Researching novel - cities for affluent college kids in Martha's Vineyard? (Boston: appointed, landscaping)

[Beachcomber4]

The stereotype you are describing isn't the norm. Most Ivy Leaguers are doing internships or padding their resume with travel and philanthropic ventures. I'm not sure what your novel is about but it would be more believable if it was a group of young people having their last hurrah the summer between senior year of high school and freshman year of college.

Regardless, when they do have down time, the wealthy Ivy league college kids aren't slumming it in Oak Bluffs. That's more the speed of the moderately wealthy kids who work on island for the summer. If anything the type you are looking for might be going out for a nice dinner in Edgartown and then back to the manse or boat to party. The Vineyard however does not hold the same panache as Nantucket. From what I've seen with affluent college kids, they are pretty nomadic. They go to Figawi on Memorial Day, Nantucket for Independence Day and then bounce around for the remainder of the summer from beach houses to city houses on weekends depending on their mood.

[MikePRU]

Originally Posted by Beachcomber4

The stereotype you are describing isn't the norm. Most Ivy Leaguers are doing internships or padding their resume with travel and philanthropic ventures. I'm not sure what your novel is about but it would be more believable if it was a group of young people having their last hurrah the summer between senior year of high school and freshman year of college.

Regardless, when they do have down time, the wealthy Ivy league college kids aren't slumming it in Oak Bluffs. That's more the speed of the moderately wealthy kids who work on island for the summer. If anything the type you are looking for might be going out for a nice dinner in Edgartown and then back to the manse or boat to party. The Vineyard however does not hold the same panache as Nantucket. From what I've seen with affluent college kids, they are pretty nomadic. They go to Figawi on Memorial Day, Nantucket for Independence Day and then bounce around for the remainder of the summer from beach houses to city houses on weekends depending on their mood.

The son of one of my co-workers got a job cleaning pools on MV for the summer a bunch of years ago. He ended up meeting Maury Povich's son and now they're best buds. They have some kind of fishing business together now that they operate during the summer. Sounds like the basis for a good book! In all seriousness, I thought spending the summer as a pool boy on MV would be a great premise for a book.

I'd also add that a lot of well to do kids don't come to MV to work for the summer because a lot of staff live in pretty poor conditions that wealthy kids wouldn't tolerate.

[LeslieDH]

No, I totally get it. And you guys are giving some great insight.

The novel isn't really about a group of affluent college kids. It's about a fairly middle-class young woman who goes to spend the summer with her wealthy father and step-mother in MV. But she needs a part-time job and does go to town to seek that out - the job will probably take her to the mansions on the island. I also wanted her to meet affluent college kids, either in town or out at private parties (where she might be working). And it's a rom-com, so it's not going to take itself too seriously. :-)

[GeoffD]

Originally Posted by LeslieDH

No, I totally get it. And you guys are giving some great insight.

The novel isn't really about a group of affluent college kids. It's about a fairly middle-class young woman who goes to spend the summer with her wealthy father and step-mother in MV. But she needs a part-time job and does go to town to seek that out - the job will probably take her to the mansions on the island. I also wanted her to meet affluent college kids, either in town or out at private parties (where she might be working). And it's a rom-com, so it's not going to take itself too seriously. :-)

So the father remarried into a huge pile of money? That's pretty unusual. It would be more credible if it were the wealthy stepfather and a mother who was middle class until she remarried. Sexist but that's the more usual thing.

Edgartown is the most affluent and "established wealth" part of the island. The wealthy father would be a couple houses down from that garish Ernie Boch house on the harbor and do the Ted Knight Caddy Shack thing with Rodney Dangerfield their your neighbor. You'd do your bar crawl in Oak Bluffs. You'd be plugged into the South Beach scene.

[missionhill]

Originally Posted by GeoffD

Edgartown is the most affluent and "established wealth" part of the island. The wealthy father would be a couple houses down from that garish Ernie Boch house on the harbor and do the Ted Knight Caddy Shack thing with Rodney Dangerfield their your neighbor. You'd do your bar crawl in Oak Bluffs. You'd be plugged into the South Beach scene.

