Brooke Lea Foster’s fourth novel, Our Last Vineyard Summer, delivers a richly textured family drama that oscillates between the sun-drenched shores of Martha’s Vineyard and the political corridors of 1960s-70s Washington. This dual-timeline narrative weaves together themes of feminist awakening, family secrets, and the complex legacy of progressive parents, creating a story that resonates deeply with contemporary readers while honoring its historical setting.
The novel centers on the Whiting family, anchored by the formidable Virgie Whiting—a feminist icon reminiscent of Gloria Steinem—and her late senator husband Charlie. When financial troubles threaten to force the sale of their beloved Vineyard summer house, three adult daughters must confront long-buried family secrets that challenge everything they believed about their parents’ marriage and their own identities.
Character Development That Echoes Real Relationships
Foster demonstrates remarkable skill in crafting authentic female relationships, particularly between mothers and daughters. The dynamic between Virgie and her youngest daughter Betsy forms the emotional core of the novel, revealing the particular pain that occurs when a daughter desperately seeks approval from a mother whose attention is divided between family and changing the world.
Betsy emerges as the most compelling character—a graduate student in psychology who finds herself pregnant and adrift after her father’s death. Foster captures the uncertainty of young adulthood with genuine empathy, showing how Betsy’s academic understanding of family dynamics fails to prepare her for the messy reality of her own relationships. Her journey from seeking external validation to developing inner strength mirrors the broader feminist themes woven throughout the narrative.
The portrayal of Virgie Whiting proves equally nuanced. Rather than presenting her as either a saint or villain, Foster shows a complex woman whose public feminism sometimes came at the cost of private maternal attention. The author skillfully reveals how Virgie’s discovery of her husband’s affair became the catalyst for her more radical feminist writings, transforming personal pain into public power.
The Dual Timeline Structure: Past Illuminating Present
The alternating chapters between 1965 and 1978 create a sophisticated narrative structure that allows readers to understand how past secrets shaped present relationships. The 1965 timeline reveals the cracks in Charlie and Virgie’s marriage during the height of his political career, while the 1978 sections show the consequences of those fractures thirteen years later.
This temporal structure serves the story well, building suspense about family secrets while demonstrating how the personal becomes political in women’s lives. Foster’s decision to reveal the truth about Charlie’s affair and secret love child gradually allows readers to understand the complexity of each character’s motivations rather than rushing to judgment.
Martha’s Vineyard as Character and Symbol
Foster’s connection to Martha’s Vineyard shines through in her loving descriptions of the island setting. The Vineyard functions as more than mere backdrop—it becomes a character itself, representing both privilege and sanctuary, tradition and change. The summer house serves as a tangible symbol of family legacy and the question of what’s worth preserving from the past.
The author’s prose captures the sensory pleasures of Vineyard summers—the scent of honeysuckle, the sound of buoy bells, the sight of sailboats dotting the harbor—creating an immersive atmosphere that makes readers long for their own New England escape. Yet Foster doesn’t romanticize this world entirely; she acknowledges the exclusivity and social pressures that accompany such rarefied settings.
Feminist Themes That Transcend Their Era
While rooted in the women’s liberation movement of the 1960s and 70s, the novel’s exploration of feminist themes feels remarkably contemporary. The tension between personal ambition and family obligations, the challenge of maintaining authentic relationships while pursuing public goals, and the question of how to raise empowered daughters all resonate with modern readers.
Foster’s treatment of these themes avoids both preachiness and oversimplification. The feminist book club discussions that punctuate the narrative serve as clever vehicles for exploring ideas about women’s autonomy without feeling forced or didactic. The choice of Kate Chopin’s The Awakening as their discussion book provides apt parallels to the characters’ own journeys toward self-discovery.
Exploring Family Secrets and Their Consequences
The revelation of Charlie’s affair and secret daughter Melody provides the novel’s central mystery, but Foster handles this potentially melodramatic plot point with restraint and psychological insight. Rather than sensationalizing the scandal, she explores how secrets shape family dynamics across generations and how the truth, when finally revealed, can both wound and heal.
The character of Melody Fleming, Charlie’s former press secretary and the mother of his secret daughter, could have been a one-dimensional “other woman,” but Foster grants her dignity and complexity. Her relationship with Virgie before the affair adds layers to the betrayal while also showing how women’s friendships can survive even devastating betrayals when both parties choose growth over revenge.
