Summers at the Saint Summary, Themes and Review
Summers at the Saint by Mary Kay Andrews is a heartwarming and suspenseful novel set at the iconic St. Cecelia hotel, a historic resort on the coast of Georgia. The story follows Traci Eddings, a widow who inherits the hotel after the tragic death of her husband.
As she struggles to restore the Saint to its former glory, Traci confronts personal loss, family betrayal, and the weight of a mysterious drowning from years ago. Balancing themes of forgiveness, loyalty, and resilience, the novel blends family drama, romance, and mystery, making it a perfect summer beach read with a dash of intrigue.
Summary
The novel centers around Traci Eddings, a determined woman who has risen from humble beginnings to become the owner of the prestigious St. Cecelia hotel, known to the locals as “the Saint.” Growing up on the “wrong side” of town, Traci and her childhood friend Shannon worked at the Saint as lifeguards during their teens.
However, their paths diverged when Traci married Hoke Eddings, the hotel owner’s grandson, while Shannon, now a single mother, pursued a career as a nurse.
Following the tragic death of her husband in a plane crash, Traci is left to manage the hotel alone.
The Saint, once a beacon of prestige, is now struggling financially. Staff shortages and competition push Traci to her limits, but she remains committed to reviving the hotel, despite the mounting pressure from her unscrupulous brother-in-law, Rick.
Rick, alongside his wife Meline, has no qualms about sabotaging Traci’s efforts in hopes of claiming the hotel for themselves.
As Traci prepares for the summer season, she enlists a motley crew of young, inexperienced staff members, including Parish, a promising employee who tragically dies in a shocking event that leaves the hotel reeling.
Alongside this fresh team is Holly, the daughter of Shannon, reigniting the strained friendship between Traci and Shannon, which has been marred by a past scandal.
Years ago, a drowning incident at the Saint cast suspicion on Shannon, driving a wedge between the two women. Now, with old wounds reopened, the secrets surrounding the drowning come under scrutiny once more, threatening to unravel Traci’s world.
Traci’s challenges extend beyond hotel management and family tensions. She forms a bond with Juan, a newcomer whose half-brother was the victim in the Saint’s decades-old drowning incident.
As Juan seeks answers about his brother’s death, Traci becomes embroiled in a mystery that links her family’s past to the hotel’s dark secrets. The suspense builds as Traci uncovers long-buried truths about the Eddings family, particularly Rick and Meline’s involvement in nefarious activities.
Throughout the novel, Traci’s journey is marked by personal growth. She learns to navigate her grief, rebuild her friendships, and stand up to those who seek to exploit her.
Themes of forgiveness, redemption, and resilience are woven into the story as Traci fights to protect the Saint and those she loves, all while rediscovering the possibility of new love with Juan.
In the end, Summers at the Saint offers readers a captivating mix of family drama, mystery, and a touch of romance, set against the vivid backdrop of a coastal resort.
Themes
The Intersection of Social Class and Identity: Navigating the Saint’s World
One of the central themes in Summers at the Saint is the deep divide between social classes and how this impacts identity formation and personal relationships. The novel explores how wealth and privilege shape the lives of the characters, particularly Traci and Shannon, who come from working-class backgrounds.
The distinction between “Saints” and “Ain’ts” is more than just a playful local nickname—it represents the entrenched social hierarchies that dictate who belongs and who doesn’t in the luxurious world of the St. Cecelia hotel.
Traci’s marriage to Hoke Eddings allows her entry into this elite sphere, but her status remains precarious. Her struggle to be accepted fully by her husband’s wealthy family—despite her legal ownership of the hotel—underscores the persistent barriers of class.
The novel subtly critiques how social identity is often determined by one’s wealth and lineage rather than individual merit, and it asks whether it is possible to transcend these limitations or if people are forever bound by the social categories they were born into.
The Burden of Legacy and the Weight of Historical Memory
The theme of legacy and how individuals cope with the weight of historical memory is threaded throughout the novel, particularly in Traci’s quest to restore the St. Cecelia hotel to its former glory.
The hotel itself serves as a symbol of both familial and community legacy, embodying the memories and reputations of past generations, as well as the unsolved mysteries that haunt the present.
Traci feels the heavy burden of her late husband’s family legacy, a legacy that is not only tied to prestige and privilege but also tainted by secrets and tragedies, such as the long-buried truth surrounding the drowning at the hotel. In this way, the hotel becomes a metaphor for how characters must confront the legacies left behind by those who came before them.
The novel raises the question of whether legacy is something to be embraced or escaped, as Traci grapples with the personal and moral consequences of continuing to live in the shadow of her husband’s family history.
Moreover, the emergence of Juan and his investigation into his brother’s drowning illustrates how historical memory—when suppressed—can become a haunting force that demands reckoning.
The Complexities of Female Friendship in the Wake of Betrayal and Forgiveness
Summers at the Saint deeply explores the nuances of female friendships, especially through the strained relationship between Traci and Shannon. The novel captures the emotional complexity of friendship where love, loyalty, and resentment are intricately bound together.
