By Julie Kish
This Summer Will Be Different
A novel by Carley Fortune
Berkley Press, May 2024
The Women
A novel by Kristin Hannah
St. Martin’s Press, Feb 2024
Traditionally, people tend to choose light books to read in the summer…the sort that are fun and won’t require too much cerebral strain. If this is your cup of tea, I recommend one of the three books written by Toronto author Carley Fortune, the queen of summer reading.
Her most recent novel, This Summer Will Be Different, is set on breathtakingly beautiful Prince Edward Island and features oyster shucking contests, lobster rolls and long walks on the beach. The protagonist, Lucy, has been invited to spend her summer vacation at her best friend Bridget’s family home on Prince Edward Island. Lucy falls head-over-heels for Bridget’s brother, Felix, but Bridget fears that if Lucy and Felix have a relationship, it will end up destroying their friendship. Ultimately, Lucy promises to stay away from Felix, but their paths continue to cross over the following years, and their feelings for each other continue to grow.
As with Carley Fortune’s previous novels, the reader can expect strong female friendships, heart-warming romance, steamy sex scenes and a happy ending.
Perhaps you’d prefer to sink your teeth into a novel with more substance, like a historical novel by one of the masters of story-telling, Kristin Hannah. Her latest novel, The Women, is a powerful account of the brave American women who served in Vietnam.
In 1965, Frances “Frankie” McGrath has graduated from nursing school and is living with her ultra-conservative parents in a privileged southern California neighborhood. Her family tree is full of war heroes, and she decides to follow in their footsteps by joining the Army Nurse Corps and volunteering to serve in Vietnam. She expects her parents to be proud, but they are embarrassed and don’t want their demure, sheltered daughter to join the military. They tell their friends at the country club that Frankie is studying abroad.
Not surprisingly, Frankie struggles to adapt to the horrors of war, but by the end of two years in Vietnam, she has become a skilled surgical nurse and has made friendships that will last a lifetime. In 1967, Frankie returns home to a divided nation and encounters angry protesters who spit on returning soldiers. Poor Frankie is haunted by her experiences in Vietnam, and her mental health spirals downward. She suffers from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, but PTSD doesn’t have a name yet or a treatment.
I became utterly engrossed in Frankie’s story, which spans twenty years. The magnificently written novel transported me to the jungles of Vietnam and into Frankie’s troubled mind. The author has created a complex, multi-dimensional character that stayed with me long after I finished reading.
This exquisitely researched novel is gripping and thought-provoking. I highly recommend it.