All Formats & Editions

'Can't you see that I don't care what anybody says?'

Summer is a novel by Edith Wharton. The story is one of only two novels by Wharton to be set in New England; Wharton was best known for her portrayals of upper class New York society. The novel details the sexual awakening of its protagonist, Charity Royall, and her cruel treatment... Read Full Overview

A tale of forbidden sexual passion and thwarted dreams played out against the lush, summer backdrop of the Massachusetts Berkshires, Edith Wharton called Summer her 'hot Ethan.' In their rural settings and their poor, uneducated protagonists, Summer and Ethan Frome represent... Read Full Overview

Considered by some to be her finest work, Edith Wharton's Summer created a sensation when first published in 1917, as it was one of the first novels to deal honestly with a young woman's sexual awakening. Summer is the story of Charity Royall, a child of mountain moonshiners... Read Full Overview

A tale of forbidden sexual passion and thwarted dreams played out against the lush, summer backdrop of the Massachusetts Berkshires, Edith Wharton called Summer her 'hot Ethan.' In their rural settings and their poor, uneducated protagonists, Summer and Ethan Frome represent... Read Full Overview

A new Englander of humble origins, Charity Royall is swept into a torrid love affair with an artistically inclined young man from New York City, but her dreams of a future with him are thwarted.A bold, provocative work, 'Summer' was an immediate sensation when first published... Read Full Overview

Summer is a novel by Edith Wharton, which was published in 1917 by Charles Scribner's Sons.

Summer

Complete and unabridged paperback edition.

Summer is a novel by Edith Wharton, which was published in 1917 by Charles Scribner's Sons. While most novels by Edith Wharton dealt with New York's upper-class society, this is one of two novels by Wharton... Read Full Overview

First published in 1917, "Summer" is one of only two novels by Edith Wharton not set in the upper-class society of New York. It is instead set in New England and was very controversial at the time it was published as it is the story of the sexual awakening of a young woman,... Read Full Overview

"Summer" by Edith Wharton was published in 1917. The novel details sexual discovery ofthe protagonist, Charity. The novel experienced a surge in popularity after the author'sdeath, in the 1960s. Wharton's important work is now available in this new edition.

A naive girl from a humble background meets an ambitious city boy, and a torrid romance ensues. Despite her pride, independence, and honesty, Charity Royall feels shadowed by her past -- especially in her ardent relationship with the educated and refined Lucius Harney. Can passion... Read Full Overview

Summer, Edith Wharton wrote to Gaillard Lapsley, "is known to its author and her familars as the Hot Ethan." One of the first American novels to deal frankly with a young woman's sexual awakening, it was a publishing sensation when it appeared in 1917, praised by Joseph... Read Full Overview

Eighteen-year-old Charity Royall is bored with life in the small town of North Dormer. She is a librarian and ward of North Dormer's premier citizen, Lawyer Royall. While working at the library, Charity meets visiting architect Lucius Harney. The novel details the sexual awakening... Read Full Overview

Summer, Edith Wharton wrote to Gaillard Lapsley, "is known to its author and her familars as the Hot Ethan." One of the first American novels to deal frankly with a young woman's sexual awakening, it was a publishing sensation when it appeared in 1917, praised by Joseph Conrad,... Read Full Overview

In 1917, when Edith Wharton published Summer , she was living in a France "steeped in the tragic realities of war." Yet she set this book far away from Paris and explored her most daring theme--a woman's awakening to her sexual needs. Eighteen-year-old Charity Royall, is bored... Read Full Overview

Seventeen-year-old Charity Royall is pining for change when a charming young architect from the city, Lucius Harney, walks into the derelict library she tends. He immediately captures her heart. Like the lush, summery Berkshires landscape surrounding them, Charity's romance with... Read Full Overview

Originally born in an impoverished community, Charity's parents sought out the most educated man in the nearby New England town to raise their daughter. After being surrendered to a lawyer named Royall, Charity was raised comfortably by Mr. Royall and his wife. However, when... Read Full Overview

Edith Wharton's Controversial Coming-of-Age Novel

A story full of spirit and scandal...

Charity Royall longs for more in life. She can't stand her sleepy little village or the people who walk its streets.

Then, Lucius Harney... Read Full Overview