Frenchtown Summer

Written by Robert Cormier

A boy's summer in 1938 unravels family ties and a haunting murder mystery.

3.5 Goodreads · 353 ratings

128 pages· 8,031 words· Est. 45 min read· 1320L

$16.95Save 7%

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Bookroo's summary

In the summer of 1938, Eugene navigates life in a vibrant mill town, questioning his place in the world. Amidst colorful brooks and forbidden tracks, he uncovers family bonds and a chilling unsolved murder. As he delves deeper, Eugene's journey intertwines with the enigmatic past, revealing timeless connections and secrets that challenge his understanding of life and death. What truths will he uncover about his beloved father and the haunting mystery that shadows his town?

From the publisher

Eugene is remembering the summer of 1938 in Frenchtown, a time when he began to wonder “what I was doing here on the planet Earth.” Here in vibrant, exquisite detail are his lovely mother, his aunts and uncles, cousins and friends, and especially his beloved, enigmatic father. Here, too, is the world of a mill town: the boys swimming in a brook that is red or purple or green, depending on the dyes dumped that day by the comb shop; the visit of the ice man; and the boys’ trips to the cemetery or the forbidden railroad tracks. And here also is a darker world-the mystery of a girl murdered years before. Robert Cormier’s touching, funny, melancholy chronicle of a vanished world celebrates a son’s connection to his father and human relationships that are timeless. “From the Paperback edition.”

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