Wednesday, February 24, 2016

The Last Summer at Chelsea Beach


Adelia Monteforte is a young teenager when her mother
unexpectedly puts her on a ship to America. Alone and scared with only a small satchel, Addie leaves everything she knows and loves behind as WWII closes in on her beloved Italy. She is met at the ship by an aunt and uncle that she has never met. They understand the danger she has faced in Europe and do the best they can to make her feel safe even though she is alone and desperately misses her parents. They rent a house for the summer at the Jersey Shore and to Addie’s surprise a carload of the fun loving Connally family pulls up next door. Addie is instantly enthralled and welcomed as part of the gang for the rest of the summer. A quiet romance begins with Charlie, the eldest, and that alone changes the path of their lives forever. Fall brings them back to Philadelphia, the Connally’s to their Irish neighborhood and Addie to her Jewish one. But that does not deter this budding romance and deep connection Addie feels towards this family. When tragedy strikes it tears them apart. The Connally’s disappears and a distraught Addie is abandoned yet again. She makes her way to London to help with the war effort. Addie is a spunky, driven young lady assisting at the newspaper when Charlie shows up and her world is once again turned upside down. This easy to read story is quite enjoyable until about three quarters through when it becomes way too predictable and the timing seems thrown off, it is quickly a rush to the finish, which I guess was a good thing.

No comments:

Post a Comment