'Summer' is a book which can be symbolised by the atmosphere which surrounds the life of heroine Charity; the novel begins with he gentle undulations of a summer day, the refraction of sunlight on a gentle June afternoon hide the storm-clouds on the way with coming of Harney, whose passionate love raises Charity from her slumber, from her boredom, saves her from the drudgery of life in a quiet village, a life of calmness and quiescence but lack of vitality and passion. The third part in this love triangle is Charity's lachrymose and lugubrious benefactor Mr Royall, whose doleful nature hides a loneliness and love for Charity which he is finding it increasingly difficult to conceal.

On the surface 'Summer' recycles some of the most well-used tropes of romantic fiction; the superficially charming rake, the naive heroine, the moody suitor whose exterior hides a selfless souls, yet 'Summer' should not be judged for its exterior shell, but instead for the inner radiance of the New England she creates. The ethereal beauty of the world which surrounds summer, from the torrents which are released by her pent-up passion, to the tenuous beauty of a spring morning, the superficial artificiality of the characters is subsumed within the richness of the world Wharton creates;

"The lake was so smooth that the reflection of the trees on its edge seemed enamelled on a solid surface; but gradually, as the sun declined, the water grew transparent, and Charity, leaning over, plunged her fascinated gaze into depths so clear that she saw the inverted tree-tops interwoven with the green growths of the bottom."

3.5***

When she was a young child, Charity Royall was rescued from “the Mountain” by Lawyer Royall, who is now her guardian. Now she’s eighteen, feeling bored in the small town of North Dormer, and itching to spread her wings. When she meets Lucius Harney, an architect from the city who is visiting his cousin, her eyes are opened to possibilities she hasn’t dared dream about. Their mutual attraction garners some unwanted attention and results in gossip that Charity ignores until it is too late.

Wharton wrote this circa 1917 when she was living in France. When published, it shocked readers; they were not used to reading about a young woman’s awakening sexuality. I wonder if they would have been so shocked if Wharton had set the novel in France, rather than in the Berkshires.

Charity is head-strong and passionate, but also naïve. As frequently happens in Wharton’s novels, the principal characters never come out and say what they mean. They are frequently acting based on assumptions, rather than on a true understanding of the facts. Wharton knew the social makeup of turn-of-the century America, and used her novels to explore the nuances of the “rules” – spoken and unspoken – by which people, especially women, had to live. In this, as in other novels, the social fabric of the community is as much a character as any of the people in it.

It’s a slim novel, and a great introduction to Wharton’s writing. I still prefer n  House of Mirthn, but this was an enjoyable read.

• 3 stelle e mezzo

• "Estate" di Edith Wharton, seppur meno noto rispetto a opere come "L'età dell'innocenza" o "La casa della gioia", merita certamente attenzione per la sua capacità di tratteggiare il mondo interiore della protagonista in un contesto sociale e morale rigidamente codificato.

• La storia di Charity Royall, una giovane donna che vive in un villaggio del New England, rappresenta un'interessante e profonda indagine psicologica e sociale, ma non è priva di limiti e ambiguità.

• Uno degli aspetti che più ho apprezzato del romanzo è, appunto, la rappresentazione della protagonista, Charity Royall. Wharton, con la sua consueta maestria, disegna un personaggio complesso, sospeso tra il desiderio di libertà e l'oppressione di un mondo chiuso e limitante. La narrazione segue le sue aspirazioni, i suoi sogni di fuga e il suo tormento interiore. Ho provato forte empatia per lei, pagina dopo pagina mi ci sono affezionata.

• La scrittura di Wharton è qui, come sempre, impeccabile nel cogliere le sfumature emotive, rendendo palpabile l'inquietudine di Charity, i suoi dubbi, i timori.

• L'ambientazione è un altro punto di forza di questo libro. L'autrice riesce a evocare con vividezza l'atmosfera soffocante di North Dormer, il piccolo villaggio dove si svolge gran parte della vicenda. Questo luogo diventa quasi un personaggio a sé stante, simbolo della gabbia dalla quale Charity desidera evadere. La descrizione del paesaggio e delle stagioni aggiunge una dimensione simbolica al racconto, riflettendo lo stato d'animo della protagonista e il suo graduale disincanto. Alcuni passi sono poesia.

• Ma c'è un ma: il ritmo narrativo, risulta diseguale. Nella prima parte del romanzo, la costruzione della tensione è lenta, quasi languida, con un'introspezione che appesantisce. La trama, certamente ricca di potenziale, sembra procedere in modo meccanico, senza quella naturalezza che caratterizza altre opere dell'autrice.

• Inoltre, sebbene Wharton sia nota per il suo sguardo critico verso la società del suo tempo, aspetto che avevo molto amato negli altri romanzi letti anche perché farcito di sarcasmo e ironia, in "Estate" questo aspetto appare meno incisivo, molto diluito e debole. Il contrasto tra il desiderio di emancipazione di Charity e le norme oppressive della comunità in cui vive, pur presente, non raggiunge la stessa intensità emotiva e morale di altre sue opere.

