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Invincible Summer
Four friends. Twenty years. One unexpected journey. Inseparable throughout college, Eva, Benedict, Sylvie, and Lucien graduate in 1997, into an exhilarating world on the brink of a new millennium. Hopelessly in love with playboy Lucien and eager to shrug off the socialist politics of her upbringing, Eva breaks away to work for a big bank. Benedict, a budding scientist who's pined for Eva for years, stays on to complete his PhD in physics, devoting his life to chasing particles as elusive as the object of his affection. Siblings Sylvie and Lucien, never much inclined toward mortgages or monogamy, pursue more bohemian existences-she as an aspiring artist and he as a club promoter and professional partyer. But as their twenties give way to their thirties, the group struggles to navigate their thwarted dreams. Scattered across Europe and no longer convinced they are truly the masters of their fates, the once close-knit friends find themselves filled with longing for their youth- and for one another. Broken hearts and broken careers draw the foursome together again, but in ways they never could have imagined.
A dazzling depiction of the highs and lows of adulthood, Invincible Summer is a story about finding the courage to carry on in the wake of disappointment, and a powerful testament to love and friendship as the constants in an ever-changing world.
A dazzling depiction of the highs and lows of adulthood, Invincible Summer is a story about finding the courage to carry on in the wake of disappointment, and a powerful testament to love and friendship as the constants in an ever-changing world.
308 pages, Hardcover
First published June 28, 2016
352 people are currently reading
10062 people want to read
About the author
Alice Adams
1 book134 followersAlice Adams holds an MA in Creative Writing and a BA in Philosophy, as well as various maths and finance qualifications from a career in banking. She lives in London but escapes into the wilderness as often as possible.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 758 reviews
July 18, 2016
3.5*
"The streets of Hampstead teemed with belligerent old ladies and their posses of tiny canines, and they weren’t to be trifled with."
I must admit that I only picked this up because it fit one of the squares of a Summer Bingo Challenge. Otherwise, I would have judged the book by its cover and it's description, and I would have decided that this was probably fluffy chick lit.
I would have lost out. Big time.
Invincible Summer is the story of four friends, who try to come to terms with their lives, romantic entanglements, careers, family, and each other over the course of 20 years. Yes, there is some romance in it, some heartbreak, some drama, but it is all described quite realistically, and with a great sense of balance for fun and seriousness.
In a way, the book reminded me of the film Notting Hill, only that the book had a little more depth, and no bumbling Hugh Grant characters.
There were some aspects, like the mental breakdown of one of the characters, that really were handled quite well, even if all problems seemed to conveniently resolve themselves.
I really can't fault the author for this, tho. Sometimes, convenient solutions are what help the book focus on the character development rather than to get stuck with the depressing state of the human condition.
Also, I loved that Adams included a couple of scenes that were inspired by the works of Albert Camus, an author I have a lot of love for. The title "Invincible Summer" itself is taken from one of Camus' works, and the quote on which it is based is the centre point of the book. I really loved this, the scene in original work fitted really well with the scene in Adams' book. It also sparked my interest in re-reading some of Camus work. (Even if this meant that I found a second quote used by Adams to be a misquote, which is believed to have originated in the early 2000s rather than with Camus....)
No matter. Invincible Summer was moving, engaging, and thought-provoking for all the right reasons.
"A ridiculous response to these glimpses of other people’s lives playing out, she chided herself, because if life had taught her one thing it was that appearances rarely tell the real story. She’d spent long enough tending to her own carefully cultivated work persona to know that apparently calm exteriors could have all sorts of things seething underneath. You could look through the windows at any one of these people, but you would only ever see what was there, not what wasn’t. The losses and absences didn’t show, despite so often being the immovable facts around which a life orbited. That woman, laughing as she herded her protesting children to the table, she might have a story you wouldn’t see at a glance. You wouldn’t be able to see the miscarriages she had before those children came along, or the brother who’d died, or the father she’d had to put into a home because his dementia had become too much to handle. All you saw was the bright flash of happiness, and it wasn’t anything close to the whole truth."
"The streets of Hampstead teemed with belligerent old ladies and their posses of tiny canines, and they weren’t to be trifled with."
I must admit that I only picked this up because it fit one of the squares of a Summer Bingo Challenge. Otherwise, I would have judged the book by its cover and it's description, and I would have decided that this was probably fluffy chick lit.
I would have lost out. Big time.
Invincible Summer is the story of four friends, who try to come to terms with their lives, romantic entanglements, careers, family, and each other over the course of 20 years. Yes, there is some romance in it, some heartbreak, some drama, but it is all described quite realistically, and with a great sense of balance for fun and seriousness.
In a way, the book reminded me of the film Notting Hill, only that the book had a little more depth, and no bumbling Hugh Grant characters.
There were some aspects, like the mental breakdown of one of the characters, that really were handled quite well, even if all problems seemed to conveniently resolve themselves.
I really can't fault the author for this, tho. Sometimes, convenient solutions are what help the book focus on the character development rather than to get stuck with the depressing state of the human condition.
Also, I loved that Adams included a couple of scenes that were inspired by the works of Albert Camus, an author I have a lot of love for. The title "Invincible Summer" itself is taken from one of Camus' works, and the quote on which it is based is the centre point of the book. I really loved this, the scene in original work fitted really well with the scene in Adams' book. It also sparked my interest in re-reading some of Camus work. (Even if this meant that I found a second quote used by Adams to be a misquote, which is believed to have originated in the early 2000s rather than with Camus....)
No matter. Invincible Summer was moving, engaging, and thought-provoking for all the right reasons.
"A ridiculous response to these glimpses of other people’s lives playing out, she chided herself, because if life had taught her one thing it was that appearances rarely tell the real story. She’d spent long enough tending to her own carefully cultivated work persona to know that apparently calm exteriors could have all sorts of things seething underneath. You could look through the windows at any one of these people, but you would only ever see what was there, not what wasn’t. The losses and absences didn’t show, despite so often being the immovable facts around which a life orbited. That woman, laughing as she herded her protesting children to the table, she might have a story you wouldn’t see at a glance. You wouldn’t be able to see the miscarriages she had before those children came along, or the brother who’d died, or the father she’d had to put into a home because his dementia had become too much to handle. All you saw was the bright flash of happiness, and it wasn’t anything close to the whole truth."
