Cover of A Shower of Summer Days
Read Time: ~4.1 hr

A Shower of Summer Days

by May Sarton (1952)

About this book

The Irish estate home Dene’s Court has been empty for years—its icy visage, shuttered windows, and overgrown tennis court are a burden for its caretakers and a curiosity for the nearby townspeople. And so the announcement that Violet Dene Gordon and her husband, Charles, are on their way back from British Burma to settle in the long-dormant estate sends a ripple of excitement through the sleepy village. For Violet, Dene’s Court stands as a monument to her childhood, but lingering doubts remain about whether she and Charles will be happy there. Adding complexity to the arrangement is the arrival of Violet’s American niece, a college student named Sally who has been sent by her mother in an effort to put an ocean between the impetuous young woman and the object of her affection, an actor. Anxiety, tempers, and long-buried emotions flare as the estate’s new residents search for a sense of belonging and peace between its hallowed and serene walls.

Setting / LocationGlobal
Story EraLate 20th Century
Protagonist / CoreNotable Characters

Readers who enjoyed this also loved

Cover of Many Mansions

Many Mansions

Isabel Bolton

Many Mansions by Isabel Bolton is an acclaimed literary masterpiece celebrating major critical honors and timeless storytelling.

Cover of Mazel and Shlimazel

Mazel and Shlimazel

Isaac Bashevis Singer

Mazel and Shlimazel is a celebrated work by Isaac Bashevis Singer (Nobel Laureate), recognized for masterclass storytelling and lasting literary resonance.

Cover of Grimus

Grimus

Salman Rushdie

Grimus is a celebrated work by Salman Rushdie (Booker of Bookers Winner), recognized for masterclass storytelling and lasting literary resonance.

Cover of These Thousand Hills

These Thousand Hills

A. B. Guthrie

Conjuring up the ephemeral world of cattle ranchers in the 1880s, this intimate saga delights in a Montana community's boisterous, wanderlusting eccentrics as they chase after love and their unbridled ambitions. At its center is Lat Evans, good-hearted and yet seduced by the possibilities for prosperity in his new life; gradually he discerns how the perils of the natural world, and most especially human nature, can conspire to frustrate a young man's best intentions.

A Shower of Summer Days by May Sarton | Literally Just Books