That Summer [Hardcover]

Janet Appleton (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Flashes of humor and one memorable character distinguish this otherwise trite coming-of-age tale. About to enter Wellesley in 1957, Ann Merrill, the 18-year-old narrator, leaves home to work in a Boston bookshop and live in a Hollywood-concept Beacon Hill boarding house run by Malcolm Balch, a kindly gay stereotype. Ann meets Georgia Mitchell, an endearing depressive with sneakers as big as loaves of French bread and problems that turn out to be more interesting than Ann's affair with co-worker Oscar Benson, a hokey sexual initiation untinged by fear of pregnancyjust as a night of heavy drinking with Georgia produces only the mildest of hangovers. Appleton is conscientiously nonsexist, her dramatic hooks work and her scenes build, but the compelling story at the heart of her novelGeorgia's disturbing resolution of her powerful conflictsis partly obscured by the main character's unreal, charmed life and her stale sexual and social awakenings.
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

What happened "that summer" in the 1950s to Wellesley-bound, proper Bostonian Annie Merrill is reminiscent of Sylvia Plath's The Bell Jar , but without the depth or poetry. Annie leaves her mother's protective care to take up residence in a more bohemian Boston neighborhood in order to experience "life" before beginning her studies. Her roommate, Georgia, has an eccentricity and joie de vivre that is enchanting at first, but Annie soon realizes that they mask Georgia's private torments. As Annie tries to deal with Georgia's multiple suicide attempts, she becomes entangled in the bewildering web that makes up Georgia's life. In counterpoint to this drama is a rather humorous subplot concerning homely MIT student Oscar, who constantly hounds Annie for sex. This first novel is mildly engrossing, but doesn't leave much of a lasting impression.
- Rosellen Brewer, Monterey Cty. Lib., Seaside, Cal.
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 336 pages
• Publisher: Viking Adult; First Edition edition (March 30, 1989)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0670820261
• ISBN-13: 978-0670820269
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.2 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Greatest Summer Yet, November 25, 2000

By 

Kristina Bustamante (San Diego, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: That Summer (Signet) (Paperback)

I was looking around in my high school's library, last year, when I first saw the novel "That Summer" standing on the shelf. Finding the cover, and the summary very interesting, I went, and borrowed it. After reading just a few paragraphs of the story, I was hooked. I finished the whole thing in one sitting. It was one of the best novels I've ever read. I enjoyed reading about the adventures of Annie Merrill in her first summer on her own. Little did she know that this particular summer would be the most important one in her life as she finds love, and friendship with two special people. Every single character she ran into, I found memorable; Georgia, Oscar, Ruth, etc. Especially Georgia, and Oscar. Those two cracked me up. What with Georgia's bouncy personality, and Oscar's questionable obcession with sex, how could they not fail in making you laugh? I recommend "That Summer" to anyone 15 or older. Prepare for a good read, folks. Even out of print, "That Summer" will always remain dear to me, and also for you after you have finished laughing and crying your head off over the darn thing.