Under the Stars

A Novel

By: Beatriz Williams

Narrated by: Helen Laser, Xe Sands, Johnathan McClain, Rachel F. Hirsch, Adam Verner, Will Damron

NATIONAL BESTSELLER • When a daughter and her famous mother return to Winthrop Island to confront their complicated past, they discover a secret trove of paintings that connect them to a mysterious woman who vanished on a luxury steamship two centuries earlier.

From the New York Times bestselling author of Husbands & Lovers comes an epic tale of family legacy, love, and truths that echo down generations.

Audrey Fisher has struggled all her life to emerge from the shadow of her famous mother by forging a career as a world-class chef. Meredith Fisher’s glamorous screen persona disguises the trauma of the tragic accident that haunts her dreams. Neither woman wants to return to the New England island they left behind and its complicated emotional ties, but Meredith has one last chance to sober up and salvage her big comeback, and where else but discreet, moneyed Winthrop Island can a famous actress spend the summer without the intrusion of other people? Until Audrey discovers an old wooden chest among the belongings of her estranged bartender father, Mike Kennedy, and the astonishing contents draw the women deep into Winthrop’s past and its many secrets…attracting the interest of their handsome neighbor, Sedge Peabody. How did a trove of paintings from one of America’s greatest artists wind up in the cellar of the Mohegan Inn? And who is the mysterious woman portrayed on every canvas?

On a stormy November night in 1846, Providence Dare flees Boston and boards the luxury steamship Atlantic one step ahead of the law….or so she believes. But when a catastrophic accident leaves the ship at the mercy of a mighty gale, Providence finds herself trapped in a deadly game of cat and mouse with the one man who knows her real identity—the detective investigating the suspicious death of her employer, the painter Henry Irving. As the Atlantic fights for her life and the rocky shore of Winthrop Island edges closer, a desperate Providence searches for her chance to escape…before the sea swallows her without a trace.

In Under the Stars, the destinies of three women converge across centuries, as a harrowing true disaster at the dawn of the steamship era evokes a complex legacy of family secrets in modern-day New England. Williams has written a timeless epic of mothers and daughters, of love lost and found, and of the truths that echo down generations.

Critic reviews

Praise for the novels of Beatriz Williams

“There are few more skilled practitioners of the craft of summer fiction than Beatriz Williams.”—The New York Times Book Review

“Williams is at the top of her game.”—Kate Quinn

“Williams’s particular gift as a writer is to peel back the pages of history and breathe life into the interior lives of women—how they lived, loved, and lost within the expectations and limitations of their time.”—Entertainment Weekly

“[Williams’s] novels are packed with complex, daring, and intriguing women.”—NPR

“I think Beatriz Williams is writing the best historical fiction out there. It’s lush with period detail but feels immediate.”—Elin Hilderbrand


Praise for Husbands & Lovers

“I loved Husbands & Lovers and devoured it in one delicious gulp. I was so invested in Mallory and Monk. It’s my favorite kind of page-turner—unputdownable!”—Martha Hall Kelly, New York Times bestselling author of The Golden Doves

“Expertly weaves wartime drama, family secrets, forbidden romance, and young love into a vibrant, perfect-for-summer story . . . I couldn’t wait to find out how the story ended, and if the characters got the happy ending they deserved.”—Emma Rosenblum, bestselling author of Bad Summer People

“A master storyteller . . . Two timelines breathlessly intertwine to form a tale full of passion, hope, and heartbreaking family secrets. This one packs the sultry and stunning punch that readers of Williams have come to relish. You’ll savor every page.”—Allison Pataki, New York Times bestselling author of Finding Margaret Fuller

“Reminding us of the interconnectivity of the past and present and the enduring power of love, Husbands & Lovers is stunning.”—Marie Benedict, New York Times bestselling co-author of The Personal Librarian

“[A] captivating novel of love and love lost . . . With well-drawn characters and sweeping drama, Williams’s latest is a gripping journey as secrets and hidden desires are exposed.”—Booklist

Entertaining read 3.5 stars ,should have been 4 but I needed more questions answered in the end .

It was entertaining enough for sure . Some of the characters from Husbands and lovers were back which was fun ,I love when the author does that . You don’t need to read her other book ,this is a stand alone . It’s the kind of book that jumps around a lot because it’s about 3 women in different generations of life ,all connected but the book does jump around to follow their lives . I loved some parts ,needed more of the truth in certain parts,wanted more information in how one of the characters lived out her life . There were parts of the book that were unnecessarily over done and some parts that were underwhelming. All in all it made for an entertaining read. 3.5 stars ,almost very good.

Nothing really stood out-it was all good

Sex talk-most of -how much more can I say-sex sex sex sex sex

Great dual timeline story

Loved the characters in all their humanity and rawness. it begins and ends on an island of summer houses on the east coast. Starlet mother needing to stay sober to obtain her next big role and Audrey her only child picking up the pieces in her wake. Audrey is suffering from a huge marriage betrayal. So together they find themselves on her mom’s family estate on the island. But mom has tremulous past that unfolds and Audrey must deal with her feelings of betrayal. In this time hop there is a ship that sinks off the coast of the island nearly 200 yrs ago. A girl running from her past pursued by the law.
Very good tie in between the two stories. Excellent story teller.

Return of Some Beloved Characters

While this one didn’t stick with me like Husbands & Lovers, I did enjoy it. Some of my favorite characters returned and I loved being back on Winthrop Island.

Fantastic book

When I started reading I was not thrilled with the chapters on Providence Dare! As I continued reading I began to love everything about this amazing read! Kudos to all!