Very good detail. Edgartown and adjacent Chappaquiddick Island is an area of considerable wealth where there's also a town with lots of public places where a girl might meet a boy. Maybe she gets a job at the Harbor View and meets affluent college kids who are on the island for a week or two with their Park Avenue families. Up-island (Chilmark, Tisbury, etc.) is wealthy too but it's all private homes, long driveways. She might meet someone at Lambert's Cove beach, a kind of insider's beach on the sound. Or at the Black Dog in Vineyard Haven. Oak Bluffs is lively and full of kids but the scene is more middle class.

[chicagoliz]

Originally Posted by GeoffD

So the father remarried into a huge pile of money? That's pretty unusual. It would be more credible if it were the wealthy stepfather and a mother who was middle class until she remarried. Sexist but that's the more usual thing.

Where did you come up with this? Did I miss where OP said the father married a wealthy woman?
In any event, it may be not as common as a woman marrying a wealthy man, but it happens enough so as not to strain credulity. There is no reason the OP can't do this if that's what makes sense in the story and for the characters.

[ladyinma]

Hi Leslie! I have to agree with other folks here that MV may not be the best setting for your project until you do some deeper research (i.e., reading or visits, especially given your goals). Even if it's a rom-com, folks who know the island (and there are many loyal visitors and residents) might not love if you misrepresent it. I'm not sure if you're self-publishing or have or are thinking about seeking representation, but I worked as an editor through my twenties in Manhattan/for one of the major publishers, and they're going to balk if it's clear that you're plugging in the setting without having done first-hand research. Any setting and this island in particular really should be treated as a character, which means its idiosyncrasies should be understood rather than have the place just plugged in as a name (not suggesting you're going to do that ultimately; just have see many times in reading submissions and warning against). For example, one of the historic characteristics of the island is its Yankee reserve, which means it's understated (in that way that's peculiar to New England). This is changing--with a slight push toward "new money"--which would also be interesting and probably fascinating to subtly include. Agreed with poster about Ivy league kids: some might spend the summer between high school and college, but once in college, not generally as roving packs renting beach houses and partying it up for the whole summer--though on reading your follow-up, seems like this isn't what you're quite doing, which is good.

But re the island, to start, I'd recommend a visit, and a lot of reading, especially:
-On the Vineyard by Jane Carpineto
-Finding Martha's Vineyard by Jill Nelson
-The Big House by George Howe Colt (not set on MV--on the Cape--but gives a great sense of "established" NE families)

I'm sure there are others. Check out the island's newspapers as well.

Alternatively, you could potentially create a fictional island which captures more what you're looking for. But even with this, I'm not sure it will make sense to place it near Massachusetts, since there's a mismatch in its character and what it sounds like you're trying to create--but who knows.

Hope this helps!

[BostonMike7]

Originally Posted by ladyinma

Alternatively, you could potentially create a fictional island which captures more what you're looking for.

Amity Island?

[ladyinma]

Haha, yes. I think I may have heard of it. . .?

[LeslieDH]

@ladyinma Thank you for the advice and the additional resources. How exciting to meet a former editor!

However, the more you all reveal about MV the more it really DOES make me want to use it as a setting for this project. This novel is still in the planning stages and can be manipulated accordingly to accommodate subtle nuance. As you mentioned, I wouldn't just plunk a handful of characters into a setting, forcing them and/or the area to conform to MY ideas of what it or they should be. I do want authenticity for the reader, and that comes with getting to know more that what's on the surface. Complexity makes it interesting. Sure, I could make up an island, but with all the amazing places out there, why not use them?

That said, while I try my best to physically visit every city, state, or country I've set my stories, it's not always feasible (nor financially possible). I have published other novels (in a completely different genre) writing about places I've never been. I depend on books, the internet, documentaries, and people like yourselves to help me get the best "feel" for a place.

But again, thank you for the information. I'm grateful for all of it! :-)

As a side note - my husband frequents this forum because he's an urban planner and he recommended it to me for my research. So far, I'm extremely happy with the response.