I just finished reading Bummer
Camp by Ann Garvin. Unfortunately, I cannot recommend it to anyone because
the plot was ridiculous. It may have been intended for humor, but I winced much
more often than I laughed.
Normally, I would have put it down
after a few chapters. So why didn’t I? The story took place in a summer camp in
the woods, and I was caught up in the well-executed setting.
The photo shows the outdoor amphitheater
at Presbytery Point in Michigan, a Presbyterian camp located on the Upper
Peninsula. I spent a number of summers there as a child. Or rather, I spent seven
days there each summer, since the individual camps were only a week long. I
always looked forward to going but got homesick after being there a couple of
days. And yet, the next year I couldn’t wait to return. So the setting of Bummer
Camp brought back many pleasant memories.
Setting can be an integral part of a
book’s plot, as it was here, but it is the plot that is crucial to the story.
Even though I finished the book, I will not read another one by Ann Garvin.
Still, although a good setting is
never an excuse for a bad plot, it can cover some sins.
That’s why a good writer doesn’t ignore
the setting.
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