Book giveaway: The Forgotten Summer by Carol Drinkwater

I found this book very hard to get into. It was quite slow going at the beginning. I did however warm to the characters and found myself wanting to read on. The descriptions are believable and you find yourself imaging the scenery. It became a very enjoyable book as the plot unfolds. I would recommend this book but not as an easy quick read.

Hi I'm very disappointed I never received the book & one for my mum who I told won one ! I emailed Sorcha to let her know & never received a response.

Very disappointed overall to be honest !

Snowie2

It was a bit of a slow starter for me and I found it hard at first to warm to Jane but it definitely picked up and was worth persevering with. The location descriptions were excellent. I was a little confused with the Algerian section (still not 100% sure the reasons why Luc's father met his end).

DM is still ploughing through her copy. She's finding it a bit slow-going (but is more of a thriller/detective novel fan).

Thank you for the books!

I enjoyed this book - it was well written. Carol's descriptive writing is excellent and I could really imagine myself in the various places - the vineyard, Paris, London.

I thought Clarisse was an amazing character and I enjoyed seeing the way in which Jane changed.

I loved this book being French Algerian it made me giggle when I first found out. I have spent many summers in France but am also stuck to the UK so related a lot. I think it really kept me wondering, there were a lot of unexpected twists which is what I loved about it, it wasn't an obvious book. I think it's well written and delves into a lot of issues that people may have.

What can I say? Firstly, thanks for the 2 free copies. Forgotten summer is not the usual kind of book I go for, but it has me gripped. The descriptions of France make me believe I am there and the characters are genuine and believable. So many twists that I did not see coming. Looking forward to finishing this book. Would highly recommend.

This is an enjoyable read that really makes me feel like I was in Provence and although it is not the style of writing I would normally choose I will stick with it.

Finished this last night. After a slow start, I got into it. Enjoyed the drama and the twists. The descriptions of the region were lovely. The characters were believable. A good read, not chick-lit. 7/10.

I hadn't read anything by Carol Drinkwater before so was pleased to receive two free copies of this book. I knew that she lives in the South of France and that she has written a series of novels set there. My only slight concern on receiving the book was that it might be too "fluffy" and romantic as the cover seemed to suggest that.

I'm glad to say that my fears were unfounded and that I found the book gripping and not at all "fluffy". The plot (of which I won't reveal much of here for fear of spoiling someone else's enjoyment of the book) deals with family tragedies, secrets and coming to terms with the past. There are twists and turns which don't always go the way you would expect, and though sometimes I felt I was a step ahead of Jane (the protagonist) at other times I was discovering things at the same time as she was. She is a sympathetic character who is at times puzzling, but as we discover more about her past life we are able to fill in the blanks and find out why she is as she is.

The same can be said of her mother-in-law Clarisse who could easily be interpreted as a stereotypical wicked character, but again as the reader learns more about her we begin to see how she has been shaped by her past and how, in turn, she has shaped those in the generations which follow her.

The South of France setting is beautiful and the author gives us all the sights, sounds and scents of the countryside, as well as the daily routine of cultivating vines and living off the land. This landscape is contrasted with London and Paris, which each have their charms, but pale beside the vineyards and olive groves of southern France. Fittingly for a book dealing with history, the story is told over several time periods, one of which concentrates on the flight of French nationals from Algeria in the 1960s following the war of independence. This isn't something I've seen dealt with in novels in English so it was definitely interesting.

I did feel, however, that one element of the book wasn't as successful as the rest - Jane's husband Luc's work to make a documentary about France's part in the Algerian War and his working partnership with cameraman Dan. This material didn't seem as fleshed out as the rest of the book, and gave the impression of trying to be a spy or conspiracy type plot which ultimately didn't succeed.

Having said that, I enjoyed the vast majority of the book and am glad that I read it. Would recommend to anyone who enjoys something with a bit more depth than the average "women's fiction" novel.

Now received a copy through a kind mumsnet reviewer. It was a light summer read as it's title hinted. And I did think the story was stretched in places and it could have been a shorter book. However I did enjoy the ride and an ideal book for a summer holiday.

I couldn't sleep last night so read on and now at chapter 12 and hooked! I love the style of past and present to unfold the story! Just a little sad about Walnut 🐾

Started and so far I'm enjoying the scene and character setting. The author has a very descriptive writing style which I like. I would agree with some previous posts it's a little slow to get started but I am sticking with it when normally I probably wouldn't.

I'm now on chapter 6 and the past few chapters have been quite dramatic. I'm looking forward to finding out what happened when Jane was 14.

Got to chapter 3, it's not grabbing me yet.

Many thanks to MNHQ. I gave the other copy to my MIL as my DM is not a reader. I didn't really warm to the book. I found a lot of the storyline quite contrived and unconvincing. I also struggled to get back into the story the next time I picked up the book. I did enjoy some of it, but not enough to try another one.

I enjoyed this book. The writing was a bit flowery at first and I worked out the twist early on but overall it was enjoyable and is ideal for some light summer holiday reading. It's not going to change the world or your life but there are worse ways to spend a couple of hours.

Loved it. This has been my best read of 2016. My thoughts are on my blog here blogmumjd.wordpress.com/2016/03/16/mumsnet-book-club-review-the-forgotten-summer-by-carol-drinkwater/

Mmmm, sorry but I did not enjoy this at all. The writing style really was atrocious: I was reminded of Miss Babs in Victoria Wood's Acorn Antiques and, once I got this character in my head, I heard her voice constantly in the narrative. I am quite surprised this novel was published by a reputable company because I found it pure 'Mills and Boon'. Hate being negative about a 'gift' but no point in pretending to find anything positive to say!

I have certainly enjoyed this book and found the descriptive style most evocative. The plot was interesting and at times the book felt like a "thriller", but once I found out what happened the summer Jane was 14, I worked out for myself where it was all leading.

I would certainly recommend this novel to anyone, especially those who hanker for the south or France and the wine/olive growing regions.

My only minor criticism is that the Epilogue, (at the end,) was surely the Prologue and perhaps should have been at the front, or woven into the telling of the tale..... but then I have never written a book and there may be a very good reason why it was done that way.

Easy read book - great pace and very easy to immerse yourself into
The story covered a wide aspect of areas - health, lies, lifestyle, new beginnings.......
The twist was well delivered and kept you guessing for some time
I'd recommend this as a great summer read - in the garden, on the balcony, on the beach, you'll soon be transported

I finished this book last night and I liked the ending.
The descriptive text was amazing and the book was well written. I just thought that the plot could have moved along more quickly if certain 'facts' had come out earlier instead of being hinted at, then coming out, then the truth.
There were also a couple of points that seemed as though they were endings for the book but it then continued.
Overall it was a good read and the author's descriptions were very powerful - it really felt as though you could see and smell the scene.

A lovely book packed with the sunshine and flavours of the south of France. Plenty of page-turning drama with excellent descriptions of Paris and Provence, enough to make you want to book a trip.

Just to confirm I have received this but have not got round to reading it yet as I am presently halfway through another novel. Not sure it is going to be my sort of thing but prepared to keep an open mind and give it a go, especially as my DD's partner is from Provence!

Just started the book and have found it difficult to get into at the minute. I'll keep going with it though and will update when I'm further in