I just finished Edith Wharton's Summer, and wow—it's not your typical beach read. It packs a real emotional punch in under 200 pages.

The Story

We meet Charity Royall, a young woman living in the remote town of North Dormer. She was taken in as a child by Lawyer Royall, a man who is now her guardian. Charity feels stifled. She works in the town's neglected library and dreams of a life beyond the mountains. Her world shifts when Lucius Harney, a handsome architect from the city, comes to study the local houses. They start a secret, passionate summer romance. For Charity, Lucius represents everything she wants: culture, freedom, and love. But as the seasons change, so do their circumstances. Lawyer Royall makes his own unsettling advances, and Charity is forced to confront the harsh realities of her position, her family history, and what Lucius truly wants from her. The choices she makes will define her future in ways she never imagined.

Why You Should Read It

This book grabbed me because Charity feels so real. She's not a perfect heroine. She's impulsive, proud, and achingly vulnerable. Wharton doesn't judge her; she just shows us the tight spot she's in. The story brilliantly captures that feeling of being young and desperate for your life to start, only to realize the world has other plans. It's also fascinating to see Wharton, the chronicler of New York's elite, write so powerfully about rural poverty and social constraint. The tension isn't about big scandals, but about quiet, daily pressures—the weight of expectation, the lack of options, and the cost of desire.

Final Verdict

Summer is perfect for anyone who loves character-driven stories that don't have easy answers. If you enjoyed the emotional complexity of authors like Kate Chopin or the social insight of Jane Austen, but want something grittier and less polite, this is your book. It's a swift, compelling read that stays with you long after you turn the last page. Just don't expect a fairy tale.