Firefly Summer
By
Blurb
A little light can guide you home…
New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Nan Rossiter’s touching new novel reunites four sisters at their childhood vacation spot on Cape Cod—where they uncover the truth about a past tragedy to find their future as a family…
The close-knit Quinn siblings enjoyed the kind of idyllic childhood that seems made for greeting cards, spending each summer at Whit’s End, the family’s home on Cape Cod. Then comes the summer of 1964, warm and lush after a rainy spring—perfect firefly weather. Sisters Birdie, Remy, Sailor, Piper, and their brother, Easton, delight in catching the insects in mason jars to make blinking lanterns. Until, one terrible night, tragedy strikes.
Decades later, the sisters have carved out separate lives on the Cape. Through love and heartbreak, health issues, raising children, and caring for their aging parents, they have supported each other, rarely mentioning their deep childhood loss. But one evening, as they sit together at Whit’s End to watch the sun set, the gathering fireflies elicit memories of that long-ago night, and a tumult of regrets, guilt, and secrets tumble out.
Poignant yet hopeful, Firefly Summer is an uplifting story of the resilience of sisterhood and the bright glimpses of joy and solace that, like fireflies after rain, can follow even the deepest heartaches.
Our Review
This is a heart-warming tale of four sisters dealing with their grief following the loss of their brother Easton decades earlier. In the years following Easton’s death their parents encouraged the sisters not to talk about him or what happened that night and as a result each sister has dealt with the death in very different ways.
The authors writing style is reminiscent of Freya North’s in terms of the excellent character development. Each of the sisters is dealing with their own problems alongside the continued grief from their brother’s death.
Firefly Summer accurately portrays how grief and the emotions surrounding that can profoundly affect the outcome of someone’s life. I think in particular this is true of the eldest sister Birdie who feels a profound guilt after her brother’s death and turns to alcohol to cope. Birdie is not a likeable character as she tends to blame other people for the misfortunes in her life.
For me Birdie’s sister Sailor was a bit of a nothing character taken on her own but within the context of her family her character works. Sailor moves closer to her sisters after separating from her husband and father of her children. Her chapters deal mainly with the difficulties associated with this situation.
I found Remy’s story intriguing because it dealt with her concerns over her recent memory problems in light of her mother having Alzheimer’s, her continued grief over her husband’s sudden death when her children were young and feelings over a potential romantic interest.
Piper was my favourite character in the book. She came across as practical and positive in nature. Her story focused on her relationship with her partner and father of her son, her worries as a mother and her concerns over getting older.
All in all this was a thoroughly enjoyable book and one I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend.
Our Final Rating...
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