so I finished the book a few hours ago and let it process through my brain because I hate when I automatically jump to astar review because I want to have really good reasons to give it a five star review.
The book is set in a fictional summer community off Long Island, Wauregan, It is an idyllic place where people from high society go to summer where they claim they can "just be themselves".
There are no cars allowed on the island so everyone walks or rides bikes and drags a wagon behind them to carry home they things they bought at the market that day etc.
. . The book is set in, just after the end of WWII, and the main character is Helen Wadsworth.
Her husband Arthur was too old to join up so he joined the newly formed OSS which led to the creation of the CIA.
I think at this point it is important to add that this is the author's first jab at writing fiction.
Before this novel, she was a successful nonfiction writer, However, the plotline she chose as well as the time period allowed Beard to research the heck out of this book! Even in her acknowledgments she stated that it was her fault that she said the moon was full on a certain date because a full moon lent better to the story of Helen's date night with Peter.
I mean come on who researches when there was a full moon inWith that in mind, I realized that all of the facts Peter another main character back from the war gave about how dogs were used in the military beginning in the Roman times was probably pretty well researched and could be backed up by a hundred books that she also listed in her acknowledgements.
Ok I digress. Patricia Beard is a wonderful researcher which led to a wonderful book,
Back to Helen, . . so her husband, Arthur, joined the OSS with his long time friend Frank and near the end of the war, Arthur, was declared MIA.
Helen and her son Jack keep their hopes up that one day Arthur will walk off the ferry and greet them just like old times.
But as the years pass, the rest of the community, especially the women, gossip and say that Arthur is probably dead and that Helen should give up her hopes.
They also secretly talk behind her backs worrying that such a pretty woman might try to steal their husbands.
Remember when I said the people of the community just wanted to "be themselves" and not be tied up in all of the societal expectations back home.
Well they aren't really any different, especially in the gossip department,
Helen must soon realize that she must accept the fact that Arthur is gone.
She hasmen is may be interested in, One is Frank, Arthur's best friend and her son's godfather, The other is Peter, a much younger man who has just returned from the Japanese theatre and months in a psychiatric hospital because he was tortured by the Japanese soldiers just months before Vday in Japan.
Peter starts off the story as a loner with his trusty german shepherd, Max, by his side.
Many of the residents don't trust the dog because he is a war dog and could be aggressive toward the kids but Peter eventually earns the residents trust by showing everyone how peaceful Max can be.
I really could go on and on about this book it was that good.
There was even a hint of mystery with a twist at the end that I certainly didn't see coming.
One other major plot theme was Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and how every solder who came back had some sort of difficulties adjusting to life back home.
It was interesting to read how life was taken care of during the war when it was just the woman in charge and then how different it was when the men came back.
Some had mild symptoms such as flinching at loud noises but other husbands began drinking heavily and many other more disturbing actions.
The author made sure to point out that, even though Peter didn't want to talk about his time in the psychiatric ward after the war was over, it was Peter who was doing the best emotionally once he came home.
The author expressed her thoughts through Helen by her saying "I wonder if it would have been better if all of our men had had the time to recuperate before coming home to their families.
If they wouldn't have as many problems, If the women didn't have to hide what happened in their homes after the lights went out.
" I just thought that was very insightful especially now that we have men and women coming home from war everyday who then sometimes turn to drugs, alcohol, or violence to deal with what they saw on the front lines of battle.
What I am basically trying to get at is to read this book, The author doesn't bog you down with historical facts but I did end the book knowing more than I did before I read it.
The plotline itself is worth it, But to also have so much insight into all the things Beard broached in her book was a fun was of learning.
And I promise it is not a difficult read whatsoever, It reads like a contemporary women's fiction novel, This is astar read for me and I hope that Patricia Beard gives it another go at writing fiction because this was just a gem!stars! This book lacked emotion.
It had such promise, but every time I thought I would finally care about one of the characters, the author jumped to a different storyline.
Very frustrating read! This book is a lot of history following WWII that is rarely addressed in other books.
On the island of Wauregan, the reader sees a microcosm of society following a horrific period of history.