August 31, 2016
Reflecting on this lovely book, I became aware that two subtle but major watersheds in English social history had been passed by in my adult lifetime. Our four principal characters are graduates of the University of Bristol, yet two of them go on to have very high-octane careers, one as a physicist practically on a first-name basis with the Higgs Boson & the other in the London financial sector. In Evelyn Waugh’s, or even in Kingsley Amis’s day, they would necessarily have been Oxbridge graduates, & one of them (the City trader) would not have been a woman. Also, they only discover that the father of one of them (the physicist actually) is a peer when they see the groom designated The Honourable on the invitations to his wedding. In Jane Austen’s era, or even in my youth, that would have been the first thing everyone knew about him.
We follow the trajectories of our four friends over a period of two decades from entrance to uni to the threshold of middle age. They are Benedict & Evie, who are reading physics, & Sylvie, an artist, with her brother Lucien, who claims to be an entrepreneur, a euphemism for dope dealer. Evie was reared by Keith, her single-parent socialist father, & she goes against the grain by heading for Canary Wharf & the big bonuses instead of the laboratory.
This book could have been a whole series of novels, like A la recherche, A Dance to the Music of Time - both of which I burnt out on fast & early - or Simon Raven’s Alms for Oblivion, which I mostly hugely enjoyed in my youth for its mix of militarism, academism, & cynicism. But as a single novel, Invincible Summer is a perfect epitome. It recalled for me a lot Robin Kirman’s Bradstreet Gate, but much better, tho’ Bradstreet was a solid four star. Part of my preference is an almost indefinable quality that Adams puts into her characters – except for Lucien who very much overworks the loveable scoundrel persona till it lands him where he belongs. They seem to be people I would truly like to have as personal friends. Indeed, by the time I was half-way through, I almost thought that they were.
Especially Evie, who emerges as the protagonist. Adams’ account of her career as a bond trader is gripping. The only other novel I’ve read that offers the same opportunity to share vicariously the excitement & eroticism of the trading floor was Nicola Monaghan’s Starfishing. Both authors have worked in the financial sector & have a feel for the action. Best experienced audibly, the scene where Evie is trying to manage the purchase of 900 million (yes, million) Italian government bonds (BTPs) was so suspenseful I nearly crashed the car. The dangerous part is that such a huge buy order will drive the price up to the level that Evie’s firm will lose money (& her bonus & likely her job) on the transaction. The trick is to start buying slowly so the market doesn’t notice that there’s a big movement underway, then just before the market closes for the day, put in a large order to drive the price up @ the close & short the remainder of your transaction. Of course the next day lots of bond holders will take a profit @ the new high price & you can cover your short position @ a profit. But you almost feel you’re wearing Evie’s headset as she talks with her broker. ‘Graham. 95.00 bid in 10.” She’s offering to buy the first ten million @ 95 euros each.
“Working that . . . .’ several minutes silence then ‘95.20 lifted, 95.20 to 95.40 following.’ Then the price @ which Evie had to buy keeps going up: ‘Forty lifted. Bid over there, seventy offer on the follow.’ I love the feature where you can get both audible & text on your reader, so I could go back & figure out just what was going on. Of course what Evie is doing is something called “Market Manipulation” & it’s a bit dodgy, tho’ we should keep in mind that in the end all that happens is 30 million euros will be transferred from one financial institution to another & so far as the rest of us are concerned it makes no difference one way or the other. As Dr. Johnson once put it so well, men are never so harmlessly occupied than in making money. Goes for women too. Before it’s all over (& we know it has to end because we are approaching 2008) Evie finds out she was swimming in a shark tank.
Besides creating loveable characters, Alice Adams has a gift for felicitous phrasing: my favourite was ‘weapons-grade flirtation’. A hypercritic might complain that her minor characters are a bit flat & stereotyped – I found both Evie’s personal trainer live-in @ her Docklands ‘apartment’ (American is now upscale) boyfriend (like Lou’s in JoJo Moyes but not funny) Julian & her City mentor ‘Big Paul’ an odious fat oaf & she never quite convinced me that Benedict was really a physicist (tho’ even C. P. Snow didn’t know how to do that). Still, Benedict redeemed himself & lived up to his name by showing a real streak of spirituality. Even the child characters are affecting, especially Sylvie’s special-needs daughter.
No question. Emotionally Invincible Summer will be my Me Before You for 2016. I hope it may be yours.
We follow the trajectories of our four friends over a period of two decades from entrance to uni to the threshold of middle age. They are Benedict & Evie, who are reading physics, & Sylvie, an artist, with her brother Lucien, who claims to be an entrepreneur, a euphemism for dope dealer. Evie was reared by Keith, her single-parent socialist father, & she goes against the grain by heading for Canary Wharf & the big bonuses instead of the laboratory.
This book could have been a whole series of novels, like A la recherche, A Dance to the Music of Time - both of which I burnt out on fast & early - or Simon Raven’s Alms for Oblivion, which I mostly hugely enjoyed in my youth for its mix of militarism, academism, & cynicism. But as a single novel, Invincible Summer is a perfect epitome. It recalled for me a lot Robin Kirman’s Bradstreet Gate, but much better, tho’ Bradstreet was a solid four star. Part of my preference is an almost indefinable quality that Adams puts into her characters – except for Lucien who very much overworks the loveable scoundrel persona till it lands him where he belongs. They seem to be people I would truly like to have as personal friends. Indeed, by the time I was half-way through, I almost thought that they were.
