Customer Reviews

Summer People

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

 

 

Remember the old Agatha Christie books that began with a cast of characters/suspects? This book begins the same way -- which is fitting, since with Piercy the odd mix of characters is what propells the action, and the readers' interest. In this novel, seven or eight characters whirl through twelve-month's time in a small town on Cape Cod. Domestic bliss is challenged by the usual obstacles: envy, longing, and the common desires of the heart. Rifts arise between lovers and strangers come together. Small events set in motion the breakup of families. I didn't find the book especially deep or thought-provoking, but it's definitely entertaining -- something to read at the beach or on rainy evenings.

This book by Marge Piercy is one her better outings. I enjoy her work but her feminist agenda sometimes overides her work. Summer People revolves around the friends, family and lovers of three Cape Cod artists. Susan, Willie and Dinah have been involved in menage a trois that is terminated as the book's action begins. This is partly because of Susan's relationship with a rich summer resident Tyrone has veered into an unhealthy obsession that is ultimately her downfall. Ironically it is this change that allows the other characters to move forward with their lives. Peircy is a good writer and the book is full of juicy observations on the characters and and their interactions. Tyrone is a wonderfully drawn, and it is interesting how Susan never sees the true nature of the man,a selfserving and manipulative user under a polished exterior. However Susan's son Jimmy reveals a dark character as well. This is one part of the book that is very perceptive.I have personally seen the children of parents who depend on the largesse of others grow up to have an expectation things can be "bought" using yourself to pay. In all a really good read.

I really enjoyed this book when I read it several years ago, and it comes back to me from time to time. I like her take on what is sustainable and wholesome in life. I enjoyed watching the progress of their characters through the particular journeys we see them take. I loved her Pesach dinner. And the honesty with which she holds her characters. Low-key delight.

This is a novel about Cape Cod, a narrow peninsula that projects into the Atlantic from southeastern Massachusetts. Cape Cod residents depend on a freshwater aquifer that is constantly threatened by pressure from the surrounding saltwater. There is a mysterious quality about this water that makes the locals have sex frequently and in all sorts of combinations, and it is always very good. This unusual phenomenon is irresistibly appealing to a recent graduate who wants to apply the formulas learned in the creative writing seminar at Cape Cod Community College. The exercise has all the depth of an expanded version of a TV guide synopsis of the daytime soaps. One character appears to be developed with some complexity, but her problem is dismissed casually and accurately by another character as the result of menopausal depression.