The Distant Summer

by Sarah Patterson

Kathie was only sixteen that unforgettable English summer of 1943—too young to be involved in her country's desperate struggle against the Germans—too young to fall in love. Then one day she found Johnny—his young-old face framed in a shock of bright blond hair—playing the organ in her village church. And love and terror swept into her life. For Johnny was a rear gunner on a Lancaster bomber. Night after night he flew deep into Germany. One night, like so many of his friends, he would probably not come back.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Romance, Young Adult, War, Fiction, World War II, Historical Romance

171 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1976

About the author

Sarah Patterson is the daughter of British thriller writer Jack Higgins, and sadly, seems to have written just this one novel about WWII England.

Reviews

[Marquise · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this novel as a young girl, after reading and watching "The Eagle Has Landed" by the author's father, and still recall the story was enjoyable.

For such a young and inexperienced writer as Miss Patterson was, it's surprisingly well-plotted and written! It's a romance, but not of the teary sort, and there's drama as part of the narrative as the Battle of Britain evolves and both men have to fight as pilots. Wish she'd written more stories like this more consistently, she had plenty of talent.

[Linda · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this book about twenty years ago before I started keeping a list of the books I read. Several elements of it stuck with me and I wanted to reread it. I had no idea of the title, the author, or even the color of the book. I searched in vain. But everytime I came across "Morning is a Long Time Coming" on the shelf at the library I thought, "I found it!" only to be disappointed. One day I made a serious search in Novelist using the elements I could remember. I narrowed down my search to two books, neither of which was available at my local library. I took a wild guess and ordered one of them from ebay. I was delighted that when I received my copy of "A Distant Summer" that it was the book I had been searching for for 14 years.

[CLM · Rating 5 out of 5]

When Kate falls for a gunner in the British Air Force, she is afraid his focus on war will short circuit any possible romance.

Those who like this book would also enjoy the movie, For the Moment, which stars Russell Crowe in what I think was his first North American movie.

[Jenne · Rating 4 out of 5]

I remember reading the Reader's Digest Condensed Book version of this in junior high, and going in to school the next day and imagining all the boys in my class as dashing (yet doomed) WWII RAF officers.
It actually stood up pretty well to rereading, esp. since I think she wrote it at age 16 or something ridiculous like that.

[Steph · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of my favourite books. Ignore the risibly inappropriate 1970s cover - this is the haunting story of a teenage girl's brush with bomber crews in Norfolk in 1943, told with accomplished style and maturity by its teenage author.

[Tamara · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was one of my favorite favorite books when I was a teen... it never failed to move me, no matter how many times I read it. I loaned it to someone once and never got it back, so at the age of 40 I searched high and low and finally found another copy. I cannot recommend this highly enough. The cover shown on this edition is ridiculous, btw. It was WWII, they would absolutely not look like that, and I feel it does the book a tremendous disservice.

[Bev · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've lost count of the number of times I've read this small novel! I always enjoy it so much; it never disappoints.

[Jalina · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book starts off with an excerpt from Robert brownings poem “Prospice” that reads, “if I was ever a fighter so-one fight more, the best and the last! I would hate that death bandaged my eyes and forbore and bade me creep past”.

When I first started the book I was unsure why she would start it off with such a verbose poem in my opinion. Upon doing further research on the poem I found the underlying meaning of it all and why Browning felt the need to bury something so meaningful, so intimate beneath this writers jargon.

During my research I found an article that breaks it down perfectly, “Prospice ’ by Robert Browning is a dramatic monologue. The title comes from Latin and means ‘to look forward.’ In the poem, the speaker talks of looking forward and facing death. He will not fear death but approach it with his head held high. Death is but his last fight before he meets his soulmate again and falls into her embrace. Together, they will rest with God”.

The poem is important the theme of the book because during such wartime it was vital that morale stay high and soldiers find something more to fight for in the midst of so much turmoil.

[Alicia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I first read this book over 30 years ago and it remains one of my favorites. I must have read it at least a dozen times. Last read it maybe 25 years ago and, to this day, I vividly remember how I pictured the ending and how I imagined Johnny's organ playing. Have wrestled with myself over hunting down a copy and reading it again, but I have such fond memories of it that I don't want to overwrite them. A definite MUST READ for every teenage girl.

[Robin Allison · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a great, short read. My Book Club is reading it, and it's set during World War II in England. It begins as a grown woman looks back at her diaries of that time, and living near an airbase.

[LoveBooks · Rating 5 out of 5]

En el verano de 1943 Katie una joven de 16 años entra un dia a la iglesia de su familia ya que escucha una hermosa melodia , al entrar se encuentra a un joven de pelo color amarillo casi blanco con la cara envejecida, envejecida por la guerra. Johny de 19 años no solo es un pianista es un artillero de cola,. Katie se enamora de el pero el la mantiene lejos ``no tienes futuro con migo Ktie, buscate uno que si lo tenga`` esas eran las palabras de johny antes de irse a combate. Katie quedo desolada pero no por mucho conoce a un Norte Americano Llamado Henry Richaud o Richi para los amigos, otro aviador de 23 años pintor, que se unio a la guerra cuando vio que se llevaban a su profesor de Arte qu era Judio.

en la base militar Katie conoce a muchas personas que han entrado en su corazon con sus alegrias. pero debia hacerle entender a Johny que el hoy es hoy y que hay que aprobecharlo.

