BOOK SPOTLIGHT: A Summer of Good-Byes by Fred Misurella

SYNOPSIS:

PASSION IN PROVENCE: 
Ben and Lee Alto follow Van Gogh’s 19th century path to Provence, hoping to find inspiration for their own lives and give their son, Misha, some insight into a world completely different from their own. They find art, of course, and a world of beautiful landscapes, warm temperatures, and, yes, wonderful food. But they also find a ghost of their past, and it’s not Vincent Van Gogh but a woman Ben once loved and a man, Zach, a well-known jazz musician, who teach them some hard lessons about art and life, as well as the art of life. 

A SUMMER OF GOOD-BYES resonates with the warmth of France’s southern sun, famous artists, and violent conflicts. It’s a vital, romantic story filled with the tensions of love and marriage, sexual longing and family loyalty, and the struggle to live in the face of impending death and loss.

AUTHOR BIO:

Fred Misurella has worked as a journalist in New York and Paris. He has published Arrangement in Black and White, a novel, Only Sons, a novel, Lies to Live By: Stories; Short Time, a novella; and Understanding Milan Kundera: Public Events, Private Affairs, a critical study of Kundera's work. He has published critical reviews and essays in a wide variety of newspapers and magazines, including The New York Times Book Review, The Village Voice, and The Christian Science Monitor. He is a Fulbright scholar, a graduate of the University of Iowa Writers Workshop, and book review editor for VIA. He lives in Pennsylvania with his wife and two children.

MY REVIEW:

A Summer of Good-Byes by Fred Misurella
Starts out with other works by the author and acknowledgements.
Many different scenes while the adults have relationships with each other and others.
Most dramatic one for me was 9/11 as I was not near NY but watched it live on tv after a golf game.
So heartbreaking to hear how it effected the family that day.
Love all the travel especially abroad as I will probably never get to experience it in my lifetime.
Kind of confusing they go back to other relationships at times you are unsure who is really there and at what stage of their lives.
Story does go back in time to when they first met and i found it interesting to learn of adoption proceedings from other countries.
Thought US had enough babies for adoption to go around.
Liked learning more about the art world and mystery surrounding the unsigned painting in the caves.
Glimpses of Grimm and Leonard Cohen, precious hidden treasures for me. Like how this story ends after so much sadness, love, heartache and pure joy at times.
I received this review copy from the author and this is my honest opinion.