Summer is officially over, but here in our foggy city by the bay, it’s finally the beginning of our good weather. We’ve put the deck cushions out and I’ve been enjoying the warm sun (with hat and sunscreen) and dipping into this book.
When I spotted Stories for Summer on display in my local used bookstore I just had to have it. Look at that cover and the list of authors includes many of my favorites.
New to me, and hard to find in this country, The British Library has issued a Women Writers series, reissuing lesser-known novels by female authors from the 20th century for modern-day readers to enjoy.
From the introduction:
Whether on a Greek island, in a French chateau, or at Kew Gardens, each summer story shows a significant day, hour or moment in the life of women from many walks of life. And whether you’re able to take this book to a beautiful beach or are reading for some summery escape, I hope you’ll enjoy meeting new authors and perhaps re-encountering much-loved ones. (Introduction by series consultant Simon Thomas.)
I enjoyed going to Lake Como for Elizabeth Bowen’s Requiescat. Stuart has come to see the recently widowed Mrs Majendie, who was married to his friend, Howard. As this subtly crushing story unfolds, it reveals the true nature of Stuart’s feelings for Mrs Majendie, hinting at what might have been if their paths had brought them together.
She was less beautiful than he had remembered her, and very tall and thin in her black dress. Her composure did not astonish him; her smile, undimmed, and the sound of her voice recalled to him the poignancy of his feelings when he had first known her, his resentment and sense of defeat—she had possessed herself of Howard so entirely. She was shortsighted, there was always a look of uncertainty in her eyes until she came quite near one, her big pupils seemed to see too much at once and nothing very plainly.
Daphne du Maurier’s The Pool, tells the tale of two young children, Deborah and Roger, who stay at their grandparents’ country house during the summer holidays. This story opens with this glorious description, which seems to set the scene for an idyllic summer.
The children ran out on to the lawn. There was space all around them, and light, and air, with the trees indeterminate beyond. The gardener had cut the grass. The lawn was crisp and firm now, because of the hot sun through the day; but near the summer-house where the tall grass stood there were dew-drops like frost clinging to the narrow stems.
As this disquieting story unfolds, a palpable sense of darkness creeps in, reflecting Deborah’s fascination with a nearby woodland area and pool, to which she offers small tokens, such as a pencil stub, as ritual sacrifices. Du Maurier is known for her unnerving, atmospheric short fiction, and The Pool is very much in this vein, casting an unsettling spell over Deborah’s secret visits.
In Afternoon in Summer by Sylvia Townsend Warner – A young married couple in the country for the summer decide to bike up to a pub some way down the road. When they arrive, hot and thirsty, they find it not open for tea and have to wait an hour and a half for it to open, so they journey on looking for a church, and there they start their afternoon adventure. I enjoyed the writing on this and it’s piqued my interest in trying this author again. I didn’t get along with her Lolly Willows.
Kew Gardens by Virginia Woolf chronicles various people who stroll through Kew Gardens, noticing a flower or two, and we catch a phrase or two of their conversation. A piece that celebrates the beauty of Kew Gardens.
I have many more stories to read in this beautifully produced book and there are lots of sunny days to come so I will keep it handy to dip in and out of ~~ as another reviewer said, this is the literary equivalent of a box of chocolates.
Uh oh… I just did a search and found the full series there are 26 in all, and two jumped out at me — don’t these look yummy? But I will resist as I have waaay too many holiday books I have yet to read.
