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kiminindy's review against another edition
5.0
Excellent! One of the best books I've read this year. A young woman is drawn back into her chaotic past in a small Southern town. There's much to love about Tallulah. Very poignant story and a semi happy ending.
amauberzinski's review against another edition
4.0
4.5 stars
It started out slow but I ended up falling in love with these characters. Everything South reminds me of my own Mom so I loved the atmosphere.
It started out slow but I ended up falling in love with these characters. Everything South reminds me of my own Mom so I loved the atmosphere.
booklovinalicia's review against another edition
5.0
The quality of writing in this story is outstanding. I could effortlessly imagine this small, southern town and its inhabitants clearly. I felt like I was there and could feel each character's emotions with every page turn. This is a Summer '18 must read!
Read my full review of this and other books at www.booklovinalicia.blogspot.com
Read my full review of this and other books at www.booklovinalicia.blogspot.com
gabizago's review against another edition
4.0
The Myth of Perpetual Summer is an interesting come-of-age novel that takes place in the 60s and 70s. The main character is Tallulah, a young girl with a dysfunctional family that tries to get by and help her siblings the best she can even though the past is surrounded by secrets. I like when a book does a good job on mixing real facts (things that happened in history) with fictional characters - so while learning about Tallulah you will also read about racism in Mississipi, Vietnam war, and even some breakthroughs in Psychology in the 70s. The title comes from the idea, shared by one of the siblings, that escaping to California would solve all their problems. This is such a beautiful and moving story, and in the end makes us realize that everyone has its own struggles in life, and comes with a family history that you can’t simply deny; its part of who we are today.
lextypething's review against another edition
5.0
This book was a freebie through my Audible membership, so I didn’t really have any expectations. However, I fell hard and fast in love with this book. I was torn between not wanting to stop listening and trying to pace myself so that it wasn’t over too soon. I miss the time I spent with Tallulah and the James family already.
Can’t wait to explore Susan Crandall’s other novels.
Can’t wait to explore Susan Crandall’s other novels.
danidsfavereads's review against another edition
4.0
* Thank you Gallery Books & BookishFirst for my free review copy. *
Tallulah James' childhood is not stable - her parent's relationship is volatile, their behavior is erratic, and their approach to raising their children is very hands-off. Her constants in her life are her older brother and her grandmother. After a life-changing event occurs in their family, Tallulah heads out to California and recreates herself. Seven years later she returns home when her younger brother is accused of murder, and also faces the tragedy that broke the family apart.
This book was heartbreaking in so many ways. It was hard to read about Tallulah and her siblings' childhood and the experiences they went through. I was amazed at how quick Tallulah's grandmother was to explain away her son's (Tallulah's father) behavior which to me was obviously Bipolar Disorder. Her mother's behavior was incredibly frustrating - I just wanted to knock some sense into her.
As someone who understands the impact of trauma on a child - it was interesting to see how Crandall wrote each child as dealing with their childhoods in such a drastically different way. They did what they had to protect themselves.
This book was beautifully written, going into lovely details of the South in the late 50s and early 60s. It was an engaging and emotional journey of a family holding onto a variety of secrets. Pick this one up if you love stories about the South and dysfunctional families.
Tallulah James' childhood is not stable - her parent's relationship is volatile, their behavior is erratic, and their approach to raising their children is very hands-off. Her constants in her life are her older brother and her grandmother. After a life-changing event occurs in their family, Tallulah heads out to California and recreates herself. Seven years later she returns home when her younger brother is accused of murder, and also faces the tragedy that broke the family apart.
This book was heartbreaking in so many ways. It was hard to read about Tallulah and her siblings' childhood and the experiences they went through. I was amazed at how quick Tallulah's grandmother was to explain away her son's (Tallulah's father) behavior which to me was obviously Bipolar Disorder. Her mother's behavior was incredibly frustrating - I just wanted to knock some sense into her.
As someone who understands the impact of trauma on a child - it was interesting to see how Crandall wrote each child as dealing with their childhoods in such a drastically different way. They did what they had to protect themselves.
This book was beautifully written, going into lovely details of the South in the late 50s and early 60s. It was an engaging and emotional journey of a family holding onto a variety of secrets. Pick this one up if you love stories about the South and dysfunctional families.
carolynaugustyn's review against another edition
3.0
Note: I received this book from the author/publisher and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
This is a solidly good read, especially for anyone looking for a book that's not completely fluffy good times but also not overly depressing. I think Crandall did a good job balancing the happy moments with the more stressful/tumultuous moments in the book so the general feeling was always hopeful. The plot itself is interesting and included a dual timeline narrative that was handled very well. I liked the characters and the setting was very atmospheric. However, I didn't love how many story lines this book had. It seemed like there was so much going on that I couldn't care as deeply about certain characters/situations because I had already been invested in the previous situations. Like, this book has a lot going on and it can be a little overwhelming to have to keep track of all of the loose threads. I enjoyed the overall story and thought it was well written but I wish some parts had been excluded so we could focus on some of the topics a little more.
This is a solidly good read, especially for anyone looking for a book that's not completely fluffy good times but also not overly depressing. I think Crandall did a good job balancing the happy moments with the more stressful/tumultuous moments in the book so the general feeling was always hopeful. The plot itself is interesting and included a dual timeline narrative that was handled very well. I liked the characters and the setting was very atmospheric. However, I didn't love how many story lines this book had. It seemed like there was so much going on that I couldn't care as deeply about certain characters/situations because I had already been invested in the previous situations. Like, this book has a lot going on and it can be a little overwhelming to have to keep track of all of the loose threads. I enjoyed the overall story and thought it was well written but I wish some parts had been excluded so we could focus on some of the topics a little more.
angelikareadsavariciously's review against another edition
3.0
3.5. It was interesting overall, but not amazing.
writer09's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0