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On the Summerhouse Steps
On the Summerhouse Steps
Mar 13, 2026 12:21 AM

Author:Anne Fine

On the Summerhouse Steps

Ione Muffett is alone in the summerhouse when she meets Ned Hump - a wacky student who is in love with her professor father's secretary, Caroline. In a zany and uninhibited twenty-four hours, Ione helps bring the two together, culminating in a wonderfully anarchic picnic. And as Ned then helps Ione with her plan to help famine victims by running a bring and buy sale, Ione's confidence in herself slowly begins to grow . . .

Reviews

Extraordinary and hilarious events

—— Guardian

Mischievous, inventive and very funny

—— TLS

The dialogue crackles . . . Full of energy and wit

—— TES

Rai holds his reader with a convincing, disturbing portrait of excluded people struggling for something better . . . a thought-provoking, eye-opening picture

—— Irish Times

A hard-hitting, totally convincing and yet strangely sympathetic tale of life on the streets of our cities today

—— Carousel

An intricately plotted drama . . . Rai builds his story with consummate control . . . his empathetic portrayal of his multi-cultural cast of characters is underpinned by a sure grasp of street-language and mores

—— Books for Keeps

A cracking new book for older children . . . Like all her best work, this book is perfectly pitched to hook in even the most reluctant reader. The tone is fresh, funny and direct while strongly underpinned with genuine emotion

—— Daily Mail

'Thought-provoking ... strong second novel'

—— Bert Wright , Business Post

'A poignant, delicately composed novel that doesn't stint on the wreckage of violence.'

—— Irish Daily Mail

McKeon ... is a writer to watch. He conveys how people who cause harm can sometimes be victims, in their own way, and that takes skill. If you enjoy Colum Mcann's work, this novel is for you.'

—— Martina Devlin , Irish Independent

'... beautifully written, placed in those grey shadows between right and wrong and profound, terrible loss.'

—— Anne Cunningham , Sunday Independent

A beautifully crafted story about the legacy of trauma

—— Sarah Gilmartin , The Irish Times

A supreme storyteller

—— Robert Collins , The Sunday Times Ireland
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