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3.94 AVERAGE
3.94 AVERAGE
This isn't a book I would normally choose for myself, but I was pleasantly surprised by it. I was kept intrigued by the family drama and it was wonderfully written.
I didn’t know how much I needed to read this book until I read it to the end, tears streaming down my face. Due to my own personal history this book probably touches me more than it might others, but I doubt anyone will be able to get through it without crying at least once.
The Myth of Perpetual Summer is the story of Tallulah and her family, set in two periods: the early-mid 1960’s and the early 1970’s. They own a pretty rundown plantation on the outskirts of a small town in Mississippi, and are often the brunt of town gossip. Thanks (or no thanks) to her unconventional parents Tallulah has to grow up fast, and constantly feels responsible for her family. When a tragic event happens the rift that grows in the family seems both inevitable but heartbreaking all at the same time, and sets Tallulah off on a journey of isolation but also of revelation. I don’t want to say more because I think spoiling this beautiful novel would be an injustice to those who haven’t read it.
The Myth of Perpetual Summer is a story of coming of age amidst chaos, of tragedy, but also of mental illness and what people will do to preserve the reputation and honor of a family. I recognized a lot of the signs that Susan Crandall points to in her narrative and feel that The Myth of Perpetual Summer is a great portrayal of how important mental health awareness is. While the story takes place quite a few decades ago the narrative is very much relevant today still.
I personally loved this book. It’s beautifully written and the characters are all wonderfully flawed and human. I loved Tallulah so much, she reminds me a lot of myself. I will now be checking out more of Susan Crandall works!
The Myth of Perpetual Summer will be published by Gallery Books on June 19th. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the advance copy!
The Myth of Perpetual Summer is the story of Tallulah and her family, set in two periods: the early-mid 1960’s and the early 1970’s. They own a pretty rundown plantation on the outskirts of a small town in Mississippi, and are often the brunt of town gossip. Thanks (or no thanks) to her unconventional parents Tallulah has to grow up fast, and constantly feels responsible for her family. When a tragic event happens the rift that grows in the family seems both inevitable but heartbreaking all at the same time, and sets Tallulah off on a journey of isolation but also of revelation. I don’t want to say more because I think spoiling this beautiful novel would be an injustice to those who haven’t read it.
The Myth of Perpetual Summer is a story of coming of age amidst chaos, of tragedy, but also of mental illness and what people will do to preserve the reputation and honor of a family. I recognized a lot of the signs that Susan Crandall points to in her narrative and feel that The Myth of Perpetual Summer is a great portrayal of how important mental health awareness is. While the story takes place quite a few decades ago the narrative is very much relevant today still.
I personally loved this book. It’s beautifully written and the characters are all wonderfully flawed and human. I loved Tallulah so much, she reminds me a lot of myself. I will now be checking out more of Susan Crandall works!
The Myth of Perpetual Summer will be published by Gallery Books on June 19th. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the advance copy!
I had a hard time getting into this one, and the free audiobook left the free catalog.
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
This book broke my heart for multiple reasons, but ultimately it ended strong and triumphantly. ❤️ A story told in two alternating time periods (late 50s-mid 60s and early 70s) by a young white girl named Tallulah from Mississippi. The author does an amazing job of aging her voice from a 10 yo to a 27 yo. And I must say that the 10 yo Tallulah will no doubt linger with me for quite awhile. Mental illness, racism, bullying/ostracism and child neglect all play a part here but so does courage, strength and hope. I highly recommend this book.
And I’d like to say as someone who was raised in Mississippi myself, this felt amazingly authentic. There were many passages from this author that were so stunningly beautiful that I simply had to linger with them and let them sink deep in my soul.
I will definitely be reading more from this author!
And I’d like to say as someone who was raised in Mississippi myself, this felt amazingly authentic. There were many passages from this author that were so stunningly beautiful that I simply had to linger with them and let them sink deep in my soul.
