The Beautiful Summer

Cesare Pavese — 2018

Life was a perpetual holiday in those days . . . ' It's the height of summer in 1930s Italy, and sixteen-year-old Ginia is desperate for adventure. So begins a fateful friendship with Amelia, a stylish and sophisticated artist's model who envelops her in a dazzling new world of bohemian artists and intoxicating freedom. Under the spell of her new friends, Ginia soon falls in love with Guido, an enigmatic young painter. It's the start of a desperate love affair, charged with false hope and overwhelming passion - destined to last no longer than the course of a summer. The Beautiful Summer is a gorgeous coming-of-age tale of lost innocence and first love, by one of Italy's greatest writers.

Reviews

Giovanni Garcia-Fenech @giovannigf

Feb 9, 2022

I don't read Italian so I can't say whether it's the fault of Pavese or the translator, but the choppy, dry style was terribly boring. Which is a pity, as the subject of a young girl's experience with a group of bohemians is sensitively handled. Read Pavese's novel Among Women Only instead, it's much better.

Olivera Mitić@olyschka

Nov 24, 2021

Na trenutke liči na My Brilliant Friend, ali je dosta naivnije i manje toksično. Po svemu što sam čula o romanu, očekivala sam da će biti taman za mene, ali, eto, ostavilo me je ravnodušnijom nego što sam se nadala. Volim te "mirne" knjige o odrastanju, gde je centar na naizgled nebitnim događajima koji nas zapravo oblikuju u osobe koje danas jesmo, ali je Lepo leto radije bilo sastavljeno od scena u kojima glavna junakinja sve i svašta doživljava kao smak sveta. Young adult roman svog doba, ali previse tinejdž angst za moj ukus.