Summertime
As seen:
By Vanessa LaFaye
avg rating
3 reviews
Tensions simmer as a small town, already divided by race, is torn apart by the deadliest of hurricanes . . . THE HELP meets TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD in this powerfully emotional and gripping debut novel.
In the small town of Heron Key, where the relationships are as tangled as the mangrove roots in the swamp, everyone is preparing for the 4th of July barbecue, unaware that their world is about to change for ever. Missy, maid to the Kincaid family, feels she has wasted her life pining for Henry, who went to fight on the battlefields of France. Now he has returned with a group of other desperate, destitute veterans, unsure of his future, ashamed of his past.
When a white woman is found beaten nearly to death, suspicion falls on Henry. As the tensions rise, the barometer starts to plummet. But nothing can prepare them for what is coming. For far out over the Atlantic, the greatest storm ever to strike North America is heading their way…
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I really enjoyed this book. It was gripping and fast paced, a real page turner. The depiction of segregation in the Deep South was graphic and the description of the treatment of war veterans was heartbreaking. The story was powerful, moving and ultimately uplifting.
A historical snapshot. With disgruntled ex-servicemen billeted in a backwoods key, racial tension simmering just below the surface, lost love and a looming hurricane, the stage is set for a good read. The hurricane and ex-servicemen were an actual event in 1935 and the author has woven a tight novel that is full of emotional intensity. An excellent debut.
I really enjoyed this book. It was interesting to see the differences between blacks and whites, the racial discrimination, the dominating ways of the white men. And the violence which erupts because of that. The authors description of the area was also very good. A thoroughly enjoyable read.
