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Indian Summer
Indian Summer
Aug 2, 2025 7:58 AM

Author:Marcia Willett,Deidre Rubenstein

Indian Summer

'Sweeping powers of description transport her readers to another time and place' Rosanna Ley, author of bestselling THE VILLA and RETURN TO MANDALAY

Some memories can be forgotten . . . Others won’t ever go away.

For renowned actor Sir Mungo, his quiet home village in Devon provides the perfect retreat. Close by are his brother and his wife, and the rural location makes his home the ideal getaway for his old friends in London.

Among those is Kit, who comes to stay for the summer, bringing with her a letter from her first and only love, Jake, and a heart in turmoil. Years have passed since they last saw each other, and now he has written to Kit asking to meet again.

As the summer unfolds, secrets are uncovered that will shatter the sleepy community, and even tear a family apart. But those involved soon realize that the only way to move forward might be to confront the past . . .

Reviews

Sweeping powers of description transport her readers to another place and time

—— Rosanna Ley, bestselling author of THE VILLA and RETURN TO MANDALAY

A most engaging story . . . about how the past always catches up with the future

—— Image Magazine

With offbeat, pragmatic and sweetly romantic characters and an unconventional narrative style . . . “Everything, Everything” tells us something we will always need to hear, no matter our age: that it’s not the risks of love or heartbreak that might end us. It’s the fear of the pain we might experience along the way that keeps us trapped in our cocoons

—— New York Times

Fresh, moving debut . . . far more complex than the sweet tale of first love it initially seems to be

—— Entertainment Weekly

This heartwarming story transcends the ordinary by exploring the hopes, dreams, and inherent risks of love in all of its forms

—— Kirkus Starred Review

An absolute peach of a love story. Maddy’s unique history of isolation and solitude makes every incremental step towards intimacy crackle with impossible hope. Their chemistry rebounds off the page. And it’s beautifully written, too, with charm, wit and style as well as heart

—— Susie Day, author of MY INVISIBLE BOYFRIEND

An entirely unique and beautiful reading experience. Gorgeous writing meshes with original artwork to tell a love story like no other. You’ve never read a book like this

—— David Arnold, author of MOSQUITOLAND

Everything, Everything has everything . . . Romance, heart, and intelligence. Nicola Yoon’s book and voice stayed with me long after I finished reading

—— Danielle Paige, author of DOROTHY MUST DIE

Emotionally wrought and profoundly intelligent it will pull you into its troubled, wise world of jealousy, paranoia, grief, revenge and forgiveness in some of the most stunning prose you’ll read this year … Winterson masterfully interweaves layers of narrative and themes so that reading the novel is like listening to a Bach prelude and fugue … A supremely clever, compelling and emotionally affecting novel that deserves multiple readings to appreciate its many layers.

—— Hannah Beckerman , Mail on Sunday

Engrossing, almost soapily addictive

—— Independent

The book is the first of a major new series, in which well-known novelists give Shakespeare a modern twist, and Winterson rises to the challenge with some ingenious touches.

—— Max Davidson , Mail on Sunday

Astonishing.

—— Elle

Smart and witty... Compelling, entertaining and elegant

—— Sarah Crown , Guardian

Moving, pacy... A clever book that explores themes of love, loss and forgiveness as parents screw up their children and do the unthinkable. A thrilling read.

—— Nicola Wilson , Irish News

There are passages here so concisely beautiful they give you goosebumps

—— Observer

One of the most gifted writers working today... A shining delight of a novel... Winterson's great gift is in capturing the emotional heft of her stories with sentences that hum along, beautiful, unexpected and swift. Winterson wrestles wonderfully with a perplexing text and emerges with a complicated, satisfying and contemporary tale that stands wholly on its own.

—— New York Times

With a few deft strokes Winterson creates Shakespeare’s characters in contemporary clothing keeping me in suspense throughout. It is a triumph and a good omen for this ambitious new project.

—— Daily Express

Reading Jeanette Winterson takes you to a place where words have power, and are capable of transforming people's lives.

—— Alex Klineberg , Huffington Post

[A] witty and funky adaptation

—— Woman's Way

Winterson largely and ingeniously stays faithful to Shakespeare’s magical realist plot… and captures the play’s quizzical, questioning, redemptive spirit while remaining impressively true to her own.

—— CA, four stars , Metro

Wonderfully imaginative

—— Juliet Nicholson , Evening Standard

Spins through an exhilarating array of genres. The sensational opening chapter enmeshes the reader in a rollercoaster ride of tragedy, comedy, thriller, fantasy, chicklit, plus a few pages of raunchy sex

—— David Fothergill , Guardian

The Gap of Time takes nothing away from The Winter's Tale. If anything it might add to it, or at least to its resonance and mystery. It is an impressive achievement, especially as Winterson manages the contradictions of comedy and tragedy in a way which suits both their modern likelihood and their moral implications

—— Mary Leland , Irish Examiner

A witty retelling.

—— Joanna Kavenna , Literary Review

Her new story retains the essence of Shakespeare, but filters his comedy and sentiment through feminism and technology.

—— The Culture Trip

Filled with her wit and seriously thought-provoking ideas, Winterson’s writing is a pleasure… This is a well told, beautiful, magical and wonderfully evocative story which resonates with our contemporary lives.

—— Eric Page , Gscene

The Gap of Time is an ingenious retelling of The Winter’s Tale… [Winterston] Made it new with her own bold and poetic prose and her insights into love and grief. There are passages here so concisely beautiful they give you goosebumps… Perhaps most surprising is how readily the plot translates to a modern context; how plausible this version seems, for all its knowing self-reference.

—— Stephanie Merritt , Guardian

Those addicted to Shakespeare’s marvellous depiction of jealousy, guilt and teenage joie de vivre will be identifying and falling in love again with characters and their fateful lives… Plunge into The Gap of Time as a fresh, vibrant example of contemporary writing with an original, thought-provoking storyline… The Gap of Time is a top-quality novel.

—— Phillip Fisher , British Theatre Guide

Stylish and accomplished.

—— Peter Carty , International Business Times

The Winter’s Tale meets House of Cards. Engrossing and ingenious, it deftly rewrites Shakespeare’s lamentation of destructive jealousy as an indictment of deregulated capitalism.

—— Peter Smith , Times Higher Education

Winterson charms with her playful translation of the cast from the courts of Sicily and Bohemia into our own quotidian life

—— Patricia Storace , The New York Review of Books

She deftly captures all the magic and raw emotion of the original.

—— Irish Times
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