BOOKISH FRIDAY: EXCERPTS FROM “ALL THE SUMMER GIRLS”

Welcome to another Bookish Friday, in which I enjoy sharing excerpts from books…and connecting with other bloggers, who do the same.

Let’s begin the celebration by sharing Book Beginnings, hosted by Rose City Reader; and let’s showcase The Friday 56 with Freda’s Voice.

To join in, just grab a book and share the opening lines…along with any thoughts you wish to give us; then turn to page 56 and excerpt anything on the page.

Then give us the title of the book, so others can add it to their lists!

What better way to spend a Friday!

Today’s feature is All the Summer Girls, by Meg Donohue, a rich and detailed novel about women, relationships, and forgiveness.

 

 

 

Beginning:  (Kate)

In Philadelphia, Katherine Harrington stands in front of the bathroom mirror, waiting to see if her life is about to change.  It has been a while since she stopped and really looked at herself—not to smooth the frazzled antennae of fine brown hair along her part or to brush away the taste of her morning coffee or to apply the mascara she swipes on each and every day before work, but to just stand completely still and look.

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56:  (Vanessa)

Lucy is in love with Vanessa’s mother, and Vanessa doesn’t blame her:  her mother is the sort of woman who seemed born to mother, as in the verb “to mother,” the way some seem destined “to lead.”  Her parents met at an antinuclear protest in D.C. in 1979; Vanessa’s mother, a white woman raised by a history professor and a sculptor, had been drawn to Vanessa’s black father because of his funny tweed beret and clear singing voice and what she called “his warm, calm, mauve-hued aura.”

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Blurb:  All the Summer Girls by Meg Donohue is a riveting coming-of-age tale set on the New Jersey shore. Donohue, the author of the bestselling novel How to Eat a Cupcake, is a master of literary fiction; her skill is demonstrated in this absorbing and moving second novel.
Set among the sunsets and dunes, All the Summer Girls is the story of how three former best friends, their lives rapidly unraveling, are reunited at the beach town of their past–where the ambiance of summer encourages them to explore new experiences they would never otherwise attempt.
When dark secrets threaten to surface, Kate, Vanessa, and Dani begin to realize just how much their lives–and friendships–have been shaped by the choices they made one fateful summer night years ago. In the hope of finally moving forward, the women turn to one another for forgiveness–but how can they forgive each other when they can’t forgive themselves?

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What do you think?  I am eager to find out more; I love stories about friendship, especially when there is a rift and some dark secrets to unveil.

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