Summer Lightning

by Roberta Silman

In this sweeping, multi-generational novel Roberta Silman explores the meaning of Alexander Herzen’s Art, and the summer lightning of individual these are the only real goods we have. After a casual encounter at Lindbergh’s flight from Roosevelt Field in 1927, Belle and Isaac find each other again, and thus begins the story of this engaging family as it tries to try to find its place in tumultuous mid-Twentieth century America. Set in Europe, then Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Long Island, as well as England and the Berkshires, Summer Lightning is as intricate as a Beethoven Sonata. Although the bonds between parents and children and siblings are strong, there is also a yearning for something more. So, we watch Belle and Isaac and their daughters, Sophy and Vivie, veer into unexpected paths as they negotiate the perils of the Depression, the Second World War, McCarthyism, and the burgeoning fight for Civil Rights. Living “against the grain” these vivid characters take risks as they strengthen their ties to the turmoil in Europe, to the quirky Manhattan art scene of Larry Rivers and Frank O’Hara and their “gang,” and to the Black community. As their story unfolds, they experience profound happiness and are also tested in ways they could never have imagined. Their triumphs are a testament to the resilience of the human spirit; what makes them so memorable and compelling is that they never forget who they are and where they came from. As one reader described An old-fashioned novel whose characters readers will remember long after the last chapter. Readers don't lack for stories of chaos and calamity, so the current, much abraded world needs this type of tale more than ever. Praise for Summer “The pivotal events of history shape us in ways we never imagined. Nowhere is this better demonstrated than in Summer Lightning, a story of a family. The characters are so well drawn they come alive on the page and grab you, refusing to let go. I found this wonderful book hard to put down.” ―IRA BERKOWITZ, SHAMUS AWARD WINNING AUTHOR OF THE JACKSON STEEG MYSTERY SERIES “This heartfelt novel tells the story of a Jewish family carried on the tides of twentieth century history, from the fraught prewar years to the captivating New York art scene of the ’50s and ’60s. Like Doctorow’s Ragtime, the historical sweep of Summer Lightning is dazzling and immersive.” --AMY GOTTLIEB, AUTHOR OF THE BEAUTIFUL POSSIBLE
Read less

340 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 23, 2022

Reviews

[Heidi Slowinski · Rating 5 out of 5]

Roberta Silman’s latest novel Summer Lightning is historical fiction at it’s finest. A meet-cute between two young people at an air field, in 1927, begins a story about the immigrant experience in the United States.

Belle and Isaac face many challenges, both interpersonal and socioeconomic, as they begin a new life, in a new country while fighting to maintain ties to their homeland and the family members left behind. As their story unfolds, painted by the external challenges of the Great Depression, the Second World War, and eventually, the Civil Rights Movement, Silman engages the reader with classic, vivid language. I was engrossed from beginning to end. Silman’s writing grabs the reader from the first and doesn’t let go. I finished reading, wanting more of these characters, in the best possible way.

I’d like to thank Meryl Zegarek Public Relations for a free advanced copy of the book in exchange for my honest review.

[Matt · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fine family chronicle through the 20th Century, from the Lindbergh flight to 50's bohemia to the present day. History's ironies are strange, aren't they? What we took for granted yesterday is insane today and what's off the way yesterday becomes commonplace today.

I'm not sure that history is a cycle, necessarily, but I definitely think it's humans returning to their familiar places. It's like in psychology how we have a tendency to return to emotional states that are familiar even if they aren't good for us.

So, is that our character, on an individual level? And if that is what people tend to do historically, on a macro scale, is that human nature?