What do you think?
Rate this book
Awakening of the Summer
This book is out of print.
Thank you for your interest.
Thank you for your interest.
320 pages, Paperback
Published March 23, 2018
2 people are currently reading
1322 people want to read
About the author
Yorker Keith
4 books104 followersYorker Keith lives in Manhattan, New York City. Writing has been his passion throughout his entire life. His novels have been favorably received by literature connoisseurs. For this, he is grateful to his readers.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
March 17, 2018
Intriguing literary read with romantic elements and an interesting love triangle. The author has done an amazing job with characterization and the story line. The details of the story are not only beautifully descriptive but also hauntingly realistic. I'm excited to read another book from this author.
March 15, 2018
Overly descriptive, unlikeable characters. Not enjoyable for me. I really dont have anything to say about it that i enjoyed but im having to write 100 characters for this to even post. So thats my honest review.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
May 21, 2018
Awakening of the Summer is a new novel from award-winning author Yorker Keith, who lives in Manhattan, New York. He holds an MFA in creative writing from The New School and loves literature, theatre, classical music, opera and arts.
When Wall Street economist James takes a summer vacation in the Oberon Woods of New Hampshire, it is to pursue his passion for oil painting. However, his summer turns out very differently when he meets two beautiful sisters: Sophie and her younger sister Kelly. Despite the fact that the sisters have boyfriends, James finds each young woman absolutely fascinating in her own unique way. He loves the intellect of magazine editor Sophie, and on the other hand, finds it impossible to resist the alluring charm of museum secretary Kelly.
James has enjoyed painting a wonderful pastoral landscape of a lake, nestled in greenery, near to the hotel, which has the imposing Mount Washington in the background. As his fascination with the two sisters grows, he decides to paint two more pictures of the same lake setting, one with Sophie in it, and the other with Kelly. The three pictures he names the Summer Lake Series, and when the hotel decides to exhibit them, the sisters are delighted to become overnight celebrities.
This modern day love triangle is not a typical work of romantic fiction; it is a work of art. As the story unfolds, we enter into a web of intrigue as myriad of emotions reveal themselves, and the characters develop. The setting plays a very important part in this story, and the author has used his writing talents well, describing the enthralling scenery of this beautiful part of the world. With twists and turns, mysterious happenings, and dark secrets, the reader is treated to a wonderful summertime adventure.
In Summary: This riveting, triple love-triangle is a work of truly wonderful literary fiction; the author has infused a delightful blend of excitement, passion, and suspense. I couldn’t put it down.
When Wall Street economist James takes a summer vacation in the Oberon Woods of New Hampshire, it is to pursue his passion for oil painting. However, his summer turns out very differently when he meets two beautiful sisters: Sophie and her younger sister Kelly. Despite the fact that the sisters have boyfriends, James finds each young woman absolutely fascinating in her own unique way. He loves the intellect of magazine editor Sophie, and on the other hand, finds it impossible to resist the alluring charm of museum secretary Kelly.
James has enjoyed painting a wonderful pastoral landscape of a lake, nestled in greenery, near to the hotel, which has the imposing Mount Washington in the background. As his fascination with the two sisters grows, he decides to paint two more pictures of the same lake setting, one with Sophie in it, and the other with Kelly. The three pictures he names the Summer Lake Series, and when the hotel decides to exhibit them, the sisters are delighted to become overnight celebrities.
This modern day love triangle is not a typical work of romantic fiction; it is a work of art. As the story unfolds, we enter into a web of intrigue as myriad of emotions reveal themselves, and the characters develop. The setting plays a very important part in this story, and the author has used his writing talents well, describing the enthralling scenery of this beautiful part of the world. With twists and turns, mysterious happenings, and dark secrets, the reader is treated to a wonderful summertime adventure.
In Summary: This riveting, triple love-triangle is a work of truly wonderful literary fiction; the author has infused a delightful blend of excitement, passion, and suspense. I couldn’t put it down.
July 2, 2018
If you seek a light romantic summer read, then this just may be the book for you. Frankly, I found the plot too far fetched to be believable. The pictorial settings were exquisitely described, yet the dialogue was rather stilted. The plot seemed more like a man's fantasy than a romance. There was an excessive number of typos and at times, awkward syntax. As for referring to this story as literary fiction, throwing in a few poems by Emily Dickinson just was not enough for me to call it such. This book could definitely benefit from some tighter editing.
