Tuesday, July 05, 2016

2016 book 122

Peter S. Beagle's Summerlong
It's hard for me not have giant expectations going into a new Peter S. Beagle book--The Last Unicorn is one of my top five favorite books, and I've enjoyed all the other ones I've read by him. And this was enjoyable enough, though on the seriously bittersweet side, for me. It centers on a middle-aged couple (and her lesbian daughter) and what happens when an entrancing new waitress comes to town (town being an island off Seattle). Magic and mystery ensue, but I found the ending mildly dissatisfying. Was it too realistic? Was it that this book felt a bit like Beagle calling it a day? Is that all just an extrapolation from the recent lawsuits and concerns about his mental state? Was it just that no book can ever be The Last Unicorn? I mean, nothing about this was bad and parts of it were very good, it just wasn't as magical as I wanted it to be. B/B+.

__
A review copy was provided by the publisher. This book will be released in August.

No comments: