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Judith Kinghorn

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The Last Summer: A mesmerising novel of love and loss Kindle Edition

by Judith Kinghorn (Author) Format: Kindle Edition

824 ratings

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1914, the beginning of a blissful, golden summer...

Judith Kinghorn's The Last Summer is a dramatic and moving novel set against the heartbreak of the First World War. The perfect read for fans of Kate Morton and Sarra Manning.

'Epic and enthralling' - Woman & Home

Clarissa is 17, the world her own. Who would know that this could be the last summer?

Deyning Park is in its heyday, the large country house filled with the laughter and excitement of privileged youth preparing for a weekend party. When Clarissa meets Tom Cuthbert, home from university, she is dazzled. Tom is handsome and enigmatic; he is also an outsider. Ambitious, clever, his sights set on a career in law, Tom is an acute observer, and a man who knows what he wants. For now, that is Clarissa. As Tom and Clarissa's friendship deepens, the wider landscape of political life around them is changing, and soon the world - and all that they know - is rocked irrevocably by a war that changes their lives for ever.

What readers are saying about The Last Summer:

'A beautiful story of two people who were meant to be together despite all that life throws at them'

'A gripping storyline full of dilemmas, emotions and overwhelmingly moving events'

'Beautifully written, compelling, moving & evocative of the era in which it is set. The author deserves every positive accolade'

Product description

Review

An enchanting story of love and war, and the years beyond - Penny Vincenzi Don't miss THE LAST SUMMER by Judith Kinghorn. [An] epic and enthralling love story set against the backdrop of the Great War - Fanny Blake, Woman and Home The year is 1914 and love and war are about to transform privileged 16 year old Clarissa's charmed existence forever. This sumptuous romance is made for fans of Downton - The Lady A sumptuous, absorbing tale of love in time of war. Judith Kinghorn's novel brilliantly illuminates the experiences of a generation of blighted youth - Rachel Hore [An] enchanting debut of Rachel Hore/Downton Abbey ilk, big storytelling stuff of social and political change spanning the First World War and beyond. It's a glorious read, highly recommended - Sarah Broadhurst, Bookseller Judith Kinghorn has beautifully captured the thoughts and feelings of a particular group in a lost generation. From an historical perspective, Kinghorn has clearly done her research which is illustrated in the small details that capture the war and post-war periods, making The Last Summer entirely believable and often shocking... Despite the themes of loss, grief and change, The Last Summer is above all a wonderful and heartbreaking love story... Highly recommended! - One More Page blog Impeccably written and well researched this is an atmospheric and haunting read. It takes the reader from languorous summer days by the lake on a country estate to the horror of the trenches with equal aplomb... Judith Kinghorn skilfully navigates our journey through love and loss... This is the perfect balance of romance and grit by a great new writer. Don't miss it! - The Riddle of Writing blog This is a beautifully written and researched book. The imagery of the period as well as the characters remain with the reader after the last page has been turned. Almost elegiac in the way that it conjures up a lost time and an enduring love - Lorna Gibb, author of West's World: The Life and Times of Rebecca West

Book Description

Judith Kinghorn's sweeping debut The Last Summer is perfect for reading groups, book clubs and fans of Downton Abbey

Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B00713DLPK
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Review
Accessibility ‏ : ‎ Learn more
Publication date ‏ : ‎ 2 Feb. 2012
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 2.7 MB
Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Print length ‏ : ‎ 443 pages
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0755386000
Page Flip ‏ : ‎ Enabled

Best Sellers Rank: 597,901 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- 640 in Historical World War I Fiction eBooks
- 843 in Women's Popular Fiction
- 3,089 in 20th Century Historical Romance (Kindle Store)

Customer reviews:
824 ratings

About the author

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Judith Kinghorn

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Judith Kinghorn's acclaimed début THE LAST SUMMER was first published in the UK, Canada and British Commonwealth countries in April 2012, in the USA in 2013. Her subsequent novels include THE MEMORY OF LOST SENSES, THE SNOW GLOBE and THE ECHO OF TWILIGHT.

For more, please visit www.judithkinghornwriter.com

Customer reviews

824 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find this book to be a deeply satisfying first novel with a captivating story of love and loss. The writing is beautifully descriptive with vivid descriptions, and the characters are believable, with one customer particularly praising Clarissa and Tom. The book is well-researched and moving, with one customer noting it's narrated by the main character, and customers appreciate its sad tone.

