“The Lost Summers of Newport,” a collaborative historical fiction novel by Beatriz Williams, Lauren Willig, and Karen White, weaves together three storylines spanning over a century, centered on the crumbling Sprague Hall in Newport, Rhode Island. The narrative alternates between 1899, 1957, and 2019, revealing layers of family secrets, scandal, and murder within a Gilded Age mansion.
1899: Ellen Daniels, a woman with a checkered past, arrives at the lavish Sprague Hall seeking a fresh start. She is hired as a music teacher for Maybelle Sprague, a “new money” heiress from Colorado. Maybelle’s ambitious stepbrother, John, controls her inheritance and aims to marry her off to an Italian prince to secure their place in Newport’s exclusive society. Ellen is supposed to polish Maybelle for this launch, but the two form a close friendship, with Maybelle sharing a major secret. However, Ellen’s past catches up with her, leading to a catastrophic night in the boathouse that changes the house’s history forever.
1957: Lucia “Lucky” Sprague, the American-born granddaughter of the prince and Maybelle, has fled post-war Italy with her grandmother, returning to the now-ailing Sprague Hall. She marries Stuyvesant “Stu” Sprague, an alcoholic scion of the stepfamily. Living in an unhappy marriage, Lucky tries to preserve her sanity and the mansion while encountering whispers of a ghostly “Lady in White.” Her life is turned upside down by a devastating, scandalous encounter in the same old boathouse, which uncovers secrets about the family’s past that she thought were long buried.
2019: Andie Figuero, an architectural historian and producer for the reality show Mansion Makeover, arrives at a dilapidated Sprague Hall to restore it to glory. She is desperate for this project to support her young nephew. However, she faces strict conditions from the reclusive owner—a much older, Lucky, who is still alive. Lucky prohibits the crew from investigating the ruined boathouse. As Andie digs into the house’s history for the show, she uncovers the long-buried secrets that connect her, the young singer from 1899, and the trapped wife of 1957.
“The Lost Summers of Newport” explores themes of social climbing, forbidden love, and the preservation of history. As the three narratives converge, the Sprague mansion finally reveals its dark, long-hidden truths, forcing the characters to reconcile the past with their present. It is a story of murder, family lies, and ultimately, finding freedom, showcasing how the scandalous actions of one summer can haunt generations.