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candacesiegle_greedyreader's review against another edition
3.0
It's always risky to compare any book to "Possession" and in this case, as in so many, it's a disappointment--almost. Most of the novel is somewhat inert, with one narrator limited by her blindness and impending death, and the two modern participants just plain depressed. But then, in the last quarter, we get the kind of literary excitement and mystery that did indeed remind me of A. S. Byatt's wonderful novel. I suddenly wanted to know what had happened to Zina's family during the Revolution, and the Checkovs as well. But the rest of the book is very quiet--people fish, they translate, they worry about finances. I hope Alison Anderson can harness the excitement in the final pages of "The Summer Guest" and put it to work in her next work. 3.5 stars.
suutsche's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
kel_pru's review against another edition
4.0
This is book is beautifully written and elegantly weaves its trio of interconnected narratives together. Great read!
gilmoreguide's review against another edition
3.0
Zinaida, Katya, and Ana have nothing in common, especially given that Zinaida lived in the small town of Sumy in the Ukraine in the 1800s and Katya and Ana are modern women. But in Alison Anderson’s debut novel, The Summer Guest, their lives intersect as Katya discovers Zinaida’s diary and hires Ana to translate it into English. For all three women this is their chance to emerge from from the blankness of their lives and step into history, if not on their own accomplishments, then on that of Zinaida’s friend, Anton Chekhov, who occupies a major portion of her diary in the final summers of her life.
An unusual woman for her times, Zina has a medical degree and had been working as a doctor in her community until shortly before her thirtieth birthday she began to suffer seizures and to lose her sight. She goes to live at her family’s dacha in Luka, where to help supplement their finances, her mother rents out the guesthouse to Chekhov’s family. Soon, her conversations with Chekhov are the cornerstone of her life and she records them in books her brother creates with paper specially lined so she can feel her way to try and write.
The rest of this review can be read at The Gilmore Guide to Books: http://wp.me/p2B7gG-1I4
An unusual woman for her times, Zina has a medical degree and had been working as a doctor in her community until shortly before her thirtieth birthday she began to suffer seizures and to lose her sight. She goes to live at her family’s dacha in Luka, where to help supplement their finances, her mother rents out the guesthouse to Chekhov’s family. Soon, her conversations with Chekhov are the cornerstone of her life and she records them in books her brother creates with paper specially lined so she can feel her way to try and write.
The rest of this review can be read at The Gilmore Guide to Books: http://wp.me/p2B7gG-1I4
jlynnelseauthor's review against another edition
4.0
Ukraine, late 1880s: Zinaida Lintvaryova is an educated woman planning to live her life helping others as a country doctor, but at 30 years old, she loses her sight from a brain tumor. To help fill her time, Zinaida begins a diary. Her family retreats to their country estate and, to help with household expenses, rents out their guest house over the summer. A family from Moscow comes to stay, and their son is growing in fame as a writer: Anton Pavlovich Chekhov. Through Zinaida’s writing, the life of this seminal literary artist is described. Over a century later, two women work to translate and publish Zinaida’s diary. While reading about Zinaida’s life, both women begin to find peace in the midst of their own personal struggles.
The characters in Zinaida’s diary are diverse with multi-layered personalities, and the Ukrainian countryside is vividly described. However, it’s the developing relationship between Zinaida and Chekhov that is the story’s honest, heartfelt magic. As Zinaida remembers her summers and a manuscript Chekhov left unfinished, she thinks, “Sometimes I lie in bed and remember the story and write my own ending, a different one each time. I’m glad he hasn’t finished it yet, that the future can still be written.”
The final plot twist left me slightly unsettled. I understood the author’s reasons for the choice, but it’s not one I favored. It would have been nice to spend more time with the modern characters so the end surprise would have carried greater emotional weight. These women were simply less well developed.
Anderson’s prose is delightful: “Never let a moment escape that hasn’t been turned over in your hands, inspected for honesty and fullness and awareness,” says Chekhov. It’s fluid in movement, insightful and intelligent in conversation, and richly emotional. This is a well-written, engaging read.
