The Summer of Katya: A Novel [Paperback]

Trevanian (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 28, 2005

In the golden summer of 1914, Jean-Marc Montjean, recently graduated from medical school, comes to the small French village of Salies to assist the village physician. His first assignment is to treat the brother of a beautiful woman named Katya Treville. As he and her family become friendly, he realizes they are haunted by an old, dark secret . . . but he can’t help falling deeply in love with Katya.

Jean-Marc is warned by Katya’s brother that she is delicate and that he should curb his attentions, but he is young, hopeful, and in love . . . and he is certain that Katya returns his affections. When Jean-Marc learns that the Trevilles are planning to leave the village forever, he insists on a final meeting with Katya. That meeting and the events that follow turn what was an idyllic romance into an unending nightmare. Katya’s secret is revealed in a thrilling tale that is part love story and part psychological thriller, and the chilling climax will stay with the reader long after the last page is turned.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“A most exquisite, elegant, ingenious thriller.” —New York Daily News

“A tour de force . . . A story that explores meticulously some of the darker corners of the human soul.” —Washington Post

From the Inside Flap

In the quiet Basque countryside in 1914, Jean-Marc Montjean, a handsome young doctor, is bewitched by the seductive, beautiful Katya. He is driven to know everything about her. He is devastated by the unspeakable secret horror buried in her past.

"A most exquisite, elegant, ingenious thriller." -- The New York Daily News

"A tour de force . . . A story that explores meticulously some of the darker corners of the human soul." -- The Washington Post

From the Paperback edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Three Rivers Press (June 28, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1400098041
• ISBN-13: 978-1400098040
• Product Dimensions: 5.2 x 0.6 x 8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (25 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #392,817 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars MUST READ, October 13, 2000

By 

"powerj97" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Summer of Katya (Audio Cassette)

This is one of the few books that I can read steadily and finish within a short time. The writing is poetic, the dialogue witty, and the characters three-dimensional. The story flows with animation and grace. And probably the most important facet of the experience is you sympathize with the main characters and desperately want to know how each one makes out in the end.

At first a story of romance, which gradually introduces mystery, and in the end escalates into the unthinkable. The rare story that made me go WHAT? Did I just read that? The end was absolutely unpredictable but absolutely perfect! Beautiful psychological drama.

If anyone knows novels of this type, please recommend them to me at [e-mail]. Thanks.

19 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars a haunting love story, May 31, 2004

By 

Margaux Paschke - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Summer of Katya (Mass Market Paperback)

I wasn't expecting what I got when I randomly picked up this book that proclaimed itself a psychological thriller. The characters contained therein were very memorable and provided haunting images. I'm not quite sure why I never heard of this book before but I'm just glad I stumbled across it. Although it isn't a very short book, it was a fast read because I just couldn't wait to find out what was going to happen next. The unanticipated ending was poignant. The author has provided a well written and plotted story and presented it in an almost lyrical fashion. This love story is set in the pre-WWI french countryside and certainly provides the taste and feel of that time and culture.

14 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars serendipity, May 3, 2005

By 

Linda Pagliuco "katknit" (CT, United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: The Summer of Katya (Mass Market Paperback)

I came across The Summer of Katya by accident, and am happy to have discovered both the author and the novel. This is a witty, often amusing little story, with dialog that you can practically hear and a mystery that remains a tantalizing, just-out-of-reach secret until the end. Both of the male characters are vitally human - Katya, the love interest, is superficially charming but strangely wooden, the first clue that something is seriously wrong with this picture. The plot epitomizes the old adage that love is blind; although the reader is not sure what the problem is, you know there is one, a discovery that Jean-Marc stubbornly refuses to see until it is literally forced upon him. This book is a little known gem; a quick, enthralling reading experience.