Hi guys!
Welcome back to Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers.
Today, I'm enjoying the beginnings of Fall (weather wise...and only for a few hours before work) as I bring to you a tale steeped in the carefree ways of Summer. Hey, it wasn't all that long ago. It's my second venture into this particular author's work and I must say, I'm still rather impressed. It drew me in but not so easily that it required no work on my part thus keeping me balanced in a great give and take "relationship" of sorts with the story. So, before those final rays of Summer are too far gone, or if you're simply in the mood to revisit them already, make room in your day bag for today's book of choice...
Welcome back to Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers.
Today, I'm enjoying the beginnings of Fall (weather wise...and only for a few hours before work) as I bring to you a tale steeped in the carefree ways of Summer. Hey, it wasn't all that long ago. It's my second venture into this particular author's work and I must say, I'm still rather impressed. It drew me in but not so easily that it required no work on my part thus keeping me balanced in a great give and take "relationship" of sorts with the story. So, before those final rays of Summer are too far gone, or if you're simply in the mood to revisit them already, make room in your day bag for today's book of choice...
About the book...
June, 1998: At twenty seven, Catherine Coombs, also known as Cat, is struggling. She lives in London, works as a journalist, and parties hard. Her lunchtimes consist of several glasses of wine at the bar downstairs in the office, her evenings much the same, swigging the free booze and eating the free food at a different launch or party every night. When she discovers the identity of the father she never knew she had, it sends her into a spiral. She makes mistakes that cost her the budding friendship of the only women who have ever welcomed her. And nothing is ever the same after that.
June, 2014: Cat has finally come to the end of herself. She no longer drinks. She wants to make amends to those she has hurt. Her quest takes her to Nantucket, to the gorgeous summer community where the women she once called family still live. Despite her sins, will they welcome her again? What Cat doesn’t realize is that these women, her real father’s daughters, have secrets of their own. As the past collides with the present, Cat must confront the darkest things in her own life and uncover the depths of someone’s need for revenge.
June, 2014: Cat has finally come to the end of herself. She no longer drinks. She wants to make amends to those she has hurt. Her quest takes her to Nantucket, to the gorgeous summer community where the women she once called family still live. Despite her sins, will they welcome her again? What Cat doesn’t realize is that these women, her real father’s daughters, have secrets of their own. As the past collides with the present, Cat must confront the darkest things in her own life and uncover the depths of someone’s need for revenge.
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It's not a book you can fly through as you're trying to find yourself along with Cat but with every page turn we're brought closer to the truths hidden by summer's sweet charms. As I said, it did require some work on the reader's part.
There are many secrets running around these pages and quite literally the apple doesn't fall that far from the tree...in this case, Cat and her Mom. Peas in a pod couldn't be more similar despite the fact that only one of them knows it...initially. Secrets have a way of coming to light and she sure does shine a spotlight on her own, but she does it with Cat's well being in mind. Now, revealing to an adult the fact that your familial connections may not be what you've always been told may seem harsh, but Cat was headed down a dangerous road. Did the revelations about her family history help? Sort of...but not as much or as soon as you would hope. Cat makes her own share of mistakes, though with dissimilar results, and winds up alienating those she loves most. Seasons change, years pass, and she tries to make amends, moving beyond her errors and her addictions. Could it be that easy? Think again. I won't go into further detail on the story itself so as not to spoil it for you, but I do want to take a step closer to our characters...
All those featured, from Cat to her Mom, Ellie to Anna, Sam to Jason, feel as though you have built an intimate connection with them by book's end. There is so much personal stuff that is waded through, so many faults admitted, and attempts made to earn forgiveness, that you can't help but feel the ups and downs of the emotional waves you've ridden. Some held true to their character (Sam and Jason), others surprised for better or worse (Ellie and Julia), but they all managed to leave their own unique mark upon your reading soul.
Overall, I'd say it's a rather curious story. I had a hard time carrying on with Cat as she and her family constantly battled their addiction to alcohol but the human side of the piece was really what moved me in the end. Everyone has something they struggle with, it's called LIFE...not easy street. This story reminds us that we all deserve second chances, and though the outcome of those given may not always be what we wanted, it doesn't make the efforts we expend doing it, any less valiant. Recommended read for Fiction fans of both Contemporary and Women's genres.
There are many secrets running around these pages and quite literally the apple doesn't fall that far from the tree...in this case, Cat and her Mom. Peas in a pod couldn't be more similar despite the fact that only one of them knows it...initially. Secrets have a way of coming to light and she sure does shine a spotlight on her own, but she does it with Cat's well being in mind. Now, revealing to an adult the fact that your familial connections may not be what you've always been told may seem harsh, but Cat was headed down a dangerous road. Did the revelations about her family history help? Sort of...but not as much or as soon as you would hope. Cat makes her own share of mistakes, though with dissimilar results, and winds up alienating those she loves most. Seasons change, years pass, and she tries to make amends, moving beyond her errors and her addictions. Could it be that easy? Think again. I won't go into further detail on the story itself so as not to spoil it for you, but I do want to take a step closer to our characters...
All those featured, from Cat to her Mom, Ellie to Anna, Sam to Jason, feel as though you have built an intimate connection with them by book's end. There is so much personal stuff that is waded through, so many faults admitted, and attempts made to earn forgiveness, that you can't help but feel the ups and downs of the emotional waves you've ridden. Some held true to their character (Sam and Jason), others surprised for better or worse (Ellie and Julia), but they all managed to leave their own unique mark upon your reading soul.
Overall, I'd say it's a rather curious story. I had a hard time carrying on with Cat as she and her family constantly battled their addiction to alcohol but the human side of the piece was really what moved me in the end. Everyone has something they struggle with, it's called LIFE...not easy street. This story reminds us that we all deserve second chances, and though the outcome of those given may not always be what we wanted, it doesn't make the efforts we expend doing it, any less valiant. Recommended read for Fiction fans of both Contemporary and Women's genres.
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About the author...
A graduate of the French Culinary Institute in New York, Green filled two of her books, Saving Grace and Promises to Keep, with recipes culled from her own collection. She says she only cooks food that is “incredibly easy, but has to look as if you have slaved over a hot stove for hours.” This is because she has five children, and has realized that “when you have five children, nobody ever invites you anywhere.”
She lives in Westport, Connecticut with her husband and their blended family. When she is not writing, cooking, gardening, filling her house with friends and herding chickens, she is usually thanking the Lord for caffeine-filled energy drinks. A malignant melanoma survivor who also lives with Chronic Lyme Disease, she believes gratitude and focusing on the good in life is the secret to happiness.
Jane Green’s seventeenth novel, Summer Secrets, will be released in the US on June 23rd and on July 2nd in the UK. She is the author of sixteen previous New York Times Bestselling novels, including The Beach House, Jemima J, and most recently Saving Grace which is due out in paperback in early June.
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Special thanks to Laura at Tandem Literary for the copy for review. (THANKS!) For more information on this title, the author, the publisher, or those promotions on the horizon, feel free to click through the links provided above. This title is available now via St. Martin's Press, so be on the lookout for it on a bookstore shelf or virtual retailer of your choosing.
Until next time...happy reading!
Until next time...happy reading!
1 comment:
How strange, this book is popping up literally everywhere. I go to check on my emails there it is being advertised, likewise when I go to view my FB page there it is being advertised. I go to add a book to my wish list on amazon and there it is suggested as a book I'd enjoy.
Reading the book blurb this is not a novel that particularly speaks to me one way or the other. However reading your thoughts on it makes me think that yeah there is a distinct possibly that amazon are right and I may well enjoy it.
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