'Can't you see that I don't care what anybody says?' Charity Royall lives in the small New England village of North Dormer. Born among outcasts from the Mountain beyond, she is rescued by lawyer Royall and lives with him as his ward. Never allowed to forget her disreputable origins Charity despises North Dormer and rebels against the stifling dullness of the tight-knit community surrounding her. Her boring job in the local library is interrupted one day by the arrival of a young visiting architect, Lucius Harney, whose ...
Read More
'Can't you see that I don't care what anybody says?' Charity Royall lives in the small New England village of North Dormer. Born among outcasts from the Mountain beyond, she is rescued by lawyer Royall and lives with him as his ward. Never allowed to forget her disreputable origins Charity despises North Dormer and rebels against the stifling dullness of the tight-knit community surrounding her. Her boring job in the local library is interrupted one day by the arrival of a young visiting architect, Lucius Harney, whose good looks and sophistication arouse her passionate nature. As their relationship grows, so too does Charity's conflict with her guardian; darker undercurrents start to come to the surface. Summer is often compared to Wharton's other New England story, Ethan Frome, and it shares the same intensity of feeling and repression. Wharton regarded it as one of her best works, and its compelling story of burgeoning sexuality and illicit desire has a strikingly modern and troubling ambiguity. ABOUT THE SERIES: For over 100 years Oxford World's Classics has made available the widest range of literature from around the globe. Each affordable volume reflects Oxford's commitment to scholarship, providing the most accurate text plus a wealth of other valuable features, including expert introductions by leading authorities, helpful notes to clarify the text, up-to-date bibliographies for further study, and much more.
Read Less
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.
