Customer Reviews

The Summer of '39

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I hadn't read enough about this book before I read it to know it was based on a "true" story, but I found it to be a compelling read that told of seemingly mundane events, all the while heightening my sense of dread. Good book. It made me want to read more about Robert Graves and Laura Riding.

I wish there were half star ratings because I would really give this book 4 1/2 stars -- I reserve 5 stars for only the best of the best -- but I would be doing this book an injustice to only give it 4 stars and thus the 5 star rating. Prior to reading this book, I knew nothing of Robert Graves and his relationship with the poet Laura Riding. I'm glad I didn't because this book was such a surprise to me. It is so well-written and you turn each page with such dread knowing that something bad is going to happen but not knowing exactly what it is. Seymour's fictionalization of Grave's and Riding's visit to America during the summer of 1939 is masterful. She's taken the liberty of including some things that add to the understanding of each character. Throughout this book, I was behind Nancy Brewster 100% hoping above hope that all would turn out well for her. The author has done such a wonderful job of turning fact into fiction that I will always believe in my heart that this is truly the way it happened. I recommend reading this book to find out for yourself how powerful evil can be and if it can be humanly overcome.

Finely written & empathetic fictional account of a mysterious episode in the lives of poets Laura (Riding) Jackson & Robert Graves, told from the point of view of the real-life Katherine Jackson, a woman whose husband, children, house & all possessions were divested from her in a single month by the aforesaid poet-houseguests. The author, a prominent biographer of Graves, obviously detests Riding (as did quite a few of her contemporaries); yet fails to create a convincing fictional character to account for these nearly unbelievable events. The book remains a kind of literary Gothic, with its subject no less shrouded in mystery than the principals (who contradict each other completely, or have categorically refused to talk about it) left it. Katherine, however, got the last laugh: she outlived them all, & recent biographers are tending to support her side.

Wow. That's all I can say. I finished this novel about two weeks ago and it's taken this long for me to put my words on the page. This novel is fantastic in the way that only good literature can be; it's dark, depressing, exquisitely written and filled with compelling characters. My only disappointment is that it took me this long to read it!

Nancy is part of an old Boston brahman family where she has been ignored and abused by her family. When her brother dies during WWI, Nancy's life becomes exponentially worse. Her only solace comes when she visits her aunt and uncle in Falmouth, Massachusetts. Sadly, when these visits end, Nancy's mother sends her to NYC. Once there, she meets Chance. Chance is the epitome of bohemian Greenwich Village (he runs his own publishing company from the printing press in his apartment). But when the couple becomes entranced by philosophical poet Isabel March, there are violent and destructive repercussions for the whole family.

I have to say that when I finished the novel I was even more depressed than at the conclusion of "The Bell Jar". I had so many complex feelings that it has taken me two weeks to sort through them. While I found the story to be incredibly disturbing, it truly is great literature. The writing is just about flawless, the characters are deep, and the language is beautiful. Do yourself a favor and pick up this book! But if you're depressed by the end...don't say I didn't warn you.