I love books by Anne Rivers Siddons. I've read every book
she's ever written, so when an opportunity to read her latest novel, The Girls of August, came up, I grabbed
it. I was not disappointed. Unfortunately, many readers have left negative
reviews about this novel. Maybe it's because they are no longer accustomed to
the style of writing that Ms. Siddons uses. Maybe they need every detail
spelled out for them. I don't know. For me, Ms. Siddons creates stories and
characters that draw you in and keep you reading. You learn about the
characters as you go, instead of having it all told to you at the very start. I
enjoy that style of writing, and I enjoyed this latest novel by her immensely.
Here is more about the novel and my review.
The Girls of August
Anne Rivers Siddons
Every August, four women would gather together to spend a
week at the beach, renting a new house each year. The ritual began when they
were in their twenties and their husbands were in medical school, and became a
mainstay of every summer thereafter. Their only criteria was oceanfront and
isolation, their only desire to strengthen their far-flung friendships. They
called themselves the Girls of August. But when one of the Girls dies
tragically, the group slowly drifts apart and their vacations together are brought
to a halt. Years later, a new marriage reunites them and they decide to come
together once again on a remote barrier island off the South Carolina coast.
There, far from civilization, the women make startling discoveries that will
change them in ways they never expected.
My Five Star Review:
Anne Rivers Siddons is one of my favorite authors. She
writes stories that dig deeply into the emotions of the characters and touch on
topics that women can relate to. I love her subtle way of describing characters
by interlacing it throughout conversations and in her prose. She doesn't tell
you the story, she shows it, like a talented author should, and you are
immersed in the story immediately. I found all this to be true with her latest
novel, The Girls of Summer.
Four women have spent one week in August each year together since
their twenties in beach houses at different locations. They were drawn together
years ago through their husbands who are all in the medical field. But after
one of the women dies, the other three drift apart and the summer vacations are
abandoned. Years later, a new wife is brought into the midst and the four women
go on their beach vacation once more, even though they are wary of the newest
member who is young and seems to them, silly. As the group spends time
together, they reminisce, they tend to gang up on the youngest member, and they
soon find out the secrets each one is keeping.
The Girls of August
is a bittersweet, yet heartwarming story of four women who are trying to
connect despite their differences. Even though three of them have known each
other for years, they seem to hold back while they each determine just how much
they can share with each other. The writing is fluid and lovely. You don't read
an Anne Rivers Siddons novel, you experience it. I would recommend this novel
to anyone who enjoys a well-written story with heart and soul.
(I received a copy of this novel from the publisher through NetGalley in
return for my honest review.)
About the Author:
Born Sybil Anne Rivers in Atlanta, Georgia, she was raised
in Fairburn, Georgia, and attended Auburn University, where she was a member of
the Delta Delta Delta Sorority. While at Auburn she wrote a column for the
student newspaper, The Auburn Plainsman, that favored integration. The
university administration attempted to suppress the column, and ultimately
fired her, and the column garnered national attention. She later became a
senior editor for Atlanta magazine. At the age of thirty she married Heyward
Siddons, and she and her husband now live in Charleston, South Carolina, and
spend summers in Maine.
My all-time favorite novel by Anne Rivers Siddons is Downtown.
If you've never read a novel by this lovely lady, I'd suggest trying Downtown first to get the true flavor of
her writing. It's amazing!
Deanna
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