• 5 Star Reads
  • Audiobooks
  • Books on Screen
  • Children’s Books
  • Christian
  • Fiction
  • Giveaways

5 Minutes For Books

  • Home
  • About
    • Who Are We? Reviewer Bios
    • 5 Star Reads
    • Disclosure
    • Privacy Policy
    • About Us
  • Join In
    • 5 Minutes for Books Bookclub
    • Children’s Classics
    • Kids’ Picks
    • What’s on Your Nightstand
  • Link To Us
  • Contact
    • Advertise

India’s Summer

August 28, 2012 by Trish

India Butler is a schoolteacher, or at least she has been for the last seventeen years, but she seems to have spent most of that time wishing to be someone else. A French woman with impeccable style and exquisite taste, perhaps, or a classic English country rose. Or maybe what she really longs for is the glamorous lifestyle of her twin sister Annabelle, who left London for L.A., became a famous actress, and married a rock star.

At any rate, the summer just before she turns forty finds her boarding a plane to California to stay with her sister for a few days. Dazzled by the luxury and excitement of the L.A. social scene, India reinvents herself yet again and ends up living the life of her dreams – but how long can it last until the bubble bursts? And will she be able to find who she really is at the end of it all?

India’s Summer, written by the mysteriously named thérèse, is a readable story with just enough depth to keep you turning the pages, but somehow for me it fell a bit flat. Everything is just a bit too perfect, even when it all goes wrong. It sort of reminded me of The Rock Star in Seat 3A, which I reviewed earlier this month, with the same Hollywood view of reality that looks at everything from a perspective that doesn’t quite jive with the rest of the population. The difference is that in Rock Star, the fantastical element of the story is made clear throughout the book, allowing the reader to enter the story without constantly looking for the reality check that one would otherwise expect.

I am willing to concede that perhaps I have missed the whole point of the story, and that India’s midlife crisis is really an existential awakening that just happens to come with a fabulous book deal and a famous boyfriend. But for me, it just didn’t come together.

Filed Under: Fiction, Literary, Trish

« What’s on Your Nightstand August 28
Flash Kids {with Giveaway} »

Comments

  1. Barb: 1SentenceDiary says

    August 29, 2012 at 2:03 pm

    Trish, thanks for the honest review. I am starting to tire of the gushing reviews of all books (not so much here, on 5minsforbooks, but just in general on the interwebs). There are, indeed, a lot of great books, but not all books really hold together for all readers. Your candor is much appreciated.

  2. Mystica says

    August 29, 2012 at 8:22 pm

    I like the story. Its a thing that lots of women would like to do but just cannot!

Connect with us

  • Facebook
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter

Welcome to 5 Minutes for Books. We are a team blog dedicated to sharing reviews and information about children's lit, fiction, memoir, and more. Read More…

Reviews

5 Minutes for Books

Jennifer Donovan
Managing Editor

MEET OUR TEAM



Connect With Us


Pinterest

Community

Cybils Logo Draft 3

Disclosure:

Find out about our relationships with publishers and affiliate networks in our full disclosure statement.

Recent Posts

  • Central Places
  • Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice for Murderers
  • The House of Eve
  • Bright and Deadly Things
  • Long Story Short

Categories

Privacy Policy    |     Disclosure Policy
Terms & Conditions
© 5 Minutes for Mom

Let’s Socialize

  • Facebook
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter

Pinterest is Our FAVORITE!

Find and Follow Us at
pinterest.com/5min4books

Copyright © 2023 · Tasteful theme by Restored 316