The Summer We Read Gatsby: A Novel [Hardcover]

Danielle Ganek (Author)

Book Description

Release date: May 27, 2010

A delightful comedy of manners about two sisters who must set aside their differences when they inherit a house in the Hamptons

Half-sisters Cassie and Peck could not be more different. Cassie is a newly divorced journalist with her feet firmly planted on the ground; Peck is a vintage-obsessed actress with her head in the clouds. In fact, the only thing they seem to have in common is their inheritance of Fool's House, a rundown cottage left to them by their beloved Aunt Lydia. But Cassie and Peck can't afford the house, and they can't agree on anything, much less what to do with the place. Plus, along with the house, they've inherited an artist-inresidence and self-proclaimed genius named Biggsy who seems to bring suspiciously bad luck wherever he goes. As these two likable sisters try to understand their aunt's puzzling instructions to "seek a thing of utmost value" from within the house, they're both distracted by romantic entanglements with men from their pasts. The Summer We Read Gatsby, set in the end-of-an-era summer of 2008, is filled with fabulous parties, eccentric characters, and insider society details that showcase Ganek's pitch-perfect sense of style and wit.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Two half-sisters search for the thing of utmost value in an inherited ramshackle Southampton cottage in Ganek's witty new novel (after Lulu Meets God and Doubts Him). The story is narrated by introverted, newly divorced, would-be writer Cassie, but the flamboyant center of the story is her older half-sister, Peck, a theatrical socialite determined to bring out her sister while thwarting Cassie's sensible plan to sell Fool's House, the cottage they've jointly inherited from their eccentric aunt Lydia. As they wonder whether the house's treasure is a Jackson Pollock painting, a first edition of The Great Gatsby, or a family secret, the sisters' contrasting personalities clash in hilarious ways. During a summer marked by parties that recall both the artsy milieu of Pollock and the posh extravagance of Gatsby, the two sisters run into long-lost loves, strange neighbors, aggressive real estate agents, and charming artist hangers-on as they ponder the legacy of their beloved Aunt Lydia and their relationship to each other. Even though many of the novel's revelations can be seen a mile away, getting there is a fun, witty, and surprisingly moving trip. (June)
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From Booklist

“The beach can cure anything,” or so Peck (short for Pecksland) tells half-sister Stella. They have never been close, but for the summer they'll share the Hamptons beach home their beloved Aunt Lydia left to them in her will. Fool's House, a gathering spot for artists during Lydia's tenure, comes with an annual “resident fool” artist as a free lodger above the garage. Peck, a Manhattanite actress, and Stella, a journalist living in Switzerland, can't afford the house, but love it too much to sell it. In between the chic parties and events of the summer season, they search for the item of great value that Lydia says she has left them. Is it the unsigned painting above the fireplace? The possibly first edition of Gatsby? And, most important, is the treasure valuable enough to let them keep the house? Friendships and romances rekindle, sisters grow close, objects disappear, mysteries are solved, and what is truly of value eventually becomes apparent in this charming, entertaining, and brightly written summer read. --Danise Hoover

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 304 pages
• Publisher: Viking Adult; First Edition edition (May 27, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0670021784
• ISBN-13: 978-0670021789
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 6.6 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (31 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #171,139 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Perhaps it was a sign when, at the age of nine, she dressed as a bookworm
(tights, antennae and an enormous painted cardboard "book") for an
improvised American-style Halloween in Sao Paolo, Brazil that Danielle
Ganek would one day become a writer. Her first novel LUlU MEETS GOD AND DOUBTS HIM was described in a New York Times daily review as funny, sharp-clawed, and a "glossy, amusing story that still finds time to wonder...how, why and whether the art world differentiates between trash and treasure. Vanity Fair said "she captures the absurdity of the New York art world with wide and witty brushstrokes." Her second novel THE SUMMER WE READ GATSBY will be published by Viking in 2010.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

25 of 30 people found the following review helpful

1.0 out of 5 stars Ganek needs a proofreader June 11, 2010

By Debby

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

This novel was a disappointment. The author continually TOLD us about the characters, rather than SHOWING us through their actions. Also, the errors and discontinuities were rife. One character asks near the end of the book when he will get to tour Miles' house, but he toured it near the beginning. (I was paying attention, even if the author wasn't.) Another disturbing thing was that they found "an arm" in their refrigerator, but that was never explained or mentioned again. Was it a mannequin's arm? An actual severed bloody human arm? Ick! F. Scott Fitzgerald would be embarrassed to be associated with this book, and I was also. Librarians: don't waste your money on this one.

