Name: Summer
Rating: 3.596153846153846 (26 reviews)
ISBN: 9781420925210

Edith Wharton

"Summer" is the story of the sexual awakening of the young woman, Charity Royall. Charity, the daughter of mountain moonshiners, is adopted by a poor New England family and falls for Lucius Harney, an educated young man from the city. "Summer" is the story of a young girl coming to terms with her feelings and sexuality in an environment of overwhelming social pressure in early 20th century America.

Summer

Phoebe

Education and opportunity has divided them by a width that no effort of hers could bridge, and even when his youth and admiration brought him nearest, some chance of word, some unconscious allusion, seemed to thrust her back across the gulf.

It was a joy for Charity to sing: it seemed as though, for the first time, her secret rapture might burst from her and flash it's defiance at the world. All the glow in her blood, the breath of the summer earth, the rustle of the forest, the fresh call of birds at sunrise, and the brooding midday languors, seemed to pass into her untrained voice, lifted and led by the sustaining chorus.

The feeling possessing her was not one of jealousy: she was too sure of his love. It was rather a terror of the unknown, of all the mysterious attractions that must even now be dragging him away from her, and of her own powerlessness to contend with them.

One of the first novels to deal honestly with a woman's sexual awakening, "Summer" created a sensation upon its 1917 publication. The Pulitzer Prize-winning author of "Ethan Frome" shattered the standards of conventional love stories with candor and realism. Nearly a century later, this tale remains fresh and relevant.

A Novel

My first Wharton. Really enjoyed this until the end 🥲 but even that felt historically accurate. 

Emiley Jones

Not her best, but never uninteresting. Did feel less chaste then usual.

martian1138

Gelaine Trinidad

i am so mad rn... and sad.. wtf was that.. i don't know what to react.. kinda crying

A naive girl from a humble background meets an ambitious city boy, and a torrid romance ensues. Despite her pride, independence, and honesty, Charity Royall feels shadowed by her past--especially in her ardent relationship with the educated and refined Lucius Harney. Can passion overcome the effects of heredity and environment?

With its frank treatment of a woman's sexual awakening, Summer created a sensation upon its 1917 publication. Edith Wharton — the author of Ethan Frome and a peerless observer and chronicler of society — completely shattered the standards of conventional love stories with this novel's candor and realism. The Pulitzer Prize-winning author declared Summer a personal favorite among her works, and liked to refer to it as "the Hot Ethan." Nearly a century later, it remains fresh and relevant.

Summer

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