The Summer Guest

I loved this book. The character developments and complexity of them was wonderful. I also love that it took place in Maine, which is a wonderful state.

This was a book I was wanting to read. It was advertised as very good condition and it was that.

I absolutely loved this book. Every single character read true. There was not a wrong note. I didn't want it to end

I loved The Passage and I loved The Summer Guest. Justin Cronin wrote both. But....I cannot think of two more different books. The only similarity I can think of is Crohn's real talent in describing and creating young girls.As contrasted to a great horror pageturner with a virus whose infection transforms the infected into an incredibly powerful vampire like creature, .The Summer Guest is a lovely ode to a swath of Midwest Maine woods around a lake that entranced a badly facially scarred man returning from the brutality of WWII and a slowly emerging circle of folks affected by the fishing camp he and his wife and infant son ran in that setting. It is the story of the place and those who were most at ho me there. The family who ran the camp, A man who chose to join them and work there and their most consistent summer guest. The place and the people are impossible to separate and the draw of the life there brings th we m together even in death. It is an old-fashioned story in some ways -- and as timeless in its appeal in all ways. Went back and forth between 4 and 5 stars. Made me wish that i, like Elizabeth George, had stopped using the artificial rigidity of the star system. But no matter how many stars one gives it, the story is warm and human and well worth reading and recommending to others.

This is a captivating book about the frailty and resilience of the human spirit. And what I mean by "captivating" is that it will grab you in the first few pages and not let go.Written by Justin Cronin, this is the story of the Crosby family, who own and operate a lakeside lodge and fishing camp in the wild, untamed woods of the most northern part of Maine. Joe Sr. started it all soon after World War II, and it soon became an idyllic summer respite for busy professionals living and working in the city. Joe's son, also named Joe, grows up on the property, but when it comes time for him to report to duty after being drafted to go to Vietnam, his war hero dad has other ideas. Joe's girlfriend (and later his wife), Lucy, works at the lodge and is the glue that holds everything together, along with their daughter, Kate, and the summer hired hand, Jordan. Rounding out this cast of characters is the fabulously wealthy and important Harry Wainwright, a summer guest who returns every year. At the heart of the novel is Harry's dying wish to return to the camp for one last fishing adventure on the lake.The brilliance of this multilayered story is that it is all character driven. Each chapter is told from the point of view of different characters, which serves to move the plot back and forth in time over three generations. Events that happened to one character are perceived in different ways by others. Long-kept secrets are revealed, and passions are kindled. There is life. There is death. There is a terrifying brush with death. It is the story of the human condition.While this is an ideal book to read in the summer, don't be fooled by the title. It's not a lighthearted beach romance. This is a serious book with a serious message that is both profound and moving.

Nice and easy read. Kept my interest.

THE SUMMER GUEST by Justin CroninI?m going to preface this by saying this was one of my favorite books this year so far. THE SUMMER GUEST by Justin Cronin is the story of three people ? Joe and Lucy Crosby, and a multi-millionaire Harry Wainwright, whose lives are tied together through circumstances involving a fishing camp. The story itself is more emotionally driven than action-driven, and with the beautiful writing skills that Cronin uses, I found this book refreshing and very enjoyable.THE SUMMER GUEST is in part a love triangle. Joe and Lucy meet as teenagers at the fishing camp that Joe?s father runs. At the same time, Harry has become a regular customer, but he is already married. Unbeknownst to Lucy, Harry?s wife is terminally ill. In the meantime, there is a chemistry between Lucy and Harry that is hard to deny, but her heart belongs to Joe, even when he evades the Vietnam draft and escapes to Canada, leaving her behind in Maine.The story?s present day is 1994, and Harry has returned to the camp one last time. He is terminally ill with cancer, and knows this will be his last visit. Joe and Lucy are now married, and they run the camp. They have hired a young man named Jordan to help run it with them, and it is to Jordan that Harry leaves the camp, after buying it from Joe and Lucy, who have decided it is time to let it go. They now have a daughter, Kate, that rounds out the cast of characters, and it is through Kate that the story ends with a final ?bang?, as a secret is revealed to the reader that ties all of them together.This may not be everyone?s cup of tea, but I enjoyed the characters that Cronin created in THE SUMMER GUEST. The book spanned several generations and two wars, and the author was able to tie everything together, making the characters to be believable and real. His descriptions of the natural landscape of Maine helped create an atmosphere of idyllic summers and of an age long gone. I would certainly read more of Justin Cronin. Highly recommended.

Great story with characters I really cared about. I enjoyed the descriptions of the setting, too. Only gave it four stars because it dragged a bit in places. The transitions between characters and back and forth in time were sometimes a bit blurry. Overall a good read.

The Summer Guest is not a book I would normally read but I wanted to get a feel for Justin Cronin's writing before I tackle The Passage. I also found the synopsis on the back cover interesting.*No Spoilers*The story focuses on a group of people who have a strong attachment to a summer retreat. Joe and Lucy are married, Kate is their daughter, Jordan is the help who is also in love with Kate and then you have Harry. The story is quite pedestrian in the respect it is told with a great deal of precision but never getting out of first gear. It is told from the present day to flashbacks of when all the characters were younger.It is essentially a love story spread across about three decades (although the story stretches much further) from Joe's birth to the birth of Kate's daughter. It is very much a story of compassion, warmth, loyalty and a special bond between father and daughter.The dialogue between characters is excellent.There is a twist but if you follow the story close it becomes apparent halfway through. I don't remember a sentence of bad feeling through the story.I would have given five stars but for the pace of the storytelling. It is a book that needs perseverance but it is well worth it in the end, that is from a father's point of view.

Attracted to this because it was written by the author of The Passage. The book couldn't have been any different but The Summer Guest is a moving and wonderful story.

Enjoyable read

Bought whilst awaiting publication of follow up in Cronin's trilogy, different but enjoyable read.

Excellent book - hard to get his books in UK bookshops. Cheers Amazon