Summer of Love by Kerri Maher

 Book Excerpt:

"It's the summer of 1967, and the counterculture revolution is in full swing in San Francisco. Every street is alive with the music of Jim Morrison and Dionne Warwick, and in view of the Golden Gate Bridge, young people come together, waving anti-war signs and shouting for equal rights. No one is more attuned to messages of love and peace than Winnie Hartley, who has just graduated from UC Berkeley and is determined to use poetry to capture the ever-shifting world around her. When she reconnects with her high school boyfriend, an aspiring musician, their creative bond further fuels her work, and it feels like her life is finally taking off.

Meanwhile, miles up the winding coast, her sister Miranda stays close to home, throwing herself into running the family business, Hartley Vineyard. She's determined to make California wine that rivals the French. But change is in the air this wild and heady summer, and each sister will make choices that set their lives hurdling down paths neither would have imagined.

Fifty years later, Dawn Hartley stays as far as possible from her family's famous vineyard, until a work assignment requires her to research the bestselling Vineland novels penned by a famously anonymous author. Determined to discover the identity of this mysterious writer—who seems to know things no one should about her family—Dawn embarks on a soul-searching journey along the windswept coast of California to uncover her family's secrets even as she's keeping a big one of her own."

Title:  Summer of Love

Author:  Kerri Maher

Publisher:  Berkley

Reviewed By:  Arlena Dean

Rating: Five

Review:

"Summer of Love" by Kerri Maher

My Review:

'Summer of Love' is a well-written and emotionally engaging novel. It addresses important topics such as relationships, alcohol, and recovery through the experiences of two sisters, Winnie and Miranda, their mother, and a niece [Dawn]. The Northern California vineyard setting is also particularly enjoyable.

The story offers thoughtful themes that linger long after you finish the book.