WHAT THE FRENCH FRIES.

THIS STORY IS TERRIBLE.

Charity is instantly unlikable, but I began to appreciate her straightforwardness and ballsiness.

She's lazy and selfish, though, and speaks terribly to people.

She's also totally naive.

Harney is a classic, predictable charmer and I kinda instantly disliked him because of where I assumed this was gonna go. I liked that he cared about the books, though. Respect, brother.

Royall is repulsive and I was so disgusted by his hitting on the girl he basically raised as his daughter. Like, I know things were different in the 'olden days' but damn, this was way too weird for me to be okay with it.

This story has some n  serious issuesn and I am so disturbed by it.

The writing was pretty in places, though, and conveys a very clear picture of summer in a small town. I'll admit it: the writing is actually okay. Predictable in places, but I tell ya what: I did NOT see myself being so disturbed by this book. The repulsion I feel after reading it suggests its actually a pretty decent slice of writing.

Plot though: minus a billion stars.

If you like classics that are totally messed up, by all means, go for it.

What a freaking mess.

This would make a really good chamber opera.

I don't think I'm going to be an Edith Wharton fan. Between reading this book and Ethan Frome, and reading a pretty detailed synopsis of both The Age of Innocence and House of Mirth, I have discovered that she really liked to write books about characters in bleak situations with no hope of a good outcome for their lives, with all their options being bad or miserable or wrong. And you know what? I Do Not Like Books Like That. Like Of Mice and Men by Steinbeck. No. It's just cruel to create vibrant, believable characters and then torture them.

And worse that simply being a miserable book about miserable things happening to make miserable people even more miserable is the fact that this book actually made me anxious and depressed while I was reading it! This is not why I read books. I do not read them so that I can feel worse about the world around me, or to have myself made unhappy.

What a pretty little book, chronicling all the aspects and drama of teenage angst....circa 1916. It is hard to review a novel wrote over a 100 years ago, with the morales of that time set against our own current day views. That considered, for the time in which is was written I imagine it was actually quite scandalous. It was beautifully written and engaged me to the end. It had some plot changes I did not expect which I enjoyed. With respect to the time period, the book did have a satisfying, sort of, happy ending. The debate of this novella and its ending would be well served in a book club. I enjoyed this one, primarily for how incredibly eloquent the passages were. I look forward to reading more Edith Wharton in the future.

Charity, orfana e malata, viene salvata dall'avvocato Royall che vive insieme alla moglie, moglie che successivamente muore per malattia. La piccola sarà era adottata da bambina dall'avvocato, ora rimasto vedovo. Royall è un vedovo cupo che adora la piccola tanto che una volta diventa grande non la manda all'istituto per studiare per non rimanere da solo e quindi perderla. In realtà la solitudine accomuna entrambi. Charity aveva una particolare caratteristica: era nata nella "Montagna", non aveva idee chiare sul luogo ma sapeva che bisogna vergognarsi di appartenere a quel luogo perché era un pessimo posto. Una volta diventata grande decide di iniziare a lavorare presso la biblioteca della città. Avverrà proprio lí l'incontro con il giovane e affascinante architetto Lucius Harney, il quale mostra subito un interesse particolare per la ragazza. Il patrigno, che voleva sposare Charity, cerca di ostacolare i due giovani, ma nonostante i suoi tentativi, Charity e Lucius diventano amanti ma, con la fine dell'estate, anche quell'amore si avvia verso l'autunno, portando con sé le conseguenze della scandalosa relazione. Il finale del romanzo è davvero scontato (purtroppo) si era capito tutto fin dall'inizio..!

Dopo L'età dell'innocenza, che non mi era piaciuto, ho deciso di leggere un'altra sua opera: Estate. Un classico molto scorrevole ma banale a parer mio. Questo classico fu considerato un romanzo estremamente provocatorio e venne presto dimenticato, per essere riscoperto solo a partire dagli anni '60 come una delle opere più moderne dell'autrice americana. Autrice di cui non ho un buon rapporto!

"Americans want a tragedy with a happy ending," the perceptive Edith Wharton was fond of quoting. In this (1917) seduced-and-abandoned novel, EW relaxes slightly and gives her despairing, pregnant heroine a home of her own and a man who loves her, although it's doubtful that there will be much "happiness" within the marriage. A twin to "Ethan Frome," (1911), which also focused on the impoverished "hill" people of Massachusetts in the once very rural Berkshires, EW takes a conventional story, indeed, a trite one, and creates a beautifully sensuous painting of a young woman's rebellion, sexual initiation and confrontation with human nature. Some reviewers deplored what they called the sordid aspects of her story, ignoring the pathetic struggle of wills and compromise with fate amid unruly passions. When Bernard Berenson lauded the heroine's guardian as a masterly characterization, EW replied, "Of course, he's the book." Both he and she, despite humiliation, powerfully exercise their feelings with a minimum of melodrama.