[Alexandra · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve read this book. I’ve recommended it to multiple people and each person loved it. It is a very VERY quick read (only 146 pages) but for what the book lacks in pages, it makes up for in plot. The fact that this was written by a high schooler, I think, is very impressive.

It’s very rare to see a perspective of the Second World War through innocent eyes. The way the main protagonist describes the people she encounters and how her views of the world gradually shift, is very accurate. If you’re someone who doesn’t like heart breaking endings well, this one is bittersweet.

This book got me out of a reading slump. So if you’re like me and are struggling on a book to start your reading journey, then I’d say start here!

[Mariana Fernández · Rating 5 out of 5]

Este libro me recuerda momentos de la vida donde me adentraba al mundo de la lectura, y es maravilloso recordarlo con tanto cariño, pues fue una excelente opción para comenzar a leer.
Es un libro ligero, bonito, y acogedor. La autora nos regala una novela corta, que claro tiene momentos de angustia e incertidumbre, pero es Fan service al final del día, porque aunque te hace sudar de las emociones, es noble con el lector y nos da una historia bonita aunque manchada de sucesos tristes, afortunadamente estos no merman la experiencia del abrazo cálido al corazón que nos da el libro.
Me encanta.

[Sharon Bollen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I first read this as a teen in a Reader's Digest condensed book collection, I then tracked it down to my local library where I borrowed it so many times I practically wore it out, rereading it again after almost thirty years I've rediscovered why I loved it so much. The tone, the sense of time and place all work in harmony, music plays a large part of the story and the book's composition is perfect with it's light, shade, pace and crescendo. I'm glad I found it again. Well met, old friend.

[John Pitcock · Rating 5 out of 5]

Even though this was a fictional romance during World War II England, it felt like it was a non-fiction book by the main character who was telling her story and the stories of young boys growing up too fast to fight a war.

[Sara Martin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the book that started my love of historical fiction. I read it for the first time while in high school shortly after the book was in print, and have read it several times since. Sarah Patterson effectively takes the reader back in time and skillfully crafts an intriguing storyline.

[Kathleen Britton · Rating 5 out of 5]

An old friend of a book, the first WWII novel I ever read

[Glennis · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book some 40 years ago....as a Readers' Digest Condensed Book. The years passed, and I lost track of the volume, and couldn't remember the title. What I could remember was he called her Kate, it was set in WWII and there was a canteen, a minister and an air base. It was a bit of a challenge, but after a few hours of research, I finally found it. Happily. It's a sweet and poignant love story...pure and simple in many ways. This is among my favorites from youth.

[Debby]

Story about a 17-year-old English girl named Kathie and an American flying with the RAF in 1943. Richie, the American, is stationed at an airbase near Kathie's home. The two meet and fall in love. The story deals a lot with how they deal with the war and the constant uncertainty associate with flying bombing missions over Germany.

he book is very well done. It is sensitive to the problems of these two people, and the range of emotions they have. It is not overly sentimental or unrealistic, while it deals with a subject that could have easily been both.

[D.S. · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of my all-time favorite books. I first read it in an adolescent literature course in grad school, and I've read it every few years since then. It's amazing that Ms. Patterson was only a teenager when she wrote it. The plotting and characterization are beautifully done, and the setting (England during World War II) comes alive.

When I taught junior high reading and English, I had three copies in my classroom library. They were almost always checked out. I highly recommend it!

[Susan Bybee · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was one of my favorites as a teenager. I read the Reader's Digest Condensed version first, then was thrilled to find a real copy at the library. Written when the author was just 17. A lot of modern-day authors can't measure up. Patterson is the daughter of action/thriller author Jack Higgins, who was very popular in the 1970s.

[Kiwileese · Rating 5 out of 5]

To say i have read this quite a few times is an understatement, as a teen i read this book dozens of times something in this story really touched a chord with me. I would finish it and then straight away start reading it again.
I am passionate about Lancaster's One of the most beautiful most memorable story's which i simply MUST read again.

[Hannah · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the book that got me into reading and one of the few books that I have kept rather than passed on. Its a wonderful love story that as a teen I fell in love with! I still pull it down from the shelf and settle down with a cup of tea to reread this book.

[Patricia Netzler · Rating 5 out of 5]

16 years old and an amazing writer...its a brilliant view of a teenage author about the way life was when people use to really fall in love at a young age...

[Namekob · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ignore the cover..

[Siân · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book never fails to move me. It's as near to perfect as anything you could ever find. It’s everything you ever wanted in a book. Simply brilliant

[Julia · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful book about England during WWII, and a very skillfully written romance.

[Sara Murguía · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read it in less than 5 hours and really really liked it. Fast and bittersweet but astonishingly good for being written by someone that was 14 years old at the time.

[Sharon Buxton · Rating 4 out of 5]

A. historical fiction, romance, mom's stash, keep

[Charlotte · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is one of my all time favorites. I've read this more times than I can count. She never wrote another one after this, and I really wish that she had. Is it classic literature? No. It's just a very simply told story that I completely lost myself in as a teen. At the time, I could identify with the main character's story line. I finally found a copy on Amazon as mine that had this cover got lost never to find again after I left for college.