14 of 16 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars A Great Summer Read May 29, 2010

By Lauren's Crammed Bookshelf

Format:Hardcover

When it comes to books labeled as adult reads and me, it's usually a hit or a miss, because of the fact that I am still in the age group designated as teen and sometimes have a hard time relating to adult protagonists. So when it came time to read The Summer We Read Gatsby, I have to admit that even though the cover was pretty and the premise seemed to be intriguing, I was hesitant to begin.

Luckily, The Summer We Read Gatsby was a great read to start the summer season off with, since it's filled with the fabulous back-drop of the Hamptons, funny moments, sweet romance, and two sisters that you can't help but love.

Peck and Cassie are sisters whom are basically the definition of polar opposites. Peck is eccentric; someone with impeccable taste; an actress with her head in the stars, still thinking of that summer long ago when she first feel in love with the love of her life that got away. Cassie, on the other hand, is timid, shy, realistic; a girl still reeling over her divorce with That-Awful-Jean Paul and dealing with new feelings for the hot stuff that is Finn. Both were characters that fell under that category of protagonists that the reader would love to have in their own life, because Peck and Cassie are funny and wise beyond their years. And surprisingly enough, both were characters I found easy to relate to, since who hasn't had their head in the clouds wondering how life would've been if that one thing didn't happen, feel in love, dealt with loss of loved ones, or faced tough decisions like Peck and Cassie do in The Summer We Read Gatsby? Plus, I loved the relationship they shared as half-sisters, because it often hit a true part of reality and brought on laugh-out-loud moments for me as the reader.

The plot of The Summer We Read Gatsby was interesting enough, though not nearly as great as the characters it centered around. Though it was still fun to have the Hamptons be the setting, as well as read about mystery surrounding Fool's House, which I loved the idea of, and Aunt Lydia, who I personally think deserves her own book about her life before she passed away. Also, I liked having The Great Gatsby be a big part of this.

Though there was one aspect that brought down this book, and that was the pacing, since while I did highly enjoy The Summer We Read Gatsby, and the characters of Peck and Cassie, I would be lying if I didn't say that sometimes The Summer We Read Gatsby moved unbearably slow, but at the same time I felt that the scenes that were the 'slow' ones were necessary, so I don't know what I would find to be a plausible way to fix this.

In all, The Summer We Read Gatsby is a book I do suggest even with the slight fault it had, and something that I'm sure you'll be seeing lots of women and teens around the beach with this summer, because it really is a great summer read!

Grade: B+

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful

2.0 out of 5 stars Not worth it July 4, 2010

By Samantha J

Format:Hardcover

Half sisters Peck and Cassie have taken up residence in the Hamptons after the passing of their beloved Aunt Lydia. Lydia left her house, Fools House, to her nieces, with the instructions that they needed to find the thing of "utmost importance." Throughout the summer, the girls trot along, finding love, finding mystery, and ultimately finding the importance of being sisters. The girls couldn't be more different- Peck an extrovert, a wannabee actress who thinks the world is her stage- and Cassie, the sensible, responsible sister, who is wanting to quickly get Fools House sold and get on with her life. But with long-lost loves, an unwelcome house guest, over aggressive real estate agents, and posh Hampton parties, the sisters find enough adventure and revelation over the summer to last the rest of their lives.
The Summer We Read Gatsby by Danielle Ganek wasn't my favorite novel of the summer. It took me almost half the book to really start to feel for the characters, and I felt at times the story was just too simply farfetched. Ganek is a great writer, and her knowledge and love of art shined through at times, but I didn't feel it was enough to carry the characters along through their summer at Fools House. I usually look to see how the supporting cast ties in with the main characters, and I thought they fell a bit flat as well. There were also some scenarios that were mentioned once then faded away, never being played out. Overall I was disappointed, once I closed the book the characters and plot were gone from my mind.