A summer affair : a novel (original 2008; edition 2008)

Review coming ( )

A bunch of rich people involved in charity fundraising on Nantucket. Ok, I did read it, and I finished it, and it kept me entertained, but I had lots of problems reading this book. For one, I didn't really care about the characters that much. I find it hard to feel sympathy for someone who willfully has an affair, enjoys it immensely, then gets away with it. In the end, everything is hunky dory and fine. I didn't, however, even care for the husband, who was unaware of the whole thing and actually something of a jerk. I suppose for entertainment value, it merits at least 2 1/2 stars. ( )

I had a pit in my stomach through the majority of this book due to the mixed emotions brought on by seeing all sides of the different relationships portrayed. There was the internal guilt Claire and Lock carried for starting and continuing a love affair, the understandable frustrations in their respective marriages--some of which was just common disenchantment after being married for many years, some was more involved due to more tragic circumstances. There was the honesty of their feelings for each other, the confusion of still loving their spouses despite it all, the angst and excitement of keeping it all secret, and the guilt that action causes because it adds another layer of betrayal toward those you are hurting.

There was a lot going on in this book, more than just the actions surrounding the two having an affair. There were several other characters we got to see the good, bad, and ugly sides to. Coworkers, former loves, bitter, horrible women whom you wanted to smack through most of the book but by the end...well...you still wanted to smack them but you could understand them a little better.

I disliked Claire's best friend/sister-in-law, Siobhan. Except for one fleeting moment where I thought she was being a true friend--I say "true friend" because she wasn't afraid to say what she really felt instead of pretending to be supportive but actually judging Claire--I felt her opinions were based not necessarily on her concern for Claire's family but on her own inner hypocrisy, resentment and jealousy. I got the impression that Siobhan enjoyed being the "bad" to Claire's "nice" and didn't like seeing that Claire had the spine to actually carry out and get away with something that Siobhan always joked about doing. Siobhan had a history of belittling and insulting Claire under the guise of humor that made me distrust her sincerity from the beginning.

I was a little disappointed that the story ended without a clear picture of how things would turn out for everyone, especially for Claire's friend, Max. I was a little mad that there was no sign of appreciation for all he had done for her. Sadly, she came across as another person in his life who just uses him.

I always like to know what happens after the dust settles. This kind of reminded me of an "Ann Patchett ending". ( )

I thought this book was going to be like many other books where I could tell what the ending would be. This book took me in all directions. It was a story of relationships and how they change over the years. Although, there was a "summer affair" I don't think that it should have been titled as such. The story was about so much more than this affair.

It had a surprise ending that left me with a feeling of relief and closure.

Well done. ( )

This is another troublesome book to rate. For me, it was a clear 4 stars as a book club book, but much closer to 3 stars as a straight read.My big question for myself: If the main character's adultery hadn't made me so uncomfortable, how would I have rated the book? Other than this one decision (granted, the main subject of the book), I liked Claire, and was interested in the challenges in her life-- as a mother, as a wife, as an artist.Claire's best friend was probably my favorite character of the book. I didn't agree with all of her decisions, either, but I understood where they came from. I loved going through her conflicted feelings-- she wanted to know what was going on with her best friend's life. When her suspicions were confirmed, she realized she really didn't want to know, and had to figure out where to go next.I found Claire's husband and her lover to be almost non-entities to me. I couldn't bring myself to care at all about either of them. I think this might be because the book (even the affair) was never about either of them. It was about Claire and her need to break out of her roles.In the end, if I treat the adultery as a metaphor for recasting the rules for her life, I'd say overall, I liked the book. ( )