Especially Evie, who emerges as the protagonist. Adams’ account of her career as a bond trader is gripping. The only other novel I’ve read that offers the same opportunity to share vicariously the excitement & eroticism of the trading floor was Nicola Monaghan’s Starfishing. Both authors have worked in the financial sector & have a feel for the action. Best experienced audibly, the scene where Evie is trying to manage the purchase of 900 million (yes, million) Italian government bonds (BTPs) was so suspenseful I nearly crashed the car. The dangerous part is that such a huge buy order will drive the price up to the level that Evie’s firm will lose money (& her bonus & likely her job) on the transaction. The trick is to start buying slowly so the market doesn’t notice that there’s a big movement underway, then just before the market closes for the day, put in a large order to drive the price up @ the close & short the remainder of your transaction. Of course the next day lots of bond holders will take a profit @ the new high price & you can cover your short position @ a profit. But you almost feel you’re wearing Evie’s headset as she talks with her broker. ‘Graham. 95.00 bid in 10.” She’s offering to buy the first ten million @ 95 euros each.
“Working that . . . .’ several minutes silence then ‘95.20 lifted, 95.20 to 95.40 following.’ Then the price @ which Evie had to buy keeps going up: ‘Forty lifted. Bid over there, seventy offer on the follow.’ I love the feature where you can get both audible & text on your reader, so I could go back & figure out just what was going on. Of course what Evie is doing is something called “Market Manipulation” & it’s a bit dodgy, tho’ we should keep in mind that in the end all that happens is 30 million euros will be transferred from one financial institution to another & so far as the rest of us are concerned it makes no difference one way or the other. As Dr. Johnson once put it so well, men are never so harmlessly occupied than in making money. Goes for women too. Before it’s all over (& we know it has to end because we are approaching 2008) Evie finds out she was swimming in a shark tank.
Besides creating loveable characters, Alice Adams has a gift for felicitous phrasing: my favourite was ‘weapons-grade flirtation’. A hypercritic might complain that her minor characters are a bit flat & stereotyped – I found both Evie’s personal trainer live-in @ her Docklands ‘apartment’ (American is now upscale) boyfriend (like Lou’s in JoJo Moyes but not funny) Julian & her City mentor ‘Big Paul’ an odious fat oaf & she never quite convinced me that Benedict was really a physicist (tho’ even C. P. Snow didn’t know how to do that). Still, Benedict redeemed himself & lived up to his name by showing a real streak of spirituality. Even the child characters are affecting, especially Sylvie’s special-needs daughter.
No question. Emotionally Invincible Summer will be my Me Before You for 2016. I hope it may be yours.
June 9, 2016
I picked this because I wanted something fun and quick to read on a very warm, sunny Sunday afternoon. It was on my radar anyway, and seemed like a natural choice – I mean, it actually has the word 'summer' in the title...
Like a mash-up of David Nicholls' One Day and (a much lighter take on) Linda Grant's Upstairs at the Party, the story follows a group of university friends for twenty years, starting with their first summer as students. They are Eva, physics student from a poor background, who becomes an investment banker; brother and sister Sylvie and Lucien, an artist and 'entrepreneur' (for which read drug dealer) respectively; and Benedict, another physics student, who goes on to do a PhD while trying and failing to suppress his unrequited love for Eva. Using shifting perspectives, Adams revisits these characters at intervals, and we watch as their careers, relationships and fortunes develop and change.
The story is weighted towards Eva. There's a depth to her that isn't apparent in the rest of the book, best illustrated by the complicated dichotomy between her upbringing and the career she chooses to pursue. Unlike her affluent friends, who have romantic ideas about a life of poverty, she's desperate to claw her way to the top by any means, partly because she knows all too well how awful the bottom is. Despite her working class origins, Eva turns out to be the most unapologetic capitalist of the lot – but she's not without a conscience, leading to fierce inner debates as well as clashes with her staunchly socialist father.
I wondered if three stars was a bit harsh, because I did really enjoy racing through this... but I think at least some of that can be attributed to the circumstances in which I read it. Would it have been quite as beguiling on an overcast day? It's flimsy and cliched a little too often to ignore: when someone's desperately in need of money/a place to stay, a solution magically appears (quite a few times, for quite a few characters); there are annoying recurrent platitudes (e.g. the idea that women aren't fulfilled unless they have kids); the dialogue can feel unnatural; there are plot holes.
While it does't have the intellect of Upstairs at the Party, and doesn't quite tug on the heartstrings like One Day, Invincible Summer is still an enjoyable debut novel. Its flaw is the same thing that makes it so readable - its lightness. While the characters are, in the main, likeable, I can't say I ever felt passionately invested in their fates. But it was a good companion for a day in the park.
Like a mash-up of David Nicholls' One Day and (a much lighter take on) Linda Grant's Upstairs at the Party, the story follows a group of university friends for twenty years, starting with their first summer as students. They are Eva, physics student from a poor background, who becomes an investment banker; brother and sister Sylvie and Lucien, an artist and 'entrepreneur' (for which read drug dealer) respectively; and Benedict, another physics student, who goes on to do a PhD while trying and failing to suppress his unrequited love for Eva. Using shifting perspectives, Adams revisits these characters at intervals, and we watch as their careers, relationships and fortunes develop and change.
The story is weighted towards Eva. There's a depth to her that isn't apparent in the rest of the book, best illustrated by the complicated dichotomy between her upbringing and the career she chooses to pursue. Unlike her affluent friends, who have romantic ideas about a life of poverty, she's desperate to claw her way to the top by any means, partly because she knows all too well how awful the bottom is. Despite her working class origins, Eva turns out to be the most unapologetic capitalist of the lot – but she's not without a conscience, leading to fierce inner debates as well as clashes with her staunchly socialist father.
I wondered if three stars was a bit harsh, because I did really enjoy racing through this... but I think at least some of that can be attributed to the circumstances in which I read it. Would it have been quite as beguiling on an overcast day? It's flimsy and cliched a little too often to ignore: when someone's desperately in need of money/a place to stay, a solution magically appears (quite a few times, for quite a few characters); there are annoying recurrent platitudes (e.g. the idea that women aren't fulfilled unless they have kids); the dialogue can feel unnatural; there are plot holes.
While it does't have the intellect of Upstairs at the Party, and doesn't quite tug on the heartstrings like One Day, Invincible Summer is still an enjoyable debut novel. Its flaw is the same thing that makes it so readable - its lightness. While the characters are, in the main, likeable, I can't say I ever felt passionately invested in their fates. But it was a good companion for a day in the park.
