Review of Mt. Everest in Flip-Flops

[Bertha Jackson]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Mt. Everest in Flip-Flops" by Terence Shannon.]

---

4 out of 4 stars

---

Share This Review

---

Mt. Everest in Flip-Flops by Terence Shannon combines a fictional coming of age story with a religious romance based on the author's experience as a counselor at a summer camp 50 years ago. Nineteen-year-old Jake Sullivan goes to a Catholic summer camp called Fort Ross to be a counselor. His summer experiences ranged from cleaning hundreds of rats out of a barn to falling in love. He finds life-long friendships and learns the devastation of making wrong decisions. Jake, Dalton, and Stuart had previously worked together before the camp opened for the season at Fort Ross. They enjoyed their duties and the mixers with the girls' camp next door. Father White was director of Fort Ross, but Bernie, a Catholic high school teacher, directed the boys' camp, and Sister Helen was in charge of the girls' camp. How much trouble can you get into when a teacher, a Priest, and a Nun supervise you? You might think a religious summer camp is boring but do not judge until after reading this fascinating book.

Terence Shannon has done a fantastic job describing the characters and landscape around the summer camp. Each character is fully developed, and I felt like I was walking through the campgrounds or sitting at a campfire. I enjoyed reading about the chores and activities the camp counselors and attendees had to perform. They all showed the benefits of working together to complete their activities. I can only imagine the pain Jake felt when he moved over a bee nest and was stung 43 times because I know from experience how painful one bee sting can be. An event at the end of the summer comes as a total surprise and will haunt me for a long time. However, this event did not take away from my reading enjoyment.

There was one part of this book that I disliked. I cannot imagine a severely injured child not being taken to the camp nurse for an examination. On the other hand, this demonstrates how an organization will hide bad behavior to protect its reputation. Unfortunately, I can only shake my head at this since this book is based on actual events the author experienced at a Catholic summer camp.

I gladly give this professionally edited book 4 out of 4 stars because it only has a handful of errors that a professional editor could have missed. This book has a fast-paced and smooth-flowing plot that kept me turning the pages.

I recommend this book to mature readers because of the non-borderline profanity, a gory murder, and sexual content that includes child sexual abuse. I am not sure what religious groups will enjoy this book because it is based on the Catholic faith but also addresses a negative issue the Catholic Church has faced over the years. For this reason, I think both religious and non-religious sectors will enjoy and detest different aspects of this book.

******
Mt. Everest in Flip-Flops
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon

[Yasmine ZM]

The title itself is intriguing. This sounds like an interesting book full of adventure, love but also a murder mystery; I also wonder how he got rid of those rats. However I will pass on this one as I cannot stomach the part with child sexual abuse. Thank you for the warning and for your detailed review.

[Ruth Frances A]

Whenever I think about summer camp I think it is for holiday and merry-making. I am glad that this review throws more light on this. A Priest is in charge of the boy's side as the girls are supervised by a reverend sister or nun. Thank you for this informative review that sheds light on having a counselor at camp. I am glad you mention the religious angle. I know this is catholic yet anyone can enjoy the story. I am intrigued by this story. I will grab a copy since you make it so delightful in this review. Congratulations.

[Madu Abigail]

From my experience, I can tell that this book is going to be very interesting. I would definitely get this book in my shelf. Thanks for this wonderful review.

[Chiwendu Ikechukwu]

powerful review for a powerful book. the storyline is captivating and i am excited to have come across this book.

[Chinenye Achilike]

The activities at Fort Ross Camp sound exciting, and I'm curious to find out about the event that happened at the end.

[The Nabongos Duchess]

Good piece here.I am a catholic but won't detest the book before I read, it could be a lesson to improve from.