Today I’m joining the blog tour for One Grand Summer. My review is written with thanks to Anne Cater for inviting me on the tour and to Orenda Books for my copy of the book.

Blurb:

Sixteen-year-old Frieder’s plans for the summer are shattered when he fails two subjects. In order to move up to the next school year in the Autumn, he must resit his exams. So, instead of going on holiday with his family, he now faces the daunting and boring prospect of staying at his grandparents’ house, studying with his strict and formal step-grandfather.

On the bright side, he’ll spend time with his grandmother Nana, his sister Alma and his best friend Johann. And he meets Beate, the girl in the beautiful green swimsuit…

The next few weeks will bring friendship, fear and first love – one grand summer that will change and shape his entire life.

Heartbreaking, poignant and warmly funny, One Grand Summer is an unforgettable, tender novel that captures those exquisite and painful moments that make us who we are.

For readers who loved Sarah Winman’s When God Was a Rabbit.

Review:

I absolutely loved Tasting Sunlight so I was looking forward to seeing how Ewald Arenz would follow it up and I think One Grand Summer is even better. Ewald Arenz is a phenomenal writer. His prose is exquisite and I love how easily I was drawn into this novel. The descriptions of the settings are bright and vivid and he describes the emotional elements of the novel so well. The atmosphere of the summer after finishing exams is one I remember well (even though it was a long time ago!) and this radiates through the pages. I must give credit to the translator for the way in which she has made sure that this beautiful language reaches the reader in all its glory.

One Grand Summer is narrated by Friedrich Büchner, and this gives the reader brilliantly clear insight into his character and the way he is feeling. I love the way Ewald Arenz paints Friedrich’s relationship with Beate and his wider group of friends and the way they support each other and bounce off each other. The development of his relationship with his grandparents, especially his grandfather was beautiful and I was mesmerised more and more by this as the story progressed.

Despite the young age of the central characters, they go through a lot of emotional issues throughout the course of the novel. Ewald Arenz explores the issues from different perspectives with the ultimate care and sensitivity and I finish One Grand Summer feeling quite emotional.

One Grand Summer is available from Amazon.

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