A carefree hope and joy is lost in the fateful Summer of 1914. ‘The Lost Summer’ by Paul Jenkins follows the young student, Michael Davies as he joins friends for the Summer at the base of the Pyrenees in Banyuls sur Mer. A sunshine and joy filled time, with new friends, experiences and new love is cut short as the spectre of conflict looms ever larger. What follows will change the lives of every person gathered at Madame de Vallespir’s as war breaks out with devastating consequences. I found the opening to this historical fiction very poignant, it would be hard not to given the current climate, and I found that Michael’s tale is told with sensitivity and insight. The atmosphere in this book felt very much like Atonement (minus the self-serving narrator) with many bleak moments but also moments of peace and hope throughout as the reader prays that Michael and Lisette will be reunited after the war. ‘The Lost Summer’ demonstrates the innocence and “Summer” of youth lost in the events of WWI in this powerfully poignant historical fiction.
In the summer of 1914, Michael Davies, a young student, joins his friend Richard on a visit to the home of Richard’s family friend, Madame de Vallespir, in Banyuls sur Mer in the shadow of the Pyrenees. During the idyllic weeks of the last summer of peace, Michael meets and falls in love with Lisette Le Clerc, a friend of the de Vallespirs. Their relationship is symbolised by a portrait of Michael which Lisette paints and gives him as a parting present. As Europe moves inexorably to war, Michael is forced to return to England and joins up to fight for King and Country. Like so many of his generation, the horror of the trenches steals away for Michael the optimism and innocence of youth. Memories of the lost summer of 1914 turn to bleak winter.
About This Edition
ISBN:
9781800160361
Publication date:
26th August 2021
Author:
Publisher:
Vanguard Press an imprint of Pegasus Elliot Mackenzie Publishers
