Last Summer Boys
Books | Fiction / Historical / General
4.5
Bill Rivers
In this rapturous coming-of-age debut, a naive-yet-determined Appalachian boy will go to any length to save his family over the course of one life-changing summer. "If you're famous, you don't have to go to war." Summer 1968. When thirteen-year-old Jack Elliot overhears the barbershop men grousing, he devises a secret plan to keep his oldest brother, Pete, from the draft. If famous boys don't go to war, he'll make his brother their small town's biggest celebrity. Jack gets unexpected help when his book-smart cousin Frankie arrives in their rural Pennsylvania town for the summer. Together, they convince Jack's brothers to lead an expedition to find a fighter jet that crashed many winters ago--the perfect adventure to make Pete a hero. But with a greedy developer determined to flood their valley, a beautiful girl occupying his middle brother's attentions, a wild motorcycle gang causing trouble in town, and a disturbed neighbor setting fires, Jack realizes it isn't just Pete who needs saving. Set during a single, tumultuous summer, this beautifully told tale is a heartwarming tribute to innocence, first love, and the unbreakable bond of brotherhood.
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More Details:
Author
Bill Rivers
Pages
286
Publisher
Amazon Publishing
Published Date
2022
ISBN
1662500319 9781662500312
Community ReviewsSee all
"This novel was a good one! I’ve been reading from many different authors lately and I honestly enjoyed this book a lot. I listened to the audio version, it was fantastic.
The story starts in the summer of 1968 when Jack picks up his cousin Frankie who came to visit from the city. During Frankie’s time visiting the small town in PA, he goes on adventures with Jack and his brothers, all of them have an amazing relationship and a summer to forever remember.
Jack is aware of the war in Vietnam, and with his brother approaching his 18th birthday, Jack becomes worried about his brother’s safety. One day Jack overheard someone talking about famous guys not going to war and that statement gave him the idea to make his big brother famous at any cost so that he wouldn’t have to fight in the war.
The book talks about other problems happening in Jack’s household. The author did an amazing job keeping interesting until the very end. Each character has their own unique way of stealing your heart, even the community how they show support for Jack’s family when they needed it the most.
The ending was good, I can’t complain. At the end of the book, Frankie returns back home to the city."
Katherine Esther