I will definitely be reading more from this author!
I came to this book after reading “Whistling Past the Graveyard,” another great read from this author. I love Crandall’s writing and her characters are well crafted. Would recommend both.
This book is like the south in the summer; slow moving, meandering, taking it's dear, sweet time to get from here to there. That is wonderful on a hot summer day when you have no other purpose and noone making demands on your time, but very frustrating if you're reading a book. When I'm reading I want to be compelled to move forward. Two thirds of the way through this book and I'm still waiting for the moment that will tie this narrative together and make it make sense, otherwise it's just a sad story about a horribly dysfunctional family with no purpose.
Keeping with the summer theme, I read The Myth of Perpetual Summer during my vacation. Originally from the South, I always enjoy reading books set there and this one was no exception. I was drawn to it because it is set in Mississippi where my mother’s family is from.
Tallulah James is living in San Francisco in the 1970s, thinking she has left behind her past in small-town Mississippi. She returns, however, when her youngest brother is accused of murder. Tallulah’s tumultuous coming-of-age story is told in flashbacks to her childhood in the late 1950s-1960s. She comes from a prominent but dysfunctional family with family secrets. Her father is an alcoholic professor with mental illness, and her mother is an absentee mother who is more interested in fighting social issues for others than she is her own family. She never wanted children and as a result, ignores all four of them. Tallulah’s rock is her older brother, Griff, and her paternal grandmother also provides some stability for her. Her grandmother, though, is continually trying to preserve the family image and preaches things are not to be spoken of outside the family, leaving a lot of questions for Tallulah. As she grows up, Tallulah finds avoiding the chaos of her father’s ever-changing moods and protecting her younger siblings, while also preserving her family’s reputation when talk around town ridicules them. She also thinks that if she can just do more or be more, her mother, Margo, will notice her and love her. When she returns home, she enlists the help of Griff’s best friend from high school, Ross, who is now a lawyer.
I love the way Susan Crandall writes. She has a talent with words and a great descriptive writing style. She’s developed intricate family relationships with realistically portrayed and compelling characters. Although this family was highly dysfunctional, there was a lot of love, too. You’ll fall in love with Tallulah as she navigates her life, struggling through the highs and lows, searching for her life’s meaning, and emerging as a strong female. I also learned that Susan is from Indiana which is a plus, and I look forward to reading more of her books.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced readers copy for my honest review.
Tallulah James is living in San Francisco in the 1970s, thinking she has left behind her past in small-town Mississippi. She returns, however, when her youngest brother is accused of murder. Tallulah’s tumultuous coming-of-age story is told in flashbacks to her childhood in the late 1950s-1960s. She comes from a prominent but dysfunctional family with family secrets. Her father is an alcoholic professor with mental illness, and her mother is an absentee mother who is more interested in fighting social issues for others than she is her own family. She never wanted children and as a result, ignores all four of them. Tallulah’s rock is her older brother, Griff, and her paternal grandmother also provides some stability for her. Her grandmother, though, is continually trying to preserve the family image and preaches things are not to be spoken of outside the family, leaving a lot of questions for Tallulah. As she grows up, Tallulah finds avoiding the chaos of her father’s ever-changing moods and protecting her younger siblings, while also preserving her family’s reputation when talk around town ridicules them. She also thinks that if she can just do more or be more, her mother, Margo, will notice her and love her. When she returns home, she enlists the help of Griff’s best friend from high school, Ross, who is now a lawyer.
I love the way Susan Crandall writes. She has a talent with words and a great descriptive writing style. She’s developed intricate family relationships with realistically portrayed and compelling characters. Although this family was highly dysfunctional, there was a lot of love, too. You’ll fall in love with Tallulah as she navigates her life, struggling through the highs and lows, searching for her life’s meaning, and emerging as a strong female. I also learned that Susan is from Indiana which is a plus, and I look forward to reading more of her books.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced readers copy for my honest review.