It's summer and the quietly elite return to their summer homes to resume life like before the war.
Of course, there are absences felt as some of the men did not return, Also becoming apparent is that the men who did return left a vital piece of themselves behind.
The scars left on them are rarely ones that can be seen, This is how we meet Peter, a younger man who spent time in a psych, ward before returning to society, This is looked upon with some abhorrence, Peter must be weak if he had to go to the nut house, Of course, it becomes much more apparent that Peter may be a lucky one to have had the time to talk and process the horrors of the war.
The other men simply came home with the expectation they would insert themselves into their old lives, carrying their horrors and memories stoically and without repercussions.
Helen doesn't know if she's a war widow or not, She is raising her teenage son while her husband, Arthur, has been missing in action for the past four years.
He joined the OSS. and was reported missing. His best friend, Frank, keeps coming around and he intimates that he will find out more as he is in the infancy of the CIA but it is clear from the onset that something is weird about Frank.
The history and glimpses into the lesser known elements of post war are very well researched and covered in the book.
Peter returns with a German Shepherd that was used as a scout in the Pacific, There is a history on the use of dogs in war and how they were retrained afterward.
The story shows the complete dedication the dogs had to their trainers and owners, This is touching and interesting,
The story gives snippets of the men on the island and the way they are adapting back into civilian life.
Some have turned to liquor, Others have become withdrawn. Most have nightmares and awaken to themselves screaming, All have seen and experienced horrific scenes, Other books describe the horrors of war and specifically this war, This book is really about what happened after the conflict ended,
The story itself was interesting although it didn't grab my attention as much as other books have.
At the same time, I really did enjoy knowing more about the post war experiences and the way everybody learned to adapt.
I was particularly drawn to any of the characters besides Peter and Max, Even Helen was mostly uninteresting to me,
I did like the ending quite a bit, There is appropriately closure with an open invitation that is accepted but the reader is not privy to the actual scene.
But the ending is very appropriate,
I'm not quite sure why I didn't like this one more, There was something about the way the author wrote that just didn't grab me, I can't put my finger on it, It's like the main character's thoughts jumped almost randomly from person to person, somehow in a detached or unemotional way.
She was almost too cold or clinical, I didn't feel as much sympathy for her as I should have,
Otherwise it was interesting, touching on the topic of men returning from war and trying to get back into civilian life.
I liked the last part of the book, when Helen goes to Europe to find out more about her husband.
I don't think I'd go so far as to recommend this book to anyone, but if someone wants a light summer read this would do the trick.
A CERTAIN SUMMER is a bittersweet story set just after the end of World War II.
Its, and on the summer getaway island of Wauregan, the residents are having a difficult time adjusting to the new normal.
Men back from the war are silently suffering from the horrors they experienced, and their wives feel helpless.
Widows are grieving the deaths of their husbands and trying to forge ahead as single parents, and the wives of men missing in action are living in an agonizing limbo.
Helen Wadsworths husband Arthur went missing during the war, and she longs for
closure for herself and her teenage son, Jack.
As she waits for word on Arthur, Helen has two men vying for her attention Frank, her husbands OSS partner, and Peter, a Marine who fought in the Pacific.
Helens character was strong, and she was easy to sympathize with, This book was a journey of discoveries for Helen uncovering the truth and rediscovering love,
The plot moved slowly at first, but it really grabbed me at the halfway point.
There were a few nailbiting scenes that kept me flipping the pages, and the ending was amazing.
The author presented a memorable and moving account of life postWWII through the eyes of her characters.
With the island setting, a bit of romance, and a bit of mystery, this was a satisfying summer read.
Source: copy from NetGalley,
The way it was written seemed extremely unemotional, too detailed, and very obviously and obnoxiously third person.
It didn't flow like a book should it jumped around to the different characters thoughts while staying very detached of personality and warmth.
The storyline was interesting, as it was a historical fiction novel, and held extremely entertaining ideas pertaining to this littlealmost utopian community and the balance, in the way of everyday or familiar life.
The ending really was my favorite part, because it introduces a little mystery that the reader can't help but think about.
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