A little while ago I won a contest held by The Book Club Girl. Her blog is a great resource for all things book. I won a copy of the book The Last Summer (of You and Me) by Ann Brashares. It's the perfect summer "beach" read and it even came with a beach towel :)
I've been quite tired in the mornings for some reason so I've been needing a light read to keep me awake on my subway commute to work. So I picked up this book. I would have never have read this book if I hadn't won it but I am so glad I did. What a perfect touching summer read.
The plot is simple and sweet but what really draws you into the story is the writing. I really like how Ann Brashares describes people and the setting. The story is set on Fire Island near New York City. Fire Island is a long thin strip piece of land off Long Island. Every summer since they can remember, sisters Riley and Alice have spent their summers on Fire Island with their next door neighbor Paul. Riley and Paul are the same age and are best friends. Alice is three years younger and has always tagged behind Riley and Paul.
Now the three friends are in their early twenties, back on the island for summer and in that perfect "in-between" stage of growing up. Of course this is a story about families, about sisters, of tragedy, and about first love. While not too original themes, the way the authors depict the characters, the emotion, and the setting is what makes this book. I also have to admit that I liked this book too because I liked the sisters. Since I have an older sister I totally related to the relationship between Riley and Alice. Riley reminded me of my sister and of course I identified with the younger sister Alice.
The author Ann Brashares is the author of the popular teen series, Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, which was also made into a movie. This is Ann Brashares first adult book. While it's not a huge literary piece of work, it is the perfect light summer book.
Now the three friends are in their early twenties, back on the island for summer and in that perfect "in-between" stage of growing up. Of course this is a story about families, about sisters, of tragedy, and about first love. While not too original themes, the way the authors depict the characters, the emotion, and the setting is what makes this book. I also have to admit that I liked this book too because I liked the sisters. Since I have an older sister I totally related to the relationship between Riley and Alice. Riley reminded me of my sister and of course I identified with the younger sister Alice.
The author Ann Brashares is the author of the popular teen series, Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, which was also made into a movie. This is Ann Brashares first adult book. While it's not a huge literary piece of work, it is the perfect light summer book.
