In today's world, we know how important an individual's upbringing and early childhood experiences can be in shaping a person. This story really highlights how a person, family, friendships, and community can all be impacted by events and choices, with the effects lasting for generations. Secrets and intrigue abound in this dramatic story!

Keeping with the summer theme, I read The Myth of Perpetual Summer during my vacation. Originally from the South, I always enjoy reading books set there and this one was no exception. I was drawn to it because it is set in Mississippi where my mother’s family is from.

Tallulah James is living in San Francisco in the 1970s, thinking she has left behind her past in small-town Mississippi. She returns, however, when her youngest brother is accused of murder. Tallulah’s tumultuous coming-of-age story is told in flashbacks to her childhood in the late 1950s-1960s. She comes from a prominent but dysfunctional family with family secrets. Her father is an alcoholic professor with mental illness, and her mother is an absentee mother who is more interested in fighting social issues for others than she is her own family. She never wanted children and as a result, ignores all four of them. Tallulah’s rock is her older brother, Griff, and her paternal grandmother also provides some stability for her. Her grandmother, though, is continually trying to preserve the family image and preaches things are not to be spoken of outside the family, leaving a lot of questions for Tallulah. As she grows up, Tallulah finds avoiding the chaos of her father’s ever-changing moods and protecting her younger siblings, while also preserving her family’s reputation when talk around town ridicules them. She also thinks that if she can just do more or be more, her mother, Margo, will notice her and love her. When she returns home, she enlists the help of Griff’s best friend from high school, Ross, who is now a lawyer.

I love the way Susan Crandall writes. She has a talent with words and a great descriptive writing style. She’s developed intricate family relationships with realistically portrayed and compelling characters. Although this family was highly dysfunctional, there was a lot of love, too. You’ll fall in love with Tallulah as she navigates her life, struggling through the highs and lows, searching for her life’s meaning, and emerging as a strong female. I also learned that Susan is from Indiana which is a plus, and I look forward to reading more of her books.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced readers copy for my honest review.

Susan Crandall's The Myth of Perpetual Summer follows the James family - a family that has fallen from grace in their small Southern town during the civil rights era. The story is told from the point of view of young Tallulah as she and her siblings learn to cope with a father who has an undiagnosed condition (bipolar) that the family has been taught to never discuss and a mother who has no interest in raising the four children she bore. The long term impacts of these relationships is revisited in Tallulah's mid-20s when she returns to the South because one of her brothers is in trouble. Well written and compelling, Crandall depicts the many ways people cope with secrets, lack of security and safety, and the deep need for familial love.

Thanks to NetGalley for the free e-ARC. I'm pleased to provide an honest review in turn.

I was given the opportunity to read The Myth of Perpetual Summer via NetGalley and Bookish First. I was under no obligation to review this book and my opinion is freely given.

Readers are treated to the fully imagined world of Tallulah James, a teenager in Mississippi during the civil rights movement of the 1960's. Tallulah and her older brother Griff, due to their mostly absent and completely dysfunctional parents, are helping to raise their twin siblings. With their grandmother taking up the slack, they manage to keep the family intact. When tragedy strikes, Tallulah ends up leaving the only home she has ever known. Years later, after her 19 year old brother Walden is accused of a crime, will Tallulah go home to Mississippi and face her past? Will unresolved feelings cause trouble for Tallulah or give her peace?

This well imagined story has a great premise and fully developed characters. Tallulah's narration of her life reminds me of The Secret Life of Bees, but The Myth of Perpetual Summer is original in every way. I can picture Tallulah in her small Mississippi town, hoping for a better future, but just trying to survive the present. The transition of Tallulah from being part of a family to being a solitary entity was abrupt and was not entirely explained. I also wish that the author had given readers a better view of Tallulah's life in California and her reasons for being so guarded. The Myth of Perpetual Summer falls just short of the 5 star mark because of the aforementioned shortcomings, but the rating system will not allow for half stars. Despite these two small hiccups in regards to the plot, the novel is a wonderful read and one that I would heartily recommend.

S. Crandall is a master at family problems or dysfunction. This book was really good I read until my eyes about fell out, slept and woke early to finish it. It was that good. I loved it and have told all my friends about it. I can’t wait for them to read it so we can talk about it. You won’t be disappointed by this book!

