Book review: The Summer of Lost Letters 书评：《信件遗失的夏天》

罗跃梅

汉娜·雷诺兹的新书《信件遗失的夏天》以艾比·勋伯格探寻祖母的过去为线索，向读者呈现了诸多的历史问题，是一本值得一读的书。

1 I've been lucky to have the privilege of enjoying many stories set in and around the time they are let out into the world. As the title suggests， Hannah Reynolds's The Summer of Lost Letters is very much a summer book， set in late June.

2 The sweet， summery romance set in Nantucket（楠塔基特，美国地名） follows seventeen?year?old Abby Schoenberg as she uncovers a secret about her grandmother's life during WWⅡ. Abby Schoenberg isn't exactly looking forward to the summer before her senior year. She's just broken up with her first boyfriend and her friends are all off in different， exciting directions for the next three months. She needs a plan—an adventure of her own.

3 Old letters show up one rainy day along with the rest of Abby's recently late grandmother's possessions. These are love letters from a mystery man named Edward. The letters come from a mansion on Nantucket. Abby doesn't know much about her grandmother's past. But the details are either unclear or nonexistent. So Abby heads to Nantucket for the summer to learn more about her grandmother and the secrets she keeps. But when she meets Edward's handsome grandson Noah， who wants to stop her from investigating， things get complicated. As Abby and Noah grow closer， the mysteries in their families deepen， and they discover that they both have to accept the burdens of their pasts if they want the kinds of futures they've always imagined.

4 The Summer of Lost Letters is a book that is about serious historical issues. And we are presented with the toughest decision： Should true love or the love of family win in the end？ Either way， we are forever burdened by the weight of the choices we make， and the resulting waves can ripple （激起漣漪） across generations.

5 If you are in the mood for a romantic historical mystery that tears at your heartstrings and pulls no punches， The Summer of Lost Letters is the book for you. Sit down with this book under a slow fan with a cool glass of lemonade， preferably by a large body of water.

[Reading][Check]

Choose the best answers according to the text.

Detail                          1. What drives Abby Schoenberg to make an adventure？

A. Her intention to kill her spare time.

B. Her failure in social communication.

C. Her wish to travel far like her friends.

D. Her interest in exploring the unknown.

Detail                          2. Which word may best describe Abby and Noah's feelings when they grow closer？

A. Excited.    B. Hopeful.     C. Stressful.    D. Depressed.

Gist                              3. What do paragraph 2 and paragraph 3 mainly talk about？

A. The plot of the book.

B. Grandmother's secret past.

C. Abby's summer adventure.

D. Conflicts between Abby and Noah.

Detail                          4. What is the theme of the book？

A. Love and choices.

B. Growth and pains.

C. History and culture.

D. Adventure and exploration.

Inference                   5. What is the author's attitude towards the new book？

A. Neutral.        B. Unclear.          C. Indifferent.      D. Affirmative.

[Language][Study]

Memorize some text?centered chunks

have the privilege of 有幸……

be set in 以……为背景

uncover a secret about 发现关于……的秘密

look forward to 盼望

break up with 与……关系破裂

in different directions 朝不同的方向

show up 露面;出现

head to 去……

stop sb from doing 阻止某人做

tear at your heartstrings 撕裂你的心弦

pull no punches 直言不讳;毫不保留