Areas Where the Novel Falls Short
Despite its many strengths, Our Last Vineyard Summer occasionally suffers from pacing issues, particularly in the middle sections where the family dynamics become somewhat repetitive. The resolution, while emotionally satisfying, arrives perhaps too neatly—the discovery of property that can be subdivided to solve their financial problems feels convenient rather than organic to the story.
Additionally, some secondary characters remain underdeveloped. Betsy’s boyfriend Andy, whose abandonment catalyzes much of her emotional journey, never feels like more than a plot device. Similarly, some of the male characters lack the psychological depth Foster brings to her female protagonists.
The novel’s treatment of 1970s politics and social issues, while generally well-researched, occasionally feels more informed by contemporary perspectives than authentic to the period. Certain conversations about feminism and gender roles carry a modern sensibility that can break the historical immersion.
Writing Style and Narrative Voice
Foster’s prose style perfectly captures the languid pace of summer while maintaining narrative momentum. Her background as a journalist shows in her attention to historical detail and her ability to weave social context seamlessly into personal story. The dialogue feels natural and period-appropriate, particularly in the way different generations of women speak about ambition, marriage, and independence.
The author demonstrates particular skill in writing about family dynamics, capturing the way shared history can create both intimacy and misunderstanding. Her descriptions of the three sisters’ relationships ring especially true, showing how adult siblings carry childhood roles and resentments into their grown-up interactions.
Comparison to Foster’s Previous Work
Readers familiar with Foster’s earlier novels—Summer Darlings, On Gin Lane, and All the Summers in Between—will recognize her talent for combining historical fiction with contemporary women’s concerns. Our Last Vineyard Summer represents perhaps her most ambitious work to date, tackling weightier themes while maintaining the engaging storytelling that has made her previous books popular beach reads.
Unlike her earlier novels, which focused more on romantic relationships and social intrigue, this latest work delves deeper into family psychology and generational trauma. The result feels more substantial while retaining the page-turning quality that readers expect from Foster’s work.
Perfect Summer Reading with Substance
Our Last Vineyard Summer succeeds as both entertaining summer fiction and thoughtful exploration of women’s lives across generations. Foster has created a novel that can be enjoyed on the beach while also providing material for book club discussions about feminism, family loyalty, and the price of keeping secrets.
The novel’s exploration of how personal choices ripple through generations makes it particularly relevant for readers grappling with their own family dynamics and the challenge of balancing individual dreams with family obligations. Foster’s sympathetic portrayal of flawed but striving characters creates space for readers to examine their own relationships with greater compassion.
Final Verdict
Our Last Vineyard Summer confirms Brooke Lea Foster’s position as a skilled chronicler of women’s lives and historical moments. While not without its flaws—particularly in pacing and some convenient plot resolutions—the novel succeeds in creating an engaging family saga that honors both the complexity of human relationships and the ongoing struggle for women’s equality.
For readers who enjoy historical fiction that combines personal drama with social issues, this novel delivers satisfying entertainment alongside meaningful themes. Foster’s ability to capture the particular atmosphere of Martha’s Vineyard summer culture while exploring universal questions about family, identity, and forgiveness makes this a worthwhile addition to the historical fiction canon.
The novel works particularly well for readers interested in stories about complicated mothers and daughters, the women’s liberation movement, or the intersection of public and private life in political families. While it may not break new literary ground, it tells its story with heart, intelligence, and just enough beach-read appeal to make it an ideal summer companion.
Similar Books to Consider
Readers who enjoyed Our Last Vineyard Summer might appreciate:
- The Paper Palace by Miranda Cowley Heller – Another Martha’s Vineyard-set family drama exploring secrets and choices
- The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid – For readers interested in powerful women navigating public and private personas
- Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng – Explores family dynamics and feminist themes across generations
- Tom Lake by Ann Patchett – Features sibling relationships and family property as central elements
- One Big Happy Family by Susan Mallery – Another wine country family saga with strong female characters
- Beach Read by Emily Henry – For those seeking summer romance with emotional depth
- The Briar Club by Kate Quinn – Historical fiction featuring complex female relationships during challenging times
About the Author’s Growing Legacy
With four novels now to her credit, Brooke Lea Foster has established herself as a reliable voice in contemporary historical fiction. Her particular talent lies in creating stories that feel both historically grounded and emotionally relevant to modern readers. As she continues to explore the Martha’s Vineyard setting that clearly inspires her, readers can anticipate more nuanced explorations of family, class, and women’s evolving roles in American society.