June 9, 2017
I'm frequently drawn to books about a group of friends or a family, and their various personalities, as they each deal with their own struggles as well as the collective group dynamic - Invincible Summer fell into this group well. The book was light and the story was interesting but there was nothing groundbreaking or any new twists. I enjoyed the story and was happy with the ending although somewhat predictable. It was a good, light, summer read.
December 6, 2016
ARC received courtesy of Goodreads.com First Reads Giveaway
This book is like looking back at the stories of our lives. We follow four friends from college, two of whom are brother and sister, through their turbulent twenties and into the rest of their lives. The main character, Eve, becomes financial wizard on the trading floor for a major bank. Benedict follows his dream to work at CERN in Switzerland. Sophie, the tortured artist, struggles to find meaning in her life. Her brother, Lucien, turns into the criminal of the group.
These characters are so well developed in such a short novel that I felt as though I watched the whole thing like a movie! I really cared about these people. Because the situations they found themselves in were so believable, the novel is relevant. I do hope to find more coming from Alice Adams!
This book is like looking back at the stories of our lives. We follow four friends from college, two of whom are brother and sister, through their turbulent twenties and into the rest of their lives. The main character, Eve, becomes financial wizard on the trading floor for a major bank. Benedict follows his dream to work at CERN in Switzerland. Sophie, the tortured artist, struggles to find meaning in her life. Her brother, Lucien, turns into the criminal of the group.
These characters are so well developed in such a short novel that I felt as though I watched the whole thing like a movie! I really cared about these people. Because the situations they found themselves in were so believable, the novel is relevant. I do hope to find more coming from Alice Adams!
September 30, 2017
Oh, I so wanted to like this book! I am such a sucker for the “group of friends grow up as you follow them for years” trope, but after The Interestings by Meg Woltizer blew me away a few years ago, I’ve soured on books that don’t do it as successfully. Plus, this is a group of British people! I love British people!
Alas, we start following the 4 friends in college but all too quickly zoom ahead to life pretty much stinking for all of them once they are out in the “real world.” I think it would be been much more intriguing to get to know them in college more. The book starts off so strong, and they seem like great student characters.
Once “life” starts to happen to them, though, it seems more of just a laundry list of *things that have happened.* I think we jump through the years too fast to get to know the characters, or truly care about what happens to them. They seem a bit flat (no British pun intended). We get the highlights: work, love, children. But I found it hard to care about these big things when I felt no connection to the people they were happening to.
In all honestly, I think this may be more a fun movie than novel. It might be a fun beach read, but I don’t think it will stay with me for very long.
I received an ARC via Netgalley. Thanks Little, Brown, and Company for the opportunity.
Alas, we start following the 4 friends in college but all too quickly zoom ahead to life pretty much stinking for all of them once they are out in the “real world.” I think it would be been much more intriguing to get to know them in college more. The book starts off so strong, and they seem like great student characters.
Once “life” starts to happen to them, though, it seems more of just a laundry list of *things that have happened.* I think we jump through the years too fast to get to know the characters, or truly care about what happens to them. They seem a bit flat (no British pun intended). We get the highlights: work, love, children. But I found it hard to care about these big things when I felt no connection to the people they were happening to.
In all honestly, I think this may be more a fun movie than novel. It might be a fun beach read, but I don’t think it will stay with me for very long.
I received an ARC via Netgalley. Thanks Little, Brown, and Company for the opportunity.
July 1, 2016
I was looking forward to reading this book but I had difficulty at times really getting into the story and characters. Things would get interesting, then kind of went nowhere for me. Back and forth throughout the book. Yet, I did enjoy the it. The good parts made me give a three star rating.
Invincible Summer spans twenty years in the lives of four college friends. We see them out of college with all their dreams and hopes for their future. But unfortunately, life and dreams don't always work out how we wish.
The was well written and I would give the author another try. This book may appeal more to a younger person whose is just starting out. I didn't feel a deep connection with any of the characters, but Sylvie seemed to be the one who changed for the better. She had be strong due to her situation.
* I received this book from a Goodreads Giveaway in exchange for an honest review.
Invincible Summer spans twenty years in the lives of four college friends. We see them out of college with all their dreams and hopes for their future. But unfortunately, life and dreams don't always work out how we wish.
The was well written and I would give the author another try. This book may appeal more to a younger person whose is just starting out. I didn't feel a deep connection with any of the characters, but Sylvie seemed to be the one who changed for the better. She had be strong due to her situation.
* I received this book from a Goodreads Giveaway in exchange for an honest review.
July 8, 2016
I really wish I could remember where I got the recommendation for this book, so that I could put less stock in those recommendations going forward.
June 3, 2017
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https://overtherainbowbookblog.wordpr...
4.5 stars.
I so enjoyed this fantastic book! It was simultaneously funny, heart breaking and uplifting, and takes the reader on quite a journey. The book is told from the point of view of each of the characters in turn, though Eva’s story is the more dominate one. Due to the style of the book you feel as if you are right there watching all the action unfold. The reader gets to know the characters very well and you end up feeling that you know them personally. I certainly would like to be in their friendship group!
My favourite character was Eva. I liked that she managed to put her traumatic experiences at school behind her and become so successful. She stands up for what she believes in, though sometimes she doesn’t do this in the best way. She tries her best to keep in contact with the others and be there for them when they need her despite having a busy life. I also quite liked Benedict who seemed quite a sweet, bumbling guy, who always tries to do the best for other people even if it puts him out. He makes mistakes throughout his life but he works hard to correct them.
It was very interesting to see how their group and their roles within it changed throughout the years. The friends all go through some hard times which they don’t always handle very well. This always seemed realistic and never forced in any way, as the problems seemed very true to their characters. The author cleverly includes some of the real life events that have happened in the last twenty years. The banking crisis, the election and the finding of the Higg’s particle are all mentioned and have an impact on the characters in some way. This, again, helped the story seem very real.
