MJCCA Book Fest Presents Jennifer Weiner in conversation with Holly Firfer– The Summer Place
From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of “That Summer” comes another heartfelt and unputdownable novel of family, secrets, and the ties that bind.
The Marcus Jewish Community Center of Atlanta welcomes author Jennifer Weiner for a discussion of her latest book, “The Summer Place,” on Sunday, May 15, at 7 PM. Weiner will appear in conversation with Holly Firfer, Director of Programming, REACH-TV.
Tickets are $10 for MJCCA members and $15 for non-members, or you may purchase a ticket bundle, which includes a hardcover copy of “The Summer Place.” For $36. A Cappella will have copies of the book for purchase at the venue.
Masks are optional.
About the Book
When her twenty-two-year-old stepdaughter announces her engagement to her pandemic boyfriend, Sarah Danhauser is shocked. But the wheels are in motion. Headstrong Ruby has already set a date (just three months away!) and spoken to her beloved safta, Sarah’s mother Veronica, about having the wedding at the family’s beach house in Cape Cod. Sarah might be worried, but Veronica is thrilled to be bringing the family together one last time before putting the big house on the market.
But the road to a wedding day usually comes with a few bumps. Ruby has always known exactly what she wants, but as the wedding date approaches, she finds herself grappling with the wounds left by the mother who walked out when she was a baby. Veronica ends up facing unexpected news, thanks to her meddling sister, and must revisit the choices she made long ago, when she was a bestselling novelist with a different life. Sarah’s twin brother, Sam, is recovering from a terrible loss, and confronting big questions about who he is—questions he hopes to resolve during his stay on the Cape. Sarah’s husband, Eli, who’s been inexplicably distant during the pandemic, confronts the consequences of a long ago lapse from his typical good-guy behavior. And Sarah, frustrated by her husband, concerned about her stepdaughter, and worn out by challenges of life during quarantine, faces the alluring reappearance of someone from her past and a life that could have been.
When the wedding day arrives, lovers are revealed as their true selves, misunderstandings take on a life of their own, and secrets come to light. There are confrontations and revelations that will touch each member of the extended family, ensuring that nothing will ever be the same.
From “the undisputed boss of the beach read” (The New York Times), “The Summer Place” is a testament to family in all its messy glory; a story about what we sacrifice and how we forgive. Enthralling, witty, big-hearted, and sharply observed, this is Jennifer Weiner’s love letter to the Outer Cape and the power of home, the way our lives are enriched by the people we call family, and the endless ways love can surprise us.
About the Author
Jennifer Weiner is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of eighteen books, including “Big Summer,” “Mrs. Everything,” “Good in Bed,” and an essay collection, “Hungry Heart: Adventures in Life, Love, and Writing.” A graduate of Princeton University and a frequent contributor to the New York Times Opinion section, Jennifer lives with her family in Philadelphia.
