One Summer in Savannah, Terah Shelton Harris
One Summer in Savannah, Terah Shelton Harris
1 Rating(s)
List: $24.99 | Sale: $17.50
Club: $12.49

One Summer in Savannah
A Novel

Author: Terah Shelton Harris

Narrator: Zuzu Robinson

Unabridged: 13 hr 12 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Tantor Media

Published: 07/04/2023


Synopsis

A compelling debut that glows with bittersweet heart and touching emotion, deeply interrogating questions of family, redemption, and unconditional love in the sweltering summer heat of Savannah, as two people discover what it means to truly forgive.

It's been eight years since Sara Lancaster left her home in Savannah, Georgia. Eight years since her daughter, Alana, came into this world, following a terrifying sexual assault that left deep emotional wounds Sara would do anything to forget. But when Sara's father falls ill, she's forced to return home and face the ghosts of her past.

While caring for her father and running his bookstore, Sara is desperate to protect her curious, outgoing, genius daughter from the Wylers, the family of the man who assaulted her. Sara thinks she can succeed—her attacker is in prison, his identical twin brother, Jacob, left town years ago, and their mother are all unaware Alana exists. But she soon learns that Jacob has also just returned to Savannah to piece together the fragments of his once-great family. And when their two worlds collide—with the type of force Sara explores in her poetry and Jacob in his astrophysics—they are drawn together in unexpected ways.

About Terah Shelton Harris

Terah Shelton Harris is a former librarian and freelance writer, who now writes upmarket Southern fiction with bittersweet endings. As a freelance writer, her work has appeared in consumer and trade magazines, including Catapult, Women's Health, Every Day with Rachael Ray, and more. She is also the author of One Summer in Savannah, a Target Book Club pick, LibraryReads selection, Together We Read pick, and Goodreads Choice Awards nominee for Best Debut.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Diana on June 21, 2023

3.75 Stars → Though beautifully written, this was a tough book to read, as it tackles some heavy subject matter. Given the circumstances, I think you need to suspend disbelief in order to appreciate the story’s message of forgiveness. The main character Sara was sexually assaulted at 18, and she gives......more

Goodreads review by Maren’s Reads on September 21, 2023

I abhor having to review books I loved. Where do I even begin? Messy. Heart-wrenching. Dazzling. Thought provoking. Powerful. And Poignant. As soon as I finished this breathtaking debut, I knew immediately it would be in my favorites of 2023. Easily one of the most beautiful books I have ever read,......more

Goodreads review by Lisa on June 06, 2023

I almost DNFd this book at 30%, but made an effort to see it through. Awkward writing, unconvincing plot points (such as the main character falling in love with the identical twin brother of the man who raped her), and strange character elements (like the main character's father only speaking in lin......more

Goodreads review by Karen on August 13, 2024

Soft. Sensitive. Hard issues to overcome with a strong momentum towards forgiveness. This is that story. We meet the characters… Sara, the mother. For what happened to her, and what she must overcome. Alana her brilliant and precious 8-year-old daughter. Jacob and the guilt of family association. Hos......more

Goodreads review by Katherine on May 31, 2023

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC. This book was well-written, and moved briskly. As far as the plot, I cannot understand why a story about forgiveness requires a rape victim to fall in love with the rapist's twin brother, AFTER having the rapist's child. Boy that's a lot of forgiveness. Or just tortur......more