Last Summer Boys: A Novel

celebrates family, friendship and a fierce desire to fix things.John Thomas, “Jack”, his brothers Pete & Will along with cousin Frankie, are in for a grand summer of adventure. They’re going on a mission to find a ditched WW2 fighter jet. Jack has ulterior motives - saving oldest brother, Pete, from being drafted to Viet Nam by making him famous with this discovery.Jack is the narrator giving the story an idealistic point of view. The backdrop is 1968 including all the tumultuous history but the setting is rural and the family has problems of their own that over shadow the national and political, save the war calling Pete to serve. There are a few political comments but not contemporary flares. They are historically appropriate for the story being told.A thread of faith weaves thru the story as a natural course of daily life. This is very much a story of bygone days before cellphones, tablets, social media and laptops. Neighbors worked together, played together and prayed together; kids played outside, did chores and were respectful while seeking adventure and mischief. Author, Bill Rivers, has done a beautiful job of weaving these mores together.“Last Summer Boys” is charming, encouraging and uplifting; Andy Griffith & Tom Sawyer fans rejoice📚

This book was truly wonderful. While reading it I felt only nostalgia for summers outside as a kid. The author captures what it's like to see the world through a child's eyes while still finding a way to entertain an adult reader. The book gives off vibes of The Outsiders, Stand By Me, and Wild America. A perfect coming of age story.

I’m finding “Last Summer Boys” to be very, very enjoyable. Billed as a historical novel, it is also a coming-of-age story reminiscent of Stephen King’s “The Body” (later made into the film “Stand by Me”).13-year-old Jack Elliot lives in rural Pennsylvania with his mother and father and two brothers: Peter, who is just about to turn 18, and middle brother, Will. It is early June, 1968. The Viet Nam War rages. Jack is terrified Peter will be drafted. American cities have been rocked by racial violence as the result of Dr. Martin Luther King’s assassination. City-dwelling cousin Frankie has been sent by his parents to stay with Jack’s family, out of harm’s way. Frankie is brilliant and Jack enlists his help to pull off his outlandish plan to save Peter."Last Summer Boys" is an episodic tale concentrating not just on Jack’s plan, but on a number of incidents and challenges that Frankie, Jack, Will, Peter, and their parents meet along the way, including Revolutionary ghosts in a graveyard, decidedly creepy neighbors, a rowdy and destructive motorcycle gang, a towering bully, the search for a long-missing fighter plane, and, most poignantly, the assassination of Senator Robert F. Kennedy, among others.Author Bill Rivers has given us some wonderful characters: intelligent, resourceful, brave, funny, subtle, charming. Protagonist Jack also serves as the narrator. Rivers has given him a wonderful voice, one that had me hooked from page one. And Rivers writes very well. His prose is a pleasure to read.All in all, a good novel for anyone interested in coming-of-age works and the tumultuous 1960s.

The story takes place in the summer of 1968 and is told in the first person from the point of view of 13 years old boy, JackThere is not a main leading plot but rather a string of loosely connected events. There are several dramatic adventures of four boys, some mysterious neighbours, bike gangs, family fighting for their land with Bob Kennedy assassination and Vietnam draft in the background. Quite an eventful summer for young Jack.But despite all the above the book did not pulled me in. The main reason was that I had an impression of just reading the relation of 13 years old boy with theemotional and intellectual level typical for that age. The story is missing the “magic pen” that would turn it into something more engaging for the adult readers.Bottom line: Recommended for young adults

Last Summer Boys has become one of my favorite novels. I devoured every word of it. First the very first chapter I was so drawn in to the lives & characters that I could not put it down. I felt like I was right there. I feel as if I could even describe the place & people.Bill Rivers is a brilliant Author & has been placed in the top 10 of favorite story tellers.This is a book you will want to re-read several times. It hits every emotion & actually moves you to that special place that feels like home.