It was quite poignant to realise how differently life had turned out for the four friends then they’d planned. Each of them ends up on a different path then they expected and it is heartwarming to see how they deal with each situation that is thrown at them. As a reader you feel that you are going through all the hard times with them and experiencing all the highs and lows that they do.
The ending was lovely, though a tad poignant. The last few pages brought a tear to my eye as you realise how much the four friends have been through and how much they have changed. There are a few things that I wish had ended differently but I think that would have made the ending too perfect.
This is Alice Adams debut novel and I really look forward to reading more from her. If you like coming of age stories that are a perfect mix of poignant and heartbreaking you will love this book.
Huge thanks to Alice May Dewing, Picador Books and Pan MacMillan publisher for my copy of this book.
https://overtherainbowbookblog.wordpr...
4.5 stars.
I so enjoyed this fantastic book! It was simultaneously funny, heart breaking and uplifting, and takes the reader on quite a journey. The book is told from the point of view of each of the characters in turn, though Eva’s story is the more dominate one. Due to the style of the book you feel as if you are right there watching all the action unfold. The reader gets to know the characters very well and you end up feeling that you know them personally. I certainly would like to be in their friendship group!
My favourite character was Eva. I liked that she managed to put her traumatic experiences at school behind her and become so successful. She stands up for what she believes in, though sometimes she doesn’t do this in the best way. She tries her best to keep in contact with the others and be there for them when they need her despite having a busy life. I also quite liked Benedict who seemed quite a sweet, bumbling guy, who always tries to do the best for other people even if it puts him out. He makes mistakes throughout his life but he works hard to correct them.
It was very interesting to see how their group and their roles within it changed throughout the years. The friends all go through some hard times which they don’t always handle very well. This always seemed realistic and never forced in any way, as the problems seemed very true to their characters. The author cleverly includes some of the real life events that have happened in the last twenty years. The banking crisis, the election and the finding of the Higg’s particle are all mentioned and have an impact on the characters in some way. This, again, helped the story seem very real.
It was quite poignant to realise how differently life had turned out for the four friends then they’d planned. Each of them ends up on a different path then they expected and it is heartwarming to see how they deal with each situation that is thrown at them. As a reader you feel that you are going through all the hard times with them and experiencing all the highs and lows that they do.
The ending was lovely, though a tad poignant. The last few pages brought a tear to my eye as you realise how much the four friends have been through and how much they have changed. There are a few things that I wish had ended differently but I think that would have made the ending too perfect.
This is Alice Adams debut novel and I really look forward to reading more from her. If you like coming of age stories that are a perfect mix of poignant and heartbreaking you will love this book.
Huge thanks to Alice May Dewing, Picador Books and Pan MacMillan publisher for my copy of this book.
February 19, 2017
such a well-written book. I loved the correct use of language when describing physics data and high frequency trading processes. the level of proficiency made it clear that the author had a background in programming and scientific analysis. I didn't much care for Lucian's character but I suppose his wretchedness helped the others discover slivers of their own strength and resilience. this book describes the inner monologue several PhD students have at some point. highly recommend. can't wait for more books from the author.
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June 28, 2016Review originally posted at
All Books Considered: DNF
What a bummer! It seems like I've had a lot of DNFs in June -- I've never had a reading slump before but this may be as close to one as I get. Unfortunately, this book reminded of Bright Stars but not as well done, not in any good way. This book follows four friends from University onward, telling little snippets of their lives every year for twenty years -- Obviously, I didn't read how this ended but the snippets I did read did not intrigue me. Benedict wants Eva, Eva wants Lucien . . . not the best situation in a group of four friends, especially when Lucien is also Eva's best friend's, Silvie's, brother and a drug dealer . . . I just found myself not giving a fig about any of these characters pretty quickly once I started the book. I kept putting this down, struggling with each chapter until I decided enough is enough.
What a bummer! It seems like I've had a lot of DNFs in June -- I've never had a reading slump before but this may be as close to one as I get. Unfortunately, this book reminded of Bright Stars but not as well done, not in any good way. This book follows four friends from University onward, telling little snippets of their lives every year for twenty years -- Obviously, I didn't read how this ended but the snippets I did read did not intrigue me. Benedict wants Eva, Eva wants Lucien . . . not the best situation in a group of four friends, especially when Lucien is also Eva's best friend's, Silvie's, brother and a drug dealer . . . I just found myself not giving a fig about any of these characters pretty quickly once I started the book. I kept putting this down, struggling with each chapter until I decided enough is enough.
She didn't have her camera with her--it had already been packed up with the rest of her things--so instead she tried to snatch the scene out of the air and etch it onto memory: Lucien, eyes darkly gleaming, Sylvia, hair flaming like a radioactive halo in the sunlight, and next to them Benedict, silhouetted against clear blue sky, turning towards her now and catching her looking at him and breaking into this broad lopsided smile. Hold it right there, she thought. Everything's about to change, but just let me keep this moment.
March 13, 2023
God, what a perfect book. What a perfect application of everything Camus stood for, written for the ears of a 22 year old, written just for me. Camus lives in these pages. This is what Sally Rooney tried so desperately to be in “beautiful world, where are you.” Alice Adams does it with a thoughtful effortlessness. That’s Camus’s influence, i guess. Zette, if you’re reading this, I’m mailing this to you.
August 1, 2021
Reads quickly, but boring read. Some good tidbits, but meh. Not worth a recommendation.
May 9, 2016
(Nearly 3.5) Four Bristol University friends navigate the highs and lows of life in the 20 years following graduation. Like in One Day, the narrative checks in on the characters nearly every summer. As happens in real life, even the closest friends gradually drift apart. Job situations and relationships change, and external events like the financial collapse of 2008 take a toll. The novel might get its title from an Albert Camus quote, but it struck me as clichéd in places. The chapters about Eva’s career can slip into jargon, and elsewhere the writing isn’t that interesting. Compared to some other similar recent novels (e.g.
Why We Came to the City
by Kristopher Jansma), this debut somewhat lacks sparkle.
See my full review at The Bookbag.
See my full review at The Bookbag.
