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3.94 AVERAGE
3.94 AVERAGE
The Myth of Perpetual Summer is an interesting come-of-age novel that takes place in the 60s and 70s. The main character is Tallulah, a young girl with a dysfunctional family that tries to get by and help her siblings the best she can even though the past is surrounded by secrets. I like when a book does a good job on mixing real facts (things that happened in history) with fictional characters - so while learning about Tallulah you will also read about racism in Mississipi, Vietnam war, and even some breakthroughs in Psychology in the 70s. The title comes from the idea, shared by one of the siblings, that escaping to California would solve all their problems. This is such a beautiful and moving story, and in the end makes us realize that everyone has its own struggles in life, and comes with a family history that you can’t simply deny; its part of who we are today.
This book was a freebie through my Audible membership, so I didn’t really have any expectations. However, I fell hard and fast in love with this book. I was torn between not wanting to stop listening and trying to pace myself so that it wasn’t over too soon. I miss the time I spent with Tallulah and the James family already.
Can’t wait to explore Susan Crandall’s other novels.
Can’t wait to explore Susan Crandall’s other novels.
* Thank you Gallery Books & BookishFirst for my free review copy. *
Tallulah James' childhood is not stable - her parent's relationship is volatile, their behavior is erratic, and their approach to raising their children is very hands-off. Her constants in her life are her older brother and her grandmother. After a life-changing event occurs in their family, Tallulah heads out to California and recreates herself. Seven years later she returns home when her younger brother is accused of murder, and also faces the tragedy that broke the family apart.
This book was heartbreaking in so many ways. It was hard to read about Tallulah and her siblings' childhood and the experiences they went through. I was amazed at how quick Tallulah's grandmother was to explain away her son's (Tallulah's father) behavior which to me was obviously Bipolar Disorder. Her mother's behavior was incredibly frustrating - I just wanted to knock some sense into her.
As someone who understands the impact of trauma on a child - it was interesting to see how Crandall wrote each child as dealing with their childhoods in such a drastically different way. They did what they had to protect themselves.
This book was beautifully written, going into lovely details of the South in the late 50s and early 60s. It was an engaging and emotional journey of a family holding onto a variety of secrets. Pick this one up if you love stories about the South and dysfunctional families.
Tallulah James' childhood is not stable - her parent's relationship is volatile, their behavior is erratic, and their approach to raising their children is very hands-off. Her constants in her life are her older brother and her grandmother. After a life-changing event occurs in their family, Tallulah heads out to California and recreates herself. Seven years later she returns home when her younger brother is accused of murder, and also faces the tragedy that broke the family apart.
This book was heartbreaking in so many ways. It was hard to read about Tallulah and her siblings' childhood and the experiences they went through. I was amazed at how quick Tallulah's grandmother was to explain away her son's (Tallulah's father) behavior which to me was obviously Bipolar Disorder. Her mother's behavior was incredibly frustrating - I just wanted to knock some sense into her.
As someone who understands the impact of trauma on a child - it was interesting to see how Crandall wrote each child as dealing with their childhoods in such a drastically different way. They did what they had to protect themselves.
This book was beautifully written, going into lovely details of the South in the late 50s and early 60s. It was an engaging and emotional journey of a family holding onto a variety of secrets. Pick this one up if you love stories about the South and dysfunctional families.
Note: I received this book from the author/publisher and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
This is a solidly good read, especially for anyone looking for a book that's not completely fluffy good times but also not overly depressing. I think Crandall did a good job balancing the happy moments with the more stressful/tumultuous moments in the book so the general feeling was always hopeful. The plot itself is interesting and included a dual timeline narrative that was handled very well. I liked the characters and the setting was very atmospheric. However, I didn't love how many story lines this book had. It seemed like there was so much going on that I couldn't care as deeply about certain characters/situations because I had already been invested in the previous situations. Like, this book has a lot going on and it can be a little overwhelming to have to keep track of all of the loose threads. I enjoyed the overall story and thought it was well written but I wish some parts had been excluded so we could focus on some of the topics a little more.
