Corvette Summer: A fiberglass romance

by Wayland Drew

Book by Drew, Wayland

Genres: Fiction

Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1978

About the author

Wayland Drew (1932-1998) was a writer born in Oshawa, Ontario. He attended Victoria College at the University of Toronto, where he earned a BA in English Language and Literature (1957). Shortly after graduation he married Gwendolyn Parrott and together they raised four children. From 1961-1994 he was a high school teacher in Port Perry, Bracebridge, and Muskoka Lakes. He also worked for the Ontario Ministry of Education.

Drew began to write seriously in high school and published a number of short stories (to magazines such as The Tamarack Review) and non-fiction pieces throughout his career, while also selling radio and film scripts. His first novel (and sometimes stated to be his best) was The Wabeno Feast (1973). While rooted in Northern Ontario, the story indicted modern industrial civilization as an extension of the European colonization of Canada by depicting an entire society's fall into ruin. In her essay on "Canadian Monsters: Some Aspects of the Supernatural in Canadian Fiction ", Margaret Atwood noted that Drew's use of the aboriginal wabeno revealed a concern "with man's relationship to his society and to himself, as opposed to his relationship with the natural environment" and she concluded that Drew's novel combined "both concerns in a rather allegorical and very contemporary fashion".

Many readers, though, surely know him better as the author of an ecological science fiction trilogy, the Erthring Cycle (1984-1986), and of several movie novelizations (Corvette Summer, Dragonslayer, Batteries Not Included, and Willow, the last three of which were translated into French and the second in German). His non-fiction also reflected his concern for the environment and interest for Canadian landscapes, as seen in books such as Superior: The Haunted Shore and A Sea Within: the Gulf of St. Lawrence. His final novel, Halfway Man (1989), echoed themes from his first, The Wabeno Feast.

Reviews

[Erik Kalm · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ok. Ok. This is probably note as good a book as any of the other 4 star books that I have listed. However, this is a guilty pleasure for me that I have had since 1978. Loved the movie and loved the book.

[Jaime · Rating 4 out of 5]

This novelization of Corvette Summer was written by Wayland Drew. The author captures the summer of maturity, love, and adventure of a high school senior, Kenny Duntley. While this begins as a tale of a teen ager who (with his friend) rebuilds a custom Stingray sportscar only to have it stolen. Like a young knight of Old, Kenny begins a cross-country quest ot reclaim his stolen 'steed' (the Stingray) with the help of a stranger, Vanessa, a free-spirited young woman who teaches him about life and love. Along the way, the two fall in love and learn about maturity and life choices. Kenny ;earns a bitter lesson about idolizing people when his mentor betrays him. Overall, this is a wonderful and enchanting quest of love and attachment. I thoroughly enjoyed this book that took me back to my youth.

[Chad Malone · Rating 5 out of 5]

The story about a young teen Kenny Dantley a high school senior who is enthralled with anything to do with cars helps and mostly builds a 73 corvette stingray in the school auto shop. Soon after being completed and a few test drives the car is stolen. Most have given up on finding the car even the police but Kenny refuses to give up and heads out on a quest to find "his" stolen car. Along the way he ;earns the car is in Vegas and he meets up with Vanessa a strong independent woman who is looking to carve her way in the lifestyle that is Las Vegas. Truly worth reading a very enjoyable book. I've not seen it but if the movie is as good as the book go watch it!

[Greg · Rating 5 out of 5]

This movie was a big part of my childhood. I didn’t know there was a book to go with it. I don’t know if the book was written before or after the movie. That being said they are both identical. There is nothing in the book that isn’t in the movie and vice versa. So why 5 stars? Well I loved the movie so much as a kid I had to love the book as well. Let’s be real though looking at this from an adult perspective. Neither the book nor the movie are really worthy of 5 stars but nostalgia is a funny thing. I’ve seen the real car from the movie in person and it’s one of those memories that just makes me happy. So there you go.