(Me @ Stinson Beach circa 2019...make all the assumptions you want based on the Puka shell necklace and SIDE PART on this era of my life. That Kokopelli necklace still is close to my heart, though. I also remember being violently nauseous cruising the bends, but these pictures are unforgettable.)
Dearest viewers of my malarkey, this review is most definitely from a summer book review I did for a Red River website I worked for. Red River, NM, aka very much mountains and granola and NOT the premise of the novel mentioned henceforth. I may not be a beach gal, but I do soak up a good sun-filled page turner that makes me want to sort of like it more. In conclusion: blissful vicariousness.
As I’m sure a lot of people around me are approaching mid-terms and craving summer a little more rabidly than others (I’m foaming a bit at the corners, myself), I thought I’d share the most SUMMER summer read I’ve witnessed that you may want to indulge amongst that academic, or life, stress. Cheers, Mo.
1983.
The Riva family’s end-of-summer shindig is upon the shores of Malibu. Jay, Hud, Kit, and Nina, burdened by their family’s legacy, are all yearning for a change in their story. Who knew that passive wish would all go down in one night?
This book CAN be savored, or devoured in one week like I did. I personally have a soft spot for novels that switch timelines, perspectives, etc. This happens to be Taylor Jenkins Reid’s signature in her bibliography, so I was hooked from the jump. In Malibu Rising, we follow the Riva family, switching from the beginning of their family all the way to present day, the night that the Riva estate went up in flames.
The characters drive this story to its core. The Riva parents, the rough yet regal June and legendary slimeball singer Mick have their own mess of a love story, not to mention the progeny that came of it: Nina, the firstborn, a stunning swimsuit model with a passion for taking care of the rest of her siblings. Jay, international surf champion, with his practically twin brother, Hud, behind the scenes with his exquisite photography. Kit, the youngest girl, is budding her own identity for who she wants to be, separate from her societally privileged siblings to become her own. Each carries their own burdens, their own love dynamics, but with an equally jointed love for the water and the waves it provides. In the depth of their being, there also lies the blood of Mick Riva, a lingering factor that has led them down the many paths where they are now.
This read is SUMMER encapsulated into 400 pages. Prepare to get sucked into the drama, feeling every twist and turn with each page flip.
Since 2013, Taylor Jenkins Reid has been sweeping the realm of literature with her beautifully convoluted love stories, centered by the lives of celebrities and the culture that surrounds it. Her introduction into having such knowledge on the matter includes her first couple jobs in the entertainment industry herself. Donning roles as a casting assistant, holding down studio desk jobs, then even being a high school teacher, writing books was purely a pastime for Reid.
Feb 2023 note: The lit freaks of the world, with I’m almost positive the corroboration of TJR has established a universe amongst her bibliography. If you are more of a consumer of her other books such as “Daisy Jones and the Six” or “The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo,” my fav booktuber Jack Edwards created an exploration of the crossovers as of October 2022. That link will be amongst my sources.
Sources:
Edwards, Jack. Every Crossover in the Taylor Jenkins Reid Literary Universe, Explained. YouTube, 10 Oct. 2022, https://youtu.be/YF8JPwnLLSo. Accessed 19 Feb. 2023.
Hutcheson, Susannah. “Taylor Jenkins Reid: How I Became a Bestselling Author.” USA Today, Gannett Satellite Information Network, 8 May 2018, https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/careers/getting-started/2018/05/08/taylor-jenkins-reid-how-became-bestselling-author/580271002/.
Comments