Learn more
These promotions will be applied to this item:
Some promotions may be combined; others are not eligible to be combined with other offers. For details, please see the Terms & Conditions associated with these promotions.
Audiobook Price: $21.88$21.88
Save: $14.39$14.39 (66%)
Your Memberships & Subscriptions

Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required.
Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.
Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.
Follow the author
OK
Summerlong: A Novel Kindle Edition
- LanguageEnglish
- PublisherEcco
- Publication dateJune 16, 2015
- File size3.6 MB
Customers who bought this item also bought
Editorial Reviews
Review
Dean Bakopoulos is a great talent--everything he writes is full of insight and inspiration and the best kind of divine comedy. — Lorrie Moore
Summerlong is Dean Bakopoulos at his finest: daringly funny, heartbreakingly sad, and forever on the watch for redemption. This is a book for any season, any reader, anywhere--it shimmers with magic, lust, and love. — Nickolas Butler, author of Shotgun Lovesongs
There is no better guide through a hot summer in the heartland than Dean Bakopoulos...Lovers chasing all over the joint, the glorious wreckage, and Bakopoulos with his keen eye, his sympathy and his wit, there to see all. — Jane Hamilton
“Tennessee Williams has nothing on Bakopoulos when it comes to marital and moral dissipation… Into this emotional abyss Bakopoulos injects a high degree of coy humor and wry self-deprecation to deliver a heartbreaking and wise … A sure hit with fans of the three Jonathans: Dee, Franzen, and Tropper.” — Booklist (starred review)
“Provocative, sultry… the novel stays light on its feet; its breezy chapters are laced with sex and humor… between the louche vibe and matriarchal presence, the novel often feels like Armistead Maupin’s San Francisco teleported to the Midwest.” — Kirkus Reviews
“Bakopoulos is very much his own writer, and it is his distinct humanity and sense of humor that make this story so emotionally rewarding. This is that rare, contemporary suburban novel with characters the reader can actually embrace in spite of their many flaws.” — Publishers Weekly
“A witty read about likeable people behaving badly.” — People
“A couple in a crumbling marriage find themselves entwined with two lost 20-somethings during a hot, sticky Iowan summer... Dean Bakopoulos, who lives in Iowa himself, crafts a surprisingly steamy Midwestern landscape and a set of characters who will do anything to stay afloat as their lives fall apart.” — Esquire
“Summer gets weird in a Midwestern town when married couples start behaving recklessly-as if, my God, they’re not married at all! Bakopoulos... uses the adults’ bizarre behavior to examine ideas about marriage, happiness and that oh-so-slim line between fantasy and infidelity.” — Miami Herald
“A dishy warm-weather read... Bakopoulos draws readers into the intimate life of married couple Claire and Don Lowry as they wrestle with parenting, failed ambitions and the search for middle-aged happiness. There’s sex, drugs and more sex in this steamy summer tale, with an intensely emotional undercurrent.” — Wisconsin State Journal
“Attention vacationers: Award-winning author Dean Bakopoulos... has served up a sultry story that fits perfectly in your carry-on…[but] This isn’t just a story of people enjoying a free-love bacchanal; Summerlong also explores the consequences and heartbreak of testing the limits of relationships.” — BookPage
” For a novel steeped in marital atrophy and midlife ennui, “Summerlong” offers plenty of humor in unexpected moments.” — New York Times
“Summerlong is the Great White Midlife Crisis novel that Jonathan Franzen has tried to write (and failed) and Jonathan Lethem has tried to write (and failed) and Michael Chabon (wisely) half-avoided ever trying to write. But Dean Bakopoulos pulls it off.” — NPR.org
“Summerlong is both smart and satisfying.” — Metro US
” ‘Compared to the moody and fierce North Atlantic, the vista of the icy blue lake seems to make your heart swell rather than tremble,’ thinks ABC when she sees it. The novel’s ending, sort of surprisingly, provokes the same reaction.” — Newsday
“[A] sexy but surprisingly poignant new novel…Bakopoulos’s greatest talent is his ability to mix ribald comedy with heartfelt sorrow.” — Washington Post, Ron Charles
