Reviews

The Summer Garden: A Love Story by Paullina Simons

gck's review against another edition

3.0

This trilogy is kind of ridiculous, but I've figured out why it's addictive for me. The unrealistic main characters remind me of Ayn Rand's major characters, minus the agenda. And in a morally relative fantasy world, these guys make good saints. He's tall and brooding, and his anger just makes him seem stronger. She's dainty and gorgeous, but underneath she's actually really good at math! And nursing! And cooking! And everything else!

But you can't possibly take them seriously. No real people would behave the way these two people behave. I don't think I could summarize these books for a friend without feeling silly for reading them.

Still, it's a nice guilty pleasure to indulge in the fantasy for awhile. And I mean awhile -- this book is LONG. Even the ending is long. Overall, I enjoyed reading, especially because this book takes you all around the United States with Tatiana and Alexander, and the descriptions are nice to read. But I was glad to see it end (how much more drama do two people need in one lifetime?).

zippy_julz's review against another edition

3.0

As much as I loved the first two books in this series, I found this book disappointing. I would have been happier if I had stopped reading after the second book. This book did not have the richness of the Russian history to back it up and relied on our dedication to the main characters. In the previous books it felt like it was Alexander and Tatiana against the world. The third book felt like Alexander and Tatiana against each other.

lieutenant_sugar's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring mysterious sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.75

allison_allbookedup's review against another edition

3.0

The ending saved this book for me. Otherwise I would’ve given it two stars.

maisyd4's review against another edition

3.0

Better than the second book in the trilogy but I still like the first one the best.

cgriffin1's review against another edition

adventurous emotional hopeful reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

maddi_md's review against another edition

1.0

I've been on page 125 for about 6 months, sadly I think it's time I give up.

While I absolutely loved the first two, I just couldn't get into this one.

#sadtimes

dianalslit's review against another edition

5.0

Imposible darle menos que 5 estrellas ..

bridget_h's review against another edition

5.0

I really enjoyed this book. I would say that it almost stands alone, very different than the first two, but I would definitely recommend reading the first two books prior to this one. As this is taking place post-war, and Alexander and Tatiana are dealing with more "regular" issues... the gravity of how this new life is affecting them is really enriched if you had read the first two books. Although the common issues of life are very different than war, I thought this story had more complexity and nuances and the development of their relationship kept me glued to this book.

rjtagranata's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional hopeful sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.75