The Last Summer at Chelsea Beach

Title: The Last Summer at Chelsea Beach
Author: Pam Jenoff
Published: July 28, 2015 by Mira
Pages: 384
Source: Publisher at BEA
Rating: 4/5
Goodreads

Summer 1941  

Young Adelia Monteforte flees fascist Italy for America, where she is whisked away to the shore by her well-meaning aunt and uncle. Here, she meets and falls for Charlie Connally, the eldest of the four Irish-Catholic boys next door. But all hopes for a future together are soon throttled by the war and a tragedy that hits much closer to home. 

Grief-stricken, Addie flees—first to Washington and then to war-torn London—and finds a position at a prestigious newspaper, as well as a chance to redeem lost time, lost family…and lost love. But the past always nips at her heels, demanding to be reckoned with. And in a final, fateful choice, Addie discovers that the way home may be a path she never suspected.

My review:

This was my first Jenoff read, and she is a lovely writer! Her descriptions of the people and places in this novel were so real, it made you feel as if you were there. I loved the beginning story of Adelia, her time at the beach cottage and her comradery with the Connally boys. Her work during the war in Washington, and eventually London, was fascinating. The descriptions of the war and it's effect on everyday life and people was well documented. The only thing I didn't like was the romance aspect. Adelia drove me crazy with her desire to be with Charlie and her running away from the situation. I really didn't like her at all by the end of the story, and particularly thought the ending romance was really contrived.

While I was disappointed in the romance aspect of this book, it is still worth a read for the wonderful descriptions and lovely writing of Jenoff. I will definitely be looking out for her next book, she was a joy to read.