“All the threads Bakopoulos has been expertly weaving suddenly begin to connect, and suddenly everything fits in a way that is as dazzling as the firefires that dot the shore, bringing a sense of absolute wonder and even a kind of hope.” — San Francisco Chronicle
“Beyond the muggy weather, Bakopoulos, writer-in-residence at Grinnell College, conjures the milky mood of ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream,’ with pot and booze substituting for fairy dust and lovers entwined with the wrong person... Lord, what fools these mortals be! And what fun to see them in action.” — Seattle Times
“A sharply observed and smartly written book... captures the that instant of perfect equilibrium, where everything is exactly right - when love and family and career have come into exquisite balance. And then the instant after when everything you thought you’ve built just falls to pieces.” — NPR, Best Books of 2015
“With great heart and humor, Bakopoulos drops us into the town of Grinnell, Iowa, during a single summer heat wave of lust, longing and the vagaries of love.” — San Francisco Chronicle, 100 Best Books of 2015
From the Back Cover
In the sweltering heat of one summer in a small Midwestern town, Claire and Don Lowry discover that married life isn’t quite what they’d predicted. One night Don, a father of two, leaves his house for an evening stroll, only to wake up the next morning stoned and lying in a hammock next to a young woman he barely knows. His wife, Claire, out on a midnight run, finds herself bumming cigarettes and beer outside the all-night convenience store.
As the summer lingers and the temperature rises, this quotidian town’s adults grow wilder and more reckless while their children grow increasingly confused. Can Claire and Don survive everything that befalls them in this one summer, forgive their mistakes, and begin again?About the Author
Product details
- ASIN : B00NLM6AY4
- Publisher : Ecco; Reprint edition (June 16, 2015)
- Publication date : June 16, 2015
- Language : English
- File size : 3.6 MB
- Text-to-Speech : Enabled
- Screen Reader : Supported
- Enhanced typesetting : Enabled
- X-Ray : Enabled
- Word Wise : Enabled
- Print length : 368 pages
- Best Sellers Rank: #1,139,372 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- #760 in American Humorous Fiction
- #6,188 in General Humorous Fiction
- #9,293 in Contemporary Literary Fiction
- Customer Reviews:
About the author

Dean Bakopoulos is the author of PLEASE DON'T COME BACK FROM THE MOON and MY AMERICAN UNHAPPINESS, both published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.
Customer reviews
Customer Reviews, including Product Star Ratings help customers to learn more about the product and decide whether it is the right product for them.
To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. Instead, our system considers things like how recent a review is and if the reviewer bought the item on Amazon. It also analyzed reviews to verify trustworthiness.
Learn more how customers reviews work on AmazonCustomers say
Customers find the book an enjoyable and engaging read with a well-written style. They find the storyline interesting and relatable, exploring relationships throughout life. However, some readers feel the plot is unrealistic and implausible. Opinions differ on the character development and interest level, with some finding the characters likeable and diverse in life stages, while others consider them unlikable or boring. Readers also have mixed views on the pacing, with some finding it quick and quick-paced, while others consider it slow and drags on.
AI-generated from the text of customer reviews
Select to learn more
Customers enjoy the book's writing style and find it an enjoyable read. They appreciate the characters and find it a quick, entertaining read worth their time.
"Summerlong was a rock-solid and compelling read which kept my attention throughout while still wondering what the outcome would be...." Read more
"...While this is a well written, interesting read , it's not shiny and happy...." Read more
"Reading Summerlong was fun and kept me interested throughout the story. I enjoyed the style and flow of the author...." Read more
"...It’s a great if not perfect summertime read and my favorite by Dean Bakopoulos next being My American Unhappiness...." Read more
Customers have different views on the storyline. Some found it engaging and poignant, with an interesting set-up. Others felt the plot was implausible, unrealistic, and lacking in depth. The ending was also criticized for being unsatisfactory.
