Book Review 2023 #47: The Book of Summers

 

This book.  It's as beautiful of a story as the cover art.

I heard of this book from my blogging friend Susanne from Living to Tell the Story. I'm so glad my town library was able to get it for me. 

I'd also like to find the other novel (The Swiss Affair)  this author has written...the one set in Switzerland as I've always wanted to go there and love any movie or book set in that country. It appears that she has written many books since this debut novel The Book of Summers.

STORY SUMMARY

Beth Lowe is a nine year old British girl who should have been experiencing a magical summer in a new-to-her country.  She, her father David, and her mother Marika, who was born in Hungary, are visiting Marika's homeland. What begins as a wonderful vacation destination ends with devastation: Beth's parents split up.  Marika has decided she no longer wants to live in England and wants to stay in Hungary. David of course is taking Beth with him and  going back to England. 

During the next seven summers, Beth spends 2 weeks with Marika in a place called Villa Serena.....the home of Marika's lover/artist Zoltan. During these summers, Beth comes to life.  She learns to be free in spirit and she learns to love. 

At age 16, however, while visiting Lake Balaton with Marika, Zoltan, and her Hungarian boyfriend Tamas, Beth aka Erzsi (her Hungarian name) learns a horrible secret. Something that devastates her and forces her to leave Marika behind. She will not be going back to Hungary. 

Fast forward to when Beth is 30, and she receives a package in the mail.  From Hungary. It is from Zoltan.  It is a scrapbook from all of her summers spent in Hungary with Marika. She is forced to confront the betrayal she felt and that destroyed her....all while searching her heart for forgiveness. 

MY THOUGHTS

I  had trouble with the character Marika.  I wanted to shake her and tell her to grow up. She's so very bohemian and part of me liked that, but it also bugged me because of the deception she was living. She had this wonderful relationship with Beth yet......it was all a lie. This bothered me immensely. Yet it's the depth of the book even though we don't learn what the lie is until towards the end. 

All of the characters are well developed. I wanted to just hug and hug little Beth when Marika decided to stay in Hungary and she went home with her father to a quiet house in England. 

The author does a great job in going back and forth from the present to the past......I enjoyed how each chapter was a different summer for Beth in Hungary. 

The part where Beth and her father are crying together in the house towards the end of the book just had me choked up. It was probably the most touching scene in the whole book, in my opinion.

The main themes seem to be: cultural identity; the power of secrets, heartbreak, regret, growing up/the teen years; the power of memory; forgiveness, love, betraya; single parenthood; widowhood/ death; young love. 

There were several good quotes from this book. Here are a couple of my faves that really stood out to me:

"One great lie takes everything with it. There are no survivors among the wreakage." (pg 316, The Book of Summers by Emylia Hall c.2012)

"The three of us always hid things because we thought it was somehow better. We were dreamers, I suppose.  And the worlds we inhabited were of our own fierce making." (pg 330).

At the back of the book there is an interview with the author as well as book discussion questions.  

Overall, this story was a beautiful look at how life shapes us when we think it's one way and we find out that there is a deep secret and that we aren't who we thought we were. (I don't want to reveal too much as i don't want to spoil this book for you!). 

In my opinion, this book is appropriate for ages 14 and older. 

On a scale of 1-10, with 10 being the highest, I rate this a 9.