My Vintage Summer

by Jane Elmor

"For us it all began in the summer of '76, the year the sun scorched the grass the colour of sand and no-one could sprinkle their lawns or take a bath, and the year I could no longer run around without my top on."

Meet Lizzie and Kim as they grow from small-town adolescents to women on the hedonistic stage of London in the early eighties. There they join Kim's older sister, Vonnie, an untameable force of nature who is everything they'd like to be. Or is she?

Told with an infectious energy, "My Vintage Summer" is for those who remember dressing up for their first night out, the first song they danced to with their best friend, their first love - and their first life-altering mistake.

It's a story of what happens when life doesn't turn out as you had expected.

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary

434 pages, Paperback

First published June 6, 2008

Reviews

[Gina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Probably one of the best books I've read in a long time! I picked it up at a used book shop in Crow's Nest. It was AU$5 - so what a steal, considering the conversion rate. Loved it! Great summer read...

[Mew · Rating 3 out of 5]

sad and unpredictable... a true page turner

[Andrea Baird · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this book. Loved the coming of age story of a couple of girls growing up
in the 70’s and 80’s in London in the music scene. Loved the female buddy story and the characters evolving from their very different families to young women putting a band together. A nostalgic immersion in a particular time and place.

[Sal Noel · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book reads very true. I was in London,in a band around the same time and I recognised a fair bit of - situations, people, attitude, lifestyle. Reading it was slightly like revisiting that time.

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a well written rollercoaster of emotions and quite the twist. I wanted to cry for these girls in their youth, but cheered on their band. Relatable but I also wanted to shake the main character several times. Definitely worth the read.

[Evelyn Fritchley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Page turner!

[Ellen Cole · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favourite books. Chapters go back and forth from the main characters teen years and later years following her and her best friend journey into adulthood.

[Lesley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this with one or two slight reservations. I loved all the clothes stuff but was less engaged with the music. My 'vintage' decade was the sixties. In the '70s I was a young mum so the punk stuff sort of passed me by. I remember vaguely thinking that it was tuneless and aggressive and that feeling certainly comes across in this book. It had a terrific sense of time and place which I enjoyed. As for the main character well...I liked Lizie/Liza more than I liked Beth. To be honest I couldn't understand how Lizzie ever turned into Beth. That for me was the one weakness. They were like two different characters. Even so it moved at a cracking pace and kept me turning the pages. A good read.

[Char · Rating 4 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this book I think Jane Elmor captured the mind of the youth very well and the character development from Lizzie to Liza doo to Beth was spectacular. If you never read the book and read 1 chapter each of Elizabeth being Lizzie,Liza and Beth you would probably think they were different people but Elmor did such a great job building this character that it simply makes sense in the book. My only problem is I couldn't really relate to Beth and overall I didn't really like Elizabeth as a character but in the end she does admit to being a try hard and copying Vonnie so I guess there's a sense of redemption there

[Emma · Rating 2 out of 5]

While this book was fantastically rich with music, clothes and that retro late 70s punky London atmosphere, it was a lot longer than it needed to be. I felt it dragged on, and I kind of disliked the main character. Her mental breakdown towards the end of the book didn't really fit in, I felt, yet the alternating chapters of her younger self annoyed me also. She was obnoxious and rude and a bit of a try-hard. I dunno I didn't take to it as much as I thought I would, and honestly, I'm kind of glad it's over now because it was so long for what it needed to be.

And I never once liked Vonnie.

[KylieAtkinson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this book. It stayed with me for days after reading it and I found it hard to move onto another book straight away. I loved all the characters with all their faults and ideas. It goes seamlessly from past to present and had an ending I didn't see coming (which I love because I hate guessing the ending before I get there!). I passed this on to a friend who also enjoyed it. (I used this as number 19 on the Goodreads Book Bingo challenge - A book by a female author)

[Kylie · Rating 3 out of 5]

More substantial than most chick-lit books, I became engrossed with both narratives (one in London today, the other in the 1980s London music scene). However I was disappointed by the ending. I still recommend this book as a good light read especially for those who look fondly back on younger years.

[Lyndee · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was equal parts amazing and frustrating! With a major plot twist towards the end this book was enthralling to read! (I sped through it!) I recommend this book to anyone who understands what it is like to be a teenager and those who continue to be unsure about who they really are. An amazing story well worth your time. A truly life changing book.

[Lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

it dragged on a bit and i got confused at parts but it had a gud story line and i enjoyed the ending.

[Francisca · Rating 5 out of 5]

took me back!

[Natalie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Perfect for anyone who has ever dreamed of joining the punks on Camden Bridge.

[Sobeya Khanzada · Rating 5 out of 5]

in start i thought it a clumsy collection bt d more i read d more my interst gained.. an outstanding hit.. an amzing msg for d youth!!

[Maitreyi · Rating 2 out of 5]

It's a 2.5. It shines in some places although most of the book, I had to push myself to finish it.

[Kelda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Left me in tears at the end!