Why a Booktrail?
19oos: Three generations of a privileged American family, and the secrets that bind them.
The Guest Book
What you need to know before your trail
The Miltons are a powerful old New York family – the kind of family that used to run the world. And in 1935, they still do. Kitty and Ogden Milton seem to have it all. When a tragedy befalls them, Ogden comforts Kitty the only way he knows how – they go sailing, picnic on a small island off the coast of Maine, and buy it.
For generations the Miltons of Crockett Island revel in a place that is entirely their own. But it’s 1959, and the world is changing.
At the dawn of the 21st century, the family money has run dry, and the island is up for sale. Returning for one last visit, Kitty’s granddaughter uncovers disturbing evidence about her family’s wealth – and realizes she is on the verge of finally understanding the silences that seemed to hover just below the surface of her family all her life.
Travel Guide
Discover the New York and Berlin of Sarah Blake
The story of three generations of a larger-than-life, well-to-do American family. The cities of New York and Berlin are evoked well over the years and the glitz and glam of the city that never sleeps is particularly well done. This version of the city sparkles with wealth…as does the island…but for how long?
”She knew silence often flew in between families and roosted. Slow, inexplicable angers grew without roots. Nothing special, no story. What the study of history had taught her, clearly, after years and years, was that she might pull up the single moments from the darkness where they lay centuries old, she might point to a spot in time, a line in a diary, the particular shredding of a blue ribbon used to tie a shoe, she might string these together and say–here is what happened.
And history would sit back on her heels and laugh and laugh.”
The island off Maine:
“Nothing will ever change. Sunlight. Starlight. Drinks on the dock. A single sail out in the bay. It will never change. It seems to promise, ‘You will not die.’ On and on like a painting,’ she said. ‘Here you are. As long as the Island stands, we stand. Time never minds.’”
The Island remains the constant affirmation of the family’s success through three generations of the Milton family. When they could lose the island, they could also lose their identity.
BookTrail Boarding Pass: The Guest Book
Destination/location : Berlin, NYC Author/guide: Sarah Blake Departure Time: 1930s, 1960s, 2000s
Back to ResultsWhere Next?
