The Summer of Katya (edition 1984)

by Trevanian

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544	14	44,307	(3.65)	13
Part love story and part psychological thriller from best-selling author Trevanian, "a tour de force... A story that explores meticulously some of the darker corners of the human soul." -- The Washington Post In the quiet Basque countryside in 1914, Jean-Marc Montjean, a handsome young doctor, moves to the small French village of Salies to assist the village physician. It's there that he meets the seductive, beautiful Katya Treville. Jean-Marc is bewitched, driven to know everything about her. But as he and her family become friendly, he realizes they are haunted by an old, dark secret. When Jean-Marc learns that the Trevilles are planning to leave the village forever, he insists on a final meeting with Katya. That meeting and the events that follow turn what was an idyllic romance into an unending nightmare. And when Katya's secret is revealed, the chilling climax will stay with the reader long after the last page is turned. "A most exquisite, elegant, ingenious thriller." -- The New York Daily News… (more)

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Member:	bedda
Title:	The Summer of Katya
Authors:	Trevanian
Info:	Ballantine Books (1984), Edition: Reissue, Mass Market Paperback
Collections:	Your library
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The Summer of Katya by Trevanian

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This is a ponderous, Gothic-y novel that takes too long to get going and by the time it does, the reader has been so dulled by the journey that the payoff seems weak. There's a crumbling estate, a weird family, love, insanity, murder - all the makings of a good, creepy read, but it just wasn't. Some of the writing is very good, and I enjoyed learning a bit about Basque culture, but ultimately I didn't care what happened by the end.

2.5 stars
(My rating scale translation: Didn't work for me) (

)

katiekrug | Jan 12, 2024 |

I don't remember anything about this story, but I do remember that I read several of Trevanian's books and liked them, although I can't remember if I actually liked every one. This was before the web, so he was a bit of a mystery to me. I just looked for his books in the bookstores.

I can't really rate any of his specific books, unfortunately, without rereading them.

MartyFried | Oct 9, 2022 |

...Primeiro foi vergonha, depois o segredo, em seguida a paixão, e por fim o horror....Numa aldeia basca, no verão de 1914, começa um romance vertiginoso para Jean-Marc Montjean quando ele contra Katya, linda e misteriosa visitante chegada de Paris. O jovem médico de província fica irremediavelmente apaixonado. Conselhos de um colega mais velho e mais experiente não são ouvidos;avisos do ´´inico irmão gêmeo de katya, guardião do segredo vergonhoso da família, são ignorados, e Montjjean se vê totalmente desarvorado, um personagem ingênuo envolvido numa tragédia em que o horror cresce a cada momento....

bibliotecapresmil | Sep 9, 2022 |

Picked this because Shibumi was my favorite book during my teen years. Enjoyed this book! Found myself looking up a few words for good measure which is always fun on a tablet. Nice writing. (

)

mossland | Jul 16, 2013 |

I liked this book rather better than his more famous Shibumi....it was better developed, and had elements of humor, intrigue and slowly turned into a very good psychological thriller...quite a love story! The writer loves the mountain settings, esp Basque country and culture, which is a nice aside...I like to learn something new even when reading fiction....its what makes the story believable after all. (

)

rexmedford | Feb 13, 2012 |

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Author name	Role	Type of author	Work?	Status
Trevanian	—	primary author	all editions	calculated
Malinen, Ilkka	Translator	secondary author	some editions	confirmed

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New York Times bestseller (Fiction – 1983)

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Information from the French Common Knowledge. Edit to localize it to your language.

L'été de Katia

Original title

The Summer of Katya

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Katya

Jean-Marc Montjean

Important places

Basque Country, Spain

France

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Related movies

Epigraph

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for Diane

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▾Book descriptions

Part love story and part psychological thriller from best-selling author Trevanian, "a tour de force... A story that explores meticulously some of the darker corners of the human soul." -- The Washington Post In the quiet Basque countryside in 1914, Jean-Marc Montjean, a handsome young doctor, moves to the small French village of Salies to assist the village physician. It's there that he meets the seductive, beautiful Katya Treville. Jean-Marc is bewitched, driven to know everything about her. But as he and her family become friendly, he realizes they are haunted by an old, dark secret. When Jean-Marc learns that the Trevilles are planning to leave the village forever, he insists on a final meeting with Katya. That meeting and the events that follow turn what was an idyllic romance into an unending nightmare. And when Katya's secret is revealed, the chilling climax will stay with the reader long after the last page is turned. "A most exquisite, elegant, ingenious thriller." -- The New York Daily News

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