Review can also be found at: https://historicalnovelsociety.org/reviews/the-summer-guest
APPEARED IN: HNR Issue 76 (May 2016)
The characters in Zinaida’s diary are diverse with multi-layered personalities, and the Ukrainian countryside is vividly described. However, it’s the developing relationship between Zinaida and Chekhov that is the story’s honest, heartfelt magic. As Zinaida remembers her summers and a manuscript Chekhov left unfinished, she thinks, “Sometimes I lie in bed and remember the story and write my own ending, a different one each time. I’m glad he hasn’t finished it yet, that the future can still be written.”
The final plot twist left me slightly unsettled. I understood the author’s reasons for the choice, but it’s not one I favored. It would have been nice to spend more time with the modern characters so the end surprise would have carried greater emotional weight. These women were simply less well developed.
Anderson’s prose is delightful: “Never let a moment escape that hasn’t been turned over in your hands, inspected for honesty and fullness and awareness,” says Chekhov. It’s fluid in movement, insightful and intelligent in conversation, and richly emotional. This is a well-written, engaging read.
Review can also be found at: https://historicalnovelsociety.org/reviews/the-summer-guest
APPEARED IN: HNR Issue 76 (May 2016)
soavezefiretto's review against another edition
3.0
I enjoyed this very much, even though I haven't even read very much of Chekhov. It is, indeed, the perfect novel to read in the summer, if genteel nineteenth century ukranian families, muted love, some family melodrama, witty conversations and some deep thoughts about life and death are your thing. Without spoiling too much, I could have done without the literary meta-plot and the final "revelation", perhaps meant to elicit compassion, but it only irrated me. It didn't taint my enjoyment of the book, though. I really do wish Chekhov had written that novel, though, it's so hard for me to read short stories...
autumns_nite96's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.0
whatkariread's review against another edition
2.0
If you enjoy Chekhov you'll enjoy this book. For me it missed the mark. The writing was good. The story was good. Yet something just didn't connect for me. There were so many Russian characters with multiple variations of each name that I spent most of the 1st half trying to remember who was who. I also found the lack of quotation marks for dialogue very distracting. And then the "intriguing" twist at the end. It left me saying, "Ugh- really?"
prpltrtl946's review against another edition
4.0
History, mystery, relationships and lost writings. This was a quite enjoyable what if! The descriptions were so detailed, I felt transported and could easily identify with characters. This narrator was really easy to listen to.
I had the BARD digital talking book from my state library.
The summer guest: a novel DB 85713
Anderson, Alison. Reading time 12 hours, 2 minutes.
Read by Laura Godfrey Dunlop. A production of the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped, Library of Congress.
Subjects: Historical Fiction
Description: In 1888, Anton Chekhov and his family retreat to a country estate where he meets fellow doctor Zinaida Lintvaryova. Recently blinded, Zina trades a journal with Anton. In the present day, this journal reveals a hidden dimension of the Russian literary giant, and the search for a missing novel begins. 2016.
Digital talking book.
New York, NY : HarperCollins Publishers, [2016], Recorded from:, ISBN: 9780062423368..
Fiction; Women editors; Chekhov, Anton Pavlovich,; Women physicians; Women translators; Talking books; Historical fiction
I had the BARD digital talking book from my state library.
The summer guest: a novel DB 85713
Anderson, Alison. Reading time 12 hours, 2 minutes.
Read by Laura Godfrey Dunlop. A production of the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped, Library of Congress.
Subjects: Historical Fiction
Description: In 1888, Anton Chekhov and his family retreat to a country estate where he meets fellow doctor Zinaida Lintvaryova. Recently blinded, Zina trades a journal with Anton. In the present day, this journal reveals a hidden dimension of the Russian literary giant, and the search for a missing novel begins. 2016.
Digital talking book.
New York, NY : HarperCollins Publishers, [2016], Recorded from:, ISBN: 9780062423368..
Fiction; Women editors; Chekhov, Anton Pavlovich,; Women physicians; Women translators; Talking books; Historical fiction