"...Good for People Who Like: Books set in the Midwest, books about marriage, books about motherhood, gorgeous writing, quirky characters, small..." Read more
"This was a fast read for me. A little predicatable, kind of irritating in the characters...." Read more
"...'Midwestern Gothic' and thought this would fit in - and while I liked the story line and the characters and the sense of place, I was increasingly..." Read more
"...I enjoyed the style and flow of the author. Mt only disappointment was the ending...." Read more
Customers have different views on the writing quality. Some find it well-written and creative, with nice landscape descriptions. Others find the plot unrealistic and the dialogue sloppy.
"...set in the Midwest, books about marriage, books about motherhood, gorgeous writing, quirky characters, small town life..." Read more
"...And sloppy. Sorry to be so harsh. I wish I could get my $$ back." Read more
"...While this is a well written, interesting read , it's not shiny and happy...." Read more
"...Even little details like times of day and basic characterization are so inconsistent that the book feels unedited - I could write a laundry list of..." Read more
Customers have mixed reviews about the character development. Some find the characters engaging and appreciate the varied life stages. Others find them unlikable and dislike wasting their time reading the book.
"...I enjoyed the multiple points of view and the varied life-stages of each character, the relatively brief chapters which helped keep things moving,..." Read more
"This was a fast read for me. A little predicatable, kind of irritating in the characters...." Read more
"...books about marriage, books about motherhood, gorgeous writing, quirky characters, small town life..." Read more
"...Overall, the characters are multidimensional and as you watch them make decisions and mistakes in their lives it makes for a very entertaining story." Read more
Customers have different views on the book's interest. Some found it engaging and compelling, with few surprises. Others found it dull and predictable, with too much babble.
"Summerlong was a rock-solid and compelling read which kept my attention throughout while still wondering what the outcome would be...." Read more
"...Oh, and every other word was F-this and F-that, so boring." Read more
"Reading Summerlong was fun and kept me interested throughout the story. I enjoyed the style and flow of the author...." Read more
"I found Summerlong very boring and slow paced." Read more
Customers have different views on the pacing of the book. Some find it quick and entertaining, with brief chapters that keep things moving. Others feel it drags on and is slow-paced, dragging on and on.
"This was a fast read for me. A little predicatable, kind of irritating in the characters...." Read more
"...It's poignant and provocative, sometimes edging into manipulation, but so what?..." Read more
"...of view and the varied life-stages of each character, the relatively brief chapters which helped keep things moving, and the omnipotent third-person..." Read more
"...It dragged on and on, no character development, the story kept getting more outlandish and unrealistic, and the same phrases kept popping up...." Read more
Reviews with images

My favorite so far…
Top reviews from the United States
There was a problem filtering reviews. Please reload the page.
- Reviewed in the United States on July 22, 2015Summerlong was a rock-solid and compelling read which kept my attention throughout while still wondering what the outcome would be. I enjoyed the multiple points of view and the varied life-stages of each character, the relatively brief chapters which helped keep things moving, and the omnipotent third-person present-tense utilization. (though there might have been places where POV switched within one scene, which can throw the reader off a bit. A little tighter editing might've helped as well; for example, the overuse of sequential 3-4 clause sentences, and of such phrases as "a certain kind of", etc. Overall, I think Summerlong will appeal to the more literary reader versus genre reader, and to those who can certainly relate to the midlife marital dynamics and the existential questions that prevail in this context. Writers I think will be especially drawn to the writerly characters and literary references. Chances are good that I will read this author again.
- Reviewed in the United States on July 9, 2015Headline:
Summerlong was a surprise hit for me…it’s darker and edgier than the cover would lead you to believe.
Major Themes:
Marriage, mid-life crises, general discontent, maintaining your identity through motherhood
What I Loved:
- The very beginning of this one was just okay, but I liked it more and more the farther I read.
- You can really feel this book…the simmering suburban discontent, everyone having an itch that’s just waiting to be scratched, the restlessness that comes with sweltering summer days. It’s like a sea of smoldering embers threatening to ignite at the slightest catalyst.
