The High Season

About the book

“A mesmerizing, head-spinning-and sometimes madcap-hilarious-take of have and have-nots.”-People (Book of the Week)

NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY REAL SIMPLE AND KIRKUS REVIEWS • “In the smart, breezy, sweet spot between Meg Wolitzer and Elin Hilderbrand.”-Entertainment Weekly

No matter what the world throws her way, at least Ruthie Beamish has the house. 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 the start of what Jem calls “the summer bummer”: the family’s annual exodus to make way for renters. This year, the Hamptons set has arrived. Adeline Clay is elegant and connected-and will never need to worry about money. Before long, she demonstrates an uncanny ability to help herself to Ruthie’s 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 Ruthie’s 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 same-least of all Ruthie.

Praise for The High Season

“Blundell knows the territory... . Her account of Ruthie’s coming to grips with a career, a daughter and a community in flux is as touching as it is convincing.”-TheWall Street Journal

“A huge page-turner... so compelling... a classic beach read, but very smart, very intelligently written.”-Us Weekly, Emily Giffin’s Summer Reading Recommendations

“An acid-laced domestic drama set during one golden summer on the moneyed, beachy North Fork of Long Island.”-The New York Times

“Judy Blundell wields words like an oyster knife in this shimmering story of art, money, and celebrity.”-Helen Simonson, New York Times bestselling author of The Summer Before the War

“A wry, often hilarious story of a woman trying to keep it together when everything is going so, so wrong.”-Real Simple

Praise for this book:

"Sharply observed and beautifully written, The High Season is like a cold martini on a hot summer night: refreshing and intoxicating at the same time." - Janelle Brown

"I tore through this book with the sort of obsessive speed that makes you forget about things like eating and sleeping. On top of tackling tough issues like wealth, family, and class, Judy Blundell treats her characters-be they mothers or daughters, socialites or artists-with more honesty and heart than any writer I know. This isn’t a book that you’ll leave on some beach on Long Island’s North Fork-this is a book you’ll be talking about for a long time to come." - Grant Ginder

"Judy Blundell’s The High Season will hit the summer like a blazing comet of wit, poignancy, and lines that make one stop and sizzle with awe. I’m a fan of Judy Blundell for life!" - Mary Alice Monroe

"Judy Blundell’s The High Season is a smart, poignant, witty novel about a family’s life-changing summer on Long Island’s North Fork. It has a churning plot redolent of those great women’s movies from the 1930s, ’40s, and ’50s, and a winning cast of complicated characters, variously brimming with spirit, brains, humor, cowardice, duplicity, evil, charm, and generosity." - Susan Rieger

"Touching, funny, and emotionally precise, recognizable yet full of surprises... Forget the Hamptons: Blundell’s North Fork is where the real drama-and fun-blow in." - Cathleen Schine

"Blundell wields words like an oyster knife in this shimmering story of art, money, and celebrity. The High Season is wicked summer fun." - Helen Simonson

"The High Season is a wickedly good read-hilarious, poignant, and insightful-with a breathtaking finale. If you’ve ever served on a committee, or lived in a resort town, or had friends or parents or children or an infuriating spouse, you will love this book. I did!" - Nancy Thayer

"You will revel in the human drama and comedy of this skillfully told tale. Wise, funny, and insightful, Judy Blundell tells the story of one woman that says something about all of us, our aspirations, and the delicate state of the American dream." - Adriana Trigiani