- Mass Market Paperback
- Publisher: Fawcett (Mar 27 1990)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0449219046
- ISBN-13: 978-0449219041
- Product Dimensions: 17.3 x 10.7 x 3 cm
- Shipping Weight: 113 g
- Average Customer Review: 2.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
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Product Details |
Product Description
From Publishers Weekly
Set in Cape Cod, featuring liaisons aplenty and "related in an absorbingly leisurely fashion, Piercy's latest is an old-fashioned novel in the sense that it doesn't tell a flashy story, but delves into character and relationships, slowly weaving a richly nuanced tale," wrote PW .
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
From Library Journal
After 11 years, the menage a trois of Dinah Adler and Willie and Susan DeWitt is a strong family unit, accepted in its Cape Cod community. Dinah is a respected composer, devoted to her music, and Willie is a sculptor and carpenter happy with his life (and the envy of the local men). But Susan's growing discontent--with her work as a fabric designer and her role as unofficial gofer and hostess for summer people--ruptures the relationship and leads to tragedy. Piercy tells this story in short chapters in the alternating voices of several characters, making the narrative choppy and occasionally repetitive, and stuffs it with details so it sometimes seems interminable. Worse, these characters--except for the three primary ones--are basically shallow and opportunistic, and difficult to care about. A disappointing novel from a notable author.
- Michele Leber, Fairfax Cty. P.L., Va.
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
- Michele Leber, Fairfax Cty. P.L., Va.
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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First Sentence
THE NOISE from outside broke loud and sudden, as if somebody had begun cutting a superhighway through the woods. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt | Back Cover
THE NOISE from outside broke loud and sudden, as if somebody had begun cutting a superhighway through the woods. Read the first page
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Customer Reviews
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Most helpful customer reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars
Nurturing escape,
By Sokste "KtS" (Minneapolis, MN U.S.A.) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Summer People (Hardcover)
I really enjoyed this book when I read it several years ago, and it comes back to me from time to time. I like her take on what is sustainable and wholesome in life. I enjoyed watching the progress of their characters through the particular journeys we see them take. I loved her Pesach dinner. And the honesty with which she holds her characters. Low-key delight.
1.0 out of 5 stars
Wishful Thinking on the Cape,
By A Customer
This review is from: Summer People (Paperback)
This is a novel about Cape Cod, a narrow peninsula that projects into the Atlantic from southeastern Massachusetts. Cape Cod residents depend on a freshwater aquifer that is constantly threatened by pressure from the surrounding saltwater. There is a mysterious quality about this water that makes the locals have sex frequently and in all sorts of combinations, and it is always very good. This unusual phenomenon is irresistibly appealing to a recent graduate who wants to apply the formulas learned in the creative writing seminar at Cape Cod Community College. The exercise has all the depth of an expanded version of a TV guide synopsis of the daytime soaps. One character appears to be developed with some complexity, but her problem is dismissed casually and accurately by another character as the result of menopausal depression.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta) Amazon.com:
3.2 out of 5 stars (4 customer reviews) 10 of 11 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
terrifically entertaining,
By flame - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Summer People (Hardcover)
Remember the old Agatha Christie books that began with a cast of characters/suspects? This book begins the same way -- which is fitting, since with Piercy the odd mix of characters is what propells the action, and the readers' interest. In this novel, seven or eight characters whirl through twelve-month's time in a small town on Cape Cod. Domestic bliss is challenged by the usual obstacles: envy, longing, and the common desires of the heart. Rifts arise between lovers and strangers come together. Small events set in motion the breakup of families. I didn't find the book especially deep or thought-provoking, but it's definitely entertaining -- something to read at the beach or on rainy evenings.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
3.0 out of 5 stars
A great read,
By A Customer - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Summer People (Hardcover)
This book by Marge Piercy is one her better outings. I enjoy her work but her feminist agenda sometimes overides her work. Summer People revolves around the friends, family and lovers of three Cape Cod artists. Susan, Willie and Dinah have been involved in menage a trois that is terminated as the book's action begins. This is partly because of Susan's relationship with a rich summer resident Tyrone has veered into an unhealthy obsession that is ultimately her downfall. Ironically it is this change that allows the other characters to move forward with their lives. Peircy is a good writer and the book is full of juicy observations on the characters and and their interactions. Tyrone is a wonderfully drawn, and it is interesting how Susan never sees the true nature of the man,a selfserving and manipulative user under a polished exterior. However Susan's son Jimmy reveals a dark character as well. This is one part of the book that is very perceptive.I have personally seen the children of parents who depend on the largesse of others grow up to have an expectation things can be "bought" using yourself to pay. In all a really good read.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
Nurturing escape,
By Sokste "KtS" - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Summer People (Hardcover)
I really enjoyed this book when I read it several years ago, and it comes back to me from time to time. I like her take on what is sustainable and wholesome in life. I enjoyed watching the progress of their characters through the particular journeys we see them take. I loved her Pesach dinner. And the honesty with which she holds her characters. Low-key delight.
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