Under a Dark Summer Sky, by Vanessa Lafaye
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Under a Dark Summer Sky, by Vanessa Lafaye
Free Ebook Under a Dark Summer Sky, by Vanessa Lafaye
Under a Dark Summer Sky is a stunning debut novel, at once a love story set in a time of great turmoil and a vivid depiction of a major natural disaster.
Florida, 1935. In Heron Key, relationships are as tangled as the swamp's mangrove roots. It's been eighteen long years since Henry went away to war. Still, Missy has waited, cleaning the Kincaids' house and counting the stars. Now he's back, but she barely recognizes the desperate, destitute veteran he's become ― unsure of his future, ashamed of his past. When a white woman is found beaten nearly to death after the Fourth of July barbecue, suspicion falls on him immediately. As tensions rise in the small community, the barometer starts to plummet ― a massive hurricane is on its way.
Based on real historical events,Under a Dark Summer Sky evokes what happens when people, sweating under the weight of their pasts, are tested to the absolute limits of their endurance.
Under a Dark Summer Sky, by Vanessa Lafaye- Amazon Sales Rank: #612482 in Books
- Brand: Lafaye, Vanessa
- Published on: 2015-06-09
- Released on: 2015-06-09
- Original language: English
- Number of items: 1
- Dimensions: 8.10" h x 1.00" w x 5.50" l, .0 pounds
- Binding: Paperback
- 400 pages
Review "A storming debut novel [that] captures the racial and social tensions in southern America after the First World War. Part social history and part love story, this features the hurricane as a forceful, malevolent character in its own right, whipping through the pages." - The Bookseller"Under a Dark Summer Sky is a tender love story, an unflinching look at racial tension, and a gripping account of what its like to survive a powerful hurricane on the Florida Keys in the 1930s. A haunting debut novel!" - Ellen Marie Wiseman, author of The Plum Tree and What She Left Behind"A taut and powerful novel....deeply moving. A riveting piece of social history, it's also a love story and a devastating account of what it's like to experience such a disaster." - The Daily Mail"In Vanessa Lafaye's extensively researched novel, set during the great depression, a hurricane exposes the horrific prejudice and hate that lie beneath the placid surface of an upscale town on the Florida keys. The historic 1935 storm hits a shabby camp housing WWI veterans, shattering their hopes of a better life. Henry, one of the vets, is a home-town boy who has returned with the slim hope of reclaiming his life as it was before the war; he is surprised and heartened to find the enduring love of Missy, a lovely young woman who has never forgotten him. A fast-paced page turner." - Anna Jean Mayhew, author of The Dry Grass of August"Lafaye's debut novel succeeds on the merits of its well-drawn characters, its sense of place, and on the tragic events it details. The author keeps the reader at a distance from the characters, but this serves a greater purpose: a focus on the big picture of a town struggling under the weight of the past. Readers of historical fiction will find this book rewarding." - Library Journal "Part love-story, part eye-opening insight into a tumultuous time in American history - the years after the First World War, when veterans tried to rebuild their lives and racial tensions ran high." - GOOD HOUSEKEEPING UK"In one night nature changes this small town more than ever before ... If you love The Help, you'll love this." - CLOSER "This is Vanessa Lafaye's debut novel, and what a writer she is! She has a talent with words that enables her prose to glide across the page, there are no superfluous words, and each paragraph eases the story along. She is a natural creator of atmosphere and suspense, and with a deft hand she creates credible, yet humanly flawed characters. She also creates a very palpable setting, the heat, the oppressive temperatures and the gurgling, sulphurous swampland all assault the reader's senses.(5 STARS) " - TRIP FICTION"Lafaye brilliantly depicts one of the worst disasters in Florida's history, as well as a turbulent era of segregation and hostility. Her prose makes it feel as if you were in the eye of the storm. Lafaye is a powerful writer and a talent to watch." - RT Book Reviews, 4 1/2 Stars"Lafaye's debut novel succeeds on the merits of its well-drawn characters, its sense of place, and on the tragic events it details. " - Library Journal
About the Author Vanessa Lafaye is a Florida native, now living in the UK. She has worked for nearly 30 years in academic publishing, for Oxford University Press, Blackwell Publishing, and Wiley. She has published numerous articles in British broadsheets, and several short stories. She lives in Wiltshire. This is her first novel.