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Readability Story quality Writing quality Character development Research quality Narrator Pacing Sadness

60 customers mention ‘Readability’60 positive0 negative

Customers find the book to be a wonderful and deeply satisfying read, particularly enjoying it as a holiday book.

"...in Vera Brittain's Testament of Youth - and I felt that this was very well done...." Read more

"...it was so worth the wait! The story is narrated by the main character, Clarissa Granville who is just sixteen as the story begins...." Read more

"...Before then, however, she is afforded one last, glorious summer, surrounded by her family, her beloved brothers, and it is then that she meets Tom..." Read more

"...The Last Summer is an enchanting read and I can't wait for Judith Kinghorn's next novel." Read more

59 customers mention ‘Story quality’51 positive8 negative

Customers find the book's story captivating and heartwarming, describing it as an exquisite novel of love and loss, with one customer noting its gripping storyline full of dilemmas.

"...And it invites us to think about love - what is it, what does it mean, how should we respond to it? Highly recommended and worth the wait!" Read more

"...Just enchanting, I could not put it down and it stayed with me for quite some time afterwords. Please read this book!" Read more

"...This is an old-fashioned story, stretching from 1914 to 1930; and is as much a story telling of the changing society of the times as it is a love..." Read more

"...It is well researched and information about the impact of World War One on those at home is nicely woven into the plot without slowing it down...." Read more

40 customers mention ‘Writing quality’40 positive0 negative

Customers praise the writing quality of the book, noting its beautiful descriptions and vivid imagery, with one customer specifically highlighting how it captures the beauty of the English countryside.

"...I too fell in love with Tom Cuthbert. I thought he was well drawn, brooding, handsome and charming and real in a way some traditional heroes aren't...." Read more

"...This is beautifully written and instantly draws the reader in...." Read more

"...descriptions, particularly of Deyning wonderfully vivid and evocative to the senses; you can see the sights she describes, feel the textures, inhale..." Read more

"...The setting is described using beautiful prose which transported me both to the location and to the time in which the novel is set...." Read more

17 customers mention ‘Character development’17 positive0 negative

Customers praise the character development in the book, finding the characters believable and brilliant, with one customer particularly appreciating the main characters Clarissa and Tom.

"...All the central characters are engaging; and their progression, the changes to their personalities over the years believable and very much shaped by..." Read more

"...Clarissa, whose social class dictates her future is a likeable heroine and Tom, son of the housekeeper is a captivating hero...." Read more

"...a beautifully written novel with evocative descriptions and entirely credible characters...." Read more

"...the author seems to capture something new, particularly in the well-drawn characters and evocative descriptions...." Read more

9 customers mention ‘Research quality’9 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the research quality of the book, finding it well-researched and convincing.

"...It is well researched and information about the impact of World War One on those at home is nicely woven into the plot without slowing it down...." Read more

"...It is sometimes harsh, sometimes wonderful, and always totally credible...." Read more

"...The book is well researched, and scenes from the war and its aftermath are vivid and memorable...." Read more

"...Male characters can pose problems for female writers but Tom is a convincing chap, generally likeable and extremely romantic...." Read more

7 customers mention ‘Narrator’7 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the narrator of the book, with one review noting the first-person narration and another highlighting the authentic voice of the main character Clarissa.

"...Clarissa was a surprise. I loved the first person narration, feeling that it suited the book, although an unusual choice for a book of this type...." Read more

"...it was so worth the wait! The story is narrated by the main character, Clarissa Granville who is just sixteen as the story begins...." Read more

"I loved this book and can highly recommend it. The first person narrative is extremely effective and delighfully "old fashioned" in tone, very..." Read more

"...Not only is she a splendid writer, Judith Kinghorn is a delightful person...." Read more

7 customers mention ‘Pacing’7 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the pacing of the book, describing it as moving with themes of enduring love and loyalty.

"...This is a novel about war, grief, social class, the role of women, loyalty, love, marriage and family relationships...." Read more

"I love this book. Judith Kinghorn's tells the moving and poignant story of inquisitive and endearing Clarissa, poised to become a woman and inherit..." Read more

"...The Last Summer is a *gorgeous* book. Beautifully written, compelling, moving & evocative of the era in which it is set...." Read more

"...The horrors of war that follow are dealt with convincingly and movingly, but this isn’t the focus of the book...." Read more

6 customers mention ‘Sadness’6 positive0 negative

Customers find the book sad.

