12/31/2023 0 Comments Marsha may family secrets![]() When her husband Tommy died, he left the house to Evie instead of to his eldest son, Charlie. The charm of the town and the two houses was appealing.ĭisclosure: I received an e-copy of ‘Summer on the River‘* for review, but the opinions in this post are my own and unbiased.Įvie has married into a very well-to-do family, who own a beautiful old house by the river. Two stars mainly for bringing the setting to life. I don't actually recall if I've read this author before, but I certainly won't be looking for any of her other books. Isn't that just a bit over the top? Such a melodramatic expression for a 2015 novel. he knows nothing will ever be quite the same again." Each character expresses this, as does a third character when he sees them together. When Charlie and Jemima meet, the author actually writes ". Several relationships were awkwardly contrived. I think at least two of them (the little girl Maisie and her mum) were unnecessary. There were at least ten characters in the story that were given their own third person voice. I didn't care for most of the characters except Ben, the cousin who lived in the Merchant's House. There are ramifications of this that come to light in the story and yield a dark tone to the idyllic life in Dartmouth. ![]() She has had two affairs with married men, and she justifies her role in this by saying they kept their affairs compartmentalized, completely separate from the man's wife and children. It is a slow paced story, and it took me three days to read the last three or four chapters because by that point I really didn't care how it ended.Įvie is a person with no moral values when it comes to choosing whom to have affairs with. Her husband Tommy has died and left her the Merchant's House across the road where several family members and an old friend congregate each summer for Regatta.Ĭharacter development and sense of place are the strengths of this book, though the writing is overly descriptive at times. But do not be fooled by this, because the tone of the book is not really evocative of this serenity.Įvie, a former college English professor and successful author of English civil war period novels, lives in a boathouse on the river in Dartmouth. The title and cover invite the reader to enter this bucolic scene. Who wouldn't want to spend a summer day on the banks of this river. Summer on the River has a beautiful impressionist cover illustration. Others, like the writer of the quote I mentioned, may enjoy it but it was just not for me. This one left me wishing I had not bothered. In the past, before I was on Goodreads, I had read and enjoyed a couple of other Marcia Willett books. Despite misgivings I persisted, with a bit of skimming, to the end. Several times I considered putting it down and moving on to something else. It just may be that comment that kept me reading to see what I was missing. ‘What a lovely read!’ someone had written inside my copy of this library book. The setting of this book is beautiful but I found the characters shallow and some of them added nothing to the story. Tommy is affectionately known as TDF, which is cringe worthy when the reader learns what the letters stand for. She has over the years had affairs with two already married men, Russell and later, Tommy. ![]() One was the main character Evie, and her casual attitude towards affairs. I struggled with this book for several reasons. This is a book about friendship, expectations, loss and love. ![]() What are Jemima and Charlie to do? And when the secret Tommy left behind is uncovered what difference will that make to the people who love this place and the house? There is also a person bent on revenge for the past. One time when Charlie comes down on his own he meets Jemima and and instant love or attraction whatever you want to call it flares up. That doesn’t stop her feeling resentful that Evie owns the house she believes should be Charlie’s and worse, that Ben is living in it. Things are always uncomfortable when Ange and Charlie visit together. Evie, meanwhile is still living in the Boathouse nearby and happy for Ben to live in the Merchant’s House. Charlie loves to visit the old house where his friend Ben, is now living after he split up from his wife. But Tommy has his reasons as both Evie and the reader discover as the story progresses. Ange, who is married to Tommy’s son Charlie, is aghast that the house has been left to Evie instead of Charlie. She has inherited it from her former lover, later to be husband Tommy. Evie has been left a house, known as the Merchant’s House, in Dartmouth.
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