I am grateful to author Yorker Keith and Goodreads First Reads for having provided a free copy of this book. Their generosity, however, did not influence this review - the words of which are mine alone.
I am grateful to author Yorker Keith and Goodreads First Reads for having provided a free copy of this book. Their generosity, however, did not influence this review - the words of which are mine alone.
July 8, 2018
Absolutely enjoyable. Sophie and Kelly have endured so much in life. A twisted affair of love, heartache, joy and bliss. It kept me on the edge of my seat. It started as mellow and relaxed but carried into mystery, love , pain, terror and bliss. This was a new author for me but I will be reading more. Thank you to Yorker Keith for the wonderful work of art.
July 30, 2018
Awakening of the Summer by Yorker Keith is a delightful novel involving two sisters and a man who are all caught up in a twisting, spell-binding triple love-triangle with a mountain resort as a background setting. Read this great book and discover how their vacation ends. I reccommend this book and look forward to reading other books written by Yorker Keith.
May 31, 2018
I found this book enjoyable due to the unique love triangle. The author's writing style made this book easy to follow and to leave and pick up.
June 15, 2018
A romance from beginning to end!!
March 23, 2018
Wow! That was a roller coaster ride! Although I didn’t hate this book, I didn’t love it either. Two sisters, Sophia and Kelly are vacationing to take a break from
their stressful lives and dead end relationships. They end up meeting James, a painter, and both fall In love with him. The storyline was fast-paced and quick to read but it flip flopped so many times that it became unbelievable. The relationships developed unbelievably quick and the relationship between the sister, Sophia and Kelly was a bit twisted.
their stressful lives and dead end relationships. They end up meeting James, a painter, and both fall In love with him. The storyline was fast-paced and quick to read but it flip flopped so many times that it became unbelievable. The relationships developed unbelievably quick and the relationship between the sister, Sophia and Kelly was a bit twisted.
April 1, 2018
DNF This may be a good story for some people but not for me. Unfortunately I had a hard time investing in this book. The plot seemed farfetched and moved way too quickly without building anticipation or character development. The choices made by the characters lacked authenticity so it was a challenge to buy into the plot. I ended up putting it down at about 60% and couldn't pick it up again. Not a winner for me. Thank you to publisher and Netgalley for an advanced copy.
July 10, 2018
I found this novel “Awakening of the Summer” to be refreshingly enjoyable and inspiring. It is not a Romance-genre novel, but a literary novel cleverly crafted by the author.
The novel reminded me of Shakespeare’s green world (e.g., that in “Midsummer Night’s Dream”), where people (a couple of lovers or a group of people) go to a forest, immerse into a mysterious experience, and come out of the forest as better and happier people. In this novel, a summer resort in New Hampshire is the green world. James visits there to spend his vacation. He meets two sisters (Sophie and Kelly) who are also vacationing there. They fall in love while going through emotional struggles. In the end, they come out as better and happier man and women. Yes, this is the green world effect.
The novel also reminded me of ancient Greek pastoral stories, in which a shepherd and a shepherdess sing, dance, and fall in love, surrounded by flowers, grasses, trees, lake, river, and even nymphs. In this novel, of course, there is no shepherd, shepherdess, or sheep. Otherwise, it’s an Arcadian world presented in the contemporary setting. Reading this novel, I felt pure joy.
However, oh, no, this is not a sugary love story. It involves tragedies, pains, emotional scars, sacrifices, and complex human relationships, that make the story more realistic and compelling.
I highly recommend it.
The novel reminded me of Shakespeare’s green world (e.g., that in “Midsummer Night’s Dream”), where people (a couple of lovers or a group of people) go to a forest, immerse into a mysterious experience, and come out of the forest as better and happier people. In this novel, a summer resort in New Hampshire is the green world. James visits there to spend his vacation. He meets two sisters (Sophie and Kelly) who are also vacationing there. They fall in love while going through emotional struggles. In the end, they come out as better and happier man and women. Yes, this is the green world effect.
