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Loading... Death in Summer (1998)by William Trevor
   No current Talk conversations about this book.  kjuliff | Mar 4, 2024 |    )1  Hagelstein | Jul 15, 2017 | Death in Summer revolves around Thaddeus Davenant, whose young wife, Letitia Iveson, was killed in a freak accident on a bicycle. Letitia leaves behind their six-month-old baby girl Georgina; her mother, Mrs Iveson, advises Thaddeus to employ a child minder. One of those interviewed is Pettie, a girl who was brought up in a foster home abused by a sinister "Sunday uncle". She grows increasingly obsessed with Thaddeus and his baby after seeing them just once. christinejoseph | Jun 29, 2016 |  )1 charlie68 | Aug 29, 2014 | It was darker than his other work as the title would suggest. It is set in the home counties and tells the story of Thaddeus who owns a house with his wife Letitia. There is a nice twist in the end. It feels a bit more compelling than Trevor's usual but is as readable as ever. It dwells on child abuse and growing up in an orphanage which affects two of the characters in different ways. ( )1 jerhogan | Jun 29, 2013 | no reviews | add a review
AwardsNotable Lists
William Trevor's Last Stories is forthcoming from Viking. A New York Times Bestseller and Notable Book From the winner of the 1999 David Cohen British Literature Prize comes an unforgettably chilling novel, written with the compassion and artistry that define Trevor's fiction. There were three deaths that summer. The first was Letitia's, sudden and quite unexpected, leaving her husband, Thaddeus, haunted by the details of her last afternoon. The next death came some weeks later, after Thaddeus's mother-in-law helped him to interview for a nanny to bring up their baby. None of the applicants were suitable--least of all the last one, with her sharp features, her shabby clothes that reeked of cigarettes, her badly typed references--so Letitia's mother moved herself in. But then, just as the household was beginning to settle down, the last of the nannies surprisingly returned, her unwelcome arrival heralding the third of the summer tragedies. "William Trevor is an extraordinarily mellifluous writer, seemingly incapable of composing an ungraceful sentence. . . . His skill is very real, and equals his great compassion. With Death in Summer, these two qualities combine in a beautiful and resonant way."--The New York Time Book Review "Possibly the most perfect of Trevor's novels . . . Astonishing."--Los Angeles Times Book Review "Beautifully paced and mesmerizing . . . Offering us a compelling mystery on many levels through . . . finely drawn, perfect glimpses of touchingly imperfect lives."--The Washington Post Book World Nominated for a Los Angeles Times Book Prize No library descriptions found. |
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 Google Books — Loading...GenresMelvil Decimal System (DDC)823.914Literature English English fiction Modern Period 1901-1999 1945-1999LC ClassificationRatingAverage: (3.69)
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Wikipedia in English (1)
5
Not William Trevor at his best, this short novel is still worth a read if you like his other books. Trevor’s prose is easy on the ear, and even at his most mediocre he manages to keep the reader interested.
There’s a garden, am old house, a loveless marriage and a death. The usual stuff and the usual mystery at the end. But it appears hastily done and lacks the depth of earlier Trevor novels.
I recommend this book for readers who enjoy Trevor’s writings, but it’s not for those experiencing a Trevor novel for the first time. (