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The Summer Guest
The Summer Guest
Author: Justin Cronin
Winner of the PEN/Hemingway Award for his radiant novel in stories, Mary and O’Neil, Justin Cronin has already been hailed as a writer of astonishing gifts. Now Cronin’s new novel, The Summer Guest, fulfills that promise—and more. With a rare combination of emotional insight, narrative power, and lyrical grace, Cronin tr...  more »
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ISBN-13: 9780385335829
ISBN-10: 0385335822
Publication Date: 5/31/2005
Pages: 384
Rating:
  • Currently 3.8/5 Stars.
 45

3.8 stars, based on 45 ratings
Publisher: Delta
Book Type: Paperback
Other Versions: Hardcover
Reviews: Member | Amazon | Write a Review

Top Member Book Reviews

reviewed The Summer Guest on + 16 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 2
Intense and engrossing; sometimes disturbing in its indepth investigation of character thoughts and memories. The type of book that stays with you a while.
Well worth the read.
cedarbend avatar reviewed The Summer Guest on + 11 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
I find myself agreeing with the reviewer on Amazon who thought the characters all sounded alike...maybe not exactly alike, but too close for this to be a better novel. I liked it and I looked foward to picking it up when I got time...but, I wouldn't recommend it by saying, "You've gotta read this book!" like I do so many others. And here's one of my biggest pet peeves: The ending is suddenly just wrapped up. It's like an author gets tired of keeping the strands going and thinks "Ah here. That's it." And can anyone help me out here? WHAT did Joe die of in the desert? Maybe I missed something, but why did he get out and walk away into the desert and then drop over dead? How handy. And after getting to know Lucy throughout the book, she is relegated to an "Oh yeah, and Lucy opened a cafe...". The ending was just not what it could have been.
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Traveler1680 avatar reviewed The Summer Guest on + 9 more book reviews
Very enjoyable book! Wonderful story of a family and the complex and beautiful relationships that exist between them.
debnance avatar reviewed The Summer Guest on + 2 more book reviews
On vacation, what can be scarier than running out of good books? I was horrified to find I had less than a hundred pages in the last unread book in my suitcase, forcing me to stop in a couple of independent bookstores (Side note: it says a lot that Portland, Maine has two good independent bookstores on the same street).

The clerk recommended this one. It was a serendipitous choice. The book takes place at a fishing camp in Maine; we spent the last few days of our trip at a rock camp in Maine. In the story a man has come to stay in a fishing camp in Maine for the past thirty years. He is dying and wants to go out for one last fishing trip. While this book is no Gilead, it was nicely written and better than the average bestseller. Recommended to anyone heading this summer to Maine.


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