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Summer of '76
- Narrated by: Joe Jameson
- Length: 9 hrs and 36 mins
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Summer of '76
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Summary
It's the start of one of the hottest summers on record with weeks without rain; the summer of Abba, T-Rex and David Bowie; of the Notting Hill riots and when Big Ben stopped dead.
Luke Wolff is about to turn 18 and is set to enjoy his last summer at home on the Isle of Wight before leaving for college. His job at a holiday camp promises new friendships and romance. But with the heat and open windows, secrets become harder to hide and his parents' seemingly ordered lives become unstuck and the community is gripped by scandal.
Isabel Ashdown was born in London in 1970 and grew up on the south coast of England. She is the author of three novels, Glasshopper (London Evening Standard and Observer Best Books of the Year) Hurry Up and Wait (Amazon Top Customer Reads 2011), and Summer of '76 (out now). She is also winner of the Mail on Sunday Novel Competition 2008, judged by Fay Weldon and the late Sir John Mortimer. Isabel now lives in West Sussex with her husband, a carpenter, their two children and a border terrier called Charlie.
Critic reviews
“Isabel Ashdown writes with an incredibly perceptive style, her characters are well-rounded- at times amusing and at times intense... Just when you think you know what is going to happen, Ashdown subverts your expectations. The novel's denouement is a compelling whodunit, with twists and turns to grip until the very end, making Summer of '76 a great book for summer holiday reading.” (We Love This Book)
What listeners say about Summer of '76
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Shirley Moss
- 25-06-14
Luke warm for a hot summer
Any additional comments?
It’s the start of one of the hottest summers on record with soaring temperatures and weeks without rain; the summer of Abba, T-Rex, David Bowie and Demis Roussos; of Martinis, cheesecake and chicken chasseur; of the Montreal Olympics and the Notting Hill riots – the summer Big Ben stopped dead.
Luke Wolff is about to turn eighteen and is all set to enjoy his last few months at home on the Isle of Wight before leaving for college. Life is looking good; his job at a holiday camp promises new friendships, even the possibility of romance, and his parents are too preoccupied with their own problems to worry much about their son’s growing independence.
But with windows and doors constantly open and life increasingly lived outside, secrets become hard to hide. As Luke listens in, his parents’ seemingly ordered existence comes unstuck. Soon the community is gripped by scandal, and everything Luke thought he knew about friendship and family is turned on its head.
Winner of the Mail on Sunday Novel Competition, Isabel Ashdown once again unravels the complexity of her characters’ lives – and reveals what really lies beneath the surface.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall1 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story1 out of 5 stars
- Maguthie
- 03-04-14
Disappointing
What could have made this a 4 or 5-star listening experience for you?
Being better written. I thought this was very poor, I gave up for a while as it was so tedious but finished it in the end.
What will your next listen be?
Not sure yet, but maybe something like an Orange prize winner or on the short list
What did you like about the performance? What did you dislike?
I thought the reader did a good job considering poor material he had to work with but it was dull, dull ,dull.
You didn’t love this book--but did it have any redeeming qualities?
Despite the tedium of listening to it I did have a strong visual image of all the characters and the encironment. With a better writer it could have been ok.
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1 person found this helpful