Traci and Shannon’s friendship, once close, was shattered by betrayal and unresolved trauma from the drowning incident years earlier, a rift intensified by the socio-economic gap that widened between them after Traci married into the wealthy Eddings family.
Their eventual reconciliation is not simple or sentimental but rather a painful, slow process of working through past wounds and acknowledging the misunderstandings that have defined their separation. The novel delves into how female friendships can be a source of both empowerment and emotional vulnerability, especially when these relationships are tested by time, jealousy, and grief.
It portrays forgiveness as a challenging and sometimes incomplete process, requiring not only an understanding of past mistakes but also a willingness to move forward in a new dynamic.
Grief as a Pathway to Personal Resilience and Reinvention
The theme of grief and its transformative power is one of the most profound elements in Summers at the Saint. Traci’s journey through mourning her husband’s death is not only a personal one but also a catalyst for her professional and emotional reinvention.
The novel portrays grief not as a singular emotional state but as a continuous process that shapes Traci’s decisions and interactions. Traci’s grief is multifaceted: she mourns not just her husband but also the loss of the life she envisioned with him, the security of their partnership, and the idealized version of the Saint that once existed.
Yet, her grief is also what fuels her determination to save the hotel and reclaim her agency within the oppressive dynamics of her in-laws. By highlighting the various ways Traci channels her sorrow into action, the novel explores how grief can be a pathway to resilience, forcing individuals to confront uncomfortable truths and ultimately emerge stronger, even if scarred.
The Ethics of Power and Exploitation in Familial and Professional Hierarchies
One of the darker themes in the novel revolves around the ethics of power, specifically how it is wielded and exploited within both familial and professional settings.
Rick and Meline, Traci’s brother-in-law and his wife, epitomize the abuse of power in their efforts to sabotage Traci and seize control of the hotel. Their manipulative tactics—ranging from legal battles to emotional coercion—reflect the broader issue of how family members can exploit their proximity to undermine others.
This extends to the novel’s exploration of professional hierarchies, where wealth and connections often determine success more than competence or hard work. The Saint hotel itself becomes a battleground for power, as different characters vie for control over its future, and Traci’s efforts to keep the hotel afloat are constantly undermined by those who believe they are more entitled to its legacy.
The novel raises significant ethical questions about what it means to hold power and responsibility—whether in business, family, or friendship—and whether these positions can ever be occupied ethically without falling into exploitation or manipulation.
Romance, Guilt, and Redemption in the Face of Tragic Loss
Romance in Summers at the Saint is not depicted as merely a subplot or a source of escapist relief but is instead entwined with complex emotions of guilt and the search for redemption.
Traci’s evolving relationship with Juan is not simply a matter of new love but is framed against the backdrop of her mourning for her late husband, Hoke. The novel explores how romance can become an arena for dealing with unresolved emotions, particularly guilt over moving on after a profound loss.
For Traci, her growing feelings for Juan are intertwined with her sense of loyalty to her late husband’s memory, and the romance becomes a delicate balance of honoring the past while allowing herself to heal and open up to the possibility of new happiness.
Juan’s presence also represents redemption for the past—his investigation into his brother’s drowning gives Traci an opportunity to face long-buried secrets and, in doing so, free herself from the weight of guilt tied to the Saint’s dark history.
The novel portrays romance not as a simple escape from grief but as a means of confronting and resolving the emotional complexities that accompany loss and forgiveness.
My Review
If Summers at the Saint were a cocktail, it would be a strong mix of family drama, summer sunshine, a splash of romance, and just a twist of mystery—served with a garnish of “What could possibly go wrong next?”
Traci Eddings, our intrepid widow, finds herself running a hotel while dodging greedy in-laws, solving an old drowning mystery, and trying to keep her staff of misfit summer workers from setting the place on fire (probably literally, knowing this crew).
She’s like a high-class lifeguard, only instead of saving beachgoers, she’s trying to save a centuries-old hotel and, oh yeah, her sanity.
The Saint is not your average vacation spot—imagine being on a relaxing holiday and finding out the guy at the bar next to you might be investigating a murder from decades ago. “Welcome to the Saint Cecelia, where the cocktails are strong, and the family secrets are stronger!”
Meanwhile, Traci’s brother-in-law, Rick, seems like the kind of villain who twirls his mustache in the mirror every morning before plotting how to ruin Traci’s life—again.
Add in the rekindling of a long-lost friendship with Shannon, the woman who might’ve been framed for a drowning years ago, and you’ve got a story where every beach towel comes with a side of intrigue.
Oh, and romance?
Of course! Enter Juan, whose connection to the hotel’s dark past is about as convenient as him showing up just when Traci’s about to dive headfirst into despair. You can almost hear the universe going, “You’ve been through enough, Traci. Here’s a good-looking man and a mystery to distract you.”
In the end, Summers at the Saint is like trying to read a beach book while your entire extended family squabbles over who gets the last margarita—chaotic, entertaining, and impossible to put down.
Highly recommended for anyone who likes their summer vibes with a side of scandal and suspense!