The Summer of Good Intentions: A Novel

The Summer Of Good Intentions
Wendy Francis
Simon & Schuster, Jul 7 2015, $15.00
ISBN: 9781451666427

Summer on Cape Cod has always been a great get together for the Herrington family. However, this year is different as the patriarch Arthur and matriarch Gloria divorced after almost five decades of marriage. Tensions are tropospheric even before the three sisters, accompanied by their husbands/significant other and children, and Arthur arrive at the family cottage. At the last moment, Gloria announces she and her boyfriend will join the gathering.

The oldest offspring supermom Maggie struggles with accepting the end of her parent’s marriage and fears empty nest syndrome. Maggie muses that she is not too old to raise a baby though she wonders how Mac would react.

Her younger twin Jess loves her job apparently much more than her husband Tim; as the unhappy couple only talks to each other when it involves their two kids. She owes her spouse the truth, but cannot deal with how he will react.

The youngest Virgie the reporter looks forward to the vacation easing her dangerous levels of stress. She found a man who treats her differently than the previous horde. Her exhaustion lands her into the emergency room where the examination reveals a critical finding.

Since his mate left, Arthur feels lost. He hopes his daughters and grandchildren will lift the fog that has his family fearing he suffers from senility.

Rotating perspective, The Summer Of Good Intentions is a well-written family drama starring a three-dimensional ensemble in which each Herrington faces major issues (though not developed equally). Readers will like the cast who deal poorly with their personal tsuris; but the health crises that begin to reunite the extended family make the coming together a bit too easy on everyone.

Harriet Klausner

"The Summer of Good Intentions" is a terrific novel and great summer read! Wendy Francis is a talented writer who was able to develop quality characters and a lovely summery scene. She deftly captures the nuances of relationships in a way that shows much depth and understanding of the human spirit. Plus a few twists and turns along the way make for a wonderful way to spend a summer day!

I am truly looking forward to her 3rd novel - did she say something about a boat……?

I can’t remember when I have ever read a book in which the characters all work out their difficulties by talking about their problems together and trying to change the behaviors that are not working. Isn’t that a refreshing idea? In addition, the story can’t get much more summer-ish than this, with a setting at a beach house. A perfect little read.

Doesn’t it seem like some cruel joke? The older we get, the more we gloss over things and details we should be paying attention to. Subtle shifts in the way our parents, kids, spouses…even ourselves get noted and brushed aside with the good intention of revisiting them later. The problem with this, is that we usually don’t. It’s not for me to say if it’s an issue of subconscious denial or overtaxed adult syndrome, but it doesn’t happen, and sometimes these shifts turn into gaping cracks that can alter everything forever.

The Summer of Good Intentions is about just that. Each year Maggie and her two sisters reconvene at her parents’ house on the Cape for a month of family fun. With jobs, school, and life no one gets to keep up with each other as much as they’d like, and each year the failed intentions of keeping up with each other’s families, and visiting mom and dad more are forgiven and the slate is wiped clean. That’s the beauty of their family’s house on the Cape…everything is deliciously the same and predictable. The house is by no means fancy, but it’s home. Maggie thrives in and relishes her role as house manager and goes to great pains to ensure everyone is comfortable.

This summer, however, is different. The girls’ parents have divorced in the the twilight of their lives, and the meeting at the Cape is a delicate balancing act that Maggie feels even more compelled to make work. Her twin Jess and her husband Tim’s marriage is crumbling due to the stresses of life and her flirtation with their neighbor. The baby of the family, Virginia is a news anchor living on the opposite side of the country and is inexplicably off. Balance issues and slurred speech have the whole family worried that work is taking it’s toll and her past demons of excess drinking are rearing their ugly heads.

The girls can’t ever remember their father Arthur being so old and forgetful, and her mother’s arrival with her new paramour Gio adds a whole level of awkwardness to the mix. As the summer goes on each sister learns about herself and her needs and limitations in life while trying to navigate the changes in their family dynamic.

One night there’s a fire that not only illuminates everything, but changes their lives completely.

