intense

I really liked this book. Sometimes it gets a bit too "deep", almost comically so...but over all I enjoyed the read.

THIS IS EVERYTHING I HAVE EVER WANTED IN A BOOK. THIS IS IT!

I thought this book was excellent. Although I never heard of this author before and picked this book up at a library sale based on Goodreads reviews, I feel lucky that I did not miss this adventure. Great character development and details, some very specific, along with additional adventures among the characters to keep the story interesting all the time. Although basically a love story, there is so much more. I would consider this a late 20th century classic.
Kudos to the author, who is definitely a great writer.

I could not imagine relating to a book as much as I did when I read this book. David Payne as an amazing grasp on writing from a male and female perspective. His ability to describe relationships and emotions is amazing.

favorite book ever

This was my favorite book as a teenager. It utterly moved me. I read it multiple times (which I rarely did then and still don’t do now) and collected phrases from its long, introspective paragraphs like they were stamps. I can still see that cover in the public library; I can still picture myself standing in the stacks reading it.

I was almost afraid to re-read it 25 years (25 years!) later, knowing I would be disappointed and that it would reveal that I was, despite my own self assessment at the time, naive and young. It did disappoint, of course. It’s a mediocre book that views itself more grandly, and I bit that hook all those years ago. But still: there’s something sacred here that I’m glad to have revisited.

4.5

I thought the writing was excellent. Unfortunately, the book is narrowly focused on the events of one summer, and their repercussions. The actions and reactions of the characters to the events seem unrealistically exaggerated and ultimately tiresome. After a while, I got tired of reading in such exquisite detail about them, and moved on.

Wouldn't mind reading this little gem again given the chance. Thank ya sis

Certain books, like certain memories, lose their gloss as years go by.
I picked this old copy of Payne’s first novel from my library wanting to recapture the feeling of a particular moment in time and, as I kept turning pages, I realized it’s impossible to relive the past as I am no longer the same person who read this book more than a decade ago.

Having forgotten most of the plot and remembering rare but engaging long introspective paragraphs on the imbalance between youth and insight, Payne presents a southern chronicle of a love triangle alternating the present time with flashbacks to the seventies that reaches the climax on a summer at the beach with the three protagonists changing drastically the course of their lives. Guilt, chance and desperation bring back together two of the three characters who have to forgive themselves, and each other, in order to leave a tragic past behind and accept that some things are beyond our control.

Walking down memory lane has its own risks. One is bound to be disappointed or simply bemused, trying to reconnect with old sensations that seem no longer relevant or even of remote interest. Payne’s eerie descriptions of the southern landscape and its indolent mood permeates the characters’ thoughts and actions, and self-pity becomes the main narrative in a story that holds no surprises. At least to my present-time self.

Rereading this old novel felt like trying to reconnect with someone who was very close to your heart once and realizing you have nothing left in common with that person anymore. And registering, at exactly the very same moment, that you have moved on to a different mental space. A sad business, to move forward, to leave things behind. But also, how exhilarating to add experiences as one grows old and distant to former episodes in life. How fortunate, to feel the joy of changing while remaining essentially the same, expanding my wings as I learn to fly.

This is my all time favorite book. I re-read it every year. The southern heritage, down home easy feeling of the characters, the many lessons learned, the youthful feelings and experiences, as well as the sadness of a suicide and how it affects each person is something you simply need to experience. If you can start the book with the thought that you are going to be reading total conversations between the characters, it will help you to stay on track until you get the feel of it.