About this item
"A shimmering story of art, money, and celebrity, The High Season is wicked summer fun." - Helen Simonson, New York Times bestselling author of Major Pettigrew's Last StandThe Hamptons hath no fury like a woman scorned.No matter what the world throws her way, at least Ruthie Beamish has the house. Lovingly renovated, located by the sea in a quiet Long Island village, the house is her nest egg - the 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.It's Memorial Day weekend and Ruthie has packed up their belongings for what Jem calls "the summer bummer": the family's annual exodus to make way for renters. This year, the Hamptons set has arrived. The widow of a blue-chip artist, Adeline Clay is elegant, connected, and accompanied by a "gorgeous satellite" stepson. But soon Adeline demonstrates an uncanny ability to help herself to Ruthie's life - her house, her friends, even her husband (okay, ex-husband, but still) . And after her job as the director of a local museum is threatened, Ruthie finally decides to fight back.Meanwhile, away from the watchful eyes of her parents, Jem is tasting independence at her first summer job, but soon finds herself growing up too fast. One of Ruthie's employees, a master of self-invention named Doe, infiltrates the inner circle of an eccentric billionaire and his wayward daughter. With a coterie of social climbers and Ruthie's old flame thrown into the mix, the entire town finds itself on the verge of tumultuous change. By the end of one unhinged, unforgettable summer, nothing will be the same.In a novel packed with indelible characters, crackling wit, and upstairs/downstairs drama, Judy Blundell emerges as a voice for all seasons - a wry and original storyteller who knows how the most disruptive events in our lives can twist endings into new beginnings.Advance praise for The High Season"The sophisticated and delicious portrayal of subtle class warfare at the shore would make a perfect beach book, but it's a pleasure to read any time." - Library Journal (starred review) "You will revel in the human drama and comedy of this skillfully told tale. Wise, funny, and insightful." - Adriana Trigiani, New York Times bestselling author of Kiss Carlo
About the Author
Judy Blundell is a New York Times bestselling author of more than one hundred books for children. In 2008 she won the National Book Award for Young People's Literature for her novel, What I Saw and How I Lied. Her adult novel, The High Season, will be published by Random House in May 2018. Blundell was born in Brooklyn and grew up in Queens, New York. After a series of jobs in fields that English majors know-- waitressing, teaching, advertising, publishing, scrubbing laboratory glassware--she became a full-time writer. In her adult life she has lived in five states, several of them more than once, on both the East and West coasts. She has settled in Stony Brook, New York, where she lives within the sound of harbor foghorns with her husband and daughter.If you want to read a condensed version of her thoughts on a disorganized life, the process of writing, good books, early morning beach walks, long lunches with fellow writers, plus pictures, please follow her on Instagram at judyblundellbooks.
