One Summer in Savannah

3.75 Stars — Though beautifully written, this was a tough book to read, as it tackles some heavy subject matter. Given the circumstances, I think you need to suspend disbelief in order to appreciate the story’s message of forgiveness.

The main character Sara was sexually assaulted at 18, and she gives birth to a daughter as a result, whom she raises in secret, far away from her imprisoned assailant and his wealthy family. Eight years later, Sara and daughter Alana must return to Savannah when her father falls ill.

"Being a mother is a lesson in impossible love."

Here’s where the tricky part comes in: Sara befriends her attacker’s identical twin brother Jacob, and she allows him to tutor her genius daughter, as long as he keeps her show more existence a secret from the rest of his family. Then Sara and Jacob’s relationship starts to develop into something more. Identical twin? Hmm.

This was a heartbreaking story that’s able to leave readers with a sense of hope. I was in awe of the strength of Sara’s character as she struggled with her trauma and her role as mother to Alana. My heart went out to Jacob as he tried to put the pieces of his broken family together.

One part of the writing I did not care for was how Sara’s father would only speak in poetry. When asked a question he would recite lines of his favorite poems, which unfortunately annoyed me after a while. It slowed down the pace trying to decipher what his answers meant, and there was a lot of poetry in this book.

Aside from the poetry, I found myself easily absorbed in this emotional story. I struggled a bit with the redemption parts, but I feel the author did a beautiful job with this uncomfortable and unique debut novel.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me a digital review copy of this book. Opinions are my own. show less

“Trauma changes you, hardens you, leaves its scars.”
I have been waiting for a book that I can’t put down, that would take my breath away, One Summer in Savannah is it.
A woman wronged viciously, in turn protects the outcome of that savagery with all she has. Running, hiding, then finally fighting and trusting someone other than herself takes a lot of work.
Don’t let the cover fool you, this is not a trivial piece. (Sorry, a better cover is needed please!) Harris’ novel is heavy then light, with poetry, astrophysics, mathematics and genius, rape, victim shaming, fear and forgiveness, One Summer in Savannah gives you all the feels, in so many ways.
Wholly unique in its plot and delivery, artfully executed and heartbreakingly show more real, I was not expecting the breadth of this story and that made it all the better.
*I received an arc from the publisher through NetGalley for an honest review show less

One Summer in Savannah is a beautiful novel. I wasn’t crazy about the premise, selecting it based solely on its setting in a Savannah bookshop. But the writing kept pulling me in. The poetry was a nice surprise, and I think there was just a little bit of magic that pulled the strings together. I didn’t want it to end, and am still thinking about the characters.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a chance to read and review this novel.

This was the second reading of this book. Raked and then pregnant, Sara leaves Savannah to escape the wealthy powerful family that denigrated her character in a nasty trial despite their son being the rapisr. She returns we both her daughter 8 years later because her father has attentional illness. She falls in poverty her rspisr’s twin brother. Forgiveness, romance, grief, poetry, rape, family. Really good story if you can let go of some contrivance in the plot.

This story is written about some very Hard issues - held my interest completely - well written - easy to understand the characters - a good understanding of forgiveness, love, and family - well worth reading -

A story with an interesting premise falters in the details. Teenager Sara is raped by Daniel Wyler, scion of a wealthy family, gives birth to a daughter, and flees her home in Savannah to live in isolated Down East Maine. When daughter Alana shows signs of mathematical genius at age eight, and when the health of her father fails, Sara returns and encounters David's identical twin brother Jacob, who had testified against him at the trial. Negatives: plot sounds like a Colleen Hoover. Sara is gorgeous and Jacob is incredibly handsome. Sara's dad only speaks in poetry. It's too long at 453 pages and the denouement is predictable. Positives: all the main characters are of mixed race and are treated as if this is NBD. The descriptions of the show more lowlands and islands are glorious. show less

I could not out this one down and want to reread it. A rape victim pregnant with the rapist’s child leaves her home to live in Maine for 8 years because laws there protect her daughter from the father. When her own father becomes deathly ill she returns to Savannah for him and must learn to forgive and trust again.