birthday so I wanted to cook one of his favorite meals.  Take care of him--make him feel special.  It's funny how a little thing like making eggplant can turn bittersweet. Miranda Schuyler, the main character in Beatriz Williams lovely novel The Summer Wives, return to Winthrop Island after 18 years is also bittersweet. As the story unfolds, it's the summer of 1951 and Miranda has just arrived on Winthrop Island--loosely based on Fisher's Island--for her mother's wedding. Her mother is marrying into a wealthy family--Hugh Fisher--who owns a summer estate on the island. Miranda is also gaining a sister about her age named Isobel. Miranda immediately loves the island but the glamor and lifestyle of the rich is new and uncomfortable for her. Soon she meets Joseph Vargas whose father is a fisherman and the lighthouse keeper. By the end of the summer an event occurs that changes Joseph's life forever and leaves Miranda banished from the island. The book then picks up again in 1969 . Miranda, now a famous actress, has finally returned to the island. The Fisher estate is in shambles, but the island has remained the same except for the police who are  looking for an escaped prisoner named  Joseph Vargas. Find out what happens to Joseph, Miranda, Isabel and the people of Winthrop Island when you read this page turner for yourself. It's a mystery and love story of about 360 pages or a 4 mile run-- that I really enjoyed.