This month, we have been reading and discussing Elizabeth Taylor’s eighth novel, “In A Summer Season”. Although this is one of her later works, which are not reckoned so good by some readers, the book has been received in a surprisingly positive manner! In fact, it’s turned out to be a favourite of many.
The novel features as always Elizabeth Taylor’s deceptively simple style. But her subjects, as we have seen, are quite complex ones and this book tackled a number of difficult areas – an older woman marrying a younger man; the importance of sex in marriage; how important mental and emotional compatibility is; the effect of a younger, sexually motivated character on a group of people; and dramatic and unexpected death.
The novel also picked up themes from earlier works, in particular the compromises and sacrifices in marriage, and it may be because of its subject matter that it has such resonance with women readers.
There have been some lovely reviews:
http://laura0218.livejournal.com/85464.html
http://heavenali.wordpress.com/2012/08/02/in-a-summer-season-elizabeth-taylor-1961/
http://librofulltime.wordpress.com/2012/08/23/book-reviews-22/
If you’ve read and reviewed the book, don’t forget to add your post to the Mr. Linky on Laura’s site here.
I have enjoyed hosting the read-along (thanks to Laura for asking me and arranging the lovely short story book). I am very much looking forward to following next month’s with Heavenali here – don’t forget to join in too!
Aug 31, 2012 @ 12:51:01
Karen you were a marvelous host! Thank you very much for all the thought-provoking discussion. See you at Ali’s in September!
Aug 31, 2012 @ 14:32:46
I’ll be there!
Sep 01, 2012 @ 17:35:42
Thanks for hosting this Karen and giving us lots to think about. I love how the centenary celebrations have been a chance to appreciate Taylor’s less lauded novels. I had a vague idea that The Summer Season was considered one of Taylor’s less sucesssful novels but really enjoyed it.
Sep 01, 2012 @ 18:57:07
Thanks Dee – I was a bit nervous, but I really enjoyed hosting and I liked the book too. I seemed to think it wasn’t placed highly in the canon of Taylor’s work, but I thought it was excellent!
Oct 28, 2012 @ 06:39:06
Thank you so much for hosting this lovely book. I really enjoyed the experience. Both the reading of the book and the sharing bits. You did a great job.
Oct 28, 2012 @ 10:59:32
Thank you – that’s so kind of you to say so. I actually really enjoyed hosting – it was a new experience for me!
Jul 11, 2018 @ 12:43:33
I missed this when it came out, Kaggsy: before I started blogging. But I’ve just posted on this novel, and asked for fellow bloggers’ links. I’ll post this link as a PS to my piece, as it contains useful links to others. Nicely done to compress so much insight into so few words!
Jul 11, 2018 @ 20:36:02
I was a very new blogger at the time, Simon, and this was my first experience of doing anything like this! But thank you for your kind comments. It’s made me look back at what I said about the book and fortunately I’m not too embarrassed! 😁