Enchanted August — Brenda Bowen

A sparkling summer debut of love and reawakening that transports the classic "The Enchanted April" to a picture-perfect island in Maine

It's a rainy summer in Park Slope, Brooklyn, when two unhappily married women, Lottie Wilkinson and Rose Arbuthnot, spot a tattered ad on their children's preschool bulletin board:

Hopewell Cottage
Little Lost Island, Maine.
Old pretty cottage to rent
Spring water, blueberries, sea glass.
August.

Neither can afford it, but they are smitten. To share expenses, they find two companions: Caroline Dester, the exquisite darling of the independent movie scene, and elderly Beverly Fisher, who is recovering from heartbreaking loss. Transformed by the refreshing summer breezes, steamed lobsters, and cocktail hours on the wrap-around porch, the unlikely quartet gradually begin to open up to one another, and ultimately rediscover their capacity to love and be loved.

With a cast of quirky and endearing characters set against the beauty of an idyllic New England summer, "Enchanted August" brilliantly updates a beloved classic and offers readers a universal fantasy: one glorious summer month away from it all.