The Last Summer

The Last Summer by Judith Kinghorn

“A haunting story of lost innocence and a powerful, enduring love. Clarissa is almost seventeen and it is the beginning of a golden summer of 1914 - and the end of an era. Deyning Park is in its heyday, the large country house filled with the laughter and excitement of privileged youth preparing for a weekend party. When Clarissa meets Tom Cuthbert, the housekeeper’s son home from university, she is dazzled. But ambitious, clever Tom is inevitably an outsider….   As Tom and Clarissa's friendship deepens, the wider landscape of political life around them is changing, and another story unfolds. Soon the world - and all that they know - is rocked by war.”

The vast social changes that took place during WWI seen from the viewpoint of a young woman, Clarissa, in love with an unsuitable boy she cannot have. A sweeping love story against a sweeping background.  With shades of Gatsby and Atonement, set in the Downton era, this carefully researched debut novel has had excellent reviews  Now out in paperback.

Quick reports

The Secret Life of William Shakespeare by Jude Morgan.  Though I saw much to admire in this recreation of Shakespeare's early life, I kept getting stuck. Maybe I need to wait until I go on holiday so I can give it my full attention.  Others have loved it including Adele Geras and SheReadsBooks.

The Death of Bees by Lisa O’Donnell, a black, black comedy set in a Glasgow housing estate.  The children keep their parents’ deaths a secret and try to get on with their lives.