"...This is a novel about war, grief, social class, the role of women, loyalty, love, marriage and family relationships...." Read more

"...There are some excellent twists, some really tearful moments, and it's the kind of novel you keep thinking about long after you've finished it...." Read more

"This is a heartbreakingly sad story which starts at the outbreak of the first world war and details the changes which happen between a young couple...." Read more

"...Some sad bits and yet an uplifting read. Very highly recommended." Read more

Top reviews from United Kingdom

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P. Gilbey
Poignant and Affecting
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 6 August 2012
Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

Firstly, let me say that I know the author a little from the website Authonomy, and always admired her sumptuous and descriptive writing. But when she was writing The Girl on the Gate, which later became The Last Summer, she became swept up by her own story, delighting in the twists and turns and talking about her characters as if they were real, while revealing nothing about the plot. I read a draft of the first chapter and could see the potential, but then she got her agent and her deal and I had to wait for the book!

Well, frustrating though the wait might have been, it is now rewarded, because I have just read The Last Summer and experienced some of the things I saw Judith go through. I too fell in love with Tom Cuthbert. I thought he was well drawn, brooding, handsome and charming and real in a way some traditional heroes aren't. Clarissa was a surprise. I loved the first person narration, feeling that it suited the book, although an unusual choice for a book of this type. I found I could easily slip into her life - feeling I was at the stately home, Deyning, that it was my house - that I was the girl running barefoot through the meadows, or rowing to the island. I understood her compliance with her mother's wishes, and how the war affected her and her generation - something I have read about particularly in Vera Brittain's Testament of Youth - and I felt that this was very well done. If Clarissa had been a year or two younger, it would have been different perhaps - but she was a product of her time, and we see her change and grow through the book. I got a little frustrated with her at times - particularly towards the final quarter, but that all worked itself out and I understood perfectly why the author had made her act that way - after all, aren't we all that stands in our own way, quite often? People's feelings are complex and hidden and affected by other relationships, past and present, and this book brings those to the surface really well. There was one aspect to the narrative - the letters that ran alongside the main narrative that I found a little obscure, but by the end I understood perfectly. And that's when you know you are in the hands of someone who can tell a story - when you get to the end and put it down and feel that sense of satisfaction, and also that sense of wanting to consider things further - for no two people ever read the same book, and a good book pulls the reader in and invites speculation. This book is a wonderful read, a great story. It makes you consider whether anything can ever be recaptured, whether things can ever stay the same, why we yearn for that golden time, that place we call home. And it invites us to think about love - what is it, what does it mean, how should we respond to it? Highly recommended and worth the wait!

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Wendy McFarlane
reviewing.,. The Last Summer by Judith Kinghorn...10 stars!
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 20 February 2012
Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase
I had been waiting some time for a copy of this book after reading early reviews on Amazon...Oh my Oh my! it was so worth the wait! The story is narrated by the main character, Clarissa Granville who is just sixteen as the story begins. She is the only sister to her three older brothers, all of whom reside at Deyning Park with their aristocratic wealthy parents. Theirs is a world of tennis parties, tea on the lawn, croquett, galas and balls. Clarissa is protected by her family, tutored at home and kept away from the dangerous outside world in general. Mama has a grand plan to see her daughter married to a wealthy, handsome aristocrat then Clarissas life will be perfect. But two things happen; Clarissa meets Tom Cuthbert, the housekeepers son home from school, and instantly falls in love and their worst nightmare is approaching, WW1; their lives are about to change forever.
This is beautifully written and instantly draws the reader in. The story slowly progresses as the war takes hold, social priveledges are lost and their world shifts to an unimaginable horror. There is not too much detail on the events of the war but enough to see how the lives of our aristocratic families began to disintegrate. Throughout the book there is another secret love affair hinted at with each chapter beginning with an unsigned love letter, it is left to the reader(until the very last page) to guess who the author is. The story spans the first WW and takes you through to 1930 all the while not knowing if Tom and Clarissa will ever come together and always returning to The Last Summer of their youth before their world fell apart. Just enchanting, I could not put it down and it stayed with me for quite some time afterwords. Please read this book!

