Author Talk with Martha Hall Kelly on “The Martha’s Vineyard Beach & Book Club”

Get ready for an unforgettable literary event! The Hickory Stick Bookshop and the Gunn Memorial Library proudly present a highly anticipated Author Talk with Martha Hall Kelly, celebrating the release of her latest novel, Martha’s Vineyard Beach and Book Club. Mark your calendars—this must-attend event coincides with the book’s arrival in stores on May 27, 2025! Don’t miss the chance to hear from the bestselling author behind Lilac Girls as she delves into her riveting new story.

About the book:
A mesmerizing tale of love, war, and hidden family ties, Martha’s Vineyard Beach and Book Club takes readers on a journey between past and present on the storied island of Martha’s Vineyard.

2016: Thirty-four-year-old Mari Starwood is still grieving after her mother’s death as she travels to the storied island of Martha’s Vineyard, off the coast of Massachusetts. She comes from California and has nothing but a name on paper: Elizabeth Devereaux, the famous but reclusive Vineyard painter. When Mari makes it to Mrs. Devereaux’s stunning waterfront farm under the guise of taking a painting class, Mrs. Devereaux begins to tell her the story of the Smith sisters, who once lived there. As the tale unfolds, Mari is shocked to learn that her relationship to this island runs deeper than she ever thought possible.

1942: The Smith girls—nineteen-year-old aspiring writer Cadence and sixteen-year-old war-obsessed Briar—are faced with the impossible task of holding their failing family farm together during World War II as the U.S. Army arrives on Martha’s Vineyard. When Briar spots German U-boats lurking off the island’s shores, and Cadence falls into an unlikely romance with a sworn enemy, their quiet lives are officially upended. In an attempt at normalcy, Cadence and her best friend, Bess, start a book club, which grows in members and influence as they connect with a fabulous New York publisher who could make all of Cadence’s dreams come true. But all that is put at risk by a mysterious man who washes ashore—and whispers of a spy in their midst.

About the Author:
Martha Hall Kelly is the New York Times bestselling author of Lilac Girls, Lost Roses, Sunflower Sisters, and The Golden Doves. Born and raised in Massachusetts, she was inspired to write this novel by her mother’s family, the Smiths, who settled on Martha’s Vineyard in 1891. She received journalism degrees from Syracuse and Northwestern universities and worked as an advertising copywriter for many years before becoming a novelist. With more than two million copies of her books sold and translated in fifty countries, Martha Hall Kelly lives in Litchfield, Connecticut, and Hobe Sound, Florida.