I really loved this author’s book before this, Whistling Past the Graveyard. If you liked that book and you also liked The Secret Life of Bees you will like this book. A young girl coming of age during a very turbulent time period finds out that even though family should be everything, it doesn’t really work that way. Things happen, secrets are kept, parents aren’t the heroes little kids think they are, there are just some things that can’t be fixed. The characters are real, the feelings are real. You truly want everything to get better and you know it won’t. The absolute only complaint I had with this book was that it took forever to get to the root of it all and then the ending is all wrapped up in a few pages.

I loved The Myth of Perpetual Summer because it was more than an enjoyable read. The author describes mental illness and the effects of a tumultuous childhood in a way that made me think she had experienced them herself. This was my first time reading Susan Crandall, and I will definitely be picking up some of her other books.

Tallulah James unconventional childhood is made up of the stuff that would send most of us into years of therapy. The James children, Tallulah, Griff, Walden and Dharma, are “free range”, not because of a parenting philosophy, but due to the cavalier attitude of their mother and mental illness plaguing their father. The guidance the children receive from their grandmother may be their saving grace, but family secrets and small town gossip are hard to overcome with genteel southern tradition as your only weapon.
Set in the tumultuous 60’s and 70’s amid war protests and the civil rights movement, Crandall uses skillful storytelling and beautiful prose to unfold the stories of Tallulah’s childhood, and her return home as an adult drawn back by a new family tragedy. The Myth of Perpetual Summer will make you ache and root for the James family as they ultimately try to find the balance to both overcome and embrace their family legacy.

Do I Recommend this book? Stay faaaaaar away

Notes and Opinions: I just forced myself to read this book. I didn't like or connect with any of the characters and the way the plot was going, it just didn't match the synopsis. From the way it sounded I expected Tallulah to be there for her family through and through but when trouble started she ran. Opposite of "She takes the responsibility of shielding her family’s reputation and raising her younger twin siblings onto her youthful shoulders." It was hard to get through.

This is the first of Susan Crandall‘s books that I have read and it won’t be the last. I loved the setting and characters as well as the well-developed arc of the story.

Being from the south she also reminded me of the niceties and expectations (as well as the not-so-niceties) that I left behind when I moved to the PNW. She truly captured the essence of small-town life and how family reputation and history matter greatly.

This story took place in two time periods and both stories were tied together nicely and kept me engrossed.

Very good book.
Thankful for the opportunity to get to read this book.
It is a book set in the 1960-1970’s about the dysfunction and secrets of a family. I liked the characters and the storyline. I think many people today can connect with some of the dysfunction of this family. Interesting read.

A great coming of age story set in Mississippi. Very well developed characters. An interesting read for book clubs and discussion !

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review and I thank them for that.

Secrets, secrets, secrets...everywhere Tallulah James turns in her dysfunctional household there are secrets and they are about to rip her entire family apart. Set in the 1960s and 70s, the novel slowly peels back the facade of a once respected Southern family and the social mores of the time. The novel opens as the adult Tallulah, now living in California, sees her younger brother splashed across the nightly news when he is accused of a high profile murder. Despite her fear and loathing at the thought of returning to her Mississippi hometown, she cannot let her baby brother face this alone. Once back, Tallulah finds herself mired down in the secrets and betrayals that are just as sticky and cloying as the hot Southern nights. Determined to dig until she finds the truth and what really motivated those around her to act as they did, Tallulah’s thoughts take her and the reader back to her troubled childhood when she carried the unspoken burden of the mental illness that plagued her family that went unaddressed for generations. With a nod to Forrest Gump, major historical events are interspersed throughout the novel and help to set the scenes. The characters are rich and well fleshed out, especially that of Granny. Any reader who has a southern aunt or grandmother in her 70s or 80s will appreciate what motivated this lovely lady as well as her sage pieces of advice. Readers will also appreciate and love the strong male figures Griff and Ross who are such a huge part of what makes up Tallulah’s happier times. Although the ending seemed a bit rushed to me, this southern gothic is a great summer read with a lot of heart and nostalgia.
I have been a fan of the author, Susan Crandall after I stumbled across Whistling Past the Graveyard by accident a summer or two ago and I am now a bigger fan after reading The Myth of Perpetual Summer.

