The Summer Before the Storm — Gabriele Wills

It's the Age of Elegance in the summer playground of the affluent and powerful. Amid the pristine, island-dotted lakes and pine-scented forests of the Canadian wilderness, the young and carefree amuse themselves with glittering balls and friendly competitions. The summer of 1914 promises to be different when the ambitious and destitute son of a disowned heir joins his wealthy family at their cottage on Wyndwood Island. Through Jack's introduction into the privileged life of the aristocratic Wyndhams and their social circle, he seeks opportunities and alliances to better himself, including in his schemes, his beautiful and audacious cousin, Victoria. But their charmed lives begin to unravel with the onset of the Great War, in which many are destined to become part of the “lost generation”. This richly textured tale takes the reader on an unforgettable journey from romantic moonlight cruises to the horrific sinking of the Lusitania, from regattas on the water to combat in the skies over France, from extravagant mansions to deadly trenches - from innocence to nationhood. The Summer Before The Storm, the first of the epic “Muskoka Novels”, evokes a gracious, bygone era that still resonates in this legendary land of lakes. A Muskoka Chautauqua 2010 Reading List Winner! “The Summer Before the Storm is a richly detailed, complex novel - one that will stay with you long after you've turned the last page.” Jonita Fex, The Book Chick “Historical fiction at its best!” Gisela Kretzschmar, Focus on Books