On a Summer Tide by Suzanne Woods Fisher

 

On a Summer Tide was the August pick for the Page-turners Book Club at the Kewaunee Public Library.  We had a nice lunch time meeting last week to discuss this book.

On the Summer Tide is the story of the Grayson family.  Father Paul Grayson has recently lost his voice and career as a sports broadcaster.  He also lost his wife, Corinna, years before.  He decides to buy an island that is the location of the summer camp where he and his beloved wife met.  He hopes that putting the camp together will bring his three daughters back together. The oldest Camden is focused on her career, but her son Cooper is dealing with a lot of issues.  Middle child Maddie is almost finished with her degree and is engaged, but not thrilled about it.  Youngest Blaine strives to be taken seriously as she can’t seem to settle down on a career or pathway.  What happened to Corinna that set them all down this path?  Will they be able to get the camp ready to be opened for the season?

I enjoyed this novel.  It was a nice mellow novel that is perfect for the summer.  I thought the story was engaging.  I also liked that it was about all three sisters and their father.  The book club did discuss that switching to different viewpoints within the chapter was confusing at first until you got used to it. Our favorite character was Peg, the owner of a combined hardware story/eatery in town that gives out indispensable advise.  This novel is the first in a trilogy.  I only read this first novel, but other ladies in my book club read on and loved the future books as well.  This was a nice clean read and had a nice discussion of faith. There was a major plot point that seemed too convenient to me, but it did go along with the overall arc of the story.  I loved the family drama, the Maine island setting, and the fixing up of the old camp.

Favorite Quotes:

“Even as a girl, Cam had a hard time just being a part of something without finding a way to improve it.”  - I can relate to this.

“So many times, he had chosen work over family, always assuming there’d be plenty of time to catch up.  Boy, was that a dumb idea.  Time had no mercy.”

“You can’t live other people’s lives for them, even if you love them.  Sometimes love means trusting people to make their own decisions.”

“Planning doesn’t make the wedding.  And the wedding doesn’t make the marriage.  The marriage is what we live with, day in and day out.”

“How’d you like to be defined by your nineteen-year-old self for the rest of your life.” – This was our book club’s favorite quote.

Overall, On a Summer Tide was a nice summer read on families, love, and forgiveness.

Book Source:  Kewaunee Public Library