Wendy Francis is a rising star in the fiction world, and this novel perfectly captures family dynamics and why it is possible to go home again, home is never really the same. Intentions is a thoughtful, and at times heart-wrenching story about family, betrayal, and the importance of embracing change.

I received an ARC from NetGalley and Simon & Schuster in exchange for a review.

www.bookwormblondie.com

Wendy Francis' second novel is fantastic! Set on Cape Cod, the story is told through Wendy's vivid description and character development. Wendy weaves an intriguing tale that will keep you interested and might influence you to turn back to look for clues you might have missed as the plot develops and secrets are revealed. Life is not perfect, and our best intentions do not always pan out, but love and family can win out in the end. The perfect book to read and share!

I started this book full of hope. I could see my family coming together as we always do, and then the normal family dynamics take place. I think the author tried to hard to bring too many things together in one novel and it just got jumbled. I found myself skimming pages and getting bored. We have so many different problems to cope with in the novel;. Infidelity, divorce, two medical conditions and kids in the background. It is not a bad novel just not a very happy one.

What a fantastic summer read! A great book to get lost in while sitting on the beach this summer! The characters felt so familiar and realistic it was easy to connect with them. In short, the book delivers a wide array of family drama and brilliant imagery that makes you feel like you are on the Cape with the Herington's! The book will pull at your heartstrings and make you chuckle and definitely one that I will recommend.

Terrific summer read! After a few pages you feel that the characters are people that you know, and you feel immersed in the coastal settings. A real strength of the story is that it is narrated from multiple perspectives, giving a layered and very believable feel to the personal and family dramas that unfold. I found myself turning the pages very quickly to find out what happens to these very relatable characters as their bonds as a family are tested.

I enjoyed reading this easy, cozy book full of secrets and drama and heartache and happiness. The characters were interesting and believable, with storylines for each of the characters that blended together well.

A perfect beach read.

I loved this book--its characters, setting and story. A fresh and heartwarming take on the drama of a family vacation, this book was just the right beachside read. The story took some surprising twists that kept me turning the page, and I felt like I was was summering seaside right along with the family. Like the Herrington home itself, this book was an inviting read that I didn't want to leave.

So enjoying this book. Wish I had a beach day to devour it whole but alas, I use my wee bits of nighttime reading minutes to bite it off piece by piece. Great, relatable characters and a plot line that keeps me going to find out more. Enjoyable!

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book which made me feel like I was spending the summer on cape cod. Very well written and hard to put down. This is the second book I have read by this author and am looking forward to more!

A captivating story from start to finish! I was engulfed in all its characters emotions and the web of relationships. Each page is so well written that the reader cannot help but become part of the story with all senses. The story reminds us how important it is to live in the moment because you never know what tomorrow will bring. I loved it and highly recommend it!!!

Great summer read! I loved getting to know all the characters as they were so realistic and easy to relate to. I loved how some of the chapters told the same stories but from a different character's point of view. The way the chapters ended kept me turning the pages too! I will definitely be purchasing Wendy's first novel, "Three Good Things" next!

It was the Thanksgiving of Good Intentions! I meant to get to this over the summer and life got in the way so I packed it up for the holiday weekend. It did not disappoint. Well written and characters that were the perfect after turkey companions. It was the perfect complement to a family weekend.

Book arrived in the store package with no problems. The book itself had many uncut pages and was not glued together properly. I will keep the book and work on the pages rather than return it so that I can read it.

This book is a wonderful page-turner. The author places you in the story as an observer, and makes you feel like you know these
people she's created. For only Wendy Francis's second book, she writes like a seasoned author. Can't wait for her next book!!

A page-turning, wonderful summer read, full of approachable well-developed characters we all seem to know in one form or another in real life. Dialogue is well-conceived and believable. It's the perfect book to enjoy in a hammock with a glass of wine and share with good friends. Reminds us of all for which we should be grateful.

Great beach read, left me wanting a sequel to see what happens in the next chapters of the sisters lives. Some unexpected twists and turns addressing some darker issues. If you've ever been to the Cape or have a beach house with extended family you will appreciate the quirks!