• Il finale però è perfetto, amara riflessione sull'impossibilità di cambiare il proprio destino nel modo in cui si vorrebbe e pur mancando di una vera e propria catarsi è conclusione degna di un racconto che monta e si esprime tutto nella sua seconda metà.

En un pueblito de Nueva Inglaterra, vive una joven llamada Charity, con un abogado viudo que la trajo de la montaña y la acogió en su casa

summertime. the most beautiful time of all. the season of growth and where life prospers. serotonin rises, as does the nature around you. how apt then, for edith wharton to title her coming-of-age novel centered on the young charity royall, summer. set in the small new england village of north dormer, summer feels reminiscient of the idylicness of thomas hardy's work whereby young women come of age through the trials and tribulations of life.

it is obvious from the offset that charity's life is not and will not be a happy one. born in poverty, she is left under the care of lawyer royall who holds her status over her. bored in a small place and working at a library, she rebels as a result. excitement rises in her life when the young lucius harney arrives, an attractive architect who awakens her inner passion and desire. as they grow closer, so does her conflict with her guardian whose ulterior motives come to light. what begins a romance to root for, ends in devastation as the fate of charity set in stone years before wins.

wharton’s prose, as per, is magnificent. she captures how the intensity of one’s feelings collide with repression. how fate halts the life of a young woman wanting more, of deserving much more. how ironic then, that the novel is set during summer - a time when life renews. for charity, it is as if life stops. i wanted so much more for her. for the life she deserved, away from a man who felt she was indebted to him. but what a story.

Summer by Edith Wharton, which I listened to on Audible, narrated by Grace Collin. A rise of female powers by questioning things. It was published a century ago—a lively, delicate, female, classic masterpiece. Still true today.

This is a book about a girl's sexual awakening and the pure pleasure she derives from it. Of course, there are consequences involved, especially since this is a poor girl near the bottom of the social ladder in a small western New England town.

Summer is very different from The House of Mirth or The Age of Innocence where sex was either avoided, unfulfilled or occured offstage. This book deals with both sexuality and class distinction and touches on incest as well. While these topics are openly discussed today, they were considered appalling at the time of publication.

I'm sorry but this was SO BORING! Not even the audiobook could save it. The blurb is better than the actual book.

This read was rather short compared to other books I’ve read by Edith Wharton. It's also extremely different to other books the author has written which centre around the elite in New York during the Gilded Age. In contrast, Summer is set in New England, and it deals with poverty and a woman’s limitations in such a depressing, isolating setting. We quickly see the similarities with some of her other books, such as the expectations and suffocating limits that many women were faced with at such times. Although in this poor, eery, and bleak setting, women were faced with poverty, as well as the glare of society and the unforgiving, merciless shadow that it cast on its people — ensuring that women adhere to the rules.

I quickly also drew similarities to Charlotte Bronte’s classic Jane Eyre when reading this book. It had the same eery, mysterious feeling, and an almost hopeless feeling lingering in the musty air — it was as though dreams were so unattainable and that many only saw the darkness around them and refused, or were afraid to see the light. In Summer, the protagonist is Charity Royall. Charity immediately seemed like a rude, unlikable, young teenage girl who didn’t appreciate her environment, perhaps because she always knew she was different to people around her — that she belonged to the people of the Mountain — a mysterious place near North Dormer, where she lives. Mr Royall, an intelligent lawyer, had raised Charity with his wife, hence they saved her from a miserable life of poverty, isolation and despair amongst the Mountain folk.

The reader would assume that Charity would thus be content with her circumstances, but Mr Royall becomes completely isolated from the town they live in when his wife dies. He raises Charity on his own, and he slips into his own isolation — this is also due to the fact that he always felt that he was above many in the town. They are not as educated and he cannot relate to anyone. Thus, ironically, Charity does feel miserable and poor in spirit, even if she has abundant food to eat. I sensed that she detested this dependence she had on Mr Royall; that she had to be indebted to him forever, and she wanted to remain free — this could not be more felt at a time when her sexuality is awakened, by a young architect who is from New York. This young man, Lucius Harney, spends time in North Dormer, and carries out research on some of the dated older houses. He meets Charity at the library where she works. It is here where the rift between Charity and Mr Royall intensifies.

The reader sees Charity in action through the dialogue when she first meets Harney. She is defensive and abrupt, while he speaks gently and eloquently. There is chemistry from the onset, and I felt that Harney could see the spirit and energy in Charity’s soul, even though she was listless, and a defeatist — she had given up on maintaining the books in the library and had no interest in improving the library — her work environment. Harney ignites a flame within Charity — one that was perhaps always waiting to be lit. There is a slight “cinderella complex syndrome” here I felt as I read. Although Charity had a rebellious, defiant nature, I felt that she didn’t try to improve her circumstances on her own. However, Charity does not like to be told what to do, and we see her fiery outbursts many times.

