I received this ARC through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review!

Ive posted a full review on Goodreads, I'm looking forward to reading more from this author

Clearly less enticing than The Last Unicorn, Summerlong felt like too slow a read and somewhat too inconsequential. The prose is still good, it's still recognizable as Beagle's, warm and whimsical. The story is nice but feels unrewarding.

As much as Peter S. Beagle writes beautiful prose I don’t seem to find myself connected to the actual story or characters myself. I think this book has a lot to offer but to a different reader.

This is the first of Peter S. Beagle's works that I've read - I should get to The Last Unicorn at some point soon.
SUMMERLONG is a brilliantly written, engaging fantasy. The characters are well-drawn, engaging, and it's great to spend time with them. It's a novel about friendships and the connections between people.

Recommended.

There was much to enjoy here, but I found I couldn't connect with it. I'd read more from this author in the future though.

I had a hard time getting through this one. I still think about it a lot though. Usually that's the mark of a good book, I just couldn't get through it at the time.

Peter S. Beagle's retelling of the Persephone myth is good, but not great. I read it because I am willing to put some work into a Beagle novel, and the payoff was pretty good, but this isn't a book that can change the way one looks at the world, as A Fine and Private Place was.

Readers who enjoy complex characters and the slow puzzle of uncovering what is really happening will enjoy Summerlong. The book remembers that magic is mysterious. Those who prefer their fantasy more overt and their books to have more action would probably prefer something else.

Summerlong takes place on a Puget Sound island where Abe, a retired professor, lives. He has a 20 year relationship with Joanna Delvecchio, an airline stewardess, although the two have not married. The book begins when they meet a beautiful waitress who reminds Abe of Primavera, a painting by Botticelli of a girl meant to represent Spring. The waitress, Lioness Lazos, has been living in the back of the dinner so Joanna invites her to stay in Abe’s garage.

Even though Lioness claims, “I haven’t any magic, nor any secrets,” strange things happen around her. Everyone is always nice to her and Joanna’s daughter, who is gay, falls in love with her on sight. The island is experiencing a microclimate of unusually good weather and Lioness teachers neighboring children how to draw flowers from the Earth. By this point, readers who know their mythology have figured out Lioness’ true identity, especially once her older husband shows up. But the book does not explicitly state this truth, naturally it is Abe who deduces it, until about three-fourths of the way through.

Still, the book’s focus is on relationships and character growth. Abe discovers his musical talents and begins to play harmonica for a local band while Joanna fulfils her longing to kayak (even though she cannot swim). The presence of Lioness also tests her relationships with Abe and with her daughter. This emphasis on character growth is especially interesting since these are older characters frequently ignored by fantasy except as mentors/trainers of the younger generation.

As always, Peter Beagle is an excellent writer, a master of his craft, even with a story lacking in action and magical pyrotechnics. Readers willing to accept a slower paced, character-oriented story will find much here to savor.

A story of Summer that was too quickly gone. This was a memory dipped in nostalgia and spun in to words. TI was beautiful and created a sense of longing once gone.

"Beloved author Peter S. Beagle (The Last Unicorn) returns with this long-anticipated new novel, a beautifully bittersweet tale of passion, enchantment, and the nature of fate.

It was a typically unpleasant Puget Sound winter before the arrival of Lioness Lazos. An enigmatic young waitress with strange abilities, when the lovely Lioness comes to Gardner Island even the weather takes notice.

As an impossibly beautiful spring leads into a perfect summer, Lioness is drawn to a complicated family. She is taken in by two disenchanted lovers—dynamic Joanna Delvecchio and scholarly Abe Aronson — visited by Joanna’s previously unlucky-in-love daughter, Lily. With Lioness in their lives, they are suddenly compelled to explore their deepest dreams and desires.

Lioness grows more captivating as the days grow longer. Her new family thrives, even as they may be growing apart. But lingering in Lioness’s past is a dark secret — and even summer days must pass."

Firstly, that cover! Secondly, it's Peter S. Beagle people!

2.5/5 stars

Almost gave this book 3 stars out of nostalgia sake but I couldn't justify it. The Last Unicorn was a favorite book of mine and the writing style of Beagle was very much lovely as per usual but I was just disappointed. The mythology was really cool and interesting concept but my expectations were just too high

Peter Beagle has done it again! He has taken an ordinary couple, not married, but a long-time relationship and tossed in a supernatural element and then played out the resulting confusion. The element in this case is a mysterious new waitress, Lioness Lazos, who Abe invites to live in his garage. His lady, Joanna, is as intrigued as Abe, but Lily is truly smitten. Little things such as changes in weather, strange behavior among local children, mysterious ferry riders, and Abe joining a blues band as backup harmonica player culminate in a series of disasters that changed everyone's relationships before order of a sort is restored. A slow-paced fantasy that makes the reader think about what they hold dear without preaching.