June 30, 2017
*I received a free copy of this book from the publisher at BEA 2016. This is an honest review.*
Invincible Summer tells the life story of four friends over the course of twenty years, mostly starting when they graduate college and continuing from then onward. I know it says it’s a novel right in the title, but I have a hard time exactly classifying what sort of format this is told in; it’s not a saga in that it spends an excruciating amount of time detailing each moment of their lives. Instead, it feels like a series of extremely short snapshots of their lives — too short for it to really be considered a short story cycle — but with each year only given a handful of pages, it also doesn’t exactly feel like a novel. Whatever the format you want to label it as, though, it works. Adams does an amazing job in capturing the progression from just-out-of-college young adults to older adults approaching middle age and is somehow able to create relate-able, complex characters in the short amount of page time she gives them.
This novel would not have worked without the characters or their dynamics together, so I’m glad the characterization was spot on. They’re complex and greatly progress throughout the course of the novel. While they’re all friends, they all take vastly different approaches to life; Eva gets a big finance job straight off the bat, Benedict goes in for more school, and Sylvie and Lucien live the bohemian lifestyle while Sylvie tries to make it as an artist and Lucien just continues to live his college dream — partying and clubbing. I thought all of them had at least something that was endearing, but for the most part, they’re incredibly like-able characters. Also, it’s nice to get a story of friends not being with each other every moment, but still trying to make their relationships with each other work among the crazy busy times of adult life, and also seeing how they deal with the rocky points that inevitably come up.
The plot itself was handled brilliantly. Each character has his or her ups and downs; the theme that comes up consistently is that you can’t plan for everything in life, and most of the time, we have no idea exactly what we’re getting into when we make decisions. The characters go from dreaming, idealistic just-out-of-college adults to aged, more experienced adults who realize that they have no idea what they’re doing half the time, and that’s okay. I appreciated how this theme is handled, because it all-too-often goes into the condescending territory of belittling the dreams of young people. Instead, the reader learns along with the characters just how hard life can be, given circumstances and luck; just like real life, some of those young dreams are still there but have to find more realistic avenues to be achieved, and some of those young dreams are shredded entirely. This story has a lot of reflective moments of the characters wondering if they should have made different choices, which the reader is able to follow along with, because we get to read about pretty much every big moment in their lives.
Mostly, I like that Adams doesn’t pull her punches. Life gets really difficult for these characters and they have to deal with realistic, hard situations. This isn’t a happy-go-lucky growing up story where nothing too bad happens, though it is hopeful and optimistic. I think this story works more for an older audience, maybe at least late-twenties so that you can relate to the post-college (or post-high school, if you didn’t choose to go to college) “oh, so this is what life is like” realizations that the characters have. Not saying that younger people wouldn’t enjoy this as well, but it’s more geared to people who’ve been out of school for a couple of years. It’s a quick read and if it sounds at all interesting to you, I say give it a try. I think it’s a rather lovely story.
Also posted on Purple People Readers.
Invincible Summer tells the life story of four friends over the course of twenty years, mostly starting when they graduate college and continuing from then onward. I know it says it’s a novel right in the title, but I have a hard time exactly classifying what sort of format this is told in; it’s not a saga in that it spends an excruciating amount of time detailing each moment of their lives. Instead, it feels like a series of extremely short snapshots of their lives — too short for it to really be considered a short story cycle — but with each year only given a handful of pages, it also doesn’t exactly feel like a novel. Whatever the format you want to label it as, though, it works. Adams does an amazing job in capturing the progression from just-out-of-college young adults to older adults approaching middle age and is somehow able to create relate-able, complex characters in the short amount of page time she gives them.
This novel would not have worked without the characters or their dynamics together, so I’m glad the characterization was spot on. They’re complex and greatly progress throughout the course of the novel. While they’re all friends, they all take vastly different approaches to life; Eva gets a big finance job straight off the bat, Benedict goes in for more school, and Sylvie and Lucien live the bohemian lifestyle while Sylvie tries to make it as an artist and Lucien just continues to live his college dream — partying and clubbing. I thought all of them had at least something that was endearing, but for the most part, they’re incredibly like-able characters. Also, it’s nice to get a story of friends not being with each other every moment, but still trying to make their relationships with each other work among the crazy busy times of adult life, and also seeing how they deal with the rocky points that inevitably come up.
The plot itself was handled brilliantly. Each character has his or her ups and downs; the theme that comes up consistently is that you can’t plan for everything in life, and most of the time, we have no idea exactly what we’re getting into when we make decisions. The characters go from dreaming, idealistic just-out-of-college adults to aged, more experienced adults who realize that they have no idea what they’re doing half the time, and that’s okay. I appreciated how this theme is handled, because it all-too-often goes into the condescending territory of belittling the dreams of young people. Instead, the reader learns along with the characters just how hard life can be, given circumstances and luck; just like real life, some of those young dreams are still there but have to find more realistic avenues to be achieved, and some of those young dreams are shredded entirely. This story has a lot of reflective moments of the characters wondering if they should have made different choices, which the reader is able to follow along with, because we get to read about pretty much every big moment in their lives.
Mostly, I like that Adams doesn’t pull her punches. Life gets really difficult for these characters and they have to deal with realistic, hard situations. This isn’t a happy-go-lucky growing up story where nothing too bad happens, though it is hopeful and optimistic. I think this story works more for an older audience, maybe at least late-twenties so that you can relate to the post-college (or post-high school, if you didn’t choose to go to college) “oh, so this is what life is like” realizations that the characters have. Not saying that younger people wouldn’t enjoy this as well, but it’s more geared to people who’ve been out of school for a couple of years. It’s a quick read and if it sounds at all interesting to you, I say give it a try. I think it’s a rather lovely story.
Also posted on Purple People Readers.
May 14, 2016
I really enjoyed this book, the story of four friends growing up, being close, growing away, coming back together and just sharing their lives together. I really liked the characters as well. They were friends, but they sometimes forgot how to be that, but they were always open with each other and told each other how they felt. It may take a few years, but they did it.
It was a story of ups and downs, wins and losses, mistakes and rewards and I was thoroughly entertained by it. I was doing a lot of rooting for a few of them at the end. It seemed they just couldn't get things right.
