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Title:	Year Without Summer, The
Authors:	Glasfurd, Guinevere
Genre:	Fiction
Pages:	390
Year:	2020
Language:	English
Description:	With the 1815 eruption of Mount Tambora in Indonesia, the global climate is disrupted and the year that follows is without a summer. The far-reaching effects of the temporary climate change play out with profound consequences, both personal and political, and are traced through the lives of six unconnected global citizens - some invented, some adapted and others familiar (artist John Constable and writer Mary Shelley). This is an unforgettable story of the largest volcanic eruption in recorded history, passionately rendered and a powerful reminder of the aftermath of climate breakdown in an unfair world.
Categories:	Fiction, Environmental, Grief/loss, Historical, Social commentary/perspectives, Tragedy/disaster, USA, UK, Indonesia, 2022 Titles, Larger font

Reviews

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By: AUCK 014		2024-12-17 16:15:22

Opinions were divided. Some found the book hard to follow and rather gloomy, and did not finish reading it. Others considered it prescient, well researched and written, with particularly profound insights through the lives of the characters. Perhaps the wide range of both the themes and characters made it difficult to focus on the important message embedded in the narrative.

By: HOKITIK 004		2024-10-24 16:57:57

Very robust discussion from this book: economic and political issues, both historical and present day. We all enjoyed the book and didn't find the to and fro between characters distracting at all, in fact we almost rated it a 4. The inclusion of historical figures added to the authenticity, along with the fascinating insights into social classes of that time. We were moved by how this far-reaching environmental hazard devasted people's lives on so many levels.

By: CHCH 086		2024-10-23 13:55:16

Generally everyone enjoyed the book, especially the historical significance. Only slight downside was that it always felt a little disjointed with the separation of the characters.

By: AUCK 065		2024-02-15 13:55:27

The subject topic was excellent and most informative, but the way the book jumped from person to person was annoying.

By: OAMAR 004		2024-02-15 13:53:24

Amazed that none of us knew about this piece of history. The style of the story was difficult to follow. Separate short stories would have worked better.

By: WESTP 001		2023-06-21 12:43:15

As we were ignorant about the Mount Tambora eruption and its consequences for other countries, we appreciated the historical aspect of this book. Our discussions included climate change, poverty and instant information spread. Some members found the structure distracting.

By: CHCH 395		2023-05-17 14:07:04

The group enjoyed this book. We agreed it wasn't an enjoyable or uplifting read but it was interesting and worth a read.

By: GORE 001		2023-03-27 12:05:33

An extremely profound book - written with care to detail of each of the characters, including their local patois, living situations, beliefs and passions. A very important addition to the fractious subject of climate change. We learned a great deal about what can happen with a change of weather and felt overwhelmed by our new knowledge. Thank you, Guinevere Glasfurd.

By: INVER 002		2023-01-12 11:26:10

Several members found this to be a depressing story and a bit disjointed. I learnt a lot - the effects of a volcano; what the Tongan volcano is doing to the world; and climate change is caused by many things.

By: CHCH 194		2022-11-20 16:07:56

The history basis was interesting and relevant but the structure didn't give the storyline natural flow. The future impacts expected from climate change were a logical discussion stimulus.

By: TIMAR 019		2022-10-26 12:59:46

Interesting and relevant subject - eruption. Ditto the characters from history although sometimes confusing movement between them.

By: CHCH 058		2022-05-05 16:23:27

This book was acknowledged by all in our group to be very well-written and extremely interesting. However, almost all of us felt it was badly structured - to the point of being maddening for some. It was thought the material would work better as a series of short stories.