All Summer Long

Three friends meet at a 25th high school reunion. In different ways, each is unhappy with his present life. "Summer," mourns Ben, a TV journalist of modest fame, "used to be the best part of our lives, and now it's not." A month later, all three have left families and jobs behind to set off on one final summer of cruising. They crisscross the country without connection or purpose, stopping wherever they land. Unexpected love interests for each of them and a personal crisis apiece add spice to their otherwise bland adventure. The penultimate stop is Las Vegas, where they contrive to sleep in Elvis's suite. Riddled with cliches, this marshmallow of a book trivializes such truly serious matters as the midlife adjustments that men make, the importance of friends and memories, and the value of male bonding.