This is a “Tom Sawyer, circa 1968” kind of story. I would imagine that 12 year old boys would enjoy the many adventures taken by Jack and Frankie, and would perhaps fantasize about having similar ones, but the author doesn’t admit to writing for that audience. Adults might find this book unappealing, and English teachers everywhere must be grinding their teeth as they read the “dialogue “, for it is truly atrocious. Significant events of 1968 (the killings of Martin Luther King and Robert Kennedy; the escalating events of war in Vietnam) were mentioned but the impacts on the characters in the story were not developed. They were treated like Frankie, a cousin from New York City (!), an East Coast cousin (!), was until he proved himself worthy of being a country cousin. Lastly, let me say that despite my instincts, I did finish the book. I was very tempted to bail at the half-way point (as I have been known to do) but a bad review should be based on the entire work and not just a segment. So I regrettably stuck with it. Didn’t enjoy it at all.

I must admit that this novel left me somewhat startled, simply because I did not initially think it was going to be as good as it is. Here we meet the Elliot family, mum and dad, and three boys, Jack, Will and Pete. Jack is the youngest and Pete the eldest; and their thirteen year old cousin, Frankie is coming for the summer. Frankie lives in the city, but with the assassination of Martin Luther King and the rioting, especially as his father is a policeman, so it is felt he will be safer away from the troubles.For Jack, our narrator, who is also thirteen he wishes that his brother Pete will not be taken away with the draft to the Vietnam War when he turns eighteen later in the summer. And so, our story opens with events at the Elliot home, which is in the country just outside of town. There is another issue at stake over the summer, and that is whether the family and their neighbours will lose their homes due to a proposal to build a reservoir, as the town is growing.Although as such we have some basic elements it is what is done with the story where our author comes into his own. With the boys eventually going on a quest to find an old, crashed fighter jet, the various characters that are shown to us, as well as the scenery, so we begin to feel that we are also inhabiting the land. There is plenty of incident here, and not just adventure, as we get caught up in the tale, but also danger and catastrophe. What makes this stand out from many other such books is that although we do have some pleasant surprises, not everything is all neat and cosy, leaving us with something a bit meatier and truer to life, which of course is a boon for us readers. Although as far as I am aware this is aimed at the adult market, to be honest this really would suit anyone from young teens upwards as it has so much to offer us, and I enjoyed the fact that our young narrator at times does not understand all the things that are going on around him, thus showing a young mind trying to make sense of what is outside his knowledge and experience. In all then this is a very enjoyable and rewarding read, that would actually make a good film.

This is the best book I have read in a very long time, impossible to put down, when you are not reading it you are thinking about it. A story of an American family in the sixties, a turbulent time in America's history, and a turbulent time in the life of John (jack ) Thomas, a young boy growing up in rural America, with his two brothers Pete and Will and his cousin Frankie. Jack hatches a plan to stop Pete being drafted into the Vietnam war, he plans to make him famous, because famous people simply don't get drafted. His belief in this is unshakeable, and with the help of his cousin Frankie, a budding writer, he comes up with a scheme to make Pete the most famous boy in the county.All this with the backdrop of a never ending summer, golden fields, cold rivers, and his dog Butch. We all have memories of long perfect summers, spent with family and friends, and Bill Rivers captures this perfectly, the last Summer before everything changes, nothing will ever match it, and nothing will ever feel quite the same.This novel is as good as To Kill A Mockingbird, It should be considered a classic of American literature. I loved it.

I absolutely loved this book. Some of the criticism, in my opinion, is people trying to sound intellectual.It’s written from a 13yr old boy’s perspective and is delightful and exciting. If you want to read some heavy stuff about Martin Luther Kings death then read a nonfiction book, don’t go on about a young persons view of it. Jack had other things on his mind.And as for the person who gave it 1* because it wasn’t Science Fiction, try reading the synopsis before reading it.I shall definitely follow this Author.

A wonderfully written novel. A fantastic summer journey for a rural family filled with love, hate, fun, tears and more.The desperation of a child to keep his family together with a crazy idea to make his brother famous so he isn't drafted to the Vietnam war.How a family welcomes a down on his luck cousin from the city and envelopes him in their lives and the adventures that befall them all.This novel is the perfect read for those hot sunny days or if you just want a good read to escape to away from the real world.A thoroughly recommended read.

By Ch 2 I didn't think I was going to like this book but I hate giving up on a book. By Ch 4 I was hooked.Jack is a very good story teller and this sucks you right in and you're right there with the boys until the book spits you back out again.It's a wholesome story of simpler times but still has a few messages to share in a not so subtle manner but you can't help but like Jack and his family.Definitely glad I persevered.