EW wrote this novel during W1 in Paris where she did nonstop Red Cross work and organized relief for homeless refugees with an easy nonchalance. A formidable organizer and, by now, a grande dame, she was awarded the Legion of Honor. I believe the war made her reflect on her own life, which was emotionally stifled until her affair (1907-10) with American journalist Morton Fullerton -- a secret until sealed papers were opened in 1969. Hard to imagine today, but there was a time, especially for the still married EW, when appearances were of utmost importance. An affair must be conducted with style and - above all - discretion. Fullerton's own private life was a messy business and EW lent a hand when a French ex-mistress/landlady blackmailed him over a batch of love letters. Though once engaged briefly, he preferred his freedom and might be caught in any bed. But after 20 sexless years w Teddy Wharton, EW - once sexually awakened by this charmer - wanted him, as the song goes: Night and Day. This was not to be....She was in an angry mood when she wrote "The Reef" (1912), probably still thinking of Fullerton; she's hostile to all the players. Near the end of W1, with "Summer," EW's mood is gentle...almost meditational. The heroine's seducer, like Fullerton, is a sexy, careless charmer - and undependable.

In EWs (1934) memoir, "A Backward Glance," she lacks the strength to mention Fullerton's name.
That's deep feeling. He lived on in Paris, survived W2 and died in 1952. One scholar has written, "What vitality, above all, what memories he must have had." EW fans and academics cheered on learning that, yes, EW had her Lady Chatterley thrills. (Her confidant, diplomat Walter Berry, was another devoted, confirmed bachelor, like Henry James and Howard Sturgis).

Final note on "Summer," a quote from George Moore : "It does not matter what a man (or woman) writes about. It matters how he writes it. Subject is nothing."

4,5*
#gonewiththebook

Se pensasse no futuro sentiria instintivamente que o fosso entre eles era demasiado profundo e que a paixão que servia de ponte era tão pouco substancial como um arco-íris. (...) Agora, o seu primeiro sentimento era que tudo seria diferente e que ela própria seria um ser diferente para Harney. Em vez de se manter separada e absoluta, seria comparada com outras pessoas e esperariam dela coisas desconhecidas. Era demasiado orgulhosa para ter medo, mas sentia abater-se a liberdade do seu espírito...

Que ninguém vá ao engano pelo título em português, porque sendo Edith Wharton, nunca poderia ser uma história leve nem feliz. Nela temos uma jovem protagonista fortíssima, Charity, um espírito livre, intempestiva, petulante e até um pouco destravada, que tenta lutar contra as convenções da sociedade a um alto preço.
Esta autora é mais conhecida pelos livros passados na cidade e que se focam na alta sociedade, mas eu admiro este registo dela, com personagens mais remediadas, no meio rural, com umas descrições fantásticas da natureza

Why isn’t this novel better known? Ethan Frome fan or not, you should definitely read it. Charity Royall was born into poverty but brought down the mountain and adopted by a kindly couple into respectable North Dormer society. Mrs. Royall has died before the action starts, but as a young woman Charity still lives with Lawyer Royall, her guardian, and works at the library. When a stranger, Mr. Harney, arrives in their New England town to survey the local architecture, it’s clear right away that he’ll be a romantic prospect for her. “She had always thought of love as something confused and furtive, and he made it as bright and open as the summer air.” However, shame over her lowly origins – she is so snobbish every time she comes into contact with someone from the mountain – continues to plague her.

Although Harney returns her affections and they set up a little love nest in an abandoned house in the woods, uncertainty lingers as to whether he’ll consider marriage to Charity beneath him. This skirts Tess of the d’Urbervilles territory but, thankfully, doesn’t turn nearly as tragic as Ethan Frome (apparently, Wharton called this a favourite among her works, and referred to it as “the Hot Ethan”). Charity isn’t as vain as another Hardy heroine, Bathsheba Everdene; she’s an endearing blend of innocent and worldly, and her realistic reaction to what fate seems to decree feels like about the best one can expect for her time. Melodrama aside, I truly enjoyed the descriptions of a quintessential American summer with picnics and Fourth of July fireworks.

Originally published on my blog, Bookish Beck.

n  …She had always thought of love as something confused and furtive, and he made it as bright and open as the summer air…n

This is a story about a young girl from a very low social status who lives in a dull, dreary, 'sunless' world and does not have many options to alter that situation. This goes on until one summer a man enters her life, turns her world up side down, and sparks some light of hope of happiness. Will her relationship with this man finally bring a brighter light to her dark world? Or will it just be like a season that appears after spring and soon will pass before fall comes?

