Review Detail

4.3 1

Three Day Summer

Young Adult Fiction 359

Take a Little Trip

February 17, 2021

Overall rating

4.7

Plot

N/A

Characters

N/A

Writing Style

N/A

Illustrations/Photos (if applicable)

N/A

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!