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The Summer We All Ran Away
 
 

The Summer We All Ran Away [Kindle Edition]

Cassandra Parkin
4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)

Print List Price: £7.99
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Product Description

Review

'The story is fresh and original, written vividly and with flair. I was completely engrossed!' --Katherine Webb, international best-selling author

'A tangle of tales about love and power and self… Flitting between the present and what came before, the lives of many collide in the shell of Jack's Lander's mansion… a beautiful Gatsby-esque touch. A fascinating tale of the meeting of lost souls. Of danger, and trust and self-worth. Read it.' --Jen Campbell, author of Weird Things Customers Say in Bookshops

It is not your typical light beach read, but I wouldn't wait until the Summer's end to reach for it. The characters grabbed my heart, the story pulled me in and I sailed through the pages picturing myself in the house, peeking around the corners, listening in on the conversations. If you like stories of internal conflict, coming of age and things falling into their place, no matter how unexpected, you should put Cassandra Parkin's debut novel on your To-Read list. --Women's World

This is Parkin's debut novel and what a stunning debut it is. First off, it is a great mystery. The pacing is just right, with discoveries in both time periods coinciding and working together to keep any reader involved with the stories. But what I look for in any novel of any genre is characters. And Parkin definitely has characters... The storyline is original, the characters are fascinating, and over all this is simply a great read. --The Bookbag

Product Description

When nineteen year old Davey finds himself drunk, beaten and alone, he is rescued by the oddly-assorted inhabitants of an abandoned and beautiful house in the West Country. Their only condition for letting him join them is that he asks them no questions.

More than thirty years ago in that same house, burned-out rock star Jack Laker writes a ground-breaking comeback album, and abandons the girl who saved his life to embark on a doomed and passionate romance with a young actress. His attempt to escape his destructive lifestyle leads to deceit, debauchery and even murder.

As Davey and his fellow housemate Priss try to uncover the secrets of the house's inhabitants, both past and present, it becomes clear that the five strangers have all been drawn there by the events and the music of that long-ago summer.

‘The story is fresh and original, written vividly and with flair. I was completely engrossed!’ Katherine Webb, international best-selling author

‘A tangle of tales about love and power and self… Flitting between the present and what came before, the lives of many collide in the shell of Jack's Lander's mansion… a beautiful Gatsby-esque touch. A fascinating tale of the meeting of lost souls. Of danger, and trust and self-worth. Read it.’ Jen Campbell, author of Weird Things Customers Say in Bookshops

‘This is Parkin's debut novel and what a stunning debut it is. First off, it is a great mystery. The pacing is just right, with discoveries in both time periods coinciding and working together to keep any reader involved with the stories. But what I look for in any novel of any genre is characters. And Parkin definitely has characters... The storyline is original, the characters are fascinating, and over all this is simply a great read.’ The Bookbag

‘It is not your typical light beach read, but I wouldn't wait until the Summer's end to reach for it. The characters grabbed my heart, the story pulled me in and I sailed through the pages picturing myself in the house, peeking around the corners, listening in on the conversations. If you like stories of internal conflict, coming of age and things falling into their place, no matter how unexpected, you should put Cassandra Parkin's debut novel on your To-Read list.’ Women’s World


Product details

  • Format: Kindle Edition
  • File Size: 464 KB
  • Print Length: 256 pages
  • Publisher: Legend Press (1 July 2013)
  • Sold by: Amazon Media EU S.à r.l.
  • Language: English
  • ASIN: B00BU2NGR6
  • Text-to-Speech: Enabled
  • X-Ray: Not Enabled
  • Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #19 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars The Summer This Book Ran Away With Me 29 Aug 2013
Format:Paperback
I was haunted from beginning to end - still am. The title suggests escape and I did, every time I opened a page bookmarked by whatever discarded scrap was to hand. I loved how past and present merged, how issues that test us, destroy us, save us, are the same no matter what era we belong to. Davey captivated me the most, perhaps because we begin with him, perhaps because his history of abuse resonated so much or perhaps simply because he's so beautifully written. I was also intrigued by Jack Laker and the doomed relationships surrounding him. I don't want to give much more away - there are twists, revelations, but they're not those sometimes thoughtless ones that a writer appears to have added when they run out of ideas... they're perfect, adding depth to the characters and situations. This is definitely a recommended read, not just for summer, for any season.
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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars A lovely, heartwarming story 13 Aug 2013
Format:Kindle Edition
I received an advanced reading copy of this book from Net Galley, and I'm so glad that I did because I really enjoyed it.

It is written in the past and present, switching between the two in alternate chapters, and normally I don't like this, but I felt that it really worked in this book.

The story focuses around an old derelict house in which four people are living who have run away. They all have different stories to tell about why they ended up in the old house, and the house itself tells a story as well.

I thought that the characters were very likeable and I warmed to them all. There was not one character who I disliked in any way. The past linked to the present very well and there were lots that kept me reading, in order to find out who was who and what the answers were to the many questions that were going through my head throughout the book. I thought I had figured it out, but as always, there was a nice twist at the end, which left me feeling happy and contented.

It was quite an easy book to read, there was nothing complicated or boring about it. Sometimes when a story flits between past and present, things can get confusing, but I didn't find this with this book.