The novel also reminded me of ancient Greek pastoral stories, in which a shepherd and a shepherdess sing, dance, and fall in love, surrounded by flowers, grasses, trees, lake, river, and even nymphs. In this novel, of course, there is no shepherd, shepherdess, or sheep. Otherwise, it’s an Arcadian world presented in the contemporary setting. Reading this novel, I felt pure joy.
However, oh, no, this is not a sugary love story. It involves tragedies, pains, emotional scars, sacrifices, and complex human relationships, that make the story more realistic and compelling.
I highly recommend it.
June 24, 2018
I received this book through Giveaways. I appreciate the Keith's tenacity in self-publishing his books, but unfortunately, I really struggled to finish this book and actively disliked it. It might be the right book for someone, just not for me.
LIKES
- The author uses descriptive language to paint a picture of the setting. Everything he wrote that was simply describing a locale was quite lovely.
- That's it. :(
DISLIKES
- Everything Keith wrote that had anything remotely to do with the characters was written in stilted, unnatural language. The dialogue was entirely unrealistic.
- The events of the book weren't believable. There's no way two adult women would jump back and forth between "lovers" so quickly, that an amateur artist could receive such high honors, etc.
- The author used the word "nymph" four times by page 14. Pass.
- The women were depicted in an overly-sexualized manner. I understand that this is a romance, but Keith really missed the mark here.
- The story plays into gender stereotypes (I noticed this at several points throughout the book). Again, I get that some people may enjoy this in a romance, but I am not one of them.
- The book contains several editorial and typographical errors (verb tenses, kerning, etc.).
- The story also contains overly simplistic, negative, and stigmatizing descriptions of mental illness. Not really what the world needs right now.
CONCLUSION
I really wasn't a fan, but you could give it a shot if you're looking for a (really difficult-to-believe, over-the-top) story about a love triangle with two sisters.
LIKES
- The author uses descriptive language to paint a picture of the setting. Everything he wrote that was simply describing a locale was quite lovely.
- That's it. :(
DISLIKES
- Everything Keith wrote that had anything remotely to do with the characters was written in stilted, unnatural language. The dialogue was entirely unrealistic.
- The events of the book weren't believable. There's no way two adult women would jump back and forth between "lovers" so quickly, that an amateur artist could receive such high honors, etc.
- The author used the word "nymph" four times by page 14. Pass.
- The women were depicted in an overly-sexualized manner. I understand that this is a romance, but Keith really missed the mark here.
- The story plays into gender stereotypes (I noticed this at several points throughout the book). Again, I get that some people may enjoy this in a romance, but I am not one of them.
- The book contains several editorial and typographical errors (verb tenses, kerning, etc.).
- The story also contains overly simplistic, negative, and stigmatizing descriptions of mental illness. Not really what the world needs right now.
CONCLUSION
I really wasn't a fan, but you could give it a shot if you're looking for a (really difficult-to-believe, over-the-top) story about a love triangle with two sisters.
June 26, 2018
This book was sent to me courtesy of the author for an honest review. This review will be a little hard to write considering the book was free, and I hate to bash on something that was so graciously provided but as I am sure my intro shows, I absolutely did not like the book. I came soooo close to DNF'ing.
Basically, a really rich guy goes to a resort and meets two really rich sisters who have really rich boyfriends and falls in love with both. Both boyfriends and sisters have secrets and they all get involved in a messy love story.
Apart from the fact that there are basically no secondary characters to the story, the main characters themselves are absolutely two-dimensional and unbelievable. I understand that this book is supposed to be a dramatic romance, but the women are very obviously written with a male gaze. I lost track of how many times the main character fantasized about them and called them nymphs. The descriptions were actually one of the worst parts of the story. There is detailed and then there is, "can we get this over with already?". The descriptions of what they wore, what they looked like, and their character were grating and way overused.
The storyline itself was also hard to follow/believe. In a mere three days, the two sisters have already exchanged "I love you" with the protagonist. Also, I don't know in what world such passionate people would have a rational conversation about who should be together because all three are in love. Even taking out the romantic aspects of the story (since I often complain about the speed of romances) the conversations were awkward and unreal, and the other details were not well written. From the police chase to the open house of an amateur artist, I felt like the author had either not researched his work, or simply had thrown common sense to the wind.
