Customer Reviews

Summer at Sea Shell Harbor

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As a member of the so called Generation X, I grew up in the frenetically paced era of video games, pagers, cell phones, quick cut action movies and hyperactive storytelling within a remote control world. Reading Richard W. Dunne's "Summer at Sea Shell Harbor" therefore was for me like unplugging from the matrix and stepping outside for a long summer's walk in the sun. To put it simply, "Summer at Sea Shell Harbor" is a breath of fresh air.

Dunne's story is a classic coming-of-age tale set in the late 1950's and revolves around two teenage boys as they set out to make the most of one promising summer out on eastern Long Island. Richie and Mickey surely would have been best friends had they grown up together and in fact they do a great job making up for lost time here, despite (or perhaps because of) their very different backgrounds. Although Richie is the kid from the city (in this case well-to-do Brooklyn,) it is Mickey the streetwise small-town local that takes his more sheltered friend under his wing, not only showing him the ropes around the idyllic village of Sea Shell Harbor but teaching him some valuable life lessons as well.

As with many coming-of age novels, there are some familiar themes here: friendship, lost innocence, the promise of young love and all the hopefulness that comes with being on the verge of taking on the world. It is these very themes that Dunne handles so deftly and which make "Summer at Sea Shell Harbor" such a refreshing read. As anyone who's ever been seventeen can attest, that time in one's life is teeming with emotion and Dunne's novel succeeds in stirring those emotions once again, without ever feeling heavy-handed or trivial. The pacing and length of the book feel right and the story keeps the reader wanting to know more...I had a hard time putting this book down.

In today's go-go world of give it to me now and show me everything, it's nice to find a book that takes you back to an easier time and leaves something to the imagination. Be careful when you read it however, you may just find yourself longing for a time and place that is seemingly no longer available. As the saying goes, "those were the days." "Summer at Sea Shell Harbor" by Richard W. Dunne is a wonderful book for all ages, whether you're Generation X, Y or anywhere from A to Z.

Summer at Sea Shell Harbor starts off with the salty beach summer breeze coming in through the screened-in front door, Mickey standing there with the groceries for Richie's family. Right away you know that Mickey and Richie are going to hit it off and have some fun. Like kids, they easily introduce each other and quickly become friends as Mickey offers to show Richie around town and introduce him to some other "locals."

At first the characters seem to have everything their way. Everything is so easy. The guys meet the girls. They go out. They have fun. It really did seem like Happy Days, the TV sitcom. I don't remember easily meeting girls on my first weekend out on vacation anywhere, let alone a whole cadre of ready-made friends. But, as you get to know the characters little by little, you are shown some cracks in the make up of Mickey and his fragile balance between what he shows to his friends and what's really going on at home and in his head.

Mickey is a strong character who is likeable and at the same time is his own worst enemy. Certain parts begin to show up in his taunting of some other teens in a neighboring community. He seems to have no fear of others, except the Police, who have already visited his life in other matters. The people he associates with are not always the examples of who we want our sons and daughters to hang out with. And there is where things go awry.

I found the book to be a fun, entertaining look at a 1950's escape to the beach and the path to growing up. I could see this as a teen movie. Remember James Dean in "East of Eden"? Hollywood should take a look. I think they will see the fun and the drama that could make a summer screen splash. Good fun.

You don't have to have grown up in New York or spent summers in the Hamptons to remember the experiences and feelings that come back so vividly reading "Summer in Sea Shell Harbor". Wherever your're from, growing up takes you on an emotional roller coaster that drags you on at around age 13 or 14 and drops you off sometime later, maybe 19 or 20, somewhat beat-up and bruised, but relieved to still be standing. Whatever else adolescence is, it is a time of intense feelings and fragile egos; friends are at the center of our lives; good times and bad times; trying to sort through it all and figure things out. Richard Dunne has done a great job nudging our memories, taking us along with these very real characters who are a lot like our friends growing up; and their predicaments are similar to ones we can recall. A great read on a universal theme and one that we don't really ever forget. A book for all ages! An excellent, enjoyable read.

"Summer at Sea Shell Harbor" deserves a place on every bookshelf in America. The first, and most important reason for purposes of this review, is that it's a great read. Richard Dunne's beautiful story, set in the summer of 1959, is as much an ode to teenage angst and coming-of-age as it is a revealing look at how our country's own innocence has disappeared over the years.

The novel's strength lies in Dunne's portrayal of late 1950's America in an honest way, through the eyes of seventeen year-old Richie Donnelly, without the pretense that today's youth is somehow living in a bleaker, more paranoid world (the truth may be that today's youth ARE living in a bleaker, more paranoid world, but Dunne shrewdly lets the story progress without so much as a hint that he's seen America unfold over the last half-century). This approach is what makes the story great for all ages. Whereas a film like "Stand By Me," which also captures the spirit of that era, relied on an adult narrator to tell its story in flashback - thereby attaching a certain level of nostalgia to its main character during the film - that is not the approach here. We are treated to a story set in the summer of '59 that effectively captures the period without asking the reader to remember it (which is perfect for me since I wasn't born until '67), and it succeeds wonderfully in educating and enlightening us along the way.

The characters are strong and well-developed, and the story itself engaging and entertaining. I can't remember reading a book that so often made me long for the days of my own youth and at the same time allowed me a deeper appreciation for the youth of my parents. I enjoyed it despite not being from Brooklyn or Long Island and despite being too young to appreciate the nuances of the time. I even bought a copy for my Mom.

Personally, I think with the right people involved this would make an outstanding film.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It was a fast and easy read. The writing reminded me of my teenage (other) life. Memories of summer vacations in The Hamptons, partying with friends and young love. Great!

I just finished reading Summer At Sea Shell Harbor and it brought back a ton of memories for me. Coming of age, first love, the loss of innocence and a ton of adventures that are all the more magical when you're at that age between leaving your childhood and becoming an adult.
For myself and any other reader who is originally from Long Island, this book will be especially enjoyable. Just reading the names of places that I was familiar with growing up on Long Island made this book all the more real to me. The cast of teenage characters will remind you of someone you grew up with, whether it's the street tough Mickey, the responsible Richie or the rich kid, Eddie.
The book is written in a style that will remind you of some of the great coming of age movies such as Stand By Me or even the less innocent The Outsiders.
Author Richard Dunne took me back to a very special time and place in my life with this story. I'd recommend Summer At Sea Shell Harbor to anyone interested in revisiting their youth.

This would be fantastic as a film. When will Hollywood realize we baby-boomers are movie watchers? What a great film it would make.

As a child of the 50's and 60's, I grew up just outside of Queens NY. My parents found a truly magical hamlet on the east end of Long Island, near Sag Harbor and we spent 14 summers there - encompassing some of the best times of my life.

Imagine my surprise when I picked up Summer At Sea Shell Harbor and started to read about my boyhood summers. I was transported back in time - to malt shakes at the malt shack; hanging out at night by the 'general store' or "The Sugar Shack"; convertible cruising; spending the days at the beach or one of our speed boats; and discovering new girls from other than my home town and trying to learn how to deal with them. I literally could not put the book down until the end. This book truly captured the emotions and feelings of those times.

But you don't have to have lived the story to enjoy it. This is a great read for anyone of any age. While depicting a magical time, there is a plot and character development and relationships that literally draw you from one chapter to the next.

I truly hope that someone has the sense to make a movie from this great book. I think it would be a huge success if true to the book.