The Summer Girls

The Lowcountry Summer Trilogy, Book 1

By: Mary Alice Monroe

Narrated by: Mary Alice Monroe

Length: 11 hrs and 39 mins

Publisher's summary

Three sisters reunite on Sullivan’s Island off the coast of South Carolina after years of separation in this heartwarming first novel in a new trilogy from a beloved author.

80-year-old Marietta Muir is a dowager of Charleston society who has retired to her historic summer home on Sullivan’s Island. At the onset of summer, Marietta - "Mamaw" - seeks to gather her three granddaughters - Carson, Eudora, and Harper - with the intent to reunite them after years apart.

©2013 Mary Alice Monroe (P)2013 AudioGO

Critic reviews

"[Anyone who] enjoys such fine Southern voices as Pat Conroy will add the talented Monroe to their list of favorites." ( Booklist)

The summer girls

I did not enjoy this story, it had promise yes, but, it somehow did not leave me satisfied, I kept wanting to hear more about the two other sisters , and the boy in the story, however the true message was about alchoholism, it's effects on families , and the plight of Dolphins.
I think I was hoping for Southern charm, romance and life in the South.

Not a good story line or performance

As a southerner, it is so hard to listen to a bad fake accent. The storyline was choppy and I was left wondering how the characters faired.

Slow and dull.

I could not get into this story. It was soooo slow and boring. Ughghgh. The narrator's voice was not helpful either.

Delightful

The Summer Girls written and narrated by Mary Alice Monroe was well worth the listen and I will be eagerly listening to the next two in this trilogy. It is about three girls - half sisters, and their grandmother - Mamaw. They have all been invited to her house for the summer, and with a somewhat tentative approach they all end up responding to the invitation.

Eudora (Dora) is the oldest and has a young son who is autistic. She is in the process of seeking a divorce from her husband. Carson has turned up from California where she has just lost her job. Harper is the youngest, and works as an editor in her mother's firm. While the girls did meet up for summers when they were young, they are not particularly close. Perhaps this summer that will all change.

This story is mostly about Carson, she is a keen surfer and enjoys being out on the sea, until a chance encounter changes things up a bit for her. She also befriends Nate and helps him to learn to swim. Together they befriend a dolphin, that will have far reaching consequences. Carson also forms a relationship with Blake, a keen kite surfer and who also works on tracking the local marine life in this area. A bond forms between Carson and Blake, although it is not really centre stage. The story is more about how Carson is faced with her past and present and must decide how she is going to move into the future.

I liked all the characters, Mamaw was a wonderful southern character, the girls were all different and each had their flaws and strengths. I look forward to reading the next two books to find out the developments.

There is an environmental message to this book, it is not tacked on, but rather becomes very integral to the plot. I liked the way it was done and it is an important message. I also liked Mary Alice Monroe narrating the book, sometimes I shy away from an author reading their own book, but it works well on the whole.

Disappointing

I was hoping for a romance novel. The story was good but there was no romance. The performance of the story needed work. There were several mistakes that ruined it for me. The mistakes should have been edited before publishing. Besides the audible mistakes, the author made mistakes like changing the age of a person and hair color when it all took place in a short time frame.

loved it!!

listen to this in a short time. Mary Alice Monroe is a great author! I also love that she read it. her words so she knew best just how to read it!

The Summer Girls

I wanted a heart warming read/listen and this was perfect. I loved learning about the dolphins and enjoyed the characters. The narration was very good.

Loved the fact the reader was the author.

it's a clean, homey book and I just loved it. I cant wait to read a sequel if there is one.

Great listen.

Editing issues exist in the reading of this text. The story is great, but the editing of the author’s voice is spotty in places.

Loved it!

As someone who grew up on the coast, loves surfing, SUP, and dolphins, this story was appealing and relatable. I loved it. I really enjoyed Carson’s story. Looking forward to the next book.