Sarah Blake’s saga describes three generations of a successful WASP family.  Ogden Milton, the patriarch, owns a business that survives the Great Depression and World War II.  He and his beautiful, charming wife Kitty raise three children who give them five grandchildren. The family’s summer home is on an island in Maine, a place where the family relaxes and throws parties.  In 1959 Ogden and Kitty are hosting an engagement party for their younger daughter when a Jew and a Black man appear.  After that date, the Milton’s lives are never quite the same.

The Guest Book bounces back and forth in time, and with two characters named Evelyn, the beginning is a bit confusing.  Also, although the Miltons encounter tragedies in their lives, for me it was a little difficult to sympathize with such a privileged family that never wanted to face any of their problems.