- The cast of characters is delightfully eclectic and everyone is dealing with their own issues…the unhappily married housewife (Claire), the failing and desperate real estate agent (Don), the grieving lover (ABC), and the actor returning home to tie up loose ends (Charlie). And, best of all….
- Ruth Manetti (she deserves her own bullet)! This eighty-some year old pothead gives the best life advice…I decided she needs to be my shrink!
“You see?” Ruth says. “This is why I like you more than anybody else. When I give you the straight dope, you don’t reel off some optimistic bulls***.”
- Bakopoulos nails the issue of women losing their identities during motherhood. I highlighted so many passages pertaining to this issue that made me think “yes, that’s exactly how it is.” And, I’m even more impressed given he’s male!
What I Didn’t Like:
The ending fizzled a bit and partially revolved around the storyline I was the least invested in. But, it didn’t bother me that much because this book was about the journey and I enjoyed that immensely.
A Defining Quote:
“Something happened to me,” Claire says. “I don’t know what. I stopped wanting things.” “And now?” he says. “Now,” she says, “I just want.”
Good for People Who Like:
Books set in the Midwest, books about marriage, books about motherhood, gorgeous writing, quirky characters, small town life
Check out my blog, Sarah's Book Shelves, for more reviews.
- Reviewed in the United States on July 30, 2015This was a fast read for me. A little predicatable, kind of irritating in the characters. I wanted more information about them, they felt elusive to me,with the exception of one or two. I left this story a little dissatisfied.
- Reviewed in the United States on August 9, 2015Reading the first novel by a an unknown novelist can be very difficult. Can I entrust your talents to usurp hours of my life for your novel?
That supposition ebbs when the writer, the topic and the scene of the novel deal with something tremendously personal to the reader. Because of that fact, I will allow you to usurp hours of my life.
In the end, I had to ask was too trusting? Did I unfairly scrutinize the fiction because of my nonfictional knowledge of the town and people to which it uses as a backdrop? Am I a fair arbiter?
Probably not.
My own nonfictional accounts of the Grinnell he writes about prohibit some of the attempts to make the book about Grinnell “work.” I lived in the tony town during its sleepy summers. I attended the school. And, I know about the student -teacher relationships. I know about the old professors put away at the Mayflower, and I know about the townspeople’s interaction with the faculty.
But, as a piece of fiction – it was fun nonetheless.
Now, for a great honor to the author. Another fiction writer touched upon my life writing a lot about New Englanders who move to Florida. Alice Hoffman. Hoffman is someone with a certain amount of success.
The inherent portions of this novel dealing with the older woman and flies made me think very much about the fiction of Hoffman. Fireflies will never be the same to me. Just as lightening will never be the same to me after reading Hoffman. Or tortoise wadings, for that matter.
To be analogized with someone of Hoffman’s talent is indicative of this author’s capabilities. Hopefully, the Grinnell visiting professorship ends, a new backdrop is used, and my scurrilous eye will not be so biased.
- Reviewed in the United States on August 22, 2015I started this eagerly - I'm a big fan of what I call 'Midwestern Gothic' and thought this would fit in - and while I liked the story line and the characters and the sense of place, I was increasingly irritated by inconsistencies in the narrative. The book is written as if it is summer - 'the wet hack of a summer cold,' the empty Grinnell campus, the focus on swimming - but the first line places it in 'late spring.' It's cold in Iowa until at least June! Then there's the bit about Charlie's cell phone. He brags to Clair that when he left Seattle he disconnected all his internet addresses/commitments and he threw his cell phone in the ocean. But sixty pages earlier there's the description of him driving cross country back to Iowa, calling old friends and texting and no one getting back to him. 'It is so easy to feel ignored when you are carrying a cell phone on a road trip....' Annoying. And sloppy. Sorry to be so harsh. I wish I could get my $$ back.
Top reviews from other countries
- Cultural AnthropologistReviewed in Canada on November 6, 2015
4.0 out of 5 stars Steamy interpersonal tangle
Steamy interpersonal tangle, well written, compelling throughout, but peters out (no pun) at the end.