I’m not going to lie: I had few expectations for this book. Though I enjoyed them both greatly, the two non-fiction books I read last week were pretty dense and I wanted something a little lighter. I should have taken the 4+ star review average on Amazon a little more seriously- this book is much more than the genre and cover suggest.
A Hundred Summers centers mainly around the character Lily, but flawlessly introduces a variety of other well developed and interesting characters throughout the book. The story jumps between the early 1930s and the late 1930s and centers on wealthy Manhattanites who summer in Rhode Island and attend private colleges in New England. Given the backdrop of the Great Depression, there are some references to difficulties faced by the characters, but it’s hardly an in depth look at one of the more trying decades in American history. (I wanted to make a Grapes of Wrath reference here; alas, I’ve not read it yet. Yes, I am terribly ashamed of this.)
I’d be lying if I said this was a particularly intellectual read or if I pretended that some of the annoying cliches throughout the book didn’t bother me. As with many of these historical romance books, it gets very, very messy throughout and then there are a variety of convenient scenarios that take place towards the end to help the story come to a neat conclusion. This is definitely and unquestionably “chick lit” (though I despise that expression), but it has more depth than some of the others I’ve read over the years. It helps that I find 20th century America to be the most fascinating of all time periods, so I’m perhaps just slightly biased here.
At the end of the day, it’s a good book. There’s mystery (and not the awful We Were Liars excuse for it), there’s scandal, there are characters whose stories require some investment. Some of the story is obvious, but it’s an engrossing enough read that I didn’t really have the time or desire to put pieces together myself- I just let the story unravel before me, which is not something I often do. Worth checking out.
You’ll like this if: you’re into historical fiction and if you like reading lots of details in descriptions. This isn’t going to convert anyone into a romance genre fan, but it’s much better developed and interesting than some of what’s out there.
Happy reading!
carlyreads 