Synopsis:
The acclaimed author of Letters from Skye returns with an extraordinary story of a friendship born of proximity but boundless in the face of separation and war.
Luc Crépet is accustomed to his mother’s bringing wounded creatures to their idyllic château in the French countryside, where healing comes naturally amid the lush wildflowers and crumbling stone walls. Yet his maman’s newest project is the most surprising: a fifteen-year-old Scottish girl grieving over her parents’ fate. A curious child with an artistic soul, Clare Ross finds solace in her connection to Luc, and she in turn inspires him in ways he never thought possible. Then, just as suddenly as Clare arrives, she is gone, whisked away by her grandfather to the farthest reaches of the globe. Devastated by her departure, Luc begins to write letters to Clare—and, even as she moves from Portugal to Africa and beyond, the memory of the summer they shared keeps her grounded.
Years later, in the wake of World War I, Clare, now an artist, returns to France to help create facial prostheses for wounded soldiers. One of the war veterans who comes to the studio seems familiar, and as his mask takes shape beneath her fingers, she recognizes Luc. But is this soldier, made bitter by battle and betrayal, the same boy who once wrote her wistful letters from Paris? After the war and so many years apart, can Clare and Luc recapture how they felt at the edge of that long-ago summer?
Bringing to life two unforgettable characters and the rich historical period they inhabit, Jessica Brockmole shows how love and forgiveness can redeem us.
Rating: 5 stars
Review:
At the Summer Edge by Jessica Brockmole is a historical getaway where I was deeply enchanted by the beauty and emotional journey of this stunning tale. Imagine a gorgeous place where you can go to relax and heal. No worries at all. The fields surrounding you with a calm peacefulness. This is where two individuals will find both happiness and love only to be separated from one another. However, fate has plans for these individuals to meet once more. War, family, and distance have separated both man and woman and under chance, they met again. Hearts grow fonder through time or will tragedy and war take away what was meant to be?
Jessica Brockmole’s writing is marvelous. I felt like I was sucked into her world of fiction and planted into the main characters body…everything she saw, felt, or did became my own thoughts or actions. The love, tenderness, and emotions swept me off my feet. There’s something deep between both of the main characters, Luc, and Clare. Clare is helping the soldiers and Luc happens to be one of the ones she’s helping…the only question is wonders is if he’s still the Luc she got to know and knew. The intriguing plotline hooked me as I followed each character’s journey through life as they meet, then separated and finally brought together. With all wars there are scars that run deep both outside and inside of us…sometimes it takes a familiar face to help us through our struggles and to let go of the past. I was mesmerized by the inner struggles of both Luc and Clare. Their wounds go deep but their love is deeper yet. Overall, I loved reading this novel. I highly recommend At the Edge of Summer to all.
Urban Book Reviews 