Cape May: A Novel
Written by Chip Cheek
Narrated by George Newbern
3/5
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About this audiobook
"In Chip Cheek's intense, erotic debut novel, narrator George Newbern offers perfect voices for innocent newlyweds Henry, 20, and Effie, 18." — AudioFile Magazine
A mesmerizing debut by Chip Cheek, Cape May explores the social and sexual mores of 1950s America through the eyes of a newly married couple from the genteel south corrupted by sophisticated New England urbanites.
Late September 1957. Henry and Effie, very young newlyweds from Georgia, arrive in Cape May, New Jersey, for their honeymoon only to find the town is deserted. Feeling shy of each other and isolated, they decide to cut the trip short. But before they leave, they meet a glamorous set of people who sweep them up into their drama. Clara, a beautiful socialite who feels her youth slipping away; Max, a wealthy playboy and Clara’s lover; and Alma, Max’s aloof and mysterious half-sister, to whom Henry is irresistibly drawn.
The empty beach town becomes their playground, and as they sneak into abandoned summer homes, go sailing, walk naked under the stars, make love, and drink a great deal of gin, Henry and Effie slip from innocence into betrayal, with irrevocable consequences.
Erotic and moving, this is an audiobook about marriage, love and sexuality, and the lifelong repercussions that meeting a group of debauched cosmopolitans has on a new marriage.
Praise for Cape May:
“Deceptively relaxed and simple at first...[Cape May] soon reveals itself as a swirling vortex of psychological suspense with insights about marriage that recall writers like Margot Livesey and Alice Munro. The 1950s setting, the pellucid prose, and the propulsive plot make this very steamy debut novel about morality and desire feel like a classic.” — Kirkus, starred review
"What a treat. Glamorous and nostalgic and very sexy, Cape May is a novel about marriage, lust, shabby seaside towns and lots of gin. Brilliantly unsettling—one of those books that stays with you." - Paula Hawkins, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Girl on the Train
Editor's Note
Terribly sexy…
As intoxicating as a Tom Collins, this debut about a young couple seduced by glamorous socialites on their honeymoon examines the sexual and social mores of the ’50s. Terrifically enthralling and terribly sexy.
Chip Cheek
Chip Cheek’s stories have appeared in The Southern Review, Harvard Review, Washington Square, and other journals and anthologies. He has been awarded scholarships to the Bread Loaf Writers’ Conference, the Tin House Summer Writers’ Workshop, and the Vermont Studio Center, as well as an Emerging Artist Award from the St. Botolph Club Foundation. Cape May is his debut novel. He lives in El Segundo, California, with his wife and baby daughter.
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Reviews for Cape May
19 ratings5 reviews
- Rating: 1 out of 5 stars1/5Wish I could give negative stars. Horrible waste of time.
1 person found this helpful
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5I enjoyed this! Very much!! This was a relatively short book which almost seemed like an abridged version of what could have been a much longer story with a lot more detail. Nonetheless, it was a very good and worthwhile listen, leaving the listener with much food for thought. I will say that, although the setting was supposed to have been the 1950’s, there wasn’t a great deal of atmosphere for the era. In fact, the time period was somewhat nebulous, and really could have taken place at any time, as the central issues themselves are timeless or, more specifically, as old as time itself!!
The narrator was good and appropriate for the story. I enjoyed listening to him! As I recall, I believe this was a “book of the day” recommendation from SCRIBD. If not for that, I probably never would have come across it. One of the things I really enjoy about being a SCRIBD member is discovering new books and audiobooks! ☺️ - Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Good read ......I really enjoyed the narrator. I entend to read his other work.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Good listen. Entertaining while on a long car drive. I felt the ending was a bit rushed and not as well thought out as the rest of the book - but still worth the listen.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Really enjoyed this novel The reading was excellent