William Trevor has established himself among the most celebrated authors of the past century. In 1997, he was named honorary Commander of the British Empire for his contributions to literature. A New York Times best-seller, Death in Summer is hailed as "astonishing" by the Los Angeles Times Book Review. Thaddeus Davenant's wife has just died in an automobile accident, leaving him to raise their infant daughter alone. Haunted by his wife's sudden death, Thaddeus agrees with his mother-in-law that the househould needs a nanny to help raise the child. Although she doesn't get the job, one young woman forms an immediate, secret attachment to Thaddeus and the baby-an attachment that will eventually become dangerous. Death in Summer is Trevor at his finest-his fluid, poetic prose and profound understanding of human nature make for an amazingly graceful novel. Simon Prebble delivers a sumptuous reading that equals the deep compassion of this remarkable book.
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"William Trevor is not for everyone, but if you are into writing for writings' sake, read him. I'd start with Reading Turgenev, and then maybe to this one or another. He's usually quite dark, but not gratuitously dark. Usually there is something really beautiful in the darkness he sees in the human condition."
— Megan (4 out of 5 stars)
" This is a well crafted story with the points of view shifting through every main character, some perhaps unnecessarily. It's a quick and enjoyable read, but I came off of it feeling that something at its heart was missing--a real emotional attachment to the baby, Thadeus' miracle. Of course the writing is solid, but in the end, I don't think much of this one will stay with me. "
— doug, 2/18/2014" Trevor is a great short story writer and very good novelist. This is not among his best novels, which are all short, but still quite good in its way. Small Irish lives, sadness, loss, missed opportunities, words not said, death, realizations made too late. "
— Boyce, 2/5/2014" Kind of strange, but fun... a nice change of pace for me... "
— Spyder, 1/29/2014" If you like William Trevor, you'll like this. "
— Sande, 1/21/2014" A British mystery that delves into the thoughts and circumstances of the insane among us. "
— Dave, 1/20/2014" This book is vintage Trevor, but it does contain one character I can't stand. "
— TheGirlBytheSeaofCortez, 12/2/2013" Another great novel by William Trvor. A very, very sad book but in a quiet way. "
— Christine, 11/14/2013" Awesomly slow but stays with you forever, like band-aid residue. "
— Amyg., 8/20/2013" The language and detailed description throughout the book is fantastic, but sometimes makes the story laborious. A sad story. "
— Ann, 7/7/2013" typical Trevor, ie, it was riveting. as the decription notes, he is so good at investigating evil. his style is so tight, it squeaks. "
— Patrice, 6/5/2013" A great novel. Tense and tightly written throughtout. I want to read more Trevor. "
— sisterimapoet, 5/10/2013" Sad, but beautiful. At times the stream of consciousness writing was very sensory and poetic, but there was always a steady current of plot pulling me along, making me wonder what would happen next. "
— Heather, 11/13/2012" Beautiful, haunting, lyrical perfection. "
— Jacqueline, 10/13/2012" William Trevor never disappoints. "
— Emer, 7/6/2012" Seriously stunning prose and the shifting POV was handled beautifully but the abuse victim/obsessive stalker orphan was a little hard for me to read. Not in that I found her story emotionally draining (though that was part of it) but that it seemed pulpy and hard to believe. "
— Angela, 6/27/2012" With a title like "Death in Summer" and the first three words being, "after the funeral", you get the feeling that this book might be a downer. It is a bit depressing, but in the end, it becomes more like a mystery story than anything else. As usual, well-written and rather slow-paced. "
— Donald, 11/17/2011" i didn't much care for this novel. it is about a deranged girl who takes a nannies job in order to steal a baby. "
— Jrobertus, 10/24/2011" I don't get why this book is rated so high. I found it hard to read, and hard to care. Maybe I am just not "smart" enough. "
— Franci, 5/18/2011" No bells and whistles, just subtle intense writing. Excellent. "
— Shannon, 5/13/2011" Just amazing. Not a long read, but jumps into the action/minds of the characters immediately, bringing them together in a way you didn't quite see ... with everything a bit twisted. "
— Mat, 4/25/2010" Seriously stunning prose and the shifting POV was handled beautifully but the abuse victim/obsessive stalker orphan was a little hard for me to read. Not in that I found her story emotionally draining (though that was part of it) but that it seemed pulpy and hard to believe. "
— Angela, 1/6/2010" Awesomly slow but stays with you forever, like band-aid residue. "
— Amyg., 12/16/2009" A British murder mystery that delves into the thoughts and circumstances of the insane among us. "
— Dave, 11/7/2009" Another great novel by William Trvor. A very, very sad book but in a quiet way. "
— Christine, 10/2/2009" A great novel. Tense and tightly written throughtout. I want to read more Trevor. "
— sisterimapoet, 7/21/2009" Trevor is a great short story writer and very good novelist. This is not among his best novels, which are all short, but still quite good in its way. Small Irish lives, sadness, loss, missed opportunities, words not said, death, realizations made too late. "
— Boyce, 6/24/2009" typical Trevor, ie, it was riveting. as the decription notes, he is so good at investigating evil. his style is so tight, it squeaks. "
— Patrice, 6/22/2009" Kind of strange, but fun... a nice change of pace for me...<br/><br/> "
— Spyder, 4/16/2009" If you like William Trevor, you'll like this. "
— Sande, 5/29/2008" Just amazing. Not a long read, but jumps into the action/minds of the characters immediately, bringing them together in a way you didn't quite see ... with everything a bit twisted. "
— Mat, 1/3/2008William Trevor is the author of nearly
thirty books, including Felicia’s Journey,
which won the Whitbread Book of the Year Award and was made into a major motion
picture. In 1996 he was the recipient of the Lannan Award for Fiction, and in
2001 he won the Irish Times Literature Prize for Fiction. Two of his books were
chosen by the New York Times as best
books of the year, and his short stories appear regularly in the New Yorker. In
1997 he was named Honorary Commander of the British Empire. He lives in Devon,
England.