- Hardcover: 496 pages
- Publisher: The Chicken House (July 1 2008)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0545057523
- ISBN-13: 978-0545057523
- Product Dimensions: 21.6 x 15.2 x 3.9 cm
- Shipping Weight: 748 g
- Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #642,947 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Details |
Product Description
Product Description
As kids, they were tight. Now they've grown up—and apart. Before they go their separate ways for good, they decide to get together one last time on the night of the county fair. But, twisted by personal histories and fueled by pharmaceuticals, old jealousies soon surface. The group splinters off, their brief reunion a failure. Days later, a girl is found dead, her body dumped in the river. The prime suspect? Raymond, the one member of the old gang who'd always seemed a little strange. Pete doesn't know what to believe: Raymond once made the bizarre claim that his beloved black rabbit spoke to him, whispering secrets and commands. But could Pete's former childhood friend really be a deranged killer? Capturing the thoughts and words of teens as only Kevin Brooks can, Black Rabbit Summer is a trademark tense, smart mystery. It's also a profound exploration of the many subtle influences that can change—that can end— relationships.
About the Author
KEVIN BROOKS is the critically acclaimed author of Being, The Road of the Dead, Candy, Kissing the Rain, Lucas, and Martyn Pig. He lives in Yorkshire, England.
Inside This Book
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First Sentence
The summer of this story started for me on a hot Thursday night at the end of July, just as the sun was heginning to go down. Read the first page Browse Sample Pages
Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt | Back Cover
The summer of this story started for me on a hot Thursday night at the end of July, just as the sun was heginning to go down. Read the first page Browse Sample Pages
Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt | Back Cover
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Customer Reviews
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Most helpful customer reviews
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Courtesy of Teens Read Too,
By TeensReadToo "Eat. Drink. Read. Be Merrier." (All Over the US & Canada) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Black Rabbit Summer (Hardcover)
It's a rite of passage from adolescence to adulthood, leaving old friends behind for a future beckoning with invitations of bigger and better things to come. There is a reason we outgrow friendships. Sometimes things are better left behind.Peter wasn't even thinking when he got the phone call; after all, it was summer. If he would have been, he'd have stuck with Raymond and let the others go on without them without looking back. As it was, nostalgia got the better of him, and he agreed to meet one last time in the den, their former home-away-from-home, but only if Raymond could come, too. Besides, he and Nicole had more than just a past, didn't they? Five former friends, some booze, and a combination of drugs (some by choice, some not), add up to one night of confusion, chaos, and death. What follows in classic Brooks fashion is a mystery that continues to weave into itself more intricately rather than toward a resolution. Oh yes, certain issues are resolved involving who murdered whom along the way, but it's hard to say when we find those details out that it even matters. Who we end up caring most about is not the rich, fake, do-anything-to-be-famous Stella, but the odd, loner Raymond who talks to his black rabbit. Oh yeah, and it talks back to him. Brooks is extraordinary at pulling us into his characters, leading us ever so slowly to answers, and then leaving much, though not all, left unsaid. If you are looking for a perfect ending, he's probably not your man. If you are looking to be challenged as a reader and not spoon-fed all the answers? Here's yet another of his works where you won't walk away being disappointed. Reviewed by: Angie Fisher
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta) Amazon.com:
4.2 out of 5 stars (8 customer reviews) 5 of 6 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
An Incredbile Page Turner,
By W. Sprague - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Black Rabbit Summer (Hardcover)
I came to discover this book in a truly bizarre way - I won a pre-release proof copy in a gift basket of books at a raffle. I have no idea where it came from. I will also state up-front that I am over 40 years old, and not your typical demographic for this book. While I found this book to be a very easy read, it was also incredibly suspenseful and I enjoyed it tremendously. I read it over the course of a few days rather than my typical "few weeks". The characterizations are very well done; even though there is very little descriptive prose (and TONS of dialog) you get a very good internal image of these young people. I agree with most of what the previous reviewer wrote, with a couple of exceptions: 1) The dialog is a little too realistic - characters say "What?" at least a hundred times in this book, only to have the previous line of dialog re-stated. It feels realistic, and helps drive home some points, but it is overused and becomes agonizingly tedious (unless it was changed after the pre-release copy) and 2) while it is not glamorized, these kids get drunk, smoke dope, take drugs, have sex, lie, commit strong acts of violence, and get themselves in way over their head. The "F" word is used about 100 times. A mature reader might understand the lessons found between the lines, but I'm afraid other, less mature readers, might see all these recognizable characters doing unacceptable things and somehow legitimize their behavior. None of these characters have any redeeming values, other than the friedship and loyalty between two of them, nor should any of them serve as role models. Maybe I'm an overly protective parent, but I strongly disagree with rating of "12 and older" in my advance copy. A 12 year old will have nightmares for a week. Maybe a mature 15 or 16. This is Stephen King type stuff, toned down only a *little* bit.Despite these warnings, Black Rabbit Summer really was a wonderful surprise, and a very good story. I'd give it 4.5 stars if I could. 1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
2.0 out of 5 stars
Left me hanging,
By A. J. K. "bookreader" - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Black Rabbit Summer (Library Binding)
The author was successful in capturing my attention in the early pages of the book. However, he did not develop the characters fully and left the reader hanging with very many questions.
5.0 out of 5 stars
Courtesy of Teens Read Too,
By TeensReadToo "Eat. Drink. Read. Be Merrier." - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Black Rabbit Summer (Mass Market Paperback)
It's a rite of passage from adolescence to adulthood, leaving old friends behind for a future beckoning with invitations of bigger and better things to come. There is a reason we outgrow friendships. Sometimes things are better left behind.Peter wasn't even thinking when he got the phone call; after all, it was summer. If he would have been, he'd have stuck with Raymond and let the others go on without them without looking back. As it was, nostalgia got the better of him, and he agreed to meet one last time in the den, their former home-away-from-home, but only if Raymond could come, too. Besides, he and Nicole had more than just a past, didn't they? Five former friends, some booze, and a combination of drugs (some by choice, some not), add up to one night of confusion, chaos, and death. What follows in classic Brooks fashion is a mystery that continues to weave into itself more intricately rather than toward a resolution. Oh yes, certain issues are resolved involving who murdered whom along the way, but it's hard to say when we find those details out that it even matters. Who we end up caring most about is not the rich, fake, do-anything-to-be-famous Stella, but the odd, loner Raymond who talks to his black rabbit. Oh yeah, and it talks back to him. Brooks is extraordinary at pulling us into his characters, leading us ever so slowly to answers, and then leaving much, though not all, left unsaid. If you are looking for a perfect ending, he's probably not your man. If you are looking to be challenged as a reader and not spoon-fed all the answers? Here's yet another of his works where you won't walk away being disappointed. Reviewed by: Angie Fisher |
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