I loved this book so much more than I thought I would! It has all of the compelling romance and drama that one would expect from a short novella about the sexual coming-of-age of a young woman in a small New England town and, admittedly, that's what kept me turning the pages. However, Wharton is no writer of silly, frivolous romances. The story of Charity Royall is also one of complex class structures, gender limitations, the discovery of one's identity, and missed opportunities.

Charity Royall, originally born in a desolate, crime-ridden mountain community, is adopted at a young age by Mr. Royall and his wife, who passes away while Charity is still young. Charity passes her childhood in North Dormer, a lower middle class town that offers limited opportunities to a young woman as independent and spirited as Charity. As Charity reaches womanhood, her relationship with her guardian becomes more complicated and, in the midst of this arrives Lucius Harney, a handsome, young, worldly architect who is visiting from out of town. Charity is immediately smitten with this unlikely match, and a summer romance ensues.

This is no fairytale, however, and as the outside world, social structures and expectations, and Charity's own growing sense of her own true identity complicate things, the story takes some turns that are--although somewhat predictable, it's true--seemingly inevitable. This inevitability is powerfully disappointing, considering Charity's unique strength, independent spirit, and spunk. Charity is by no means flawless, however, and, generally, Wharton's complex characterization of all of the main characters urge the reader to look beyond a simple "life is unfair" moral and to really consider what leads Charity to her destiny (I'm still pondering this...)

Wharton's prose is quite rich, with lush descriptions that perfectly capture the essence of a golden, dreamy summer of youth, one that is abuzz with life and bursting with possibilities. At the end of the book, as Charity is contending with the fallout of her summer romance and, at the same time, coming face-to-face with who she really is, autumn has set in with its cold, hard nights, and it is apparent how easily reality can steal away the fleeting freedom of summer.

An intensely sad story about a naive young girl who follows her heart and suffers the consequences. Charity Royall lives in a country village and longs for something to happen in her life. She is sweet but not totally innocent, aware of her power as a woman and not afraid to exercise it with the guardian who took her in as a child and who has long wanted her as his wife. Charity is 18 the summer Lucius Harney comes to town, and the two become lovers. But there will be no marriage, as Harney is already engaged to another girl. When Charity realizes she’s pregnant, she considers an abortion but eventually decides she will keep and raise the child (even if she has to prostitute herself). But in the end she opts for security, marrying Mr. Royall and returning with him to the small town and the same house where she grew up.

This is a short novel with complex characters and a lot of impact, very representative of Wharton’s writings in its exploration of relationships and societal norms.

Ако игнорираме факта, че "Лято" е писана през 1910-те години, книгата съвсем спокойно може да мине за съвременен роман с тематиките, през които минава в тези красиви 224 страници, защото до ден днешен са ни до болка познати. Дали това е хубаво или лошо нещо - ще се сдържа от коментар.

Това е на пръв поглед семпла, кратка любовна история на фона на разгара на лятото, която първоначално може да ви тръгне бавно, но после ще прочетете за няколко часа, а краят, малко или много, ще ви скъса сърцето, защото идеално показва истината за много момичета по цял свят, които просто нямат избор.

В малкото градче Северен Дормър проследяваме бавното ежедневие на младата Чарити Роял, (толкова хубаво име!) което е абсолютно едно и също всеки ден, докато в старата книжарница, в която работи, не се появява младият архитект Харни. Постепенно тя започва да вижда в него не само красив, интелигентен младеж, но и надежда за истинска любов и дългоочаквано бягство към големия градски живот, ала тези нейни надежди угасват по коварен начин.

Чарити е свикнала със самотата си, и собствената ѝ компания винаги е била достатъчна за нея. Тя е горделива, уверена и страни от всичко и всеки, опитвайки се да предпази сърцето си, но трудно успява да заглуши съмненията си относно мястото ѝ в обществото, които продължават да се пораждат най-вече, защото като дете е осиновена от място, където всички около нея описват по доста особен и отблъскващ начин.
Забавно е да четеш от нейна гледна точка и колкото повече напредваш с историята, все повече и повече ѝ се възхищаваш на борбеността, и колко добре умее да отстоявя мнението си. Може да опишем Чарити като лека бунтарка, която копнее за любов, флирт и дни, когато ще върви ръка за ръка с мъж, без да се страхува, какво ще си помислят хората.

