A Lovable Mary Sue: Book Review of Summer Island

 

Summer Island by Shelley Noble
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Thank you to William Morrow and GoodReads Giveaways for providing me with a review copy of Shelley Noble’s Summer Island, with the expectation of a fair and honest review.

Phoebe sees herself as happy: she has a handsome fiancé who owns the small town paper to which she has given over most of her adult life and she has her job at the paper. But when her fiancé gives the unexpected news that he is shutting down the paper, she loses both on the same day. Now Phoebe has no job, no place to live, and she learns that her father has left her mother for another woman.

With no other place to go, Phoebe and her mother, Ruth, head for the island where Ruth grew up and her mother, Alice, still lives. Once there, they find Alice and her sister Vera, the ever moving and ever energetic font of fun adventures.

Next door to Alice, Lars has sunken deep into grief over the loss of his wife. Out of concern, his sons have elected Ty, the only single one, to look after him and bring him out of his depression. Any assistance or comfort Ty offers is hampered by Lars's inability to see Ty for the successful engineer that he is, thinking, instead, that he is unemployed and indigent. When the two men become subsumed by the whirl of women next door, Ty is grateful and Lars grumpily acquiesces.

While other characters have a voice in the novel, Phoebe’s is decidedly the strongest. She is inquisitive and curious as well as being an accomplished journalist. More importantly, she uses her powers for good, seeking to amplify the voices of those doing good things for her community, like the veteran who converts cars into homes for other veterans. She is not in it for her own glory, but rather for where she can help shine a light.

As the pink cover clearly communicates, there is indeed romance in the novel, but the book is more about the characters living their truths.

Would I teach Summer Island? It is an enjoyable, light read. It has a strong female protagonist who is very likable. Perhaps too likable. Phoebe never really does anything wrong. Her inquisitiveness is not too-too and she is ever kind and thoughtful. Would that she were able to make a poor or selfish decision! Alas, she is too good. Due to the lack of crossover between who is good and who is bad I would probably not teach this novel.

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