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Most helpful customer reviews
21 of 21 people found the following review helpful. A stunning, striking and sensual debut. A complete joy to read. By bleachhouselibrary Set in the fictional town of Heron Key, Florida in 1935, this debut novel mixes up fact and fiction to bring the reader through one of the worst hurricanes in history. Not only is the sea rising to dangerous levels and the ever-changing winds confusing the weather forecasters, but the tension in the town has reached its own boiling point. Racial prejudice is rampant and veteran soldiers have arrived in the area to help build a major bridge. The soldiers are a mixture of black and white but are all victims of discrimination, living in squalor and treated like animals. Things get even worse when a local white lady is found beaten and close to death following a Labor Day beach party. The assumption of guilt falls on a former army officer, a black man, down on his luck, yet there is no logical reason for this assumption. The law doesn't seem to apply in Florida and the voice of a black man is not going to be heard. As the storm comes closer and closer, just who is going to face the impending chaos and who will be affected the most?This is historical fiction at its finest. Full of depth, despair, fear, hope, love, loss and friendship. So many emotions are brought to the foreground, it becomes the reader's world for the novel's entirety. The author has included an informative historical note at the beginning of the book, which explains the whole idea behind the veterans of Heron Key. This is a real help to the reader, and adds more depth to the characters that are introduced along the way.From page one, where were enter the world of Missy and Selma, (both black servants in a racist town, full of wealthy, bored and dishonest white folk), the novel reaches out and sucks you in. The blacks are plodding along, never expecting change, afraid to dream of a different world, The whites are, for the most, miserable. Money may buy them nice homes and cars, afford them access to the finest dressmakers and cooks, yet it can't buy love or genuine respect. It is hard not to draw comparisons to Katerine Stockett's The Help or The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd, as they both lovingly told of the relationships between blacks and whites in past times. However, this novel also has aspects which are reminiscent of The Color Purple. Strong, female characters, fighting to exist for the sake of their families, friends and their own sanity. It shows how women have, and still do, have to fight that but harder to find their inner happiness. The double weight of being black, and a woman, is not a new concept in literature, but this Vanessa Lafaye has cast a new light on it. Which concerned the women of this era more? The search for independence, love or education? The love they felt for the white children they were raising was heartrendingly real. The love they felt for their husbands and brothers was intense, deep and long lasting. This book looks at how these women and children were treated when a storm raged through at fatal intensity. It also juxtaposes this storyline with a look at some of the white residents, who hide behind their pale exteriors and masks of contentment. . The Kincaid family, barely able to look at each other, the town doctor, lonely and broken, the country club ladies and gents, who drip with dishonesty and the general store owner who just wants to prepare for the storm.The characters are hopping off the page on a regular basis. There are quite a lot of them, but once you get past the initial introductions, each has a part to play in the overall narrative. The writing is superb. Blending the many worlds within Heron Key to a believable and atmospheric ideal. Chapter pacing is just right, historical facts not overloaded and yet there is a balance between the storm, the cultural angle and the love story. It is hard to believe that this is a debut novel, such is the standard, and I cannot recommend this enough. A wonderful blend of history and fiction, finely tuned research and warm writing style, makes this ideal for fans of Sue Monk Kidd and is definitely a book that should be bought, read and savoured. It will linger in many readers minds, as shall the memory of the victims of the 1935 hurricane. A stunning, striking and sensual debut. A complete joy to read.
12 of 12 people found the following review helpful. An almost-unbelievable tale that will captivate you! By Tara Leigh As a native of the Gulf Coast (Southeast Texas), I am very familiar with the ebbs and flows of hurricane season and the anxiety and frenzy that it produces among residents of the areas most generally affected. If you are not, no need to fret; author Vanessa Lafaye has you covered with her nail-biting descriptions of the 1935 Labor Day Hurricane, which made landfall on September 2, 1935, crossing the Florida Keys. While the historical reality was entertaining enough, it is definitely not the only reason that this story will stick with you long after you've finished the novel.Lafaye's writing is magnificent: you will feel the sticky air, the tension within this racially-divided community, the desperation as the residents (of all races and economic backgrounds) find themselves in the same predicament, the hope that friends and family have survived this devastating storm. Her characters, including both the town and the storm, are genuine and cover most of the personalities you would expect to encounter in a situation like this, during this time period. They each provide their own perspective, add their own distinct flavor to the narrative, and create a unique backdrop for a notorious event in our nation's history.Readers certainly do not need to be fans of historical fiction to enjoy this novel; there is plenty of drama outside of the impending hurricane. Lafaye takes some liberties, but they only add to the poignancy of the tale. I would have been stuck like glue had the entire thing been a fictional account; this is definitely one of my favorite reads this year. You might not want to take this with you on a cruise ship, as you sail through the Atlantic Basin; otherwise, definitely put this on your summer reading list!
10 of 10 people found the following review helpful. Florida from such a different time By William Bredbenner When I learned of the subject matter of this novel I had a strong suspicion I would enjoy it and I certainly have.As a native of Tampa, FL and with a Great Grandmother born in West Palm Beach, whose father worked on the emerging railroad, I love learning about Old Florida, Real Florida. You can still see real Florida today if you get out and explore away from the coast , parks and crowds. Thanks Ms. LaFaye for creating this "factional" gem of writing so that I could learn about the life and times through your characters.I recently lived in Miami and had a small office in the middle keys so it was easy to be transported to those shores, mangroves and yes feel the vulnerability of one way in and one way out. I have even passed the Hurricane memorial and with it being so blended in to the roadside never stopped to explore it.You too can let this work take you there as the author has done a fantastic job of painting the set with her descriptions and scene setting. A great read.
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