The Summer We Read Gatsby

After their beloved and eccentric Aunt Lydia dies and leaves them to inherit Fool’s House, a ramshackle old place with tons of character, half sisters Pecksland “Peck” Moriarty and Cassie Moriarty arrive in Southampton ready to greet a summer of unknowns. Growing up with the same father but on different sides of the globe, Cassie and Peck know little about one another’s current lives — and share snippets of memories from their formative years. A love of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s classic The Great Gatsby united them several summers before and is a bond now, too.

After moving into Fool’s House and meeting Biggsy, the “Fool In Residence,” Peck and Cassie set to work readying their aunt’s property for sale. The sisters are show more instructed to live in Fool’s House for a month before shedding the property — an instruction Cassie is determined to keep. Peck, on the other hand, can’t seem to bear any talk about selling their aunt’s beloved property and begins a theatrical campaign to keep it.

After one of Aunt Lydia’s favorite paintings goes missing and Biggsy points fingers at Miles Noble, Peck’s first love, the Moriarty girls must band together to get to the root of their aunt’s mysterious life — and find a “thing of utmost value.” Perhaps in an unlikely place.

Danielle Ganek’s The Summer We Read Gatsby was a unique novel about two sisters who become an unlikely pair of friends. Dramatic, theatrical and over-the-top Peck is a total counterpoint to Cassie, a practical writer and expat who returns to the United States after years of living abroad. Both girls seem to share little and know even less about one another, though they’re predisposed to love each other. And that’s what sold me on this novel: despite the antics, banter and occasional bickering, you knew Peck and Cassie were sisters who cared.

The setting of the book is an interesting one — especially since, from the outset, we’re told the novel takes place in the summer of 2008. Given that we’re skating around in 2010 now, just two years later, I was surprised to see a definitive date given at the start of the book. But, as with all good novels, there’s a reason for that: we’re drawn into a lush world in the Hamptons where optimism, money and superficiality are the norm.

Two years later, thick in the middle of a U.S. recession, extravagant theme parties, foreign sports cars and high-end meals in New York City are, at best, out of reach for most Americans — and, at worst, disgusting shows of wealth in a time when so many are struggling. Much like, you know, in The Great Gatsby. (Daisy and Tom Buchanan, anyone?) Many of Ganek’s characters bask in the glow of financial security, showing little regard for trivial matters like money. Biggsy stands as the foil to that: a starving, scheming artist frantically looking for a way to make ends meet. And, unfortunately, that often means making a nuisance of himself.

Fans of contemporary fiction will be seduced by quirky Peck and Aunt Lydia, even posthumously, and just might relate to Cassie, too. Considering The Great Gatsby stood as my all-time favorite novel for quite some time, I appreciated the allusions to Fitzgerald’s classic — but if you’ve never read it? Don’t be put off in the least. No Gatsby knowledge is required for enjoyment. Just get ready for a breezy, mysterious good time. show less

This book started off slowly for me, but I ended up enjoying it. It's the story of two sisters, Stella and Peck, who inherit a house in the Hamptons and must live there for one summer, in accordance with their aunt's will. At first it seemed too shallow and the plot wasn't going anywhere, but things started to move when a (possibly Jackson Pollock) painting was stolen from their house and they wanted to figure out who did it. The characters also showed more depth (at least some) as the story progressed. Overall, it was feather-light and fluffy, but fun summer reading.

The Summer We Read Gatsby is "chick lit" at it's best. The characters are interestingly eccentric, the one obsessed with fashion has her own quirky style, and the plot twists are usually unpredictable.

I love the narrator's sister even when she was completely annoying, because -- as over the top as she is -- she reminds me of several women I've known. Annoying, yes, but she lives life to the fullest.

(Reprinted from the Chicago Center for Literature and Photography [cclapcenter.com]. I am the original author of this essay, as well as the owner of CCLaP; it is not being reprinted illegally.)

I picked up this breezy beach read literally on a whim the other week, after spying it on the "New Releases" shelf at my neighborhood library, suspecting the entire time that it might turn out to be an inexorable piece of chick-lit; and indeed, while author Danielle Ganek admirably attempts to add as much cynicism and dark touches as she can to her story of two mismatched half-sisters who inherit a wacky aunt's rundown bungalow in Long Island's the Hamptons (setting of The Great Gatsby as well, for those who don't know), she unfortunately cannot show more completely hide her love for all things pink and shiny and expensive and WHEEEEEE!, resulting in sometimes unintentionally hilarious scenes where our anti-Hamptons main character will go on and on about how little she follows or cares for fashion, while simultaneously describing both the style and brand name of every single piece of clothing being worn at the party where she's letting everyone know how little she follows or cares for fashion. The whole book is like this, to tell you the truth, an attempt to fight against the stereotypes of chick-lit while then wallowing in these very stereotypes just a few pages later; and it leaves the manuscript a schizophrenic read by the end, which I suspect will disappoint both the readers looking for such stuff and those looking to avoid it. It's a shame, because Ganek is a decent writer; and in the future, I'd encourage her to really go for broke either one way or the other, and not try to both have her cake and eat it too like she does here.

