Mandy Berman

Perennials by Mandy Berman is one of those novels that makes me despair of ever writing a good book.

The story centers around a summer camp, and the format matches the setting. Stories are told in short, intense bursts, without fully resolving the endings. The novel switches between different girls as main characters, but avoids the YA standard of alternating first-person viewpoints.

There's so much going on in Perennials, with female relationships at the forefront. Sisters, mothers and show more daughters, little girl friends, teenage friendships. There are male characters, but they're defined much more in relation to the women.

Little girls begin at summer camp, excited for crafts, swimming and horses with the bunkmate besties, but as they get older, they discover that some girls get their own horses. Some girls get their own fathers, they discover, while some are secret daughters of secret mistresses. Some girls can attract boys, or men. This is a hard one to review without spoilers, since discovering along with the characters is what makes this book work so well. There's a real sense of discovery and realization throughout the story, whether it's a little girl noticing the differences between herself and her best camp friend, or a woman uncovering the problems in her marriage.

Good fit for fans of Bennington Girls Are Easy or The Most Dangerous Place on Earth. show less

I read this novel (not audio) about a co-ed rich kids' summer camp through a haze of nostalgia, as I went to an all-girls sleepaway camp in a CT location nearby, in the Berkshires, +50 years ago. The daughters of two families drive the narrative: Rachel, from New York City, the daughter of the secretary to a wealthy lawyer; and Fiona, eldest of three children of an even wealthier Westchester family. They meet at Camp Marigold and become best friends, all the while being aware of the vast show more differences in their social statuses - especially when Fiona's parents buy her a horse for her birthday and deliver it to camp. Rachel's father cuts ties with her when his wife discovers her existence, and being without his affection and funds escalates her sexual explorations. Fiona's jealousy of her younger brother and sister, both thin, smart, and athletic, continues as the best friends grow older, start college, and become counselors at Camp Marigold. Fiona's younger sister Helen misses her siblings and takes a few rebellious steps of her own at home and at camp. Secondary characters such as Fiona and Rachel's parents, Sheera, the only Black girl at camp, Mo and Nell, two British riding instructors, and Jack, the camp director, add to the rich Camp Marigold stew - where reality only comes into focus during the summer months. The novel also reminded me of the Summer Wind part of Herman Wouk's Marjorie Morningstar, in a good way. You don't have to have gone to sleepaway camp to love this novel, but...oh wait, you do! show less

The Short of It:

You know that nostalgic feeling you get when looking at an old Polaroid photo? That’s how I felt while reading this book. Youth captured in a snapshot.

The Rest of It:

As kids, Rachel and Fiona spent many wonderful summers at Camp Marigold. Eight glorious weeks of swimming, riding horses and making new friends. Things at home could change, but once they returned to camp, everything fell back into place and all was good with the world. In Perennials, Rachel and Fiona return show more to camp as counselors and with them is Fiona’s younger sister, Helen who is about to experience camp as they once did many years ago.

Summer camp. Sigh. When I was a kid, I read a lot of books about summer camp and they really had me longing for that experience. It wasn’t until last summer that I actually attended camp (as a leader) and although I wasn’t there as a camper, it was one of the most rewarding experiences I’ve ever had. In this novel, Berman beautifully captures all the angst and anxiety of pre-teens but she somehow manages to capture the doubts and worries of the young adult counselors as well.

This book is summer, but it’s also life and love and friendship and all the not-so-pleasant stuff that comes with it. There’s a little more “action” between the campers and counselors than I would have liked to see. I am not a prude but since I work with teens and have teens of my own, I was a little sensitive to some parts of the story but at the same time I am far from naive. That said, anyone who is sensitive to language or sexual content may want to think twice before handing the book over to your teen. It’s not marketed as YA but from the cover you might think so.

In the end, I thought it was pretty well done. The final pages were especially poignant and frankly had me all choked-up. Perennials is Berman’s first novel and I look forward to what she writes next.

For more reviews, visit my blog: Book Chatter. show less

I enjoyed the overall theme of this book and the portrayals at the end but otherwise, this was another readable YA book.
 
The blurb does not lie in that Berman really captures the beauty of summer camp, both for younger kids and for the older counselors, young adults coming into their own. The inclusion of foreign counselors made the book all the more interesting for me.
 
I enjoyed the way this dealt with race and issues of socioeconomic status within the younger campers. Seeing how this show more played out, seeing how the scholarship kids made it and didn’t, was important and added a layer of depth. I was definitely rooting for those kids.
 
A perennial is unchanging and never truly ends. I adored the way that this theme recurred through the book and how it ultimately came to fruition and truth at the end. This dealt with growing up very well and really provoked thought about youth and how it fades.
 
If you adore the summer camp vibe or need a solid YA, this is a good contender. Ultimately though, the theme was the only point that made this book stand out.
 
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. show less