A Summer of Silk Moths by Margaret Willey

People can't always tell everything. Sometimes they have to leave things out os that they can recover. Start over. So that people will still be able to love them.
Seventeen-year-old Pete Shelton's life revolves around helping his friend Abe McMichael build Riverside, a nature preserve dedicated to the memory of Abe's brother, Paul. Then one summer a troubled runaway shows up---a girl named who Nora who claims to be Paul's daughter. All her life, Nora has lived with secrets and lies, never knowing anything about her father. Although enemies at first, Pete and Nora slowly begin to piece together their shadowy pasts......and discover that their lives intertwine in a way they never imagined. -from book cover

A Summer of Silk Moths is an earthy, emotional story as delicate and complicated as moths themselves.
Lightly based on the well known novel, Girl of the Limberlost by Gene Stratton Porter, Willey's retelling of the story was just as fresh and fascinating with a present-day appeal. The narrative storyline through Pete's eyes was very detailed and full of emotion. Willey first wrote A Summer of the Silk Moths with Nora as the narrator, but Nora's character was too rough, almost angry. Pete was observant and sensitive making the story come to life in the forest marshes of Michigan. You could even smell the damp forest or hear the moth's beating wings. I think what made this book cling to me long after the final page was the vibrant scenery and the hidden secrets that surrounded the heart of this novel. All the characters have such a strong emotional attachment to the overall development of the story, it was very easy to connect with Pete and Nora. Pete and Nora were both sensitive characters. They constantly fed off of each other's emotions making the story more complex as it went along. Willey compares life to moths--which were an important part of the story--because they are extremely intricate, misunderstood, and elusive. As the book digs even deeper and despite all the lies, anger, and hurt, both Nora and Pete have experienced, they must learn to forgive, love, and move on. I was almost heart broken to find that Pete and Nora's future was left unfinished; but I guess what? Willey is writing a sequel as I speak, and I can hardly wait to read it!
Overall, A Summer of Silk Moths is an wondrously fresh, touching story of two teens drowning in a river of secrets. The moths will help them, but will they be able to survive the truth? I highly recommend this book to fans of Portor's ageless novel and those who like a good drama moths or no moths!

See Guest Post with Margaret Willey

|Pages: 243|Year Published: Oct. 2009|Publisher: Flux|
|Genre: Contemporary fiction, family drama/issues, teen romance|
|Age Group: YA, ages 14+|
|Content: Dramatic family situation and some sensuality|
|Enjoyed It: 5/5|Content Rating: 4/5|Cover: 4/5|
|Overall|