Out of 10: 7.8 show less

The Summer We Read Gatsby, by Danielle Ganek and read by Justine Eyre
Format: audiobook
Rating: 3.5 stars

The Summer We Read Gatsby is a delightful novel about two half-sisters who have inherited an aging house in the Hamptons. Cassie, also known as Stella, and her sister Peck decide to spend one last summer in the house before selling it. Over the course of the summer, which reminds them of the summer 7 years before when they really did read The Great Gatsby, they search for love, a missing painting, a ghost, a way to afford to keep the house, and the "thing of utmost value" that their aunt mentioned in her will.

In spite of a few negative reviews, I liked this book. It wasn't a book that brought on any great emotions, but it was a show more pleasant read filled with humor and a sense of wistfulness. One or two of the reviews that I read mentioned that it would be a good beach read (especially since it was set in the summer), but I ended up listening to it in the winter which was nice as it brought with it the feeling of warm, lazy summer vacations and eased some of the dreariness of January. It also put me in the mood to reread Gatsby myself, which I have not done since high school. Novels that make you want to reread classics or learn more about a particular topic or historical period always get extra points in my book. The characters were intelligent and interesting. They were also pretty, and moderately succesful, which is another plus in my mind - it irks me when characters are too perfect.

This book lent itself well to the audiobook format. It was straightforward and easy to follow which is important if you are like me and listen in short bursts rather than long sittings. And I cannot say enough good things about Justine Eyre. I first discovered her when I listened to Margaret George's novel Helen of Troy. Ms. Eyre's voice was wonderfully suited for that book, and I liked her treatment of this book almost as well. Some reviewers found her accents off-putting, but I thought they were very well-done, especially her interpretation of Cassie, who grew up in Europe rather than America. show less

When their Aunt Lydia dies, half-sisters Pecksland Moriarty and Stella Blue Cassandra Olivia Moriarty, become the executors of her will. She has asked something rather simple of the two --- spend one last summer at her ramshackle cottage in the Hamptons, aptly named Fool's House, before selling it and, while there, find a thing of utmost value.

Pecksland, Peck for short, and Cassie, although Peck prefers to call her Stella, are exact opposites. Peck, an actress, is all drama with an outfit and shoes for every occasion. She is always concerned with a “situation” which can range from a true problem to her sister's lack of fashion sense. Cassie is a journalist and translator living in Switzerland and cares little for fashion much to the show more horror of her sister. She's a recent divorcee deeply mourning her aunt's death and has little in common with the sister she doesn't always believe she's related to.

Aunt Lydia was a devotee of F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby and she's instilled that same love in her nieces. The book, and all their aunt loved about it, is the source of Peck and Cassie's greatest memories of their aunt and the cottage. Aunt Lydia also liked to think of herself as a patron of the arts and always had an artist living at Fool's House to give it that artsy vibe. The current resident is an unusual character that neither sister can figure out but, since he was there at the request of their aunt, they're willing to live with him and his antics until they can decide what to do with the place.

Spending their days sorting through papers and looking for a thing of utmost value bring Peck and Cassie a closeness they never thought possible. They decide to carry out their aunt's wishes and host the official Fool's Party to open the summer. The party, which is a success, leaves the sisters with a problem --- a painting which hung over the fireplace for as long as they both remember goes missing and they begin to speculate that it might actually be the thing of great value. The two gather a strange and wonderful cast of characters to help them find the painting and in the process, find a family, find love, and find they really are sisters with a lot in common.

I remember reading The Great Gatsby and falling in love with the setting and the characters and wondering if people like these characters actually existed in the world. They do, just not in the world I live in. But that didn't stop me from me from being fascinated anyway. I felt much the same about this book. Ganek brings together some truly wonderful characters that make you want to rush off to live at Fool's House. Peck is full of fun and brings a new outlook to life that Cassie never let herself imagine. The sisters inhabit a strange little world and in an odd way it brings the two together.

It's a chick-lit sort of book with some fabulous characters, the beach, and a little romance. Witty and sarcastic at times, Ganek makes it easy for you to fall for her characters. You don't have to be on the beach to enjoy this book but I think it's certainly an excellent summer book. Ganek will make you smile and want to break out the beach chair. show less

If you are one of "those" and go to the Hamptons (or "The Country") you may enjoy this summer read about half sisters that find each other as they sort through their beloved Aunt's house in South Hampton, NY. If you are looking for literary, or funny look elsewhere.