Awakening of the Summer


Fiction - Literary
320 Pages
Reviewed on 03/27/2018
Buy on Amazon

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Author Biography

Award-wining author Yorker Keith lives in Manhattan, New York City. He loves literature, theatre, classical music, opera, and art. He holds an MFA in creative writing from The New School. His literary works have been recognized four times in the William Faulkner - William Wisdom Creative Writing Competition as a finalist or a semifinalist.

His debut novel, "Remembrance of Blue Roses" (2016), won the Pacific Book Awards 2017 in the best fiction category.

His second novel, "The Other La Bohème" (2017), won the Kirkus Reviews Best 100 Indie Books of 2017. It also won the Pacific Book Awards 2018 in the best fiction category.

His third novel "Awakening of the Summer" (2018) has been praised by professional reviewers, such as:

"This is a very romantic, seductively charming novel that celebrates nature and affirms the therapeutic value of nature. … We inhale crisp mountain air and easily envision Keith's Arcadian wonderland. " -- Chanticleer Book Reviews (Five-Starred)
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"Awakening of the Summer has all of the elements which make a good love story great. There is passion, sacrifice, unpredictability, trauma, twists and turns and most importantly, likable main characters who we want to see in a loving relationship by the end of the book. Cupid's arrow hits its mark in this romantic tale under the author's expert guidance." -- Pacific Book Review (Starred)
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"This riveting, triple love-triangle is a work of truly wonderful literary fiction; the author has infused a delightful blend of excitement, passion, and suspense. I couldn't put it down. Highly Recommended!" -- The Columbia Review of Books

    Book Review

Reviewed by Romuald Dzemo for Readers' Favorite

Awakening of the Summer by Yorker Keith is a literary fiction story with fine elements of romance. Featuring an interesting cast of characters, the story introduces readers to a love triangle explored from very unique angles. James is an economist at a Wall Street firm, a man with a strong passion for painting. When he takes his summer vacation in a mountain resort, he encounters two sisters, Sophie and Kelly. While he is excited by Sophie’s intellect (she is an editor of a law review magazine), he is hopelessly attracted to Kelly’s sensual beauty. When James rescues Sophie from drowning, Kelly sees him as a hero and falls for him. There are twists in the story, and through a series of events and heartaches, James gets to gamble with the hearts of both sisters. But for how long can the love triangle continue?

This is a brilliantly plotted story that deals with love, family, friendship, and art. The characters are complex and I enjoyed the way the author builds up the tension, creating an emotional conflict that is at the same time intriguing and at the center of character development. James is a fascinating character, a skilled professional with a powerful gift with the brush. This is a story for readers who enjoy examining the hearts of complex characters and navigating hidden and delicate pathways. Yorker Keith’s writing is beautiful and polished, filled with insightful passages and dialogues that read like real life conversations. Awakening of the Summer is an emotionally engaging story with characters that are easy to like.

Rabia Tanveer

Awakening of the Summer by Yorker Keith is an intriguing and complicated novel, a romance that takes the reader deep into the minds of the characters and keeps them guessing as to what the characters want and mean. This is the story of two sisters and a man who comes in their life and changes everything. Kelly and Sophie are sisters who adore each other. Kelly is a secretary and Sophie is a magazine editor; however, despite their differences, they love each other.

James is from Wall Street but he loves to paint in oils. When the three of them meet, there is an instant chemistry that is undeniable. While James and Kelly hit it off, Sophie falls in love with James too. Soon the three of them fall into a vicious triangle of love, passion, wanting and needing with no end in sight. When the two sisters find out that they have fallen in love with the same man, things get even more heated. What will happen to them and their relationship? Who does James love? Can the sisters’ relationship sustain this breach of trust or will something else happen?

This was a really surprising novel; I was not expecting the ending or this outcome of passion. The story was complex and full of surprises. I was very happy with the way Yorker Keith handled these three characters and how they appeared on the page. I wanted to both love and hate James, and sometimes I was very frustrated with the sisters, which just tells me how well the characters were developed and how real they seemed. I really enjoyed Awakening of the Summer by Yorker Keith.

Christian Sia

Love, lust, and art are beautifully depicted in a story that features a complex love triangle. In Awakening of the Summer, Yorker Keith creates memorable characters in James, Sophia and Kelly. James is taking his summer vacation in a resort in the mountains where he meets two sisters. The economist for a Wall Street firm also has a gift for painting and he indulges in it, working on a canvas he names the Summer Lake Series, which depicts breathtaking scenery. He is about to do paintings featuring the two sisters as well. Sophia is an intelligent woman who works as an editor for a law magazine while her sister, Kelly, is a secretary at a museum. While one attracts James by her intellect, the other’s beauty makes his heart throb. The reader is plunged into a world of seduction where two sisters will find themselves falling irresistibly for the same man. But can James handle the two without setting them up against each other?

Yorker Keith won my heart with his ability to bring life to the characters and create scenes that are normal, sometimes intense, and focused. The pace is just perfect for this kind of novel and there are powerful and passionate moments that will linger in the minds of readers. I enjoyed the way the conflict plays out in this narrative and the surge of emotional energy that accompanies the interactions between the characters. The language in Awakening of the Summer is beautiful, and while the characters are memorable, it is the author’s storytelling skills that won me over. A very engaging read!

Mamta Madhavan

Awakening of the Summer by Yorker Keith is an exciting story with romance and relationships as its theme, and will keep readers captivated with its twists and turns, love, passion, sacrifice, and unpredictability. The story begins with James Hensley, who is looking at the panorama of Oberon Woods, New Hampshire and painting the landscape. He runs into two sisters, Sophie and Kelly, and is attracted to both of them, but he finds out that both of them have boyfriends. James tells them painting is his passion and they discuss their lives and boyfriends. James decides to paint two more pictures, that of Sophie and Kelly and using the same pastoral landscape. He names the pictures the Summer Lake Series. Sophie confides in him about the fight she had with her boyfriend, David, and how he is more interested in her inheritance than her. David comes to visit Sophie and Steve comes to visit Kelly, and amid all this James tries to handle the situation where the two women are attracted to him.

The story is fabulously sketched, just like the paintings James has done, and I like the way the author weaves the characters into the plot and unfolds each one’s personal story effortlessly. James’ Summer Lake Series makes James, Sophie, and Kelly famous once it goes on display in the hotel. The narration is descriptive and detailed and depicts the picturesque images and love triangles very vividly to readers. It is an unconventional story about love and relationships, and looks into the finer details and nuances of love, attraction, and relationships, and this makes it a compelling read. The author manages to keep the tempo of the story with all the drama, friendships, and love triangles.