Midsummer: A Great American Literary Romance for Women – Passionate Friendship and Complicated Love

by Marcelle Clements

A splendid Hudson River estate, complete with cook and rose garden. The landscape is inebriating, the women are in full, passionate bloom, and the men are incomprehensible. Susie-chic, smart, spacey, and no longer promiscuous- decides, at forty-five, to do what she would have done at invite a group of amusing friends to spend eight weekends of summer in stunning surroundings. The invitees include her oldest friend, Kay, elegantly nursing a broken heart; her former lover Dodge-still the sexiest man she knows; his randy, neurotic, comedian friend Ron; and Elise, an on-the-cusp artist determined to be in a relationship before she hits forty. Add to the mix Susie's very ardent, very surprising twenty-four-year-old son, and an exhibitionist au pair next door, and you have a delicious romantic farce that deftly slides into and out of something quite a bit darker.

Genres: Fiction

304 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2003

Reviews

[Allyson · Rating 2 out of 5]

two things everyone wants from a spring break book: an upbeat mood and plenty of steamy forbidden sex. this book delivered neither. I just kept waiting for one of the characters to be anything but a suicidal headcase. not what I wanted while relaxing on the beach. Also not one completed sex scene! from the looks of the cover I thought it was a sure bet. This book was extreamely underwhelming in my humble opinion

[Kallie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this book because I remember Clements' 'The Dog Is Us' as perceptive and funny (about the very generation depicted in this book). I would call this a modern comedy of 'manners' except that it's not funny and characters' manners are more interesting when they come across as decorous, subtle in their expressions of thoughts and emotions, judiciously withholding (as in Jane Austen). Clements does capture these contemporary arty well-heeled people and their self-absorbed sensibilities, and their thoughts and sometimes rude exchanges seem real, of the times. I was amused and kept reading though I kept thinking the story and people would be more interesting from an omniscient point of view -- a point of view that considered not only this house party, but 'the help' and peripheral characters and how they saw this party of witty neurotics (witty except for the 'comedian' character, who was not funny). The ending merely petered out. Anyway, there are some genuine insights, into people I did not really care about but that's okay. This is about the neurotic problems of people who have no real problems.

[Lily · Rating 2 out of 5]

The book’s description teases a romp of steamy and complex relationships while old friends rent a summer house together... there’s some interesting moments but overall the book underdelivers. The author’s writing style managed to be both overly descriptive yet bland. There’s not much character development, as there’s really not much happening within the story anyway. This happened, that happened, aaaaand that’s it — nothing really had any consequence or impacts and right as some could-be-important things unfold, the book pretty abruptly ends because “summer is over”.

[Joanne · Rating 2 out of 5]

Saw this at the library and thought it would be a really good book of "The Big Chill" type of story. From the beginning it fell short for me and I kept hoping it would get better.

A group of friends in their early 40's rent a house on the Hudson for the summer to escape NYC life. The books is told in weekend chapters from a different character's point of view. Susie also has her early 20's son Billy along for the reprieve. Kay is hooked on Billy. Susie flirts with ex-Dodge, Ron is just annoying and only has one thing on his mind and Elsie who is first introduced with her strip tease into the pool turns out to be depressed. There dinner conversations are dull and clipped. Oh and on the first weekend the dog Otto gets hit by a car.

The only section I enjoyed and thought worth reading was Billy and Kay's attractions. Otherwise, this book didn't live up to my expectations. I'd suggested a pass on this one.

[Elizabeth · Rating 2 out of 5]

We're all friends here, right? OK. I'll be honest. This book wasn't as trashy as I hoped it would be. I mean, the jacket description includes such tantalizing lines as: "Everyone looks forward to a respite from Manhattan but each privately anticipates something more."

Right.

It was neither as trashy as it should have been, given that description, nor as high-brow as it tried to be. The cover blurb from Michael Cunningham called it "A novel of haunting beauty and almost terrifyingly acute perceptions." This cover blurb has caused me to reevaluate my feelings about Mr. Cunningham.

[Lis · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was only a few pages into the book and looked to see who the publisher was. I thought, "If this incredibly bad writing can get published, then so can I." The plot was almost non-existent. Hardly anything happen in the book and the conversation between the charactors was similar to what teenagers might have - and most of the characters were in their 40s. That being said, I did finish it just because I have a hard time not finishing a book. If half a star was an option, that's what this book would get.

[Jennifer · Rating 1 out of 5]

one of the worst books I've read. A wanna be modern Great Gatsby.

[Candee · Rating 1 out of 5]

I tried, on more than one occasion, to read this. It is awful. Everything about it. The story, the writing style, and everything else. Don't waste your time or money on this!!

[Teri Dona · Rating 1 out of 5]

Wow, sure wish I had read the reviews before buying this book :(
What a dud...
I didn't make it past the twaddling first chapter!

[Kate · Rating 3 out of 5]

An easy summer read.

[Elizabeth · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was fine, entertaining, not sure why I read it.