Atomic Summer [Kindle Edition]

Elaine D Walsh (Author)

Book Description

THREE friends, TWO secrets, ONE lie, and the summer that changed their lives

2012 Southern California Book Festival, Honorable Mention recipient

In 1953, three teenage girls’ innocent conversations about what each of them would do if the end of the world were imminent, coupled with a friend’s obsession, become the catalyst for a prank that spins wildly beyond control and draws in an entire town. Left behind in the wake of that summer’s events are their unrealized dreams and open wounds. In 1973, a reunion trip to the small town of their youth returns them to the summer of 1953 and the passion and betrayal that changed their lives.

What readers are saying about Atomic Summer?

• Every character comes alive
• Wonderful story with rich character development
• Refreshing
• The story transported me back in time

˃˃˃ Why should you grab a copy of this award winning novel?

Because in addition to it being a great summer read, the author is donating her royalties to cancer causes and charities so you will be making a difference in someone's life.

Scroll up, grab a copy, and see for yourself why Atomic Summer is so highly rated!

Editorial Reviews

Review

From Readers Favorite

Highly recommended for reading lists everywhere....Main characters Faith, Octavia, Bernadette, Bernadette's mother Savannah, Faith's Allen and his friend Wesley, and all other characters both major and minor are believable and totally of the times back then. Elaine Walsh has written a delightful and sometimes sad book that tells of a period in not so long ago history. She also writes of people's lives as they picked up from mistakes made and went on living as best as they were able to. -- Alice DiNizo

About the Author

Nimitz Highway and River Street is an intersection on the island of Oahu in Hawaii. This is where she impatiently came out of the womb ready to start on her personal history. She grew up in upstate New York against the backdrop of the flowering women’s rights movement with different ideas from her mother as to what her life as a woman should be. In college, she majored in psychology with the intent of being a “death & dying” counselor. This would be her paying job while she wrote the next great American novel. Plan B kicked in and she graduated with a B.A. in English, packed her car, and upset her parents by moving to Florida in search of her destiny. Without ever having taken one business course, she created her own brand and became a successful business executive by day and women’s fiction writer by night. So far, she has lived a Lifetime Movie Network life, a mixture of extraordinary, ordinary, mundane, and terrifying, providing her great inspiration and fanning her creative flame. Her father imbued in her a strong sense of family. He brought to life the words unconditional love. From her mother, she gained an appreciation for the complexities of relationships and richness in life one finds exploring and experiencing everything from a recipe, to a historical site, to lunch with friends, or a glass of wine. Her mother was a collector of experiences. They journeyed together and grew as individuals and as mother-daughter. Elaine shared her mother’s journeys battling cancer, as her mother survived one and succumbed to another. In one of their last soulful conversations before her mother died, she told Elaine she was glad Elaine also had a daughter and hoped she would enjoy her own daughter as much as her mother enjoyed Elaine. The most powerful influences in her life and her stories come from being a daughter, mother, friend, and soul mate. But as a successful women’s fiction writer, does this surprise anyone?

Product Details

• File Size: 567 KB
• Print Length: 382 pages
• Page Numbers Source ISBN: 0985566302
• Publisher: Barks Out Loud (June 15, 2012)
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
• Language: English
• ASIN: B008C3QH04
• Text-to-Speech: Enabled
• X-Ray: Enabled
• Lending: Enabled
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #229,705 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

40 of 41 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Don't miss Atomic Summer! June 24, 2012

