A Month of Summer

By: Lisa Wingate

Narrated by: Johanna Parker

Length: 13 hrs and 30 mins

Publisher's Summary

Lisa Wingate has been favorably compared to authors Nicholas Sparks and Richard Paul Evans.

In A Month of Summer, Hanna Beth has been caring for her aging husband - who suffers from Alzheimer's - and her developmentally challenged adult son for years on her own. But when she suffers a stroke, estranged stepdaughter Rebecca must take the reins. As she cares for her father and the step-brother she's barely met, Rebecca slowly begins to heal both herself and her family.

©2008 Wingate Media,LLC (P)2008 Recorded Books,LLC

TRUE ACCOUNT OF ALZIEMERS

I truly enjoyed this accopunt of what families of alziemers victims go through. I work with alziemers patients and their families every day. This book shows how vulnerable not only the patient is but also their family.

Excellent!

Riveting... Couldn't stop till the last word. Narration was excellent - all the voices believable. Thanks for the good read!! Amazing!

Wonderful Story

If you could sum up A Month of Summer in three words, what would they be?

Wonderful Life Lesson

Who was your favorite character and why?

Teddy...we all need to be like Teddy. Open eyes, open mind, open heart. Fabulous character. I also loved Claude, he had the same spirit of Teddy just a bit more wisdom behind his eyes. Actually all characters were great.

Have you listened to any of Johanna Parker’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

No, but I thought she did a wonderful job with voices, depicting characters, and helping us develop a relationship with all the characters. Great, great job Johanna Parker!

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

When Hannah Beth leaned toward Rebecca and said "Love you" It brought tears to my eyes. Hannah Beth needed to say it and Rebecca needed to hear it.

Any additional comments?

The story was well written, and performed expertly. I just lost my mother in April 2017 and the feeling of losing family is very raw right now. My mom and dad are both gone, my dad lived in a skilled nursing facility for almost 7 years suffering from dementia. It was difficult to see him fade from us. My mom died unexpectedly 3 years after dad. She was my world! Thank you for this wonderful, well written book!

Enjoyable and Thought Provoking

Would you listen to A Month of Summer again? Why?

I may listen to this one again in a few months. The plot is tightly woven and the characters are realistic.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I suppose I'd never thought about what it must be like to be a stroke victim, as Hannah Beth is. This particular character made the whole experience of struggling for words, struggling to be understood and grasping for movement and improvement understandable. I don't think I'll ever forget it. Rebecca also is a sympathetic character - someone living with resentment and hurt who is forced to confront what she believes to be true and having to choose to either stay where she is emotionally or letting go of the past and learning to live life on other terms. There are so many other characters I could mention - Teddy, Claude, Mary - not enough space, though. You'll have to listen/read the book for yourself.

An Enjoyable Listen

I honestly don't feel this title should be considered a Romance, but I'm glad it was included in my package because I really enjoyed the listen! While parts of the storyline are not too realistic, that was compensated by the performance and heartfelt meaning behind the story. It felt honest and, while certainly not perky chick lit, the subject matter wasn't overly sad. For me, this is a surprisingly solid credit worthy listen.

Wingate Tells From the Heart

Another thoroughly enjoyable story from Lisa Wingate. I love the experience of her stories told about people from the inside out. I love the experience of knowing her people will be better off in the end. This particular story is a tour of compassion, personalities, efforts at creating beauty in a confusing world, misunderstanding, understanding, and wisdom in "broken" minds. I loved Claude's story-pictures. Johanna Parker, the narrator is astoundingly remarkable.

This is my favorite Lisa Wingate book all year.

I loved all the characters where wonderful. The story line was incredible, it was so much better than any movie I’ve ever seen.

Listen to it!

While the story was really good, the best part was this narrator! I want her to read every audible book I listen to. Great job Johanna with all those voices!!

Much more than a love story

This book was about love, family and trust. It was beautifully written and the performance was perfect. Lisa Wingate is a great writer.

Johanna Parker’s narration flawless

Subtle nuances in the storytelling makes this a rich & rewarding story. But it’s the quirky but believable characters that make this story great. Parker made Teddy believable, not sappy, and the two strong, flawed women who told the story were individuals. The voice coming back from a stroke was just right too.