Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    The Book of Summer: A Novel
    The Book of Summer: A Novel
    The Book of Summer: A Novel
    Audiobook12 hours

    The Book of Summer: A Novel

    Written by Michelle Gable

    Narrated by Cassandra Campbell

    4/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    Physician Bess Codman has returned to her family’s Nantucket compound, Cliff House, for the first time in four years. Her great-grandparents built Cliff House almost a century before, but due to erosion, the once-grand home will soon fall into the sea. Though she’s purposefully avoided the island, Bess must now pack up the house and deal with her mother, a notorious town rabble-rouser, who refuses to leave.

    The Book of Summer unravels the power and secrets of Cliff House as told through the voices of Ruby Packard, a bright-eyed and idealistic newlywed on the eve of WWII, the home’s definitive guestbook, and Bess herself. Bess’s grandmother always said it was a house of women, and by the very last day of the very last summer at Cliff House, Bess will understand the truth of her grandmother’s words in ways she never contemplated.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherBrilliance Audio
    Release dateMay 9, 2017
    ISBN9781522637783
    The Book of Summer: A Novel
    Author

    Michelle Gable

    MICHELLE GABLE is the New York Times bestselling author of A Paris Apartment, I'll See You in Paris, The Book of Summer, and The Summer I Met Jack. She attended the College of William & Mary and spent twenty years working in finance before becoming a full-time writer. She grew up in San Diego and lives in Cardiff-by-the-Sea, California. Find her on Instagram, Twitter, or Pinterest, @mgablewriter.

    More audiobooks from Michelle Gable

    Related to The Book of Summer

    Related audiobooks

    Contemporary Women's For You

    View More
    View More

    Related podcast episodes

    Related articles

    • Article

      Top 10 Books

      Jun 16, 2023

      Top 10 Books
      1 min read

    • Article

      Another Gift Bag On The Porch. Thanks, Secret Santa

      Jan 1, 2019

      We put a new roof on the house last week, so I expect it never to rain again. It's one of those rules of inverse preparation. You wash the car; it rains. You put a new lid on the house; it doesn't. Call it "Erskine's Law": the ultimate triumph of iro

      3 min read

    • Article

      The Hole In The Fence

      Oct 6, 2020

      The Hole In The Fence
      9 min read

    • Article

      Trying To Be Just And Pious In Crusader Kings III Part II

      Dec 29, 2020

      Quick recap: I’m trying to ignore the urges this game inspires in me and everybody else, and be lovely, kind, and noble at every possible opportunity; unless I catch anybody being in any way immoral, then they shall feel my pious wrath. After losing

      7 min read

    • Article

      Trying To Be Just And Pious In Crusader Kings III Part II

      Dec 10, 2020

      Quick recap: I’m trying to ignore the urges this game inspires in me and everybody else, and be lovely, kind and noble at every possible opportunity; unless I catch anybody being in any way immoral, then they shall feel my pious wrath. After losing e

      7 min read

    • Article

      Finding My Funny Bone

      Jun 16, 2021

      Finding My Funny Bone
      5 min read

    • Article

      Tractors, trifles & TRADITIONS

      Nov 28, 2021

      Here in Auckland this year, we’ll be holding a rehearsal for the Christmas that my family dreams of – the one where we’re all together in the same place at the same time, probably making so much noise, the neighbours call the cops. But with half my c

      2 min read

    • Article

      Woman About Town

      Jul 28, 2022

      Woman About Town
      5 min read

    • Article

      Chrissie Swan

      Nov 30, 2023

      Chrissie Swan
      6 min read

    • Article

      ‘Cygnet’: Featured Fiction from Season Butler

      Jun 25, 2019

      A excerpt from Butler's debut coming-of-age novel, set in an appealingly rich world with quirky, flawed characters and a dramatic oceanfront landscape. The post ‘Cygnet’: Featured Fiction from Season Butler appeared first on The Millions.

