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Summertown
Summertown is a little hamlet in Northern Arizona that accountant Jimmy Stone, a refugee from the big city of Phoenix, has called home for the last nine years. In that time, the biggest things to happen have been the day his first wife did him the favor of leaving him for another man and the day, two years later, when he married his current wife, Tara. He’s looking forward to giving his only daughter, Jessica the biggest wedding the town has ever seen, while at the same time helping Tara play matchmaker to the deputy marshal and the school principal. But the simple pleasures of living in a small vacation town will soon to be overshadowed by the airing of a shocking secret that has been kept by the family of a man everyone in town knows to avoid. By the end of the story, people will die, relationships will be ruined and the homey veneer of Summertown will be torn away to reveal the ugly prejudice that infests it.
ebook
First published July 4, 2011
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
August 8, 2012
Thoroughly enjoyable!
Summertown is a book full of humor, gritty truths and small town antics. The first few pages are hilarious yet we are well aware things are going to become darker.
Jimmy Stone is a thoroughly enjoyable character who has suffered through a dreadful marriage to finally be freed when his wife decides to leave him. Through Jimmy’s very observant eyes we watch the community carry on with their lives, each of their difficult pasts slowly surfacing as we become more and more absorbed by the goings on.
Jeff Gafford has created some fantastic personalities in this book. The characters lift of the page and become people we have known forever. I know they are still wandering around when I close the book. Relationships in Summertown don’t run smoothly but we are taken on the twists and turns gracefully; a slow momentum building toward the secrets hidden for too long. There is curling conflict and misjudged words - all deftly handled with a toss of humor.
As in real life, rumors are rife in Summertown - and nearly always unfounded. Panic builds as we watch them manifest knowing the potential to destroy lives lies with these vicious tongues. But there are small gifts of optimism. When Gina turns to Jimmy in a time of need we know absolutely that Jimmy will offer kindness and strength even if he does hate to see girls cry. Just lovely.
I am so looking forward to the sequel.
Highly recommended.
Summertown is a book full of humor, gritty truths and small town antics. The first few pages are hilarious yet we are well aware things are going to become darker.
Jimmy Stone is a thoroughly enjoyable character who has suffered through a dreadful marriage to finally be freed when his wife decides to leave him. Through Jimmy’s very observant eyes we watch the community carry on with their lives, each of their difficult pasts slowly surfacing as we become more and more absorbed by the goings on.
Jeff Gafford has created some fantastic personalities in this book. The characters lift of the page and become people we have known forever. I know they are still wandering around when I close the book. Relationships in Summertown don’t run smoothly but we are taken on the twists and turns gracefully; a slow momentum building toward the secrets hidden for too long. There is curling conflict and misjudged words - all deftly handled with a toss of humor.
As in real life, rumors are rife in Summertown - and nearly always unfounded. Panic builds as we watch them manifest knowing the potential to destroy lives lies with these vicious tongues. But there are small gifts of optimism. When Gina turns to Jimmy in a time of need we know absolutely that Jimmy will offer kindness and strength even if he does hate to see girls cry. Just lovely.
I am so looking forward to the sequel.
Highly recommended.
November 14, 2013
This is a small town story. I loved it. The author keeps moving you forward with "what's going to happen next?" Kind of a "Payton Place".
The main characters are lovable and I wanted to help them move forward. Good book!!
The main characters are lovable and I wanted to help them move forward. Good book!!
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews