The Blurb:

“A new Englander of humble origins, Charity Royall is swept into a torrid love affair with an artistically inclined young man from New York City, but her dreams of a future with him are thwarted. A bold, provocative work, SUMMER was an immediate sensation when first published in 1917 and still stands as one of Wharton’s greatest achievements.”

(source: Goodreads.com)

What I thought:

It’s some book that can make you dislike a character but yet fall for her over time, that can make you never want to live in a forgotten little backwater town like that while all the time making you feel the sun on your face, marvel at the butterflies and smell the flowers on the mountain. Very clever.

Summer is the story of Charity Royall, a girl who was born on The Mountain – a place that is scorned and avoided by the residents of North Dormer, and adopted by a Lawyer and his wife who are childless. When Mrs Royall dies, Charity is left alone with the Lawyer who seems unable to connect with her.

Anxious to have some independence so that she can escape,  Charity becomes the town librarian, a part-time job which gives her a small amount of her own money. There she encounters Lucius Harney, the nephew of one of the town’s leading citizens. His interest in Charity soon develops into affection and then passion, and the two become lovers, a relationship which quickly develops complications as Charity falls in love and longs to escape the village. What ensues is a tale of heartbreak and resignation, with Charity’s adopted father playing a far larger part in the book than is sometimes comfortable.

While the themes of this book are pretty bleak (highlighting how little control over her life a young lady had back in the early 20th century), the book is not unpleasant to read. Wharton’s prose is delicious but yet her characters are unsentimental (and in most cases not very likable). What I love about a book is when I feel I am there in the middle of it – I can see, hear and smell all around me, I can feel the heat and shiver in the cold – Summer did this to me.

The only other book I have read by Wharton is Ethan Frome and that book is in my top 10 of all time – I just love it! Have you read any Wharton? Which ones did you enjoy and which one should I read next?