65 pages • 2 hours read
Edith WhartonSummer
Fiction | Novel | YA | Published in 1917A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more. For select classroom titles, we also provide Teaching Guides with discussion and quiz questions to prompt student engagement.
Before You Read
Super Short Summary
Summer by Edith Wharton is set in rural New England and follows Charity, a young woman desperate to escape her small town. She secures a job at the local library and meets Lucius Harney, a New York architect, leading to a romantic affair. Lucius ultimately chooses another woman, and Charity, pregnant and despondent, returns to her adoptive father, who marries her to preserve her reputation. The novel addresses themes such as female sexual passion and the societal issues surrounding unwed pregnancies from a feminine perspective.
Reviews & Readership
Review Roundup
Edith Wharton's Summer is celebrated for its evocative prose and insightful exploration of societal norms, yet some criticize its pacing and predictability. Readers commend the complex characters and Wharton's ability to depict the constraints on women's lives. However, the bleakness of the narrative can be off-putting for some. Overall, it's a poignant, thought-provoking read.
Who Should Read Summer?
Readers of Edith Wharton's Summer will enjoy nuanced explorations of complex characters, social constraints, and personal desires. Similar to fans of Thomas Hardy's Tess of the d'Urbervilles and Kate Chopin's The Awakening, these readers appreciate richly detailed settings and themes of feminine independence and societal critique.