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little bookworm
a sumptuous read (4 and a half stars)
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 21 April 2013
Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase
The last summer is the story of Clarissa, only daughter of the wealthy Granville family, who are the owners of Deyning, a vast and decadent country estate. For seventeen year old Clarissa,Deyning is the only world she has ever really known, and she spends her days in a blissful, innocent haze; however the glass bubble of her world is about to shattered as the growing threat of war draws ever nearer. Before then, however, she is afforded one last, glorious summer, surrounded by her family, her beloved brothers, and it is then that she meets Tom Cuthbert. TOm is the housekeeper's son, studying at Oxford, and though they come from different worlds, there is an undeniable connection between them. Yet their romance is only blossoming when war breaks out, a war that will forever change all their lives and leave Clarissa yearning for that long ago summer. Will Clarissa and Tom's love for each other survive the war and the social barriers between them; or will that too merely fade into a memory?

This is an old-fashioned story, stretching from 1914 to 1930; and is as much a story telling of the changing society of the times as it is a love story. The horrors of the war told mainly from the point view of the mothers, wives and daughters left behind, and the sense of loss, the grief never really recovered from is achingly poignant in its depiction. The decline of the great houses, slow loss of a whole way of living, shift in society and power, rising independence of women are all observed upon.

The romance between Clarissa and Tom at the story's heart is deeply engrossing; their encounters over the years, and the criss-crossing of their paths keeping you on tenterhooks to the eventual outcome. At times their relationship and the obstacles that keep forcing them apart is frustrating, yet believably so; for Clarissa is a product of the generation of the time, held back by the rules she has been brought up to follow. I do, however, think that towards the end of the story, the author did drag things out just a little too much, which hampered just slightly, what was otherwise a beautifully shaped love story.

All the central characters are engaging; and their progression, the changes to their personalities over the years believable and very much shaped by events and circumstances, the direction that life takes them. I loved the innocent Clarissa at the start of the story, her optimism and belief in everything good, yet she couldn't stay like that; and Tom too changes from the shy and reserved young man we first meet.

Kinghorn writes quite beautifully, her descriptions, particularly of Deyning wonderfully vivid and evocative to the senses; you can see the sights she describes, feel the textures, inhale the smells as if you inhabit the world of her pages.

Overall this is a simply sumptuous read.

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Top reviews from other countries

Sandy
A very compelling read.
Reviewed in Australia on 11 July 2017
Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase

This is such a compelling read; I was hooked from the very first page.
Beginning in the Summer just prior to World War 1 and ending in 1930.
This is a story of enduring love between two people supposedly from vastly different backgrounds.
There are a few unexpected twists and quite a few well guarded secrets.

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Mena Bielow
Well written story
Reviewed in the United States on 27 September 2013
Verified Purchase
I like this kind of story to distract my mind and to learn a little, if possible, of the possible historical truth, through fiction. That can happen when we have a well researched book. This is a well written book, which is hard to find in this type of genre. This book has a beginning, a middle, and an end to the story. It is well constructed and well written. I loved the story and I know some of the facts to be true to history. The story itself is possible, taking into consideration the time frame, the world just before and after WWI. I was actually surprised that the story was so good and that it held my attention from beginning to end. A good read.

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Morgan
Highly recommended for lovers of romance and history!
Reviewed in Australia on 1 September 2015
Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase
A great read - I couldn't put it down!

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June Malin
The writer did an excellent job creating a time that has disappeared
Reviewed in the United States on 14 January 2017
Verified Purchase
I found "The Last Summer" by Judith Kinghorn to be a captivating personal story told by a young, innocent, debutant who came of age during the first World War years, a time when manners and class distinction were paramount. She relates how the war changed every part of her life and those around her. The writer did an excellent job creating a time that has disappeared. Using first person narrative, she made the reader feel a part of that world. On a personal level, it took the narrator almost her whole life to come to terms with her feelings and that became a little tedious. Otherwise I would have given it 5 stars. A good read!

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Kindle Customer
Beautifully written
Reviewed in the United States on 26 March 2015
Verified Purchase
I simply loved this book. The author knows how to tell a story in a realistic way and with just the right amount of detail. I felt myself swept in with the characters and now that I've finished the book I need a moment to mourn their loss. I will miss this story line very much. Very believable characters who finally behave as I imagine a real person would. I really thoroughly enjoyed this book and would recommend ten times over!!

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