Invincible Summer - Hardcover

Alice Adams

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1509814701 ISBN 13: 9781509814701

Publisher: Picador, 2016

Synopsis

Four friends. Twenty years. One unexpected journey.

Eva, Benedict, Sylvie and Lucien graduate in 1998, into a world on the brink of the new millennium. Hopelessly in love with playboy Lucien and keen to shrug off the socialist politics of her childhood, Eva breaks away to work at a big bank. Benedict, a budding scientist who's pined for Eva for years, stays on to do a physics PhD, and siblings Sylvie and Lucien pursue more freewheeling existences--she as an aspiring artist and he as a club promoter and professional partier. But as their dizzying twenties become their thirties, the once close-knit friends, now scattered and struggling to navigate thwarted dreams, lost jobs and broken hearts, find themselves drawn together once again in stunning and unexpected ways. Breathtaking in scope, this is sure to be the book of the summer.

About this title

About the Author

Alice Adams studied philosophy in Bristol and creative writing in Manchester and now lives in London, though escapes into the wilderness as often as possible. She has done a variety of jobs from waitressing to a stint as an analyst in the City. Invincible Summer is her first novel.

Review

Invincible Summer goes down as smoothly as the steady flow of wine knocked back by its disarming characters as they make their way not only into adulthood but through the last two decades of financial boom and bust, London's rave scene, and the Higgs boson particle. Be forewarned, though: it packs a punch. Alice Adams has important things to say about our times and the meaning of family. -- Anne Korkeakivi A sophisticated yet fun novel about four friends venturing into adulthood, Alice Adams does a magnificent job of describing the way life's heartbreaks and ecstasies unfold over the course of twenty years. -- Elin Hilderbrand Invincible Summer is a novel that will have you running for the phone to call your old friends and reconnect. Alice Adams is a beautiful storyteller. She deftly weaves the ties that bind four friends over the course of their youth and into middle age with powerful threads of emotion. With a keen eye and an open heart, you root for Eva, Sylvie, Lucien and Benedict, who make their way in the world as we all do, succeeding and failing, but holding on with high hopes. I loved the world of this book, and how Ms. Adams wrote the passing of time through her characters with delicacy and truth. -- Adriana Trigiani Like life, this breezy, charming novel about four college friends deepens and darkens as it moves through the years, presenting its characters with challenges and choices that test them in ways their younger selves couldn't imagine. Invincible Summer is the story of what happens when things get real. -- Tom Perrotta A grown-up coming of age story, full of wisdom and wit and impossible to put down. -- Hannah Kohler A sweet toast to enduring friendship. * Elle * Fun and memorable . . . the characters are such good company. * Publishers Weekly * Adams's enthralling debut novel is an insightful look at how time affects friendships, what happens when one friend falls in love and how, even across the years and significant lifestyle differences, friends can rally round in times of extreme hardship . . . all four characters are engaging and relatable. Eloquent and gripping, this is an immersive, easy read . . . Ideal holiday reading. * The Lady * There is an enjoyable effervescence as she chronicles the quartet's peaks and troughs through romantic encounters, broken dreams, joy, grief, reunion and the boundless quirks of fate. * Sunday Herald * Often moving and always engaging, it's a great holiday read. * Heat * Brilliant . . . If you loved David Nicholls' One Day, this uplifting novel is the perfect weekend read. * Essentials * I really enjoyed it . . . Adams interweaves the four tales with skill, stamina and poetic sensitivity. A great read. * Daily Mail * This debut novel is set to be a summer smash . . . Invincible Summer isn't a million miles away from One Day or The Versions of Us, so it makes for compelling reading. * Red * Irresistible. * Woman * Moving . . . bittersweet and compassionate . . . Like your favourite Austen novel, Invincible Summer reconciles the cultural reality of an era with the personal lives of its characters. * Washington Post * Irresistible . . . A crackerjack storyteller who deeply inhabits her characters - deploying pitch-perfect dialogue to poignant and hilarious effect - Adams uses the conventions of the form to examine larger ideas about class and commerce, art and science, friendship and family at the time of the most recent fin de siecle . . . charming. * New York Times *

Edition details

• Publisher: Picador
• Publication date: 2016
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1509814701
• ISBN 13: 9781509814701
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 308