By Jill Brooks

Format:Kindle Edition

Atomic Summer follows several adolescents and adults through their unforgettable summer of 1953, in the small upstate New York town of Port Pompeii. The author has perfectly molded them into remarkable characters, and people we could relate to, whether we lived through the 1950s or not.
Having been a child in the 50s, I found the book to be very true to the period, from the threat of Communism, bomb shelters, air raid drills, and teens obsessed with their virginity as well as burgeoning sexuality. The desire to be normal, though no one knew what that was, was always out of reach. The 50s was a very conservative time, with judgement and pain in the wings at any given time.
The way author Elaine Walsh sets up the main characters, Faith, Octavia and Bernadette, and her mother, the insufferable Savannah, you know them early on, although this doesn't make them predictable. Savannah single-handedly brought back memories of how mothers can embarrass us, and each of the girls had recognizable qualities and faults.
The young men in the book are full of surprises, but Stephen, who returns to Port Pompeii from the Korean War offers the most poignant dialog, and is wise beyond his years. Then there's Rev. Pappy who offers mystery and color and a surprising background. Friends Wesley and Allen are central characters as well and they certainly reminded me of boys I knew, and showed sense of fun and angst.
Each character is illustrated in a way that draws the reader to feel that he/she knows them personally. When things happened, I felt that they were happening to people I knew, and I went through a range of emotions as well.
Drawn in, I finished the book in two days, and it was one of those stories that I didn't want to end. I'm hoping that Ms.... Walsh will treat us to more of her talent, because after reading Atomic Summer, I plan on reading anything she writes! I haven't felt this way about an author since Anne Tyler and Joyce Carol Oates.

Jill Brooks Read more ›

26 of 26 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Rites of Passage, Fifties Style June 24, 2012

By Matie Tomkins

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

What woman today cannot relate to the Fifties? Either our mothers or grandmothers passed through that era, with its post-WWII political and cultural rebirth (and of course the most classic fashion statements in modern history!). Elaine D. Walsh has captured the essence of budding female adulthood with the concerns of the times in this terrific summer read. Two thumbs up for Atomic Summer!

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars WOW every page made you turn to the next one! July 3, 2012

By Nancy

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

WOW - I am super energized woman who does not sit still well. OH boy two days straight in a chair reading Atomic Summer. Every page every character came alive and what a mix of roles they all played - Genius. You never knew what was going to happen next. This is a book I will read again to make sure I did not miss anything. My husband is an avid reader and the minute he saw me sitting he said, "WOW, I get to read that next if you have not moved it must be great." So as I write this I must ask the Author - when is your next book coming out so I can sit again and lose myself into a great book?

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Atomic Summer - A MUST READ September 4, 2012

By Chrys

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

I got to tell you. Atomic Summer was an enjoyable read!

I certainly commend Walsh on her characterization. Normally when I read a book in two days, I am not that impacted by characters at all. However, Atomic Summer is an exception. Each character evoked different emotional responses from me. Faith's character was eponymous of her name. She is a loyal Catholic, and though she tries her best to uphold morality, she is often gullible. There are times when I feel so sorry for her when she cannot interpret how vicious the world is. Octavia is socially-awkward, and for a part of the book, I grew tired of having to read her narration. Surrounded by books and constricted by her responsibilities for Archie, Octavia though intelligent, is quite mundane considering her age. Then I realized, "wait - this girl has adult responsibilities to fulfill". So I must confess, I began to grow fond of her because I felt pitiful for her. Also, she had the most pain to deal with. My favorite characterization was for Bernadette. She is a vicious adolescent with dictating hormones and no conscience. Though Bernadette did not narrate, Walsh gave us a lot of information on her via her loyal friends. I think Bernadette represents a lot of people we know today. She is manipulative and mocking, covetous and crazed. Sometimes I wish Walsh made her break an arm. There are many other characters in the book - Susannah, Stephen, Lyle, Allen, Wesley, etc - that not only enhance the plot, but make the book more authentic by presenting personalities we are familiar with.

The plot was fast-paced - perfect for a summer read. I spent two nights reading this on my tablet, often finding out that morning came upon me.The novel is chronicled well by both Octavia and Faith.... Their transitions are well-organized, allowing for a smooth plot. It was not hard to follow at all despite the stark difference between character narration. Unfortunately, the ending of the novel seemed a bit rushed. The reunion of 1973 was too functional in its exposing of secrets. The reunion was more of a "tell-all" session, and could have been less obvious.

