Introduction

When a DNA test reveals long-buried secrets, three generations of women reunite on Cape Cod for the homecoming of a lifetime.

Marin Bishop has always played by the rules, and it's paid off: at twenty-eight she has a handsome fiancé, a prestigious Manhattan legal career, and the hard-won admiration of her father. But one moment of weakness leaves Marin unemployed and alone, all in a single day. Then a woman claiming to be Marin's half-sister shows up, and it's all Marin can do not to break down completely. Seeking escape, Marin agrees to a road trip to meet the grandmother she never knew she had. As the summer unfolds at her grandmother's quaint beachside B&B, it becomes clear that the truth of her half-sister is just the beginning of revelations that will change Marin's life forever. THE FOREVER SUMMER is a delicious page-turner and a provocative exploration of what happens when our notions of love, truth, and family are put to the ultimate test.

Full of delicious descriptions of coastal New England and richly imagined characters, THE FOREVER SUMMER is an emotional, hot-topic page-turner and a summer must-read

Editorial Review

No editorial review at this time.

Excerpt

Provincetown, Massachusetts
Spring

The annual opening of the Beach Rose Inn marked the unofficial start of summer. It was part of the rhythm of life in Provincetown, like the ferry service from Boston, the whale watching tour schedule, and the route of the Fourth of July parade. Amelia understood this, and it was something she had weighed carefully in making her decision to close it. ... view entire excerpt...

Discussion Questions

1. In the beginning of The Forever Summer, Marin feels her life is falling apart and looks for escape in a spontaneous road trip with her mother and half-sister. Is it sometimes okay to escape your problems? How did Marin’s decision to run away shape her family by the end of the summer?

2. What role does truth versus secrets play in this story? Is the truth always better, or does it depend on the circumstance? Is it understandable that Blythe kept the truth from her daughter?

3. In what ways does the intimate, seaside Provincetown shape the family reunion? How might the story have been different in another setting?

4. Would Blythe’s marriage to Kip have been better or worse if she hadn’t met Nick Cabral? If her transgression did ultimately save her marriage, does the ends justify the means?

5. Blythe loves gardening because “there is a solution for everything.” Over the course of the summer, the women find solutions to life’s challenges. What are some examples of their resiliency?

6. Amelia takes great pride in her Portuguese cooking, telling Rachel that food connects us to the past. What role does food play in this story? In families in general?

7. Amelia’s daughter is threatened by the arrival of new family members, particularly when it comes to the future of the ancestral home. Does she have a right to feel this way?

8. Forgiveness is a major theme in The Forever Summer. Does Blythe deserve Marin’s forgiveness? Her husband’s? Does Amelia deserve her daughter’s forgiveness?

9. Was Kelly’s decision at the end selfish or selfless?

10. Considering the increasing popularity of DNA testing and non-traditional family relationships, what does The Forever Summer say about the families we make versus the biological relations we are born with? Is nature or nurture more important? And what does it mean to be a family (a parent, a sibling, or grandparent) in this evolving definition of family?

Weblinks

»	Author's web site
»	Publisher's Book Info
»	As Seen in People Magazine

Book Club Recommendations

Recommended to book clubs by 2 of 2 members.

Member Reviews

Rate this book