The Martha’s Vineyard Beach and Book Club is a novel about solidarity between women in an era that offered women few opportunities to define their own lives and careers. Cadence, Briar, Bess, and Margaret—the original members of the titular book club—help each other by working together as a team. As allies, the women support and empower one another, distributing books to soldiers, keeping the farm afloat, saving Peter’s life, and disposing of Tyson’s body. The novel’s major events all arise from their ongoing collaboration.

Organizing isn’t without conflict. Cadence and Briar regularly clash, with Cadence viewing Briar as a troublemaker and Briar chafing against Cadence’s cautious attitudes. Their sharp tension reaches a breaking point when Cadence suggests that prison would be “good” for Briar. The harsh quip forces Gram to remind Cadence, “This is your sister” (261). Their fighting isn’t entirely negative, however: The sisters mutual love is unshakeable, and the open dialogue helps them figure out how to move forward. Neither sister shuts out the other. Briar listens to Cadence’s arguments for turning Peter in, though she ultimately disagrees, and Cadence entertains Briar’s theory that Major Gilbert is a spy. While Bess severs contact with the Smith family, her separation helps them, as it nets them $5,000, which they use to jumpstart their farm. Margaret, too, helps solve a conflict. She falls in love with Peter, and their eloping means that the family doesn’t have to worry about him further.

The burial of Tyson’s body is a critical scene that emphasizes the benefits of solidarity. Peter says, “I’m afraid I can’t do it alone.” Cadence answers, “I know four women who will help” (504). The phrase “four women” spotlights the unified mindset of Cadence, Briar, Margaret, and Bess. They’re a quartet. Cadence and Briar help Peter dig the grave, Margaret affixes the chain to the rock, and Bess drives the tractor. The women have distinct roles and they perform them well. The teamwork leads to a speedy, inconspicuous burial that prevents people from wondering about Tyson.

Mrs. Stanhope reveals what occurs when women don’t work together. As a thorough antagonist, Mrs. Stanhope shames her daughter and tries to extort Cadence. While the main women try to lift one another, Mrs. Stanhope focuses on cutting them down if they don’t do what she says. She’s selfish and stubborn, giving away Bess’s daughter and her granddaughter. Mrs. Stanhope actively undermines solidarity in service of patriarchal and classist norms, forcing Bess to leave her chosen family and to give up her child, all to maintain her family’s standing in the conservative environment of the Edgartown social elite. Bess, now Mrs. Devereaux, never becomes like her mother and maintains the collaborative spirit in 2016. She seeks out Mari, and they join forces to keep the farm in the family. Like the four women in 1942, the two women in the present align for an admirable cause.