You will laugh and cry, but it will definitely be one book you don't want to miss.
Thanks to the Luttle, Brown Company and Net Galley for providing me with a free e-galley in exchange for an honest review.
It was a story of ups and downs, wins and losses, mistakes and rewards and I was thoroughly entertained by it. I was doing a lot of rooting for a few of them at the end. It seemed they just couldn't get things right.
You will laugh and cry, but it will definitely be one book you don't want to miss.
Thanks to the Luttle, Brown Company and Net Galley for providing me with a free e-galley in exchange for an honest review.
August 16, 2016
This story begins in my favorite setting, university with four friends debating the big questions in life. Following them after graduation, finding out that life isn't quite as they that pictured it during their glittering school days.
Highly recommended
Highly recommended
June 15, 2017
Vier unzertrennliche Freunde verbringen ihren letzten Sommer miteinander, bevor ihre Wege sich trennen werden: die Geschwister Sylvie und Benedict, Eva und Lucien. Eva stammt aus einfachen Verhältnissen in der Provinz und musste sich ihr Studium hart erarbeiten. Als Benedict Eva ins Ferienhaus seiner Familie auf Korfu einlädt, ahnt er nicht, dass ein Mädchen wie Eva für einen Urlaub am Meer schlicht nichts anzuziehen besitzt. Beide verpassen den kurzen Moment, in dem aus Vertrautheit mehr hätte werden können als Freundschaft. Benedict heiratet innerhalb seiner Gesellschaftsschicht und geht ans CERN in die Schweiz. Seine Heirat schließt Eva demonstrativ aus Benedicts Kreisen aus. Sie muss sich fragen, ob sie einen Mann lieben könnte, dem Konventionen so viel bedeuten, dass er ihnen vorauseilend gehorcht. Obwohl Eva Physik studiert hat, steigt sie als Junior Traderin für Zinsderivate bei Morton Brothers in den Londoner Docklands ein. Schönheit und Intelligenz sind für eine Bankerin zwar nützlich, meint Kollege Paul. Als Bankerin braucht sie jedoch Beziehungen, um vorwärts zu kommen. Während unter ihren Kollegen gnadenlos ausgesiebt wird, besteht Evas Alltag aus 11 Meetings in 6 Ländern an 8 Tagen. Wann Eva einen Fehler macht, der sie den Kopf kosten wird, scheint nur eine Frage der Zeit. Lucien nimmt sich inzwischen ein Leben als Freigeist vor, als DJ oder Drogenhändler. Sylvie hofft, sich als Künstlerin durchsetzen zu können. Eine Pilgerwanderung auf dem Jakobsweg führt das Kleeblatt 2000 noch einmal zusammen. Mit gegensätzlichen Talenten und Startchancen sind die Vier angetreten. Wie in einer Versuchsanordnung ist nun zu beobachten, ob Aufstieg durch Leistung möglich ist und ob dabei zwangsläufig ein Verlierer zurückgelassen wird.
Zwischen 1995 und 2015 kann das Vagabundieren der Freunde durch ihr Leben verfolgt werden, in der Zeit bis zu ihrem 40. Lebensjahr. Beim Erwachsenwerden müssen die Figuren zunächst fallen. Doch wie oft kann man fallen und wieder aufstehen? Die Konstellation von vier Freunden scheint eine magische, ausgewogene Zahl für einen Entwicklungsroman zu sein. Dennoch habe ich mich gefragt, wer eine zentrale Rolle einnimmt – und warum. Wer spielt hier den Egoisten, wer den treuen Freund; wer jammert und wer packt in der Krise mit an? Welche Enttäuschungen übersteht eine Freundschaft? Hört etwa bei Geld die Freundschaft auf? Entstehen neue Lebensformen als Kontrast zur Kleinfamilie? Falls jemand den richtigen Moment verpasst hat, gibt es eine weitere Chance?
In Ihrem Roman über das Schmerzen des Erwachsenwerdens erfindet Alice Adams das Rad des Familienromans nicht neu. Klar, Geld beruhigt, aber es macht nicht glücklich. Die Handlung in ihrem beachtlichen Erstling war für mich nicht vorhersehbar und darum spannend, in leicht melancholischer Tonlage und weitgehend unkitschig erzählt.
Zwischen 1995 und 2015 kann das Vagabundieren der Freunde durch ihr Leben verfolgt werden, in der Zeit bis zu ihrem 40. Lebensjahr. Beim Erwachsenwerden müssen die Figuren zunächst fallen. Doch wie oft kann man fallen und wieder aufstehen? Die Konstellation von vier Freunden scheint eine magische, ausgewogene Zahl für einen Entwicklungsroman zu sein. Dennoch habe ich mich gefragt, wer eine zentrale Rolle einnimmt – und warum. Wer spielt hier den Egoisten, wer den treuen Freund; wer jammert und wer packt in der Krise mit an? Welche Enttäuschungen übersteht eine Freundschaft? Hört etwa bei Geld die Freundschaft auf? Entstehen neue Lebensformen als Kontrast zur Kleinfamilie? Falls jemand den richtigen Moment verpasst hat, gibt es eine weitere Chance?
In Ihrem Roman über das Schmerzen des Erwachsenwerdens erfindet Alice Adams das Rad des Familienromans nicht neu. Klar, Geld beruhigt, aber es macht nicht glücklich. Die Handlung in ihrem beachtlichen Erstling war für mich nicht vorhersehbar und darum spannend, in leicht melancholischer Tonlage und weitgehend unkitschig erzählt.
February 27, 2023
This book made me very stressed. I recognize that it’s a commentary on the unpredictability of adult life & the fact that people are multifaceted, but wowzers is that a hell of a topic to cover. Anywho, aside from the chapter of just full-on stocks lingo, I feel like it was collectively a good read bc you kinda side w every character at some point or another.
May 20, 2025
3.5/5 stars. This was a perfect light read! I grew to love the characters and enjoyed following along on their journey through life. The ending felt a bit cheesy and unfinished but the rest of the book was well written.
December 18, 2020
Not good.
