The Last Summer of the Camperdowns – A Novel - Hardcover

Kelly, Elizabeth

3.47

3,536 ratings by Goodreads

9780871403407: The Last Summer of the Camperdowns – A Novel

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0871403404 ISBN 13: 9780871403407

Publisher: Liveright, 2015

View all copies of this ISBN edition:

The Last Summer of the Camperdowns, from the best-selling author of Apologize, Apologize!, introduces Riddle James Camperdown, the twelve-year-old daughter of the idealistic Camp and his manicured, razor-sharp wife, Greer. It's 1972, and Riddle's father is running for office from the family compound in Wellfleet, Massachusetts. Between Camp's desire to toughen her up and Greer's demand for glamour, Riddle has her hands full juggling her eccentric parents. When she accidentally witnesses a crime close to home, her confusion and fear keep her silent. As the summer unfolds, the consequences of her silence multiply. Another mysterious and powerful family, the Devlins, slowly emerges as the keepers of astonishing secrets that could shatter the Camperdowns. As an old love triangle, bitter war wounds, and the struggle for status spiral out of control, Riddle can only watch, hoping for the courage to reveal the truth. The Last Summer of the Camperdowns is poised to become the summer's uproarious and dramatic must-read.

"synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.

Review:

Kelly's new novel is just as scathingly witty as her best-selling debut but better plotted and even more emotionally harrowing... Kelly skillfully builds almost unbearable tension, slipping in plenty of dark laughs en route to a wrenching climax that leaves in its wake some painfully unresolved questions--just like life. More fine work from a writer with a rare gift for blending wit and rue.

Riveting... Riddle perfectly narrates the events of one crazy, harrowing summer against the tumultuous backdrop of the 1970s. Written with cutting wit and intensity; it doesn't get any better than this.

Twelve-year-old Riddle James Camperdown witnesses a crime that will change her life and lives of those around her. A story about the family ties, the quest for status, and the secrets that kill.

Kelly's novel is a coming-of-age meets a whodunit... A laugh-out-loud funny page turner.--Ayana Mathis

The plot unfolds like the Cape Cod season itself... beginning lazily, languidly, before heating up and morphing into a fast-paced thriller.--Abbe Wright

Kelly's second novel is a witty, suspenseful tale of murder, marital conflict and agonizing secrets...The exuberant story is transporting and delicious, a worthy summer read.--Robin Micheli

These vibrant personalities jump off the page individually, and the collective dynamic is as lifelike and scintillating as beautifully cast actors in an artfully directed play... the scenes and dialogue unravel organically, and razor-sharp witticisms tumble out effortlessly.

[Kelly] takes readers to the Cape of the early 1970s. The narrator, a 12-year-old Wellfleet girl with eccentric 'Me Decade' parents--her mother a retired movie star and her father a candidate for Congress--is plunged beneath the surface of the idyllic summer setting when she discovers dark family secrets and witnesses a sinister crime she won't soon forget.

It's 1972 on Cape Cod, and 13-year-old Riddle Camperdown feels like she's in heaven. But her father is running for Congress, and an old friend shows up with a memoir that contains embarrassing details. Then Riddle witnesses a murder.--Carolyn See

Kelly has a deceptively low-paced writing style that nevertheless delivers a jolt at every turn. Pungent metaphors often collide and occasionally cancel each other out.... She keeps us on the edge without letting us fall into the gothic trap.... This atmospheric summer read will not disappoint readers looking for a great turn of phrase and a mesmerizing story.--Barbara Clark

About the Author:

Elizabeth Kelly is the best-selling author of The Last Summer of the Camperdowns (finalist for the New England Society Book Award) and Apologize, Apologize!. She lives in Merrickville, Ontario, with her husband, five dogs, and three cats.

"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.