family secrets

In 1931, we have no idea at all what lies ahead.

Love. Intrigue. Friendships. Family secrets. And a hurricane like no other. A Hundred Summers has all that plus a beach backdrop with sun and sand.

It’s 1931. Budgie and Lily are headed to watch Budgie’s boyfriend, Graham Pendleton play football. At this football game, Lily sees Nick Greenwald, a tall, good-looking Jewish man. A man that Lily finds attractive and has no idea how much Nick will come to mean to her- and what it’ll cost her.

It’s 1938. Lily Dane is back at Seaview, Rhode Island. Spending the summer, with her mother, Aunt Julie and little sister, Kiki. Lily is looking forward to the summer- and then she hears the news. Budgie and Nick Greenwald will also be spending the summer at Seaview.

As Lily spends the summer in Seaview, her interactions with Budgie and Nick shine a light back on events in 1931- and cause Lily to question almost everything she knows.

Traveling With T’s Thoughts:

Looking for a summer read? This is it. A Hundred Summers has everything that a reader needs- a great setting, characters that are real, characters that the reader can love, characters that the reader can despise- a storyline that is revealed bit by bit as it’s told in alternating tales of life in 1931 and current life in 1938. Family secrets, drama, intrigue and so much more. Take the time to read A Hundred Summers and the saga of Lily, Nick and Budgie- your book-loving heart will be glad.

Thank you to Putnam Books for providing this book for review. The opinions expressed above are mine alone.

Photo credit: TLC Book Tours

Courtney Miller Santo, author of The Roots of the Olive Tree confesses that she knows too much about Saved by the Bell, has read Gone With the Wind 12 times and that Anna Karenina is her favorite book. To find out more about Courtney Miller Santo, visit her website, Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest pages. To read an excerpt of The Roots of the Olive Tree, visit here. Courtney’s most prized possession is a picture of the 5 generations of women in her own family.

The Roots of the Olive Tree

ISBN:978-0062130525

Paperback: 336 pages

Publisher: William Morrow

Purchase: Amazon, IndieBound, Barnes and Noble

Source: TLC Books

Photo credit: TLC Book Tours

The Roots of the Olive Tree is a tale of 5 generations of women in the Keller family- Anna, Bets, Callie, Deb, and Erin. Anna is the 2nd oldest person in the world- and she longs to be the oldest person in the world.

Callie is interested in finding out if the Keller family has a special gene or something of that nature that leads to a longevity of life. When she finds out about Dr.Hashmi and his study with genetics- she contacts him and he agrees to come study the Keller women. While Callie is excited about this, some of the other Keller women do not share her enthusiasm.

The Keller women, like many generational families, have secrets. Some of the secrets are a deep as the roots of a tree- anchored in the ground, and not willing to be revealed without a lot of work.

Each chapter in the book is titled with a name, the town or a word that relates to the tone of the chapter. Courtney Miller Santo weaves together family secrets, interesting characters, love, generational stories, and much more to create The Roots of the Olive Tree.

Traveling With T’s Thoughts:

The description of The Roots of the Olive Tree sounds like a book that is the kind of book I like to lose myself in. Family drama, secrets, a tale of generational women and a beautiful setting in California- what is there not to like? The Roots of the Olive Tree is good- it’s interesting, the characters are characters you want to know more about- although at times, the characters can be unlikeable- but like any family, that is true. Overall, from beginning to end- the good outweighs any negative- and I think The Roots of the Olive Tree will satisfy most readers.