The whole “show about nothing” worked for Seinfeld, but it doesn’t work in books. Feeble plot, dull characters, and an overall depressing storyline / ending.
The one about the 4 friends from college, a sister and brother, a girl, Eva, and a guy, Benedict — how they all are bffs, then life happens, they go their separate ways, and in the end all come back together (after a train wreck of decisions among all of them). Very immature bunch.
1/10
The whole “show about nothing” worked for Seinfeld, but it doesn’t work in books. Feeble plot, dull characters, and an overall depressing storyline / ending.
The one about the 4 friends from college, a sister and brother, a girl, Eva, and a guy, Benedict — how they all are bffs, then life happens, they go their separate ways, and in the end all come back together (after a train wreck of decisions among all of them). Very immature bunch.
1/10
August 21, 2019
Perhaps it took me so long to finish this novel because I don’t want the summer to end, and the jaunty title and book jacket were just adorable. Or perhaps it was because, like the summer itself, some parts of this book were absolutely readable and enjoyable, while others droned on. The last third of this book was terrific, though, and the characters are warm. Put it in your beach bag.
November 14, 2016
Invincible Summer was a very enjoyable read. It follows four college friends over 20 years. At first they all seem self-indulgent, but you watch them make mistakes and grow over the years. I thought this book really built in substance throughout and ended strong.
September 9, 2017
Maybe 3.5?. Very readable. The characters were very likable and it was very hard to put down. A bit predictable and at times a little preachy but a fun read for the beach or plane.
August 26, 2017
This book hits my sweet spot. It follows four friends from their university years (it helps that they graduate in 1997 - a year after my graduation) for twenty years through relationships (friendship, romantic, parental), children, making money, losing money, getting away with things and not getting away with others. It reads, deceptively, like a beach read when it is much more. People may call it chick lit - if that's what we're calling novels that explore the growth of people both as individuals and as members of communities over decades and the development of their world view and self-awareness these days, then yes, I guess this is chick lit.
Organized in chronological chapters - sometimes hours apart and sometimes years apart - that serve to cue readers for where we are in time and place and never feel like a gimmick.
This is a debut novel. I will likely pre-order Adams' second book.
(The title. I am missing why this title?)
Organized in chronological chapters - sometimes hours apart and sometimes years apart - that serve to cue readers for where we are in time and place and never feel like a gimmick.
This is a debut novel. I will likely pre-order Adams' second book.
(The title. I am missing why this title?)
April 13, 2025
This was one of those books where I felt so relieved for it to finally be over. Overall the story was just pretty boring and it felt like nothing all that exciting ever happens. I think the biggest issue for me was the time jumps. They happen at almost every chapter and they're pretty significant chunks of time going by. It made it hard to really get invested in the story or characters because every time something exciting started to happen, the chapter would end and it'd leap ahead months or years to something else.
July 12, 2025
2.5 stars. Not quite what I was expecting…
April 7, 2025
4,5 ✨
really liked this one! great plot, it didn’t feel too rushed nor too slow, and great characters - loved how flawed their relationships with each other were. also really good writing!
really liked this one! great plot, it didn’t feel too rushed nor too slow, and great characters - loved how flawed their relationships with each other were. also really good writing!
July 23, 2024
Did not expect to fall in love with this book but I did! Beautiful character development, clever insights, and lots of British details that I had to google. All around lovely.
June 16, 2017
I always find it refreshing to stumble across a book out of the blue and not expect much from it, and then you find yourself swept along in an intoxicating look at the world through the eyes of 4 friends from the beginning of their friendship in Bristol, 1995 right the way through to a beach in Dorset in 2015! This was such a book and I’m very glad it found me!!
The 4 friends are Eva, Lucien, Sylvie and Benedict – all very different personalities (Lucien and Sylvie are siblings) but drawn together through University where they set out with different dreams and ambitions and this book cleverly documents the stages they all go through over the next 20 years.
The book gives you brief snapshots in the most memorable times of their lives – the highs and the lows of which there are plenty – and how the group of friends are very much part of each others’ lives even if the years have taken them to different places and further away from each other. It is full of the angst of growing up and how they all see themselves progressing in life, to the reality of life and things not turning out quite how you expect. The ones you expect to succeed don’t always reach their potential, and it’s how they deal with it through the years that keeps you turning the pages to see what journey their lives will take them on next.
Each character gets plenty of time for the reader to embrace, and setting it against real life events really helps you set the scene and capture the moment during their lives. I really felt invested in their lives and how they got to reassess what is important to them depending on what was thrown at them throughout.
There is sadness, laughter, flirting, fallings out, marriages, divorce, dealings with the law, depression, success, despair, new arrivals and old secrets and how 4 people find their place in the world and I just found it to be a fabulous read that I devoured in one sitting!! Highly recommended!!
Thank you to Alice May Dewing at Picador books for my copy of the book in return for a fair and honest review.
The 4 friends are Eva, Lucien, Sylvie and Benedict – all very different personalities (Lucien and Sylvie are siblings) but drawn together through University where they set out with different dreams and ambitions and this book cleverly documents the stages they all go through over the next 20 years.
The book gives you brief snapshots in the most memorable times of their lives – the highs and the lows of which there are plenty – and how the group of friends are very much part of each others’ lives even if the years have taken them to different places and further away from each other. It is full of the angst of growing up and how they all see themselves progressing in life, to the reality of life and things not turning out quite how you expect. The ones you expect to succeed don’t always reach their potential, and it’s how they deal with it through the years that keeps you turning the pages to see what journey their lives will take them on next.
Each character gets plenty of time for the reader to embrace, and setting it against real life events really helps you set the scene and capture the moment during their lives. I really felt invested in their lives and how they got to reassess what is important to them depending on what was thrown at them throughout.
There is sadness, laughter, flirting, fallings out, marriages, divorce, dealings with the law, depression, success, despair, new arrivals and old secrets and how 4 people find their place in the world and I just found it to be a fabulous read that I devoured in one sitting!! Highly recommended!!
Thank you to Alice May Dewing at Picador books for my copy of the book in return for a fair and honest review.
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