This book was supposedly short listed for an award, but in my opinion, it is not even worth reading. The only people I would recommend to read this book would be either a fan of extreme Insta-love romance or someone who lives in fantasy land and isn't put off by misogyny. If that isn't you, stay away from this one.
Basically, a really rich guy goes to a resort and meets two really rich sisters who have really rich boyfriends and falls in love with both. Both boyfriends and sisters have secrets and they all get involved in a messy love story.
Apart from the fact that there are basically no secondary characters to the story, the main characters themselves are absolutely two-dimensional and unbelievable. I understand that this book is supposed to be a dramatic romance, but the women are very obviously written with a male gaze. I lost track of how many times the main character fantasized about them and called them nymphs. The descriptions were actually one of the worst parts of the story. There is detailed and then there is, "can we get this over with already?". The descriptions of what they wore, what they looked like, and their character were grating and way overused.
The storyline itself was also hard to follow/believe. In a mere three days, the two sisters have already exchanged "I love you" with the protagonist. Also, I don't know in what world such passionate people would have a rational conversation about who should be together because all three are in love. Even taking out the romantic aspects of the story (since I often complain about the speed of romances) the conversations were awkward and unreal, and the other details were not well written. From the police chase to the open house of an amateur artist, I felt like the author had either not researched his work, or simply had thrown common sense to the wind.
This book was supposedly short listed for an award, but in my opinion, it is not even worth reading. The only people I would recommend to read this book would be either a fan of extreme Insta-love romance or someone who lives in fantasy land and isn't put off by misogyny. If that isn't you, stay away from this one.
March 28, 2018
It's not you; it's me. This book was billed as Literary Fiction, but frankly it just wasn't literary enough for me to see it as that. It's more a light--sometimes steamy--summer romance that's not entirely believable. James, a bachelor, is on vacation at a lake resort when he meets two beautiful sisters--and of course he's attracted to both of them. Within two weeks he's in love with--and made love with--each of them! Enter their two boyfriends and a dark secret about each girl's past and things get dicey fast. But there weren't many layers to the novel and many cliches about love and adoration...again just not my cup of tea. Clearly the author is talented and has won many awards for his fiction, so just because this one didn't speak to me doesn't mean it won't be a popular romance for a summer read!
Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC!
Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC!
July 2, 2018
Well, this was a tough one, while I received the book for free -which was very nice so I wanted to give it rave reviews- but it was a bit strange to me. The love triangle wasn’t very realistic to me, the women’s feelings not very believable. The descriptions of the characters were detailed along with the landscape, so that was a plus. The storyline had its good points and kept it moving along, but I still couldn’t get passed the unlikely feelings of the women. There were some
exciting action parts that kept ya wondering. Not too bad, but could use some tweaking. I appreciate the chance to read it though, thank you.
exciting action parts that kept ya wondering. Not too bad, but could use some tweaking. I appreciate the chance to read it though, thank you.
March 18, 2018
I received a free ARC of this book for a review. It had a good story. The characters were rather flippy-floppy with their feelings and quick to say I love you, but they were still likeable enough. I will admit I still hate Emily Dickinson poetry, which is often used in the book. Overall, it wasn’t a wasted 3 hours.
March 14, 2018
“Awakening of the Summer” seems to have an interesting storyline, but is somewhat jejune. Takes a while to pick up pace but author employs a vivid use of words. .
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
April 19, 2018
Good book. Interesting reading.
July 30, 2018
New author to me and I am still reading this one but so far it is really good.
March 18, 2020
I really enjoyed reading this story. it is an easy read and ends with a happy ending. Thanks!
December 12, 2018
A light summer read. I found the writing to be rather simplistic but that might just be me. I enjoy stories that have more depth to them. Some twists and turns but love is found in the end.
March 21, 2019
Awakening of the Summer is a romantic literary fiction novel that is an amazing read. Not your normal romance novel, this is a story of a twisted, yet romantic love triangle. I really didn’t enjoy it and that made me sad because I was really looking forward to reading this. This book was billed as Literary Fiction, but I don’t think it really fits that bill
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews