Happy First Day of Summer!

In last week's post, I gave a synopsis of Beatriz Williams’ A Hundred Summers so you, dear readers, would have an inkling as to why I love it so much. Well, I also happened to squander the hours necessary to re-read the book in the last week and have come up with a list of lines that I absolutely love. Today’s post is all about these lines. Hopefully they evoke images of summer and beaches and the susurration of sea and sand (and, make you smile, or as is the case with some, curious as to what precisely is going on…). 

Enjoy!

Let’s open with just a small slice of foreshadowing to get the ball rolling before we venture into the sultry summer of 1938:

Flash forward to Seaview, Rhode Island, on Memorial Day, when Aunt Julie utters (imagine Tallulah Bankhead’s languid drawl):

"Summer starts when I say it starts, darling. Oh, that’s lovely." She inhaled to the limit of her lungs, closed her eyes, and let the smoke slide from her lips in a thin and endless ribbon.”

Then there are the lazy day descriptions so appropriate for summertime (you know, when the livin’ is easy):

And we cannot forget the men. If you thought the weather was the only smoldering thing Williams discusses, you’re in for a treat. 

There’s Graham Pendleton heating up the sand:

(I have to admit, I grin every time I read that last bit.)

Then, of course, there’s Nicholson Greenwald whose eyes can light up the beach like that celestial eye of heaven:

There’s this one line that has nothing to do with summer, but I just happen to love how accurately it describes Lily Dane, and, in a way, nails why she’s so fabulous. I love genuine people who are serious about the things that matter in life:                  

Williams does a great job of heating up the emotions along with the weather.

And while the weather might be gearing up with impending fury, Lily Dane reaches her point of no return, where enough, dear readers, is simply enough:

After this explosive moment, Lily Dane heads back to Seaview where mayhem quickly ensues:

Whatever was that last quote about, you may ask? Well, ever hear the proverb: Red sky at night, sailor’s delight; red sky in morning, sailor take warning? Keep that in mind, for this next line, which is quite the harbinger:

Beatriz Williams is excellent at foreshadowing. She starts at the beginning, dropping little clues like breadcrumbs and keeps us on the path of suspense throughout the whole of the novel. But, as Romeo whined, Oh, wilt thou leave me so unsatisfied? No, dear readers, I would never be so cruel. I’ll finish with a line that I simply love:

Well, dear readers, I hope you enjoyed that little foray into A Hundred Summers. Hopefully it’s whetted your appetite to rent/buy the book for your summer reading. It’s tragic. It’s tender. And, when it comes to books I read for pleasure, it’s in possession of one of my favorite things: a happy ending. 

What books evoke summer to you? Do they take place on the beach? Or, are they adventurous tales? Epics? Biographies? When it comes to reading, what screams summer to you?