Three Day Summer

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4.3 (1)

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Author(s)

Sarvenaz Tash

Publisher

Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers

Genre(s)

Age Range

13+

Release Date

May 19, 2015

ISBN

9781481439312

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Michael is unsure about most things. Go to college? Enlist in the military? Break up with his girlfriend? All big question marks. He is living for the moment and all he wants is a few days at the biggest concert of the summer. Cora lives in the town hosting the music festival. She's volunteering in the medical tent. She's like that, always the good girl. But there is something in the air at this concert and suddenly Cora finds herself wanting to push her own boundaries. When Michael and Cora meet, sparks fly, hearts race, and all the things songs are written about come true. And all the while, three days of the most epic summer await them...

Editor reviews

2 reviews

Take a Little Trip

February 17, 2021

Overall rating

4.7

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Michael doesn't know what he wants to do with his life. He should go to community college to avoid the draft, but he's not particularly keen on the idea. He has a girlfriend, Amanda, but she's kind of annoying and he'd like to break up with her. When his friend Evan talks him in to going to Woodstock with some friends, the group gets within walking distance before their car overheats. After they walk to Yasgur's farm, Evan breaks out some tabs of brown acid, and Michael has a bad trip. He ends up in the medical tent where Cora, who lives nearby, is volunteering. Cora has just broken up with Ned, who wants to be a doctor. Ned was the perfect boyfriend, so she's a bit bitter, especially since her family still seems to like him. Cora gives Michael tea and walks him around (the standard treatment for a bad trip), and the two feel an instant connection. Eventually, they spend time together, listening to the music, hanging out, and even meeting Janis Joplin briefly. The general atmosphere of Woodstock is well described, and Cora's struggle with career choices is one that certainly would be typical of the time period.

Good Points

Interesting background on how the locals felt about Yasgur renting out his farm, some interesting intergenerational drama with Cora and her folks, and good coverage of the musical groups. I really felt muddy after reading this one! Great description of setting.

Would have liked to have seen Michael developed more; his character seemed very flat to me. Teenagers during this time had a lot going on, and I'm sure had many emotions about it. More coverage of Cora's career thoughts would also have helped. The names Evan and Amanda seemed out of place. Gary and Linda, yes, but Evan and Amanda seem more like 1990s names.

This is definitely a Young Adult title, and does have the f-bombs, sex, and drugs that were rife at the time. It's hard to find books set during this time period, and the cover is great!

Karen Yingling, Staff Reviewer Top 10 Reviewer 2014 reviews

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1 review

Overall rating

4.3

Plot

4.0(1)

Characters

4.0(1)

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5.0(1)

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Woodstock is amazing

August 20, 2017

Overall rating

4.3

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August 15-18 is the anniversary of Woodstock music festival! and i relived that time by reading this book! i make fan arts for books and while drawing Micheal and Cora, I was listening to the music! and i now know why it was special. reading this book made me learn why this event is so special. historical at the same time contemporary and it is beautiful! i really liked this book very much.

if anything though, i thought the insta love and the flow of the book was kinda spotty for me. but the message that the book wanted to come across is just too beautiful. self-discovery, fighting for what you believe in, feminism, courage, and just a lot more things make this book so beautiful! this is such a special book.

the book is set almost 50 years ago but it seems so contemporary with what is happening to the world right now due to politics, rights, and peace. and I think this book can be relevant for a very long time as long as Woodstock is relevant. and i find books that can be timeless so astonishing beyond words.

Cora and Michael can definitely embody the modern teenager with college, what to become in the future and so forth. their discovery of each other pushed themselves to be better individually. and i really think that's one thing you'll know if this is true love. like i said, not a fan of how their insta love came to be. but it definitely is love.

this book is definitely amazing on its own way. and i'm so happy to finally understand to beauty of music, camaraderie, peace, and love.

*i won a paperback of this book from a giveaway

Good Points

~ self discovery
~ love peace and music
~ contemporary art the same time historical
~ based on real events