Ponder: Summer on the Island

Brenda Novak is a prolific New York Times best selling author who writes in four genres : contemporary romance, romantic suspense, historical romance, and non-fiction. I have read all books in her Whiskey Creek series (5/5/18 post),  Fairham Island Series, Silver Springs series, Last Stand Series, and her Evelyn Talbot Chronicles so I am familiar with her work and find it enjoyable although maybe not highly intellectual. Hmmm... maybe that is why it so casually enjoyable; I can just relax with it. Her most recent book Summer on the Island ©2022 by Brenda Novak is a moderately amusing romance novel but I did not find it one of her more engaging works. 

Summer on the Island was somewhat disappointing and slow moving. It focuses on three women, whose relationship to each other is not strongly believable; they plan to spend a summer together at the beach to refresh and recharge from previous life setbacks. A beach setting is almost always enjoyable, but I could not relate to the home of a wealthy senator on an exclusive Florida island with a private beach and a large multi-decked house with an over-the-garage apartment and a multiple bedroom guest house. No. Not relatable at all. The girl and guy in the primary romance were never in sync with each other and they waffled back and forth so many times in their feelings that it became laughable rather than engaging. The "secret" the book kept hinting at, took so long to reveal that I guessed it way ahead of time and then did not really care. The time span of the book was two to three weeks not a whole summer. This is definitely not the best work of Brenda Novak. I give it two stars.

★★☆☆☆ Ok, not great; some redeeming features; I finished it

Ponder: Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo ©2017 by Taylor Jenkins Reid is perhaps the most depraved book I have read. Several reviews and ads present it as being saturated with the glitz and glamour of old Hollywood. That glitz and glamour to me was overshadowed by the deceit and manipulation Evelyn Hugo practiced in her interactions with her acting world peers as well as the deceit and manipulation she deployed on her fan base via careful orchestrated publicity articles.

There is a heavy sexual tone throughout the book. That is the reputation one would expect from the cliché Hollywood land of wealth and promiscuity. But this novel took a different bent. The story takes place in the 1950s through 1990s when homosexuality was frowned upon and being a lesbian, or worse yet bisexual, was to be hidden at all costs. The vehicle for telling the story is Evelyn Hugo, in her late years, telling the story of her life to Monique, a young biracial entry-level writer for a magazine. There is indeed a twist near the end of the book but so near the end I almost gave up waiting for it. Then it was kind of lame and contrived. 

So why did I keep reading? The wait list for this book at my library was very long. It was apparently very popular. My curiosity was aroused. Amazon gave it a high rating 4.6 out of 5. Not surprisingly, upon completion, I agreed most with the reasoning of the one-star ratings.

Well, my curiosity is now satisfied and I learned a new vocabulary word – sapphic – so those are some positives, I guess. (I learned sapphic from some reviews, not from the book.) I am also pleased to see that the gay movement of present day has made some progress in acceptance, at least in the media world – Rachel Maddow and Anderson Cooper as examples. Still I rate this book only one star.

★☆☆☆☆ Awful but I read most or maybe even all of it