The Book of Summer

Author: Michelle Gable
Genre: Fiction
Publisher: St. Martin's Press, 2017
Pages: 416
Rating: Do Not Recommend

Synopsis: The ocean, the wild roses on the dunes and the stunning Cliff House, perched atop a bluff in Sconset, Natucket. Inside the faded pages of the Cliff House guest book live the spellbinding the stories of its female inhabitant: from Ruby, a bright-eyed newlywed on teh eve of World War II to her granddaughter Bess, who returns to the beautiful summer estate.

For the first time in four years, physician Bess Codman visits the compound her great-grandparents built almost a century before, but due to erosion, the once-grand home will soon fall into the sea. Bess must now put aside her complicated memories in order to pack up the house and deal with her mother, a notorious town rabble-rouser, who refuses to leave. It’s not just memories of her family home Bess must face though, but also an old love that might hold new possibilities.

In the midst of packing Bess rediscovers the forgotten family guest book. Bess’s grandmother and primary keeper of the book, Ruby, always said Cliff House 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 imagined.

Review: I chose this book for the title, The Book of Summer. It sounded like the perfect January read. Unfortunately, none of the characters spoke to me or few me into their world. This wasn't the most effective use of the "time travel" either.

This wasn't terrible, but it is certainly forgettable. Indifferent - that's how I feel now at the conclusion.

An observation: It did occur to me while I was reading this why so many authors choose New England as the setting of their novels. Granted, there isn't an ocean in the Midwest into which a house could fall, but I'm sure some other catastrophe could be imagined.