Once again, as with what Wharton had done in Ethan Frome, I LOVE how she described the setting and built a memorable atmosphere in this story. A season of summer described as sunny with such beautiful scenery of nature and yet heated with passionate flames. I was totally absorbed. For those who loved Ethan Frome with its bleak-rural-wintry scene, this is an interesting read to experience the opposite side to it.

As with all her other works I’ve read so far, Summer also brings out a story with complex (not black and white) characters, engaging plot, and surprising conflicts. This is another interesting story of a forbidden love, passion VS duty, social distinction, and all of those intriguing stuffs. I just finished reading it and I’m still caught in a deep daze…

Am decis sa scriu aceasta recenzie deoarece am observat existenta unei impresii generale cum ca Edith Wharton ar scrie povesti sentimentaliste naive, potrivite pentru fete batrane care nu au avut norocul sa-si gaseasca un sot sau macar o pisica... Influentata de mentorul ei, Henry James, autoarea adera de asemenea la realismul psihologic, dand viata unor romane despre caractere puternice, iubiri neconventionale, atipice si care au un aer de razvratire impotriva regulilor morale.
In "Summer" o avem in prim plan pe Charity Royall, o orfana care locuieste intr-un sat izolat si asupra careia planeaza stigmatul de a proveni "de pe Munte" - un loc plin de oameni necivilizati, salbatici, considerati paria societatii.
Dupa ce tatal ei vitreg atenteaza asupra ei, singura sa dorinta este sa paraseasca satul North Dormer. Venirea lui Lucius Harney, un tanar orasean dezinvolt, ii da planurile peste cap deoarece se indragosteste iremediabil de el. Prin Lucius, ea vede orasul, toate locurile si educatia la care n-a avut acces, considerandu-l superior si lasandu-se dominata de el.
Momentul cel mai impresionant al povestirii este cand Charity care nu urcase niciodata pe Munte, ajunge s-o faca alaturi de Lucius si descopera cat de dezagreabile sunt rudele ei. Rusinea pe care o simte initial, nu o va face totusi sa-i renege.
In roman nu este vorba doar despre seducerea unei fete naive de la tara ci mai degraba de o transformare psihologica a acesteia, din fata in femeie. Lumea ei se schimba sub influenta acestui barbat dar si a celor de pe Munte si a celor de la oras. Sunt interesante de urmarit trairile, sentimentele si evolutia ei, mai ales in momentele critice. De-a lungul romanului, Charity mi-a dat impresia ca seamana pe alocuri cu Heathcliff sau cu Jane Eyre, avand o salbaticie frumoasa si dureroasa.

Summer is not quite as bleak as Edith Wharton's most famous New England story, Ethan Frome, but it also presents a dark prospect of a life straitened by social expectations. Set in Berkshire County, Massachusetts, now associateed with art colonies and music festivals, it narrates one summer in the life of Charity Royall, who is the adopted child of a lawyer in the village of North Dormer. Charity's real parents were low-lives living in a remote camp on a mountain. The exact setting is never specified, but it seems to be the last decade of the 19th century in the neighborhood of North Adams; I imagine the Mountain is based on Mt. Greylock. Totally bored with her narrow surroundings, Charity is working part-time in the local library, hoping to save up enough money to escape. Instead she encounters Lucius Harney, an architectural student interested in historic houses, with whom she has a passionate affair, meeting in one of the abandoned houses where he is squating. Of course he promises to marry Charity, after he sorts out some obligations.

The tale of a poor country girl romanced by young man of a higher class is an old one, and we have a fair notion of how it will turn out. But there are some fascinating characters, including an odious abortionist, an Anglican priest (who conducts a burial service on the Mountain using the the Book of Common Prayer), and Lawyer Royall, who would make a good subject for a class or bookclub discussion. Though I prefer Wharton's ghost stories, I found this a very moving tale.

It seems that various studies of 'Summer' comprise more pages than 'Summer' itself; my Oxford World's Classics edition suggests a number of these articles, so if you read 'Summer' and have nobody to discuss it with, know that there's a whole lot of very different views of this book in general and its ending in particular.

One's opinion of the book might depend on one's reading of this controversial finale, so I will say that I do not consider it as tragic for the characters as some critics do, thus my perception of the whole story is that it is very well-written and wise (but it's a lot of other things to other people, obviously). Not the happiest book ever, though; not as optimistic as The Glimpses of the Moon, although, seemingly, a lot less depressive than the bulk of Wharton's other novels.

I really did enjoy the writing. Descriptions of nature and weather in particular (summer is not just a name, it's important as a season and as a symbol), but the whole story is very atmospheric. I also liked the way we see other characters through the eyes of the protagonist: she is not at all what is called an unreliable narrator, but she does have her limitations, so we have to arrive at our own conclusions, - but then her opinions evolve, and although we're still ahead of her, we kind of get to compare notes. There is a very precise use of foreshadowing, a very noticeable structure, - masterful writing, in short.