Hardcover, 432 pages
Published May
9th 2017 by Thomas Dunne Books
The Book of Summer by Michelle Gable is
part of the SheReads Summer book
selections. SheReads is a
community of bloggers that as a group help promote specific books. We
share reviews, thoughts, and our feelings after reading books suggested to us
by the wonderful people who run the SheReadsOrganization.
Physician Bess
Codman has returned to her family's Nantucket compound, Cliff House, for the
first time in four years. Her great-grandparents built Cliff House almost a
century before, but due to erosion, the once-grand home will soon fall into the
sea. Though she s purposefully avoided the island, Bess must now pack up the
house and deal with her mother, a notorious town rabble-rouser, who refuses to
leave.The Book of Summer unravels the power and secrets of Cliff House as told through the voices of Ruby Packard, a bright-eyed and idealistic newlywed on the eve of WWII, the home's definitive guestbook, and Bess herself. Bess's grandmother always said it was a house of women, and by the very last day of the very last summer at Cliff House, Bess will understand the truth of her grandmother s words in ways she never contemplated.
My Thoughts…
I have never
read a book with characters as crazy, fun, and outlandish as those in The Book
of Summer. This should be a book about
families during WWII, saving their beloved house in Nantucket, and love… it is
about all that, but it was the actual characters that stuck with me.
The present day
story revolves around Bessie and Cissy. I
loved Bessie and Cissy’s relationship.
A mother and daughter that fight, love, and protect each other with
everything they have. Imagine a mother
doing everything in her power to save the family house from falling off a
cliff, literally falling off a cliff.
Cissy, the mother, is crazy about saving it. I loved her. She brought tears to my eyes, love to my
heart, and giggling out loud while reading her story. Bessie, my heart ached for her, going
through a divorce from a man who verbally abused her, trying to talk her mother
into moving out of their family home, and trying to figure out her life in
general was a lot of for her to deal with.
The 1940’s
story, during WWII, is focused on Ruby, Cissy’s mother. There are so many family secrets shared
during her storyline. The family ties
were once again wonderful.
The additions
to the story with the Book of Summer, a guest book of type for the visitors of
the Cliff House, and the newspaper articles from the current time were wonderful
glimpses into what the people outside of the family thought of what was
happening within the family. I really
enjoyed them. I felt like it was a sneak
peek into the lives of the wonderful characters.
The Book of
Summer is a fun read. The family drama,
the secrets, and the wonderful characters all make it a must read.
Thank you Katie
Bassel of St. Martin’s Press and the She Reads Organization for a copy of the
book in exchange for an honest review.
Purchase Your Copy
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