The Greengage Summer
11 August 2011Synopsis
A tense, evocative, portrait of love and deceit set during one long hot summer in France, The Greengage Summer is a hauntingly beautiful coming-of-age story by from Rumer Godden, the author of Black Narcissus, a major BBC drama series.
When their mother is suddenly taken ill on holiday, five siblings are left to fend for themselves at the elegant, faded hotel, Les Oeillets. Under the increasingly jealous gaze of the glamorous patronne, Mademoiselle Zizi, the children gravitate towards her mysterious and charming lover, Eliot, for comfort. And, amongst the gnarled trees of the old orchards, thirteen-year-old Cecil watches from the side lines as her achingly beautiful sister, Joss, is drawn into the heart of a toxic affair.
‘Rumer Godden’s novels pulse with life’ - Daily Telegraph
‘One of the finest. . .English novelists’ - New York Times
‘An exciting tale, this novel has both charm and atmosphere’ - Evening Standard
Details
11 August 2011
9781447210276Reviews
Rumer Godden's novels pulse with lifeDaily Telegraph
An exciting tale, this novel has both charm and atmosphere, and Miss Godden recaptures with an easy unsentimental naturalness the unfocused vision of adolescence.Evening Standard
The writing is lovely, subtle, gentle, humorousHugh Walpole
Her craftsmanship is always sure; her understanding of character is compassionate and profound; her prose is pure, delicate, and gently wittyNew York Times
