Haven Point: A Novel

(Paperback)

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Description

1944: Maren Larsen is a blonde beauty from a small Minnesota farming town, determined to do her part to help the war effort--and to see the world beyond her family's cornfields. As a cadet nurse at Walter Reed Medical Center, she's swept off her feet by Dr. Oliver Demarest, a handsome Boston Brahmin whose family spends summers in an insular community on the rocky coast of Maine. 1970: As the nation grapples with the ongoing conflict in Vietnam, Oliver and Maren are grappling with their fiercely independent seventeen-year-old daughter, Annie, who has fallen for a young man they don't approve of. Before the summer is over a terrible tragedy will strike the Demarests--and in the aftermath, Annie vows never to return to Haven Point. 2008: Annie's daughter, Skye, has arrived in Maine to help scatter her mother's ashes. Maren knows that her granddaughter inherited Annie's view of Haven Point: despite the wild beauty and quaint customs, the regattas and clambakes and sing-alongs, she finds the place--and the people--snobbish and petty. But Maren also knows that Annie never told Skye the truth about what happened during that fateful summer. Over seven decades of a changing America, through wars and storms, betrayals and reconciliations, Haven Point explores what it means to belong to a place, and to a family, which holds as tightly to its traditions as it does its secrets.

Reviews

Praise for Haven Point:

Fans of Elin Hilderbrand and Beatriz Williams will appreciate this sweeping, multigenerational family story.
--Booklist

From losing relations to dealing with infidelity, hurricanes, war conflicts, and confidences held, we get an inside view of how these women survived through more than seven decades yet remained strong and steadfast in their devotion to each other.
--New York Journal of Books

Haven Point has all the proper ingredients for anyone looking for a great summer read. The characters are realistic and potent, and Hume brings them to life in a very rich setting with compelling dialogue, intertwining romance, mystery, and history into the story of several generations of American women.
--Washington Examiner

You will love curling up with this one under your beach umbrella!
--Martha MacCallum, host of The Story

Haven Point is a novel that had me making excuses to go to bed early, so that I could return to the story that had me daydreaming all day. I loved the characters, setting, historical references, dialogue, romance and mystery. Virginia Hume has written a book that I can't wait to recommend to all of my friends.
--Dana Perino, former White House Press Secretary

Unfolding from WWII to the present day, this delicious, intricate novel is woven together with romance, tragedy, family secrets and breath-taking surprises. I will read Haven Point over and over. I'll give it to my friends. I'll read anything Virginia Hume ever writes.
--Nancy Thayer, New York Times bestselling author of Girls of Summer

Haven Point checks all the boxes for a great summer read: generations of strong women, an idyllic but insular coastal town, and an emotionally-rich story that explores the peaks and valleys of life in all its complicated glory. The Demarest family will stay with you long after their final secrets have been revealed.
--Jamie Brenner, nationally bestselling author of The Forever Summer

Haven Point has all of the elements of a great beach read: sparkly summer town, beautiful people, sun-kissed cocktail parties and rambling mansions overlooking the sea. But don't be fooled: No one is perfect. Hume has created unforgettable characters in the three generations of Demarest women whose stories unravel the dark secrets swirling around Haven Point, all while testing their character and family bond. A powerful novel of families trying to understand the forces that shape them just as the ocean shapes the elegant coastline they're summering on.
--Brooke Lea Foster, author of Summer Darlings

A shimmering debut novel about four generations, a summer community in coastal Maine, and the secrets, grief and prejudices that are unwittingly passed down through the years. Rewarding and atmospheric, with deeply drawn characters and a setting you won't soon forget. Delicious!
--Jennie Fields, author of Atomic Love

Taking readers from the wartime corridors of Walter Reed hospital to the contemporary summer singalongs in the rec hall, this wistful debut is perfect for those who want to follow characters through their lifetimes, examine complex family relationships, or enjoy a good redemption story. For fans of Elin Hilderbrand's Summer of '69 and J. Courtney Sullivan's Maine.
--Modern Mrs. Darcy

Author Bio

VIRGINIA HUME is a freelance writer and editor in Washington, D.C. Her early career was spent in public affairs and political communications. She lives in Chevy Chase, Maryland with her husband, their daughters, and an under-groomed bichon named Chester.