I will certainly be recommending this - it's a great summer read and will also brighten a dull winters evening. In fact, I think maybe reading it when there is a storm outside will give a better atmosphere as it will bring the empty house and it's ghosts to life. I certainly think that this book should be a must read for anyone!
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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars A warm-hearted, lively debut 31 Aug 2013
Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase
Cassandra Parkin's warm-hearted and engaging debut novel takes place in a rambling house in Cornwall, flipping backwards and forwards between past and present. In the past the house was owned by a rock star, with drug-fuelled parties and a pet panther. Now it is empty, though mysteriously not derelict, with the panther's empty cage lurking in the garden. The house brings together a group of squatters, the motherly Kate, Tom, who appears to be an ex-convict, and two teenage runaways, Davey and Priss.
Parkin's lively dialogue and well-paced prose unfold the stories of both groups of inhabitants and the secrets that link them in a way that is both entertaining and moving.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Amazingly haunting book! 3 Sep 2013
By Lisa D
Format:Paperback
Absolutely loved this! Amazing book especially for a first novel! The characters were so different and real, and I was intrigued from start to finish. Can't wait for more books from this author!
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8 of 9 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars Why they ran away, and what happened next ... 11 Aug 2013
By Fleur Fisher TOP 1000 REVIEWER VINE VOICE
Format:Kindle Edition
The title caught my attention, and then the story pulled me in from the front page.

Davey was running away from home, not quite knowing where he was going, just knowing that had to get away. He tried to escape into a bottle, but that only got him into more trouble, and he finally collapsed on the steps of a big house on the Cornish coast. He thought that he was in trouble again, but he wasn't. He met the three people who lived there and they told him that he could join them, that he could live there, and that the only condition was that he ask no questions.

It seemed too good to be true, even when Davey that the sensible middle-aged Tom and Kate weren't a couple, weren't owners, were simply squatters who had arrived at the same place at the same time. And it seemed incredible that they found a wonderful house abandoned, as if somebody had just stepped out and then never come back.

Priss was the other resident of the house, she was just a little older than Davey, and she was one of the most interesting and complicated young women I have met in contemporary fiction. A wonderful mix of brashness and vulnerability; meanness and compassion; confidence and caution.

Tom and Kate's insistence on not asking questions bothered Priss, and when Davey arrived she talked him into helping her explore the locked rooms and cupboards to try to find out more about them and about the history of the house.

Because, of course, there was another story, set in the same house some years earlier. Jack was a successful musician, but he was troubled and he didn't like the attention that fame had brought.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars Fab debut novel 11 Sep 2013
By Lisa-W
Format:Kindle Edition
A fantastic debut novel by Cassandra Parkin, her first but hopefully not her last.

The story has chapters from Now and chapters from Then. In 'Now' we meet Davey, badly beaten and clearly at the end of his tether; not knowing where to turn he makes his way drunk and randomly to Cornwall; guided by a light across the water he makes his way to a house where he collapses on the doorstep to be taken in by an odd bunch of people who offer him a place to stay, no questions asked as long as he returns the no question favour.
Sixteen year old Priss is one of the residents of the house; feisty and curious she and Davey investigate the strange house, part of which is shut off. Convinced that at least one of the other residents is a murderer, Priss is determined to unravel the mystery of the older residents Kate, Tom and Isaac.
'Then' starts off with the story of Jack Laker, a musician and recovering addict but as the novel progresses 'Then' becomes everyone's story and we find out why everyone has ended up at this big house in the middle of nowhere and what has drawn them there as their secrets become known...and why there is a panther on the loose!

I found this a very easy story to become involved and interested in. The characters were intriguing without being fantastical and I found I wanted to read on to find out more about them and their stories. Whilst Tom's story was surprising, both Davey's and Priss' stories and characters were especially compelling and I had a lot of empathy with them.
The Now and Then of the telling works well and ties both past and present nicely together.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant, fantastic, wonderful
This superb novel reads like a much more established author, I loved the short story collection in New World Fairy Tales, and have thoroughly enjoyed this. Read more
Published 3 days ago by C. Stockley
5.0 out of 5 stars Impossible to put down.......
This novel is both a beautiful love story and a gripping murder-mystery and as such I found it impossible to put down. Read more
Published 9 days ago by Lisa H
5.0 out of 5 stars Intriguing and atmospheric
First of all I have to say that I know Cassandra, so thought I had the heads-up on being able to 'hear' her writing this book. Read more
Published 9 days ago by pinkybijou
5.0 out of 5 stars The Summer We All Ran Away
This book took me to a place of nostalgia. The characters, the description, the plot - all imaginative and alive. Cassandra writes like a poet. Read more
Published 11 days ago by mango
4.0 out of 5 stars Woman's World Review - Put the novel on your to-do list
As the author's husband, my review would probably be seen as biased - so instead, here's a review from Woman's World:

Cassandra Parkin took past and present and blended... Read more
Published 17 days ago by A. Parkin
5.0 out of 5 stars A wonderful debut novel
I read this book on the beach this summer and found it totally absorbing, drawing me in to its enchanting and sinister world. Read more
Published 27 days ago by katsadia
5.0 out of 5 stars Couldn't put it down
A really lovely book, with brilliant characters and thoroughly involving. Couldn't stop thinking about it after I'd finished. Can't wait for more novels from this author.
Published 1 month ago by D May
5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant
This is an outstanding debut novel from Cassandra Parkin. The book cleverly weaves together a series of stories over several decades, with an abandoned house in Cornwall at the... Read more
Published 1 month ago by Fearnside
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