โA mesmerizing, head-spinningโand sometimes madcap-hilariousโtake of have and have-nots.โโPeopleย (Book of the Week)
NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BYย REAL SIMPLE AND KIRKUS REVIEWSย โขย โIn the smart, breezy, sweet spot between Meg Wolitzer and Elin Hilderbrand.โโEntertainment Weekly
No matter what the world throws her way, at least Ruthie Beamish hasย the house. Located by the sea in a quiet Long Island village, the house is her nest eggโthe retirement account shared with her ex-husband, Mike, and the college fund for their teenage daughter, Jem. The catch? To afford the house, Ruthie must let it go during the best part of the year.
Itโs Memorial Day weekend and the start of what Jem calls โthe summer bummerโ: the familyโs annual exodus to make way for renters. This year, the Hamptons set has arrived. Adeline Clay is elegant and connectedโand will never need to worry about money.ย Before long, she demonstrates an uncanny ability to help herself to Ruthieโs life. Is Adeline just being her fabulous self, or is she out to take what she wants?
When an eccentric billionaire, his wayward daughter, a coterie of social climbers, and Ruthieโs old flame are thrown into the mix, the entire town finds itself on the verge of tumultuous change. But as Ruthie loses her grasp on her job, her home, and her family, she discovers a new talent for pushing back. By the end of one unhinged, unforgettable summer, nothing will be the sameโleast of all Ruthie.
Praise for The High Season
โBlundell knows the territory. . . . Her account of Ruthieโs coming to grips with a career, a daughter and a community in flux is as touching as it is convincing.โโThe Wall Street Journal
โA huge page-turner . . . so compelling . . . a classic beach read, but very smart, very intelligently written.โโUs Weekly, Emily Giffinโs Summer Reading Recommendations
โAn acid-laced domestic drama set during one golden summer on the moneyed, beachy North Fork of Long Island.โโThe New York Times
โJudy Blundell wields words like an oyster knife in this shimmering story of art, money, and celebrity.โโHelen Simonson,ย New York Times bestselling author ofย The Summer Before the War
โA wry, often hilarious story of a woman trying to keep it together when everything is going so, so wrong.โโReal Simple