First published in 1917, "Summer" is one of only two novels by Edith Wharton not set in the upper-class society of New York. It is instead set in New England and was very controversial at the time it was published as it is the story of the sexual awakening of a young woman, named Charity Royall. Charity, the daughter of mountain moonshiners, was abandoned by her poor parents and adopted by her small town's most learned person, Lawyer Royall. Charity is unsatisfied and restless and spends her days yearning for a more ...
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First published in 1917, "Summer" is one of only two novels by Edith Wharton not set in the upper-class society of New York. It is instead set in New England and was very controversial at the time it was published as it is the story of the sexual awakening of a young woman, named Charity Royall. Charity, the daughter of mountain moonshiners, was abandoned by her poor parents and adopted by her small town's most learned person, Lawyer Royall. Charity is unsatisfied and restless and spends her days yearning for a more exciting and luxurious life outside of North Dormer. She falls for Lucius Harney, an educated young architect visiting North Dormer from the city. Charity and Lucius begin an affair, much to the disapproval of Mr. Royall and Charity's relationship with her guardian becomes darker and more complicated. "Summer" is a thought-provoking and ambiguous story of a young girl coming to terms with her feelings and sexuality, as well as a commentary on the impossible standards that are often applied to women's behavior. The war between freedom and repression in the environment of overwhelming social pressure of early 20th century America continues to resonant today. This edition is printed on premium acid-free paper.
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I read this book for my bookclub and we had a great discussion about it. It really provoked a lot of different opinions about women's roles in society, both past and present. My one criticism is that the foreword of the volume I had laid out the entire plot, including the ending!! I was very disappointed when I realized it had spoiled the ending...but it did give me an interesting perspective as I read the book!
pamela1717
Apr 12, 2009
No more Wharton for me!
So every now and then I get this bug that I should improve myself, bag the comtemporary lit, and try some classics. And usually it goes like this: pick up the book, try to read it 2-3 times, and then abandon it to the giveaway/trade pile. Well, it's happened again. As I said before, I tried to read this three times and couldn't get past Chapter 2. I will say however, the writing is not flowery or verbose (which I appreciate) but it just wasn't for me. But if you're a classics person, there is no reason why you shouldn't give this one a try.
