The Edge of Summer is the first Viola Shipman (Wade Rouse) novel I've read. My favorite aspects were the lovely descriptions of summer on Lake Michigan and the imagery of buttons throughout the story. I was very surprised that C*vid played a significant part; I was fine with it, but reader know thyself.
Sutton Douglas and her mother are extremely close because each is the other's only family; they survived Sutton's hardscrabble childhood together. Sutton is devastated when years later, her mother dies during the pandemic. While going through her mother's meager possessions, she discovers a shocking letter that causes Sutton to question everything. She's drawn to a resort town on Lake Michigan that shares her last name. Will she find answers - and a new chapter of life - there?
The act of sewing to express creativity and connect generations is a central theme; each chapter includes a definition of sewing terminology. This was nostalgic as I learned to sew at a young age from my grandmothers, both skilled seamstresses for their families. I have fond memoires of playing with jars of buttons and other sewing notions in childhood.
While I generally enjoyed the novel, the plot dragged in the middle and and it felt overly long. But that won't deter me from reading more of this author's stories that are waiting on my TBR shelves.
Sutton Douglas and her mother are extremely close because each is the other's only family; they survived Sutton's hardscrabble childhood together. Sutton is devastated when years later, her mother dies during the pandemic. While going through her mother's meager possessions, she discovers a shocking letter that causes Sutton to question everything. She's drawn to a resort town on Lake Michigan that shares her last name. Will she find answers - and a new chapter of life - there?
The act of sewing to express creativity and connect generations is a central theme; each chapter includes a definition of sewing terminology. This was nostalgic as I learned to sew at a young age from my grandmothers, both skilled seamstresses for their families. I have fond memoires of playing with jars of buttons and other sewing notions in childhood.
While I generally enjoyed the novel, the plot dragged in the middle and and it felt overly long. But that won't deter me from reading more of this author's stories that are waiting on my TBR shelves.
It is a testament to the storytelling in The Edge of Summer by Viola Shipman that, at the end, I want to know more. The vivid, idealized descriptions of the Ozarks and the Michigan coastal communities grounds the book and helps bring it to life. I want to visit the places described. As always, Wade Rouse, aka Viola Shipman, tells a story of family and place that makes me want to read more.
Read my complete review at http://www.memoriesfrombooks.com/2022/07/the-edge-of-summer.html
Reviewed for NetGalley and the HTP Summer 2022 beach reads blog tour.
Read my complete review at http://www.memoriesfrombooks.com/2022/07/the-edge-of-summer.html
Reviewed for NetGalley and the HTP Summer 2022 beach reads blog tour.
