That Summer by Jennifer Weiner – 432 pages
Book Blurb:
Daisy Shoemaker can’t sleep. With a thriving cooking business, full schedule of volunteer work, and a beautiful home in the Philadelphia suburbs, she should be content. But her teenage daughter can be a handful; her husband can be distant, her work can feel trivial, and she has lots of acquaintances, but no real friends. Still, Daisy knows she’s got it good. So why is she up all night? While Daisy tries to identify the root of her dissatisfaction, she’s also receiving misdirected emails meant for a woman named Diana Starling, whose email address is just one punctuation mark away from her own. While Daisy’s driving carpools, Diana is chairing meetings. While Daisy’s making dinner, Diana’s making plans to reorganize corporations. Diana’s glamorous, sophisticated, single-lady life is miles away from Daisy’s simpler existence. When an apology leads to an invitation, the two women meet and become friends. But, as they get closer, we learn that their connection was not completely accidental. Who IS this other woman, and what does she want with Daisy?
My Review: 4 stars – Guest Fairy Review
That Summer, Jennifer Weiner’s latest book is a departure from some of her previous work but was just as excellent and was compulsively readable. Like most of Weiner’s books, this was an addictive read. Based on the book cover, readers may be expecting a light and breezy read; however, this is a novel that deals with serious topics, and is a bit darker than what I’ve come to expect from Weiner’s other books.
At the beginning the reader is introduced to 15-year-old Diana during a summer in Cape Cod. The story then moves forward to 2019 and the reader is introduced to Daisy who is in her late 30s and married to a wealthy lawyer. The story spans more than 30 years and is narrated by the two women and Daisy’s daughter. The book goes back and forth in time between the present day and when Diana was in her 20s. Initially, the jumping back and forth in time, along with the multiple points of view could be a bit confusing. The suspenseful story slowly reveals how Daisy and Diana have a connection, how they form a relationship, and how it impacts their lives. I actually figured out the connection and the direction the story was headed before the surprise was revealed, but there were other twists, turns, and suspense along the way, that kept me hooked.
Once I started this book, I could not put it down. All of the characters were well-developed, which we have come to expect from a Jennifer Weiner novel. I was totally engrossed and invested in Daisy’s and Diana’s individual stories, their histories and the motivation for their behavior. Diana was an extremely sympathetic character. Daisy’s daughter Beatrice was a quirky, strong-willed and unique teenager, who provided comic relief. The book’s setting transported me to Cape Cod and made me long for the beach, even though this was not your typical “beach read”. Weiner is a master at tackling complicated and relevant issues with very relatable characters, and in an insightful way. The story deals with the very emotionally charged and serious issues of sexual assault, childhood trauma, gender role stereotyping, social/cultural norms, and the “Me-Too” movement, without being preachy. Fans of Jennifer Weiner will not be disappointed in her latest book, and I highly recommend it. It is thought provoking and will provide lots of topics for discussion in book groups. Guest Fairy Review by Ronna W.
Quotes I liked:
Picture each worry like a gift. Put them in order, from the mildest to the most intense. Imagine yourself picking up each one and wrapping it with care. Picture yourself placing the gift under a tree, and then walking away.”
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