Walsh's style is one that keeps readers intrigued. She leaves a lot of room for suspicion and even adds elements of humor. Flashbacks are obviously essential since the characters in the novel are adults now. Her diction differs amongst narrators. For instance, with Octavia you will except eloquence and slight depression. While with Faith, her diction is simple. She presents a wide range of personalities, whether it be a sleazy lurker (Lyle) or an egotistic matriarch (Susannah). With her ability to depict such distinct natures, it is obvious that Walsh excels in being a versatile writer. Her figurative elements such as her historical allusions and vivid imagery build up a story that immediately places the reader in the frantic atmosphere of the 1950s. I also loved the combination of themes Walsh presented. There is childhood innocence, betrayal, sexuality, religion, loss, grief - it is amazing how many themes can occupy such a short read.

I highly recommend Atomic Summer not only to those in need of a fast-paced read, but to those who insist that the world was completely structured differently in terms of society. You will be shocked to see how Atomic Summer - a 1950s novel -parallels to our lives today. Its significance is one that will never expire as long as we live. Read more ›

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Debut Read June 25, 2012

By Sharalea

Format:Paperback

The characters are developed in such a way you can visualize who they are and as the story develops it is so easy to compare Faith, Bernadette and Octavia to your own childhood friends. As the story develops you are taken along the journey, and i never found myself jumping ahead. Easy summer read, great story line, and i could definately see this as a movie.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Atomic Summer Review July 13, 2012

By Gopokes12

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

Atomic Summer is the quintessential summer/beach novel. Elaine Walsh does such a great job of developing the characters of the novel so that by the end of the book you feel like you had grown up with them. I felt the pace of the book was also very good and the blending of each characters view on the events happening around them was accomplished flawlessly. To me one of the marks of a good book is when you can draw parallels between the characters and people you grew up with or currently know, and I found myself certainly doing that with this story. Elaine also does a very good job of drawing the reader into the story so you really find yourself wanting to find out what happens next. I did not notice any lull's in the story line and really enjoyed the history and description of the township. I really enjoyed reading this book.

More About the Author

Amazon Breakthrough Award Contest - Quarter finalist, Honorable Mention at the 2012 Southern California Book Festival and Winner of the Chairman's Award for Excellence,

Nimitz Highway and River Street is an intersection on the island of Oahu in Hawaii. This is where she impatiently came out of the womb ready to start on her personal history.

She grew up in upstate New York against the backdrop of the flowering women's rights movement with different ideas from her mother as to what her life as a woman should be. In college, she majored in psychology with the intent of being a "death & dying" counselor. This would be her paying job while she wrote the next great American novel. Plan B kicked in and she graduated with a B.A. in English, packed her car, and upset her parents by moving to Florida in search of her destiny.

Without ever having taken one business course, she created her own brand and became a successful business executive by day and women's fiction writer by night. So far, she has lived a Lifetime Movie Network life, a mixture of extraordinary, ordinary, mundane, and terrifying, providing her great inspiration and fanning her creative flame.

Her father imbued in her a strong sense of family. He brought to life the words unconditional love.

From her mother, she gained an appreciation for the complexities of relationships and richness in life one finds exploring and experiencing everything from a recipe, to a historical site, to lunch with friends, or a glass of wine. Her mother was a collector of experiences. They journeyed together and grew as individuals and as mother-daughter. Elaine shared her mother's journeys battling cancer, as her mother survived one and succumbed to another. In one of their last soulful conversations before her mother died, she told Elaine she was glad Elaine also had a daughter and hoped she would enjoy her own daughter as much as her mother enjoyed Elaine.

The most powerful influences in her life and her stories come from being a daughter, mother, friend, and soul mate. But as a successful women's fiction writer, does this surprise anyone?