This is a solidly good read, especially for anyone looking for a book that's not completely fluffy good times but also not overly depressing. I think Crandall did a good job balancing the happy moments with the more stressful/tumultuous moments in the book so the general feeling was always hopeful. The plot itself is interesting and included a dual timeline narrative that was handled very well. I liked the characters and the setting was very atmospheric. However, I didn't love how many story lines this book had. It seemed like there was so much going on that I couldn't care as deeply about certain characters/situations because I had already been invested in the previous situations. Like, this book has a lot going on and it can be a little overwhelming to have to keep track of all of the loose threads. I enjoyed the overall story and thought it was well written but I wish some parts had been excluded so we could focus on some of the topics a little more.
3.5. It was interesting overall, but not amazing.
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I didn't know what I was getting going into this book, but I really liked the writing and the way the author went back and forth between the time periods. I'm not normally a regular fiction person - I much prefer science fiction or fantasy - but this one was pretty good and written well. The descriptions the author gave were really good and I just enjoyed reading the words on the page, which isn't something I can say about all books, especially straight fiction books. A lot of the time I don't like the way the person describes things in their story, but I wasn't disappointed with this book. It would be one I'd be interested in actually reading, even though it was just a fiction book. Getting a first read of it was nice.
emotional
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Emotional book about family trauma, Southern history and mental illness that all define family
Thanks to the publisher for a copy to read and give my honest opinion.
Perpetual meaning never ending....the summer that changed the lives of this family. Tallulah was a child the summer of 1958, in a time where the children were pretty much left to there own devices and there mother is too busy saving the people of Algeria. In 1958 of May the Algerian war was at a pinnacle and the French part of a war. The author uses this crisis as a reason why the mother is absent at home but apparently this is a shameful reason according to the Grandma.
Regrets are monsters under the bed....
After Algeria, Margo gets embroiled in the cause of civil rights movement of 1961. Tallulah is still being bullied by the police chiefs son Grayson. Her father is fighting mental health issues and the kids are pretty much abandoned. No cause seems small enough to draw this woman away from her children.
One of the twins is now in jail following a murder trial, and Tallulah is sent back to where it all began, beginning with the man that saved her from drowning. Ross is not a lawyer and his parents are deceased by the time Tallulah makes her way to him to help her brother.
This is not a light read but rather a thought provoking read which help you determine that every thing has a path and you chose which one you partake. Tallulah is a responsible individual and her heart thinks she is there to take care of everyone. Even her grandmother has her very own story to tell, no one to blame.
This is an epic read, that is set to teach you and not to entertain you. Five stars for the creator!
Perpetual meaning never ending....the summer that changed the lives of this family. Tallulah was a child the summer of 1958, in a time where the children were pretty much left to there own devices and there mother is too busy saving the people of Algeria. In 1958 of May the Algerian war was at a pinnacle and the French part of a war. The author uses this crisis as a reason why the mother is absent at home but apparently this is a shameful reason according to the Grandma.
Regrets are monsters under the bed....
After Algeria, Margo gets embroiled in the cause of civil rights movement of 1961. Tallulah is still being bullied by the police chiefs son Grayson. Her father is fighting mental health issues and the kids are pretty much abandoned. No cause seems small enough to draw this woman away from her children.
One of the twins is now in jail following a murder trial, and Tallulah is sent back to where it all began, beginning with the man that saved her from drowning. Ross is not a lawyer and his parents are deceased by the time Tallulah makes her way to him to help her brother.
This is not a light read but rather a thought provoking read which help you determine that every thing has a path and you chose which one you partake. Tallulah is a responsible individual and her heart thinks she is there to take care of everyone. Even her grandmother has her very own story to tell, no one to blame.
This is an epic read, that is set to teach you and not to entertain you. Five stars for the creator!