A review by 807gmadre
Book of Summer by Michelle Gable

3.0

This is a sea-breezy dual timelines story (1940's and 2013) about a woman trying to rescue her opulent century-old Nantucket summer residence from sliding off eroding cliffs into the Atlantic Ocean. Although there are many serious topics (emotionally abusive spouses, WWII drama, historical treatment of members of the LGSTQ community) woven into the narrative, these threads are thin and the book remains ensconced in the realm of chick-lit. There's nothing wrong with that, as long as one is open to the suspension of disbelief: (Wikipedia definition: an intentional avoidance of critical thinking or logic in examining something surreal, such as a work of speculative fiction, in order to believe it for the sake of enjoyment.) I read this book through the lens of being a seasonal islander myself, bearing witness to love-hate relationships between locals/summer residents, the whole Yacht Club scene and the umbilical multi-generational attachment to a vacation home. Oh, and at the Lake, our family also maintains an anecdotal guest book, which is definitely the first item I would save from peril!