Well-written and with vivid descriptions of the Pacific Northwest, but otherwise not especially great. It's like Woody Allen meets Greek mythology, in contemporary Seattle. (I do not like Woody Allen, so this isn't a compliment.)

The 2nd half was a lot better, and did much to redeem the whole. The MCs, an older couple, become much more interesting apart than together. I'm not sure if there is supposed to be a message there regarding long-term relationships, so I'm choosing to ignore that possibility.

I tried this book out last year, or perhaps even the year before, but there just wasn't that proper spark to connect me with this book in the way that I wanted.

I am a fan of The Last Unicorn and Peter S. Beagle. I own a copy of a few of his books and overall enjoy the style of Mr. Beagle. It's not my absolute favorite, but it certainly has a steady, experienced nature I appreciate.. When I saw Summerlong go live on NetGalley, I was excited to read a new tale, especially since it has an absolutely lovely cover and I wanted to experience some of the magic I'd known in The Last Unicorn.

But this just wasn't for me.

Why?

Well, the book starts out with and sticks with the perspective focusing on two adults that are far, far, far older than I am. I believe the man is in his 60s and the woman is in her 50's at least. My own parents are in their 50s and 60s, so you can imagine there was instantly a shut off in my brain at being able to relate to these characters at all (I'm in my early twenties). Even in third-person, Beagle focuses very heavily on how they see the story. I would have preferred the daughter (Lily?) or Lioness to have had the main focus, since I could have related to their perspectives far more. Trying to get into a tale that constantly reminds me that these two characters have the problems and complaints that my parents would get but that I can't just wasn't going well, so I quit at chapter 6.

Someday in the future I might try this book again, since I skimmed and saw some great stuff and know that Mr. Beagle can write quite a good tale, but I don't think at any time in my 20s will I quite be able to relate to the story in the way it's written due to the prospective focusing on people so unlike me. That said, I didn't think this book bad, but I do feel it's better suited to an older audience who can better connect with the characters that tend to have their POV take precedent over the other characters.

My apologies - for some reason the file for this book did not download, and I did not realize until after it had archived. Thank you for the opportunity to read it - I'm sorry I missed it, and I'll look for it on Amazon. (Star rating is not reflective of any opinion, but only of the fact that Netgalley will not allow submission without)

I fell right in love with this book straight away, for the unconventional romance between Abe and Joanna. I loved that they didn't seem to be possessive, that they didn't live together 100% of the time, that they had differing interests. I loved the way Abe knew Joanna. I really wanted the story to be about the strength of their bond, unshaken because deep-rooted. I really did.

Spoiler: it's not. It's about the two of them being changed, deeply and irrevocably, by a man and a woman who might just be Hades and Persephone. (It's not much of a mystery, really, given how quickly the clues are given. I mean, as the reader you work it out quickly because you know Beagle's a fantasy writer; it wouldn't be obvious to the characters, by any means.) And that change includes their separation, seemingly also irrevocable. And I hated it. I've read that story with the young pretty girl who turns an old guy's head time and time again, and I didn't want to read it again. I wanted to read about two people who wouldn't let life shake them apart -- even when life or even a goddess tries to come between them.

So it's not really the book; it's definitely a matter of preference. And the strength of my reaction to the bond between Abe and Joanna shows how beautifully Beagle can write and observe his characters. It's all wonderfully written, I just wanted a different story.

As a huge fan of The Last Unicorn, I was so excited to receive a Galley of Beagle's newest work! The concept was intriguing and the execution was classic Beagle. Concise, lovely writing and an enjoyable story. However, this book fell a teensy bit flat for me. I couldn't get invested in Lioness, and I was surprised it took the family as long as it did to figure out who she was. Still, an enjoyable and engaging summer read.

Aventure, well written, exciting, good plot, loving characters, amazing worldbuilding.

The cover and the synopsis of this novel had me so intrigued and excited to read this, but the story did not deliver. It simply lacked any sort of interesting component. It was very boring the plot dragged on quite a bit. Overall, I rated this book 2/5 stars.

Peter S. Beagle can spin a fantastic, beautiful phrase, and I'm looking forward to reading more of his work. However, Summerlong didn't do it for me. I feel like I might have approached this book differently had I know about the mythological twist that reveals itself in the last third of the book, because without having known it, I felt that the fantastic elements of it led to a disconnect between the story that I had become familiar with and the story it ended up being. I don't recall reading anywhere about the ties to Greek mythology, so it was definitely a wait, what?? sort of moment. I think my lack of enjoyment of the story is completely on me, because I was expecting something more fantasy driven than the contemporary character driven story it is. I felt like I didn't relate to any of the characters, and it took a long time for me to get through a relatively short novel. If you enjoy stories about coming to life, as it were, after the summer of your life has passed, I think you'll find this novel right up your alley!