"The Summer of 1967"

At forty-seven years of age, Emily Hudson is not happy with her life. She loves her four children but it seems that she and her husband never really talk anymore. She spends much of her time at the shore painting the sea and her memories. She reminisces about the time she was sixteen years old and in love with the seventeen year old, Jimmy Moran. She was Jimmy's Girl and, in memory, everything seems so perfect back then. They had a wonderful four months of summer and sweet love until he left to join the Marine Corps.

Jim Moran is living in the south with his wife, Mary, and adopted daughter, Clancy. He is a complicated man and although he loves his little daughter dearly, he has a difficult time getting close to others. He remembers his life with his parents and how he had always wanted his father to love him but his father was too engrossed in his writing and alcohol. Jimmy had a problem seeing clearly but no one realized it and he was failing in school. His parents decided he should join the Marine Corps and grow up. The year was 1967 during the Vietnam War.

Emily contacts Jim and they talk for hours on the phone. He remembers her fondly - they had been so in love as teenagers. They decide to meet. Emily is planning a series of paintings about the Vietnam era.

Stephanie Gertler writes beautifully. The reader can almost see Emily's home, her family and the seashore that she loves so much. Her loneliness has created a sadness that is tangible. She and her husband cannot seem to reach each other. Her reminiscences are more real than her every day life. Jim had higher expectations of how his life would be. He married a good woman but cannot feel close to her. He knows that so much of how he is today stems from his experiences in the Vietnam War.

JIMMY'S GIRL is written in first person; one chapter is told from Emily's perspective and the next from Jim's perspective. There is an underlying sadness about their lives. They are "living lives of quiet desperation". Thirty years later they meet and their lives are changed forever. This is Ms. Gertler's first book and wow, what a spectacular accomplishment. It is a sad story written so beautifully and realistically that it tears at the heart of the reader. I will definitely be looking for the next offering from this talented author.

Reviewed by Marilyn Heyman
Posted March 2, 2002