      4 min read

    • Article

      Chris Erskine: When Wanderlust Strikes

      Jul 24, 2018

      We quit being invited to cocktail parties recently after I mistook a conch shell for a napkin and ran it across my face like some sort of tribesman. The dudes kind of dug it, but it so unsettled their dates that I was asked to leave. Honestly, the ho

      3 min read

    • Article

      LETTER FROM Tamboerskloof

      Aug 14, 2020

      y compulsion to organise the world M around me has become untethered from reason. It’s the start of the third month of lockdown as I write this, and that compulsion is beginning to show… The grocery cupboard, once haphazardly stacked with tins of len

      3 min read

    • Article

      Dawn Neesom Mind Of My Own

      Nov 1, 2022

      Emotions always run higher than usual at this time of year, which means for the lonely, lost and bereaved it’s also incredibly hard. My feisty and fearless friend Patsy is facing her first Christmas without her beloved husband Nobby. They got toget

      3 min read

    • Article

      My Dinner with Denis Johnson

      Jun 25, 2018

      My Dinner with Denis Johnson
      13 min read

    • Article

      I Ran Away From Home At 60!

      Feb 20, 2024

      Three decades ago, I celebrated my 30th birthday in the time-honoured tradition of all young people who think they are an adult but have no real idea about life, duty or personal responsibility – I got smashed. In fairness, I had quite a lot to get s

      4 min read

    • Article

      Single Bells

      Dec 14, 2022

      Single Bells
      3 min read

    • Article

      Australia Reads At Home

      May 18, 2020

      Australia Reads At Home
      7 min read

    • Article

      All AT SEA

      Jan 17, 2023

      All AT SEA
      6 min read

    • Article

      Yes Virginia, He's Real

      Dec 7, 2023

      Eight-year-old Virginia O'Hanlon wrote a letter to the editor of the New York's Sun, and the quick response was printed as an unsigned editorial in the now-defunct newspaper's Sept. 21, 1897, issue. The work of veteran newsman Francis Pharcellus Chur