As unlikable as she seems to be, I felt for her, and I felt how oppressed, repulsed, and confused she felt in her surroundings. The feeling that “the grass is always greener” elsewhere always lingered in her mind, yet we see her being drawn to the Mountain — and she suddenly becomes almost like a martyr — wanting to sabotage her happiness, and punish herself as though to prove a point, not unlike Jane in Jane Eyre. Charity acts without thinking — fleeing instead of brainstorming a plan. However, in real life people may also act hastily, and desperate times do call for desperate measures. It is hard to judge how anyone would act in such depressing circumstances where any little hope one may have is easily crushed when there is no inner belief that things can change, or any self-confidence that they can dig themselves out of their despair without succumbing to the demands of others.

The writing was very detailed and rich with beautiful prose and descriptions about nature. I can’t expect anything less from Edith Wharton. Although, the names of the flowers and plants left me thinking that I need to be a horticulturist to know what they are and what variety they belong to. It may have been too much at times.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. Although it didn’t have the same intellectual, witty dialogue that Wharton’s other books had, the cleverness revealed itself in a more implicit way, and it did keep me glued to my seat. I wanted to know what would happen next, and could not wait until I did. I was left wanting more as it is a shorter read, and as usual, the author leaves the reader with so many questions. It also left me feeling repulsed as there were a few taboo issues, but I had to remind myself that back in the day in New England, these issues may have been the norm. I also find it hard to believe that Charity was that naive because she had seen things happen to many in her town and yet did not think it would happen to her? I had to remind myself that love is blind. She is very wise — street-smart as opposed to book-smart, yet she still is young and it does then make certain situations plausible due to her not having seen much outside of North Dormer, and also due to her lack of experience. She may also have not wanted to see any signs as it would be too painful, real, and final. The complexity of the character began to make sense as I began to see that many things she hadn’t experienced before confused her, and presented new conflicts, both in the outside world and inside her own world — her inner being.

The positives outweighed any negatives for me. I was totally immersed in this book that I felt like I just woke up from a dream when I finished reading the last sentence. In fact I was frustrated because I was woken up too quickly and I didn’t get to see what happens next in the dream. Then I realised that the dream may have been over and the book did end even if it didn’t turn out as I expected, and the story continues to grow in my mind and heart just as the author probably intended. Just because we think we wake up before a dream is over does not mean it isn’t actually over — the dream may have revealed what it wanted us to know from our subconscious mind, just like Edith Wharton revealed what she wanted the reader to know. I was left feeling completely baffled and stupefied by this book, yet at the same time I was also left feeling content and enchanted by it. A very unique and intriguing read!

It was the beginning of a June afternoon. The spring-like transparent sky shed a rain of silver sunshine on the roofs of the village, and on the pastures and the larchwoods surrounding it.

Published in 1917 and described at the time as a "novella" this 200+ page novel does not today seem so short. It is complete and weighty — summer lasts from the spring-like June through the heat of summer until the inevitable denouement of the fall.

Wharton herself listed this work as one of the top five she was most proud of. I'd only discovered "Summer" recently, and wonder why it is not more widely known. It is deeply grounded in social realism, with all the discomforting realities that entails. The novel also deals with a young woman's sexual awakening, and I suppose that is one reason this book was a sensation in its day, but also why it tends to be overlooked.

This volume has an introduction, which is best left to the end.

There are many uncomfortable realities in this New England village, and even though the language is often more allusive than direct, Wharton does not shy away from depicting awkward, uncomfortable, even shocking situations. In a way, it is a romance novel — but romance for cornered, realistic adults who must live with the consequences of their actions.

5 gleaming stars.

Summer lovin', had me a blast
Summer lovin', happened so fast*

This one immediately made the jump onto my Characters I Want to Slap shelf when I was introduced to Charity Royall, a bored teen who is fortunate enough to have a job in a library, but she HATES it! (SLAP!) Charity is basically at the age when she hates EVERYTHING, particularly the older man who has rescued her from an uncertain fate up on the Mountain, and the gossipy, small town where she currently resides.

. . . we all live in the same place, and when it's a place like North Dormer it's enough to make people hate each other just to have to walk down the same street every day.

And then one day . . . a certain young man appears in town and causes her to become a quivering Jell-O mold of lust and racy thoughts.

I was surprised how much I enjoyed this one, especially given that I disliked Charity. By the end of the book, however, when she is broken and beaten down, the spirit and spunk all but driven out of her, I had actually started to care for her a bit. I'm wondering what that says about me. Am I jealous of her youth and beauty, like the small town hags so quick to judge her, or am I just happy this library-hater got her comeuppance?

Despite being hailed as a novel of "sexual awakening," there are no spicy scenes here, though it was interesting how frankly the specter of unwanted pregnancy was dealt with in a book published in 1917.

As far as classics go, this is a relative bit of fluff, but like summer itself, the book has a nice languid charm.

The haze of the morning had become a sort of clear tremor over everything, like a colourless vibration about a flame; and the opulent landscape seemed to droop under it. But to Charity the heat was a stimulant; it enveloped the whole world in the same glow that burned at her heart.

*Summer Nights by Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey

men will never understand the feeling this book gave me after reading it outside during golden hour