The Greengage Summer

A tense, evocative, portrait of love and deceit set during one long hot summer in France, The Greengage Summer is a hauntingly beautiful coming-of-age story by from Rumer Godden, the author of Black Narcissus, a major BBC drama series.

When their mother is suddenly taken ill on holiday, five siblings are left to fend for themselves at the elegant, faded hotel, Les Oeillets. Under the increasingly jealous gaze of the glamorous patronne, Mademoiselle Zizi, the children gravitate towards her mysterious and charming lover, Eliot, for comfort. And, amongst the gnarled trees of the old orchards, thirteen-year-old Cecil watches from the side lines as her achingly beautiful sister, Joss, is drawn into the heart of a toxic affair.

âRumer Goddenâs novels pulse with lifeâ - Daily Telegraph
âOne of the finest. . .English novelistsâ - New York Times
âAn exciting tale, this novel has both charm and atmosphereâ - Evening Standard