Last summer

by Evan Hunter

Paper Book, 1969

Status

Available

Call number

823/.91

Genres

Young Adult

General Fiction

Fiction

Collection

Fiction

Publication

London : Constable, 1969.

Description

Bored, restless, privileged teenagers Sandy, David, and Peter meet while vacationing with their families on remote Greensward Island. The two boys, both sixteen, are immediately entranced by Sandy's beauty and frank sexuality. Over the course of the summer, the trio creates an illicit teenage paradise far removed from adult supervision. Stolen beers and lustful teasing lead to more nefarious games, however, when Rhoda appears. Shy, quiet, and unsophisticated, the fifteen-year-old desperately wants to fit in with her more glamorous peers. Her awkwardness brings out a vicious cruel streak in Sandy, who has David and Peter so tightly wrapped around her finger they'll do whatever she wants-even if it means destroying an innocent life. A fearless, unflinching portrait of youth gone wild, Last Summer was the basis for an Academy Award-nominated film starring Barbara Hershey, Bruce Davison, Richard Thomas, and Catherine Burns.… (more)

User reviews

LibraryThing member PaulaGalvan

After reading "Come Winter," written by Evan Hunter, I discovered this book and had to find out what Peter, David, and Sandy were like when they were teens. At first, they seem pretty ordinary. Preoccupied with themselves—but what teen isn't—and maybe a little pampered and privileged, but as

the story moves along, they start to reveal their nastier sides. Sandy, a long-legged, blond, is probably the leader, although not in everything. David, a narcissistic, handsome, flute-player sees Sandy as a way to fulfill his sexual urges, while Peter has delusions that the three of them are one perfect organism. When a shy girl named Rhoda enters the picture and fails to see the danger, she quickly becomes caught in their web. The budding sociopaths easily manipulate Rhoda until it's too late for her to escape their selfish desires. The end is wrapped up quickly by Mr. Hunter, and it isn't pretty. You might even say it's quite disturbing, but it does explain the oddly captivating behavior of Sandy, David, and Peter as dangerous adults in the sequel—Come Winter. If you enjoyed this book, I highly recommend you read it also.

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