Сега разбирам, че Едит Уортън е първата жена в историята, която получава награда „Пулицър“, и сега разбирам защо. Чрез главната си героиня в "Лято" и красивия, достъпен стил на писане, тя разбива не един или два стереотипа, с които жените трябва да се борят, което за онова време е рядко срещано нещо. Героите ѝ са реалистични, а действията и мислите им още повече. Тук няма драматичност, преиграване и капризи, които понякога се срещат в класиките.

Започнах да чета книгата без да знам абсолютно нищо за нея и съм изключително доволна. Много обичам, когато срещна литературен герой, който да ме накара толкова да му съчувствам. Препоръчвам книгата на любителите на класиките, а на тези от вас, които искат да четат от този жанр, но не знаят откъде да започнат - още повече! Преводът е прекрасен! А колко изречения и параграфи съм подчертала със сърца...

„Тя му бе дала всичко, каквото притежаваше – но какво бе то в сравнение с другите дарове, които животът можеше да му предложи?“

Großartig komponierte Erzählung

3.5 stars

Edith Wharton is a master story teller. When thinking about great American 20th Century authors Wharton is at the pinnacle of greatness. You owe it to yourself to seek out Wharton's works you won't be disappointed.

The Age of Innocence
The House of Mirth
Ethan Frome
Xingu

Counting Summer I have now read five of her stories. The only regret I have is that they came to an end.

I am so in love with the writing of Edith Wharton. It makes me feel foolish to have had such a writer in full view and passed her over for so many years in favor of lesser ones.

Edith Wharton's Summer is a different kind of novel than the others of hers that I have read, but not one bit less rich and enthralling. The main character, Charity Royall, is unsure of her place in society, raised in the home of one of the most prominent men in a small town but always made aware that she comes "from the mountain". The mountain is peopled with the poor and uneducated, who are so lowly placed as to have no status whatsoever in the society on whose fringe they live. Charity bounces between a feeling of position and power and one of abject inferiority, her very name being a reflection of her lack of legitimate claim on the society in which she lives.

Wharton brings all her elaborate writing skills to bear on this story, painting vivid pictures of the town, the natural surroundings and the people. The "love story" at the heart of the tale is full of tension and societal taboos, just as those entanglements we see in The Age of Innocence and House of Mirth. I became very involved in Charity's situation and anxious for her in the choices she was forced to make.

The odd thing for me was that I kept thinking of Thomas Hardy and found this novel had an atmosphere and feeling that was more akin with him than with the Wharton works I know. Perhaps this springs from the fact that Wharton sets this novel in a rural, small town area without any of the glitz, riches and style that are her usual trademarks. Charity Royall isn't trying to climb the social ladder or gain entrance into a society she watches from outside, she is inside the society already trying to figure out exactly where she fits.

If you have enjoyed other Wharton novels, you are almost sure to find this one a satisfying read. It is short, but powerful, and I closed the book feeling as if the story had come full cycle and reached its inevitable conclusion.

I'm really kicking myself for not having written this review sooner, because I seriously forgot pretty much everything about this book...

...which in itself is probably a sign that I found it so-so.

Earlier this year I had the pleasure of reading Wharton's The Age of Innocence, which I completely loved, but Summer was so different that I had to keep checking the cover to make sure I was really reading an Edith Wharton novel. Where The Age of Innocence was all glitz and glamour, Summer was a very subdued and quiet sort of book, with strong themes and too many in-between-the-lines subtleties that I undoubtedly failed to catch.

The characters were hard to like; Charity was uninteresting, selfish, ungrateful, and clearly a little deranged. I mean, she works at a library and finds it boring. A library. Boring. Then we have Mr. Royall, who was incredibly complex and hard to understand; Lucius, the rich town guy who pops in the village for a visit and who was about as interesting as one of his architectural sketches; and a few other folks more or less relevant to the story.

The story is set during the summer (you don't say!) in a little remote village of which I forgot the name, and follows Charity in her daily activities, in her thoughts and actions and her meetings with Lucius. I kept waiting for something to happen...but it was dragging on...and on...and then I realized that no big events were likely to happen and that the merit of this book all had to do with Wharton's explorations of love, hope, a sheltered girl's mind, etc, etc, etc, whatever, whatever, whatever.

This book pretty much just couldn't keep my attention. I found it boring. I mean, let's be honest...nothing exciting happened (except in the last few chapters, but by that time I was just waiting for it to be over) and although I enjoyed the author's exploration of many themes and the point of the story, I wasn't motivated to pick it up every evening to continue.

Had I written my review a few months ago I would probably be able to expand my ideas a bit more, but since I pretty much forgot everything about it and only remember a general sense of disinterest and boredom while reading, as well as the inability to connect with or like any of the characters, suffice it to say that I was disappointed in this book because I had been totally blown away by Innocence and was expecting to encounter the same feeling for this one.