      2 min read

    • Article

      Salt On The WIND

      Apr 1, 2020

      Salt On The WIND
      6 min read

    Related categories

    Reviews for The Book of Summer

    4/5

    30 ratings5 reviews

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 4/5
      MY REVIEWI enjoyed and would highly recommend "The Book Of Summer" By Michele Gable. The genres of this book are Historical Fiction, Women's Fiction and Adult Fiction.I like the way that Michelle Gabe describes the opulence and elegance of the Cliff Mansion in Nantucket, and the history of the family that has lived there. The timeline is in the past, and in the present, In the present, Cliff House is in danger of falling into the sea. Erosion and storms have caused this disaster waiting to happen. I love the author's accounts of the summers and quaint town.The characters are complex and complicated. In both the past and present, there are secrets. In the past the family was dealing with the effects and complications of World War Two. In the present, the family is dealing with the devastation of losing their beloved home with so many memories.I appreciate that he author did the research of erosion. The author also describes strength and weaknesses of the characters. The author also brings up relevant topics of being gay and the military,different types of marriage, abuse in marriage, and fighting in what one believes in. I find that the author shows us the importance of family, friendship, forgiveness, hope and love.This is not only a summer read, but a book that you can enjoy all year long!!
    • 3/5
      The Book of Summer by Michelle Gable takes us to Cliff House in Siasconset on Nantucket. Dr. Bess Codman receives a call from her father asking for her assistance. Cliff House, the family home, is slowly falling over the bluffs into the ocean. Thanks to erosion, they have already lost the tennis courts, pool, dressing rooms, and part of the veranda. It is just a matter of time before the house disappears, but Cissy Codman (her mother) refuses to leave the house. Bess’ father wants her to fly home from California and get her mother out of the house. Cissy is a force of nature. She is still trying to save her family home and is waiting for a Board of Selectman vote on Sankaty Bluff Preservation Fund (Damage Prevention Project). Bess arrives and begins packing up the house. She discovers the families The Book of Summer. A guest book started in 1911 when Cissy’s ancestors, Sarah and Philip Young moved into the newly built home. Guests and family were asked to write an anecdote or story into The Book of Summer. Bess would like to become the new caretaker of the book. Bess’ grandmother, Ruby was responsible for it until her death. Going through the book and the house will bring old stories and secrets to light. Bess will discover things she never knew about the women in her family. We journey back to the days of Ruby Young and relive her time in Cliff House. The past has a way of influencing our present lives. Will Cissy be able to save the family home? How will the family history affect Bess and her future? The Book of Summer is a novel that takes readers back in time to relive the Young family history. We are taken back to 1939 to relive Ruby Young’s life at Cliff House. There are several storylines in the book. One of them is how gay men were treated by the military during World War II. Another is Bess getting a divorce and the reason why. The writing is nice and there are some beautiful descriptions of Nantucket. The book does have a sweet ending. However, I found the pace of the novel to be slow, and I felt it needed some editing. The book was just too long. There is an extreme amount of foul language in the story and it was completely unnecessary (I found it offensive). My main problem with the book was Cissy Codman. She was an over-the-top eccentric who quickly got on my nerves (who picks up a person at the airport on a bicycle). Cissy is the most unique character in The Book of Summer, but not the only one. I believe it was supposed to come across as humorous, but I was not laughing. I give The Book of Summer 3 out of 5 stars. I just found The Book of Summer to be rather bland and unsurprising. I was never drawn into the story and did not connect with the characters. I was curious about The Book of Summer (the guest book belonging to the Young family). What a great concept. It is the type of item I would love to sit down and read through. While I did not enjoy The Book of Summer, I do recommend Michelle Gable’s A Paris Apartment and I’ll See You in Paris.
    • 5/5
      This is a splendid multi generational novel about the strength of the women of Cliff House. The story spans two time periods, the 1940's and the present. The author, Michelle Gable, brought her characters to life. I particularly liked the 1940's time period. I loved this book so much that I'll have to check out the author other books.
    • 5/5
      Bess Codman returns to her childhood home after four years with one mission. To get her cantankerous mother Caroline (Cissy) out of the home that her great grandmother had built 99 years ago. It was built on a bluff high above the ocean in Nantucket. That bluff has been and is falling slowly away. There is about ten feet left before the house starts to go. Cissy is determined that she is going to save the house. The tennis courts are gone, the pool is gone, the yard is gone, everything is gone including most of the patio. Cissy continues to fight.Bess recently leaving her husband (what a guy this turned out to be) is dealing with that issue and Cissy. While fighting with him and her, she decides to go ahead and start packing. The first thing she finds is The Book of Summer. This is a book that has been in the house since the beginning and everyone who has ever been at the house has signed it, some several times.The book goes back and forth from present day and then to quips written in the book and then to the relatives that lived in the house, mostly Bess's grandmother Ruby. It is a great story about family, very emotional, tragic and everything centered around Cliff House. You can see why Cissy is fighting so hard to keep this house.I just loved this book and when it was over, it was very hard to let go of. Cissy is a feisty character, but one that you grow to love. I got lots of chuckles out of her. There were definitely some emotional moments and some romantic moments. Some moments you won't believe. It's just all in all a family saga that leaves you feeling good in the end.A very entertaining read and I thank St. Martin's Press and Net Galley for allowing me to read and review this book.
    • 5/5
      I loved this book. All of the main characters were fantastic and so well written with all of their character flaws on display. The main characters are Bess - a physician from California who has returned to Nantucket to help her mom pack up her house; Cissy - Bess's mom who is a real rebel; Ruby - Bess's grandmother who is long deceased but tells much of the story and The Cliff House - the magnificent house, build by Bess's parents that is now close to falling into the sea due to erosion of the cliffs. The story is told in alternating time periods - Cissy and Bess in modern day and Bess's narrative takes place in the 40s. It's a story of love and loss, family and forgiveness. But overall it's the story of a house and the women who lived in it and tried to live their lives as well as they could despite issues that were going on in the world outside their door. I have read all of Michelle's books and they are all fantastic.Thanks to NetGalley for a copy of this book. All opinions are my own.