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There are currently 26 member reviews
for The Book of Summer
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Shyeyes
Book of Summer - by Michelle Gable
I received this book through BookBrowse, an ARC. I am so glad I got this book. It’s so good! It is about a house, Cliff House, that is slowly eroding into the sea on Nantucket. The house has been in Bess Codman’s family for eons. This book is fascinating as it has a “Book of Summer” a journal of sorts that residents have been writing about their stays in Cliff House since the house was built. We get to learn of the people who have stayed at Cliff House and about the lives of the locals, and all who have come through over the years. There is the past and present blended together to weave a beautiful tale of the women who lived, and the lives they created. I enjoyed this very much! Can’t wait for the next book.
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Sharon R. (Deerfield, IL)
A House and A Book
This wonderful book is about a summer house and it's guest/family book.
When I was growing up my family owned property and a house on the shores of Lake Huron not far from the Straits of Mackinac. We had notebooks that my father would record all the ships that passed "up" through the straits and "down" to Port Huron, Detroit and points beyond. Dad also recorded the coming and goings of family and visitors. We still have these notebooks and dutifully record when we arrive and when we leave, but without our parents in residence, it has become more a chore than a privilege.
Ms. Gable has captured the longings of summer homes and their residents in this historical novel that flows in alternating chapters from present day to the years of World War II. Showing timeless summers that are for catching up with friends, maybe a little romance and relaxing seaside with a cocktail or two. The author has truly shown what it means to hold on to your summer memories and also, what you can let go.
Highly recommended!
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Deborah P. (Dunnellon, FL)
The Book Of Summer
Quoting the character Ruby, "Three cheers for summer. May it be made only of long Days". I suggest that some of those coming days include reading Michelle Gable's new novel "The Book Of Summer". The Book of Summer is set on Nantucket and is the story of three generations of women and their summer house. The time period alternates between the early 1940s and the present.
I have vacationed on Nantucket and appreciated that the author based the novel on real situations that exist on the island.
Do not be intimidated by the book's length, 404 pages in the advanced readers' copy. Michelle Gable is to be commended for not wasting one word or subjecting the reader to superfluous narrative. In my opinion Gable is a master of the written word and character development. In my 40 years of reading it seems that often one character stands out and the others exist as support. Not so in The Book Of Summer. I found that each of the principles were fully developed by the author and I looked forward to the change in the timeline and different story lines.
In my opinion this is an exceptional novel that entertains and informs. It is set to be published just in time for summer.
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Beverly S. (Chesterton, IN)
A Very Interesting Story
This is my first novel that I have read by Michelle Gable. I found her writing style quite enjoyable. This book shared a family history during two time periods. Present day covered 2008-2013, and historical covered 1939-1948. Both time periods saw weddings, births, wars and deaths. Some will make you laugh and some will bring you to tears. My favorite character in this book is actually a majestic house named Clift House located in Sconset, Nantucket. This beautiful mansion is the heart and soul of this family.
I think book clubs would really enjoy this book and I feel it would be a true gem for lovers of historical fiction.
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Nancy L. (Staunton, VA)
Summer Secrets
"The Book of Summer" by Michelle Gable is the story of three generations of women and their lives in and around their summer home on Nantucket Island. But it's not quite as simple as that sounds. This novel is filled from beginning to end with secrets and surprises. The historical parts were my favorite since they dealt with the attitudes and worries in America at the time of World War II.
The present day parts are quite a bit lighter and, at times, comical. You know you are in for a ride when the book starts with one of the main characters, Cissy, riding her bicycle to pick up her daughter Bess at the Nantucket Airport. There is much to love about this book. It was hard to put down and would make for a great beach read.
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Marjorie H. (Woodstock, GA)
THE Book of THE Summer
I predict this will be the hit beach book of '17. I've read most all the Nantucket beach books (all very good), but this one has a twist. The main character is beach erosion. Yes, you heard me. Ms. Gable presents us with the requisite Nantucket characters (all very good), but the main character is the dangerous beach erosion and loss of homes. In this particular story, a very big, very old, very cherished family home is getting ready to go into the Atlantic - very soon! Like now! The struggle to get Cissy out of the house is the structure of the book. And you'll want to jump into the pages and slap Cissy silly before it's all over. The timeframe goes back and forth between the present and WWII. Ms. Gable does an excellent job of keeping the strings untangled. There's a surprise at the end and it may be something you expected as you read along. I couldn't put it down - didn't want it to end. Having read "The Paris Apartment", I knew what a good author Michelle Gable is, but she outdid herself on this one. Romantics and environmentalists alike will sit up in the wee hours with this one.
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Cindy J. (Hastings, NY)
Great Summer Reading
This book is about a house and the book that guests write in about the house. It is based on a real-life environmental issue concerning the erosion of a bluff. The characters were entertaining especially Cissy and the setting reminded me of summers at the beach. All in all a great read!