However, I still remain greatly interested in the projected movie adaptation that is being planned for this book, because *cough* Richard Armitage *cough* is supposed to be playing Lawyer Royall and I am greatly looking forward to see how he will interpret him and make his character come all alive and okay, I will be honest I really don't care who he's going to play, I'm just excited for another period drama with him in it to swoon over. Spoken like a true fangirl. Oh, dear.
I know I'm not the only though, eh? :P

Buddy read with Becca :) (I'm so happy you liked it a lot more than I did!)

you’ll never guess when i’m planning on reading this one

In a seeming act of kindness, Lawyer Royal saves a young girl from a life of poverty and degradation by "bringing her down from the mountain". This one action sets in motion the central dilemmas of Charity Royal's life. "Who am I?" "Where do I belong?" "Will I find and know love?"

This is only my second Wharton novel after Ethan Frome. Both are exquisitely written and this is somewhat of a mirror companion to the dark, cold winter of Frome. Given the time of year Summer takes place, this is a filled with light, warm breezes and buoyancy. But we are not to be deceived that this is a feel-good summer story as both take place in the early 20th century in the difficult landscape of Western Massachusetts. Charity is filled with bouts of optimism, bouts of despair, and feelings of "less than", but longing to be included in the fun she sees others having. These feelings, joined with her independent, even headstrong, spirit lead her into situations of both delight and danger. And the ending! I will just say it left me with many questions about where Charity's life would go next. She won't be easily forgotten by this reader.

Why I'm reading this: It's summer . . . buddy read with friend Diane.

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3.25 stars

n  “Now she knew the meaning of her disdains and reluctances. She had learned what she was worth when Lucius Harney, looking at her for the first time, had lost the thread of his speech, and leaned reddening on the edge of her desk. But another kind of shyness had been born in her: a terror of exposing to vulgar perils the sacred treasure of her happiness.”n

Although short Summer is an interesting read.
Feelings and actions are obliquely revealed or hinted at, so much so that many of the decisive events that our 'heroine' Charity experiences are only alluded to or described in an indirect fashion.
Because of this, the changing dynamics between the various characters can at times be hard to follow or understand. Yet, Wharton's narration does render, withan almost painful accuracy, those emotions and thoughts that can align the reader to Charity's state of mind.

There is a sense of sadness and growing unease that makes this novella into a rather distressing reading experience. While the story examines class, gender, and desire in an intriguing manner it also presents us with many unhappy scenarios and characters who are selfish, greedy, and snobbish.
Wharton deftly illustrates how Charity's background (the fact that she comes from "up the mountain" ) not only negatively affects her reputation—that is the way she is perceived by others—but it is also the cause of her own sense of inferiority. Almost incongruously to this deeply ingrained feeling of shame, and the fear that she is like her mother (a poor woman of ill reputation), Charity holds the fervent belief that she is superior to others and deserving of an exciting and self-fulfilling life.
These contrasting beliefs are the likely reason why Charity denies herself happiness and in self-denial she bottles up her love for Lucius Harney.

The story is not a happy one, and as Charity mirrors her mother's path, readers will find the turn of events to be almost inevitable ones. Perhaps a slower narrative could have examined in even more depth Charity and her story, as the narrative in Summer quickly moves from scene to scene without much room to digest the causes and consequences of Charity's actions...

Charity Royall. I loved her, hated her, sympathized with her, and cried for her.

She's a young woman at age 19, bored with her life in a small New England town. Adopted by Lawyer Royall at a young age, she was saved from a life of poverty on the "mountain". One would think she would have been grateful, but not Charity. She hates Mr. Royall for what she sees as her imprisonment in small town drudgery, and also for his proposal of marriage.

Enter Lucius Harney, sophisticated man about town; a young architect visiting nearby. Suddenly, Charity's hopes of escaping North Dormer and her new found sexuality awaken.

Charity learns some ugly life lessons, some sooner rather than later. This novel must have been shocking in 1917 when it was released. A young woman with sexual needs and desires was not something openly discussed in those days, certainly not in small New England towns.

I have a fondness for Edith Wharton's work. She lived not too far from me, in a home she designed and had built herself. To me, she has always represented a fighter against the rules of society and their effect on women of the day. Unfortunately, the women in her stories often lose their fights. In this case, I choose to view the ending as a victory for Charity. She certainly made out better than poor Lily Bart.

Recommended for fans of classics and readers that enjoy social commentary disguised as an entertaining tale.