The Summer of Bitter and Sweet
AuthorJen Ferguson
CountryCanada
LanguageEnglish
GenreYoung adult fiction
Set inCanadian Prairies
PublishedMay 10, 2022
PublisherHeartdrum
Media type
Print: Hardcover

Digital: Audiobook, eBook

Pages384
AwardGovernor General’s Literary Award
ISBN9780063086166
Websitejenfergusonwrites.com

The Summer of Bitter and Sweet is a novel written by Canadian author Jen Ferguson, and published in 2022 by Heartdrum. It won the 2022 Governor General's Literary Award for young people's literature — text. It is a coming of age story that explores anger, secrets, and many aspects of what makes up a person.

Synopsis

The Summer of Bitter and Sweet is about Lou, a Métis girl living with family and spending time with friends on the Canadian prairies, who plans on working at her uncle's ice cream shack during the summer. It is a coming of age story about anger, secrets, and all the facets of what makes up a person, as well as a tenderness that can coexist within a painful reality.

Awards

The Summer of Bitter and Sweet won the Governor General's Award for young people's literature – text at the 2022 Governor General's Awards.[1][2] The book was selected by a three-person peer assessment committee, and the award was granted by the Canada Council for the Arts, which is normally presented by the Governor General of Canada at a ceremony held at Rideau Hall.[3]

Reception

The Summer of Bitter and Sweet was well received by critics and peers, winning the Governor General's Award and receiving starred reviews from Booklist,[4] BookPage,[5] Kirkus Reviews,[6] and School Library Journal.[7]

Booklist's Jeanne Fredriksen writes, "Ferguson’s frank and powerful debut opens readers’ eyes to the multiplicity of daily traumas faced by people of color, especially Indigenous women and girls."[4] She further highlghts that the novel's main character "Lou is complex, smart, and honest, and a narrator readers will trust, love, and learn from as she works to repair friendships and gain security for her treasured family."[4]

Kirkus Reviews called the novel "heart-rending and healing; a winning blend that will leave readers satisfied."[6] Tamara Saarinen writes in the School Library Journal, "The honesty and complexity of this book make it a gripping read."[7] At the BookPage, Sarah Welch stated, "Readers will appreciate that Lou’s journey toward strength and self-acceptance is not neat or linear; instead, it’s messy and filled with as many stumbles as steps forward."[5]

The Governor General's Literary Award peer assessment committee members Michael Hutchinson, Sharon Jennings, and Wesley King called it, "A timely novel that flows from the author’s Métis and Canadian roots."[8]

References

  1. ↑ "The Summer of Bitter and Sweet by Jen Ferguson". CBC Books. October 11, 2022. Archived from the original on December 10, 2022. Retrieved December 9, 2022.
  2. ↑ "Awards: Governor General's Literary, Polari Winners". Shelf Awareness. November 17, 2022. Archived from the original on November 30, 2022. Retrieved February 19, 2023.
  3. ↑ Dundas, Deborah (November 16, 2022). "Sheila Heti, Eli Baxter win 2022 Governor General's Literary Awards for fiction and non-fiction". Toronto Star. Archived from the original on November 16, 2022. Retrieved December 9, 2022.
  4. 1 2 3 Jeanne, Fredriksen (May 1, 2022). "The Summer of Bitter and Sweet". Booklist. Archived from the original on February 19, 2023. Retrieved February 19, 2023.
  5. 1 2 Welch, Sarah (April 27, 2022). "Book review of The Summer of Bitter and Sweet by Jen Ferguson". bookpage.com. Archived from the original on December 10, 2022. Retrieved December 9, 2022.
  6. 1 2 "The Summer of Bitter and Sweet". Kirkus Reviews. March 2, 2022. Archived from the original on February 19, 2023. Retrieved February 19, 2023.
  7. 1 2 Saarinen, Tamara (September 1, 2022). "The Summer of Bitter and Sweet". School Library Journal. Archived from the original on December 10, 2022. Retrieved December 9, 2022.
  8. ↑ "The Summer of Bitter and Sweet". Canada Council for the Arts. 2022. Archived from the original on December 10, 2022. Retrieved December 9, 2022.
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