Summerhills

by D.E. Stevenson

Book Overview

'Summerhills' continues the story of the lives and loves of the Ayrton family, in particular that of Major Roger Ayrton M.C., his brother and three young half-sisters. Roger has made the Army his... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: B0000CJHXD
• ISBN13: 9781407904092
• Release Date: January 1956
• Publisher: Buccaneer Books, Inc.
• Length: 255 Pages
• Weight: 2.70 lbs.

Customer Reviews

Romantic Days in Scotland

D.E. Stevenson's "Summerhills" was first published in 1956. 46 years later, it's a bit dated in the sweetest of ways, much like a literary version of "Gosford Park." One of the deepest controversies lies with the tutor hired at the country estate of Amberwell insisting on being called by her first name "Georgina." I thoroughly enjoyed this novel. It's a quick read, the story makes sense, the leads fall in love and the skies are blue. The main character, Roger Ayrton, is a wealthy estate owner whose first wife Clare died, leaving him with a young son lovingly raised by his sister Nell on their estate while he's off serving in the military. Stephen, the boy, is the sweetest of young sprouts, not spoiled by wealth or scarred by the loss of his mother. Roger decides to finance the start of a nearby school for boys called Summerhills. We get taken to Rome for a couple chapters where Roger must rescue the disagreeable Aunt Beatrice who's fallen ill, only to run into Dennis who turns out to be Nell's true love. Through Nell's romance, Roger reawakens the need for a woman in his life. This is a pastoral world. The men have no eyes or interest for any other woman than their true love. If you're addicted to realism, you'll probably want to seek a more modern tale. But if you'd like to take a sojourn where hearts were still true and skies are still blue, you'll enjoy Summerhills in Scotland.