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    A Certain Summer
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    A Certain Summer
    Unavailable
    A Certain Summer
    Ebook333 pages5 hours

    A Certain Summer

    By Patricia Beard

    3.5/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this ebook

    A richly evocative debut novel set in an exclusive summer colony along the east coast during the aftermath of World War II—for fans of Kate Morton and Jamie Ford.

    "Nothing ever changes at Wauregan.” That mystique is the tradition of the idyllic island colony off the shore of Long Island, the comforting tradition that its summer dwellers have lived by for over half a century. But in the summer of 1948, after a world war has claimed countless men—even those who came home—the time has come to deal with history’s indelible scars.

    Helen Wadsworth’s husband, Arthur, was declared missing in action during an OSS operation in France, but the official explanation was mysteriously nebulous. Now raising a teenage son who longs to know the truth about his father, Helen turns to Frank Hartman—her husband’s best friend and his partner on the mission when he disappeared. Frank, however, seems more intent on filling the void in Helen’s life that Arthur’s absence has left. As Helen’s affection for Frank grows, so does her guilt, especially when Peter Gavin, a handsome Marine who was brutally tortured by the Japanese and has returned with a faithful war dog, unexpectedly stirs new desires. With her heart pulled in multiple directions, Helen doesn’t know whom to trust—especially when a shocking discovery forever alters her perception of both love and war.

    Part mystery, part love story, and part insider’s view of a very private world, A Certain Summer resonates in the heart long after the last page is turned.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherGallery Books
    Release dateMay 21, 2013
    ISBN9781476710273
    Unavailable
    A Certain Summer
    Author

    Patricia Beard

    Patricia Beard is the author of After the Ball and hundreds of national magazine articles. She has been an editor at Elle, Town & Country, and Mirabella. Beard lives in upstate New York.

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    Reviews for A Certain Summer

