Last Summer at Maine Chance
It’s 1954, and studious Cynthia Proctor has just lost her scholarship at prestigious Barlow College. A summer job is a necessity if she wants to fulfill her dreams of a college degree and a career in economics. Although her middle-class parents don’t approve of either college or working women, Cynthia takes a job as a maid at Elizabeth Arden’s exclusive Maine Chance resort spa, retreat of the rich and famous. But it proves to be more than just a job. She rubs shoulders with women from different classes, she builds confidence—and new muscles—through hard work, and she finds friendships in unlikely places. When a shocking incident threatens Cynthia’s place at Maine Chance and tests her new friendships, she must draw on her newfound strength and friends to forge a fresh path to success.
This is a straightforward coming-of-age novel about a young woman living at a place and time when women’s education was not valued as much as men’s, but when a determined woman could find other opportunities to grow and succeed. Cynthia shares narration with two other women—Iris, the new housekeeper at Maine Chance, and Geraldine, a widowed artist searching for her muse during a stay at the resort. All three grow during the course of the novel, the two older women acting almost as guides for Cynthia’s journey. Everett’s touching novel has strong female friendships, a tender romance, and wonderful historical details about East Coast tourism in the mid-20th century. Though there are few surprises on its pages, Last Summer at Maine Chance is an enjoyable read for those who like reading about strong women and little-known pockets of history.
