GIVEAWAY & REVIEW: The Gypsy Moth Summer: A Novel by Julia Fierro

(Thank you to the publisher and TLC Book Tours for providing me with a copy of this book!)

about books:

It is the summer of 1992 and a gypsy moth invasion blankets Avalon Island. Ravenous caterpillars disrupt early summer serenity on Avalon, an islet off the coast of Long Island–dropping onto novels left open on picnic blankets, crawling across the T-shirts of children playing games of tag and capture the flag in the island’s leafy woods. The caterpillars become a relentless topic of island conversation and the inescapable soundtrack of the season.

It is also the summer Leslie Day Marshall–only daughter of Avalon’s most prominent family–returns with her husband, a botanist, and their children to live in “The Castle,” the island’s grandest estate. Leslie’s husband Jules is African-American, and their children bi-racial, and islanders from both sides of the tracks form fast and dangerous opinions about the new arrivals.

Maddie Pencott LaRosa straddles those tracks: a teen queen with roots in the tony precincts of East Avalon and the crowded working class corner of West Avalon, home to Grudder Aviation factory, the island’s bread-and-butter and birthplace of generations of bombers and war machines. Maddie falls in love with Brooks, Leslie’s and Jules’ son, and that love feels as urgent to Maddie as the questions about the new and deadly cancers showing up across the island. Could Grudder Aviation, the pride of the island–and its patriarch, the Colonel–be to blame?

As the gypsy moths burst from cocoons in flocks that seem to eclipse the sun, Maddie’s and Brooks’ passion for each other grows and she begins planning a life for them off Avalon Island.

Vivid with young lovers, gangs of anxious outsiders; a plotting aged matriarch and her husband, a demented military patriarch; and a troubled young boy, each seeking his or her own refuge, escape and revenge, The Gypsy Moth Summer is about love, gaps in understanding, and the struggle to connect: within families; among friends; between neighbors and entire generations.

my thoughts:

I love the 90s and I love books that are set during that time decade.  So, I was super excited to read Fierro's latest novel, The Gypsy Moth Summer.  Unfortunately, the book did not work out for me.  As much as I wanted to love the story, I just didn't.  I found all of the moth referencing to be too much for too little - I get the point of including references, but I think it could have been toned done quite a bit.  As for the unlikeable characters - ugh! I couldn't stand them, which meant I didn't care to get to know them.  And to be honest, Fierro tackles way too many subjects and I just felt that it was a bit overloaded.  I found myself skimming through the book instead of reading it.  In the end, the book just wasn't my cup of tea.  Now, I don't want to deter anyone from reading the book, because there are so many bloggers who seem to LOVE the story.  So, definitely check out what they have to say. 
Here's the link to the TLC Book Tour schedule for: The Gypsy Moth Summer

And, don't forget to enter my giveaway for the chance to win a copy and experience the book for your self.  Good luck!!

GIVEAWAY:  Thanks to the publisher I am able to give away one (1) copy of this book! All you have to do to enter the giveaway is leave me a comment. Don't forget to include your email address - that way I can contact you, if you win the book.  Last date to enter is July 3rd.  US/Canada residents only. 

Thank you to the publisher and TLC Book Tours for providing me with a copy of this book!