    3.5/5

    13 ratings4 reviews

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    • 5/5
      After closing the last page of A CERTAIN SUMMER by PATRICIA BEARD, I had a strong desire to learn more about World War II. When I ask myself why this desire to gain more knowledge about a war is so deep, I think it's because of the wonderful way Patricia Beard writes a book. From the timeI began to read the novel there was this feeling that my body had slipped away to Wauregan, the community on Long Island, and become a neighbor and friend who knew everything happening to Helen, a woman whose husband is counted as missing during WWII overseas across the street from a bakery in a house, etc. I also felt close to her son, Jack, the men in her life Frank and Peter and also, her housekeeper and friend, Kathleen. Really, I think it's impossible not to become one in spirit with these people while reading the book. Also, I loved Max, the war dog, who is now licking his war wounds like the soldiers coming back home from the battle fields. None of these men are the same as when they left to go to war. Although, it is very difficult for these men to share what they saw, heard and smelled.However, I did wish the novel had begun with the heroes and heroines of the Resistance and Frank and Peter's fight to escape. Instead the reader isn't taken overseas until nearly the end of the book. Putting the Resistance movement at the end of A Certain Summer makes the war lose its importance. Usually, on a phone call or an emergency visit the most important circumstances are told first. Instead, here we learn about Helen's love life way before the reader is taken to the most significant part of the book, the situation where Peter goes missing. I also think Kathleen's voice was muffled. Usually, a housekeeper has a very strong voice.Still, the novel is intense with the feelings of the soldiers who make it home, with the feelings of a child who loses his dad and the importance of a place in our lives. Also, there is the inability to discern who is a true hero and who is a false hero. Perhaps, this is because the people left at home find it hard not to sympathize and believe the words of every soul who makes it back home.The novel is remarkable. I will not forget the new knowledge I gained about war dogs. Didn't know about dogs who help in the war and come home to become Therapy pets. So Max opened a whole new world to me. Perhaps Max is the reason I want to know more about WWII. War dogs are still used in wars.Patricia Beard writes, "In regard to war dogs, in the aftermath of the 2001 terrorist attack on the World Trade center, trained German shepherds have become more familiar sights, even in civilian situations. The most famous shepherd was the dog parachuted into Pakistan with the team that killed Osama bin Laden."War_Dogs
    • 4/5
      A CERTAIN SUMMER is a bittersweet story set just after the end of World War II. It’s 1948, and on the summer getaway island of Wauregan, the residents are having a difficult time adjusting to the new normal. Men back from the war are silently suffering from the horrors they experienced, and their wives feel helpless. Widows are grieving the deaths of their husbands and trying to forge ahead as single parents, and the wives of men missing in action are living in an agonizing limbo.Helen Wadsworth’s husband Arthur went missing during the war, and she longs for closure for herself and her teenage son, Jack. As she waits for word on Arthur, Helen has two men vying for her attention – Frank, her husband’s OSS partner, and Peter, a Marine who fought in the Pacific. Helen’s character was strong, and she was easy to sympathize with. This book was a journey of discoveries for Helen – uncovering the truth and rediscovering love.The plot moved slowly at first, but it really grabbed me at the halfway point. There were a few nail-biting scenes that kept me flipping the pages, and the ending was amazing. The author presented a memorable and moving account of life post-WWII through the eyes of her characters. With the island setting, a bit of romance, and a bit of mystery, this was a satisfying summer read.Source: Review copy from NetGalley
    • 3/5
      3.5 StarsOkay this book started off iffy for me. I don't know if it was the time setting or the main character didn’t ring true. I would read a few chapters at a time and after I made it a third of the way through I finished the book in that one sitting. I started to get into the whole Wauregan atmosphere, not a care in the world. I’m not a big fan of love triangles and there is one well sort of. Well it’s mostly in Helen's mind between Frank and Peter. Helen doesn’t know if her husband, Arthur, is still alive he’s been missing for 4 years. She doesn’t want to move on with the chance of Arthur coming home. Even if there was little chance of him returning home. I do think that the author Patricia Beard held my hand a little too much, always steering me into the relationship that she wanted the reader to form a bond with. You knew just by a few scenes at the beginning how everything was going to turn out. I’m okay with that but I would have liked a little more speculation on my side. Frank is a family friend who was with Arthur during the war who adapts to who he needs to be. Peter is also a friend of the family that Helen knows from Wauregan. Peter knows who he is and deals with his return from the war the best that he can. Peter has a little help with his war veteran friend Max. Max I have to say is my favorite character. I might be a little bias because I have my own German Shepherd. I think he was a great addition to the story. I did feel that the men who came back from war their behaviors were spot on. I can only imagine what it would be like to be in those positions and then come back to your jobs and families like nothing has changed trying fit into your old way of life. Jack, Helen’s son, behaves better than what I think a 14year old boy would. He didn't rebel as much as I thought a teenage boy with hopes that his father would return from war as he watches mothers relationship with **** grow. He did a little but he seemed to accept everything much better than I would have thought. Overall I liked the story even though I knew how it was going to end. It’s a good summer read. I wish I could spend a whole summer at the beach and not have to work. Would I read this book again? Maybe. Would I read this author again? Definitely.
    • 4/5
      Set on the small island of Wauregan right after WWII, Helen Wadsworth prays that her husband is still alive as he was declared MIA during a secret mission in occupied France. She has a son to take care off and begins to fall for Frank Hartman, her husband’s friend and partner on that ill-fated mission. She also starts to have feelings for yet another man, Peter Gavin, younger and also a survivor of the war with Japan. She finds it difficult to come to terms with the past and move on so that she and her son can move forward. This is more than a love story or mystery; it is a novel of human emotions, frailty and endurance. I found the characters to be well written and felt for each of the three. The reader gets to feel what it is like for those left behind without some sort of closure. The mystery wasn’t too mysterious, but didn’t take away from the drama. This one was certainly an enjoyable read!