I really enjoyed reading this beautiful and compelling coming of age story set in Mississippi in the 1960s and 1970s.
Tallullah James is the middle child in a dysfunctional family shattered by mental illness and heartbreaking secrets.
The writing is exquisite and haunting and has a little bit of everything: mystery, adventure, deception, romance. The characters are authentic, likable and beautifully developed.
At the end of the day, there really is no place like home. ❤️

Thank you NetGalley for providing a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I love Susan Crandall's writing style. She has great, developed characters and interesting story lines. I love that this was written in a town that always has something to talk about. Coming from a place where everyone knows your business, the story hit close to home. I love that she had a close relationship with her grandmother. I loved the time frame of this story (60s and 70s). Tallulah has a close relationship with her brother and complicated relationships with her parents.

There is a lot of talking about family secrets and mental illnesses. The book will keep you flipping the pages until the very end.

I was drawn into this story from the very first chapters!

Tallulah James kneels in front of her TV and sees a mug shot. The mug shot of her brother that she has not seen in several years. They say he is a killer, but she just can’t believe that would be true. Tallulah drops everything and takes emergency time off from work and returns home. She is heading back to Lamoyne, Mississippi, the town she was born and raised in. It has been nine years since she has stepped foot in Lamoyne. It is a town and time that she would just prefer to forget, but she can’t, her brother needs her. That’s it, I’m sold!

This is a coming-of-age story told from the perspective of Tallulah in dual time periods, 1972 and 1950’s/60’s. She has one older brother Griff and twin younger siblings Walden and Dharma. Their parents had a very hands-off approach in raising children. They wanted them to find their own boundaries and learn from experience. Generally speaking this is not an ideal way to raise children. To make matters worse, there were deeply hidden family secrets that Tallulah wanted to understand. Why did the town people whisper about her family? She researched and asked questions, but the secrets remained buried.

My heart went out to Tallulah. She was essentially mom and dad to her siblings. I could actually relate to her on some level. She was the fixer, she thought if she could just pick up the mess her parents created or do something special it would make everything OK. She put a lot of pressure on herself, but lacked the understanding of why things were the way they were. She alone could not fix it!

I enjoyed reading the present day (1972) storyline to find out what happened to the Jones family. I felt like I was with Tallulah on her journey back home and hoped that her brothers and sister would come out stronger on the other side after a less than stellar upbringing.

This book is a beautifully written story! It is an emotional journey through the past in hope of a better future!

4.5 *s. I love a good Southern dysfunctional family tale and this novel fits. After fleeing a difficult childhood to live her adult life in California, Tallulah returns to the south when her brother has been put in jail. Tallulah is forced to address her past and finds more secrets revealed. This is a well written story with great characters.

What a great story! At times suspenseful and other times sweet, I enjoyed this one and would like to read more by this author.

I had my doubts about 20% in on this one and almost quit. The writing is thick with Southern expressions and they almost got to be too much. I also couldn't figure out where THE storyline was in the jumble of storylines. But, in the end, I'm glad I stuck with it! This family's dysfunction is not easy to figure out at first. As a reader I was trying to find "the problem" but there are several. Dad Drayton is a college professor with undiagnosed bipolar disorder and Mom Margo is consumed with the social upheavals of the time. She is constantly attending meetings and protests while being generally absent from parenting--leaving her four children in the care of her mother-in-law. Daughter Tallulah resents having to care for her younger twin siblings, Dharma and Walden, while her older brother Griff has more freedoms. The story opens with adult Tallulah learning that Walden has been arrested and her emotional return to Mississippi after years away. As she confronts her grandmother and demands answers for long buried secrets and decisions, the family's story is teased out. There is not a single incident that led to the scattering of this family, but a compilation of serious problems that sent everyone spinning into their own orbits. I would recommend this to anyone who liked The Divine Secrets of the Ya Ya Sisterhood and Fried Green Tomatoes, just as both of those are thought of as "Southern chick lit", anyone who has read them (or seen the movies) knows they deal with large and heavy issues in both terrible and touching ways.

I do love southern literature, and this was a fine example. In short, the story is of a complex and dysfunctional family with complications from mental illness, a desire to hide weakness, inept parenting, the cruelty of judgmental people, and a confusing family history. As Tallulah comes of age, she bears responsibility for many of these problems with her family at much too young an age.

The book is set in Mississippi among the difficulties of the fight for civil rights and the Vietnam war. It is difficult to review this book without giving too much information, but it is completely absorbing, quite upsetting, and yet always filled with a bit of hope. I couldn't put it down and highly recommend it.

This book was provided by NetGalley in return for an honest review.