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Dragonshill #5
Winter in July
Hers was a small secret mission. Juliana's father had been born and raised on the alpine sheep station of Thor's Hill, but he had left it under mysterious circumstances and never returned to New Zealand. Now, as private-duty nurse at Thor's Hill, Juliana was determined to discover the reason. Something had driven her father away form this beautiful country, but what? And would its shadow always fall between herself and station manager Tulloch MacNair, destroying any chance of their happiness?
Audio Cassette
First published January 1, 1984
About the author
Essie Summers
106 books54 followersEssie Summers was a New Zealand author who wrote so vividly of the people and landscape of her native country that she was offered The Order Of the British Empire for her contributions to New Zealand tourism.
Ethel Snelson Summers was born on on July 24, 1912 to a newly-emigrated couple, Ethel Snelson and Edwin Summers, situated in Bordesley Street in Christchurch, Essie was always proud of both her British heritage and her New Zealand citizenship. Both her parents were exceptional storytellers, and this, combined with her early introduction to the Anne of Green Gables stories, engendered in her a life-long fascination with the craft of writing and the colorful legacy of pioneers everywhere.
Leaving school at 14 when her father's butcher shop experienced financial difficulties, she worked for a number of years in draper's shops and later turned her experiences to good use in writing the romantic novels for which she became famous.
She met her husband-to-be William Flett when she was only 13 years old, but it was 13 years before she consented to marry him. A minister's wife and the mother of two, William and Elizabeth, she still found many opportunities to pen short stories, poetry and newspaper columns before embarking on her first novel, which sold to the firm of Mills & Boon in 1956.
Summers died in Taradale, Hawkes Bay on the August 27, 1998.
http://christchurchcitylibraries.com/...
Ethel Snelson Summers was born on on July 24, 1912 to a newly-emigrated couple, Ethel Snelson and Edwin Summers, situated in Bordesley Street in Christchurch, Essie was always proud of both her British heritage and her New Zealand citizenship. Both her parents were exceptional storytellers, and this, combined with her early introduction to the Anne of Green Gables stories, engendered in her a life-long fascination with the craft of writing and the colorful legacy of pioneers everywhere.
Leaving school at 14 when her father's butcher shop experienced financial difficulties, she worked for a number of years in draper's shops and later turned her experiences to good use in writing the romantic novels for which she became famous.
She met her husband-to-be William Flett when she was only 13 years old, but it was 13 years before she consented to marry him. A minister's wife and the mother of two, William and Elizabeth, she still found many opportunities to pen short stories, poetry and newspaper columns before embarking on her first novel, which sold to the firm of Mills & Boon in 1956.
Summers died in Taradale, Hawkes Bay on the August 27, 1998.
http://christchurchcitylibraries.com/...
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
March 31, 2020
HAIKU BOOK REVIEW: Winter in July, by Essie Summers.
On the high, snowy
Mountaintops of New Zealand,
Mary Sue finds love.
On the high, snowy
Mountaintops of New Zealand,
Mary Sue finds love.
January 8, 2020
All reviewers rating the book @ 4 ! Now that sort of unanimity is indeed rare !
Sweet, poignant, picturesque, sufficiently romantic, fairly dramatic, sensible and beautifully realistic.
Phew ! I don't think I have come up with these many adjectives to describe any story before !
The premise of a nurse reaching a remote New Zealand station and falling for the station manager is quite simplistic. But the initial rubbing off between them was fun. The OW who starts with mischief mongering and ends mid way to the story with a beautiful change of heart was another plus to the story.
Then of course came all the picturesque kiwi life - its remoteness, savagery and beauty of nature in equal measures. Lyrical writing.
The actual conflict in the theme is about the girl's father's name being besmirched in an old controversy. It all turns out quite well in the end. But for a daughter to refuse her heart's love because she can't imagine to drag her father's name back into an old mess. Now that's what heroines are made of - loving but gallant, selfless.
The hero was a charm, a real beauty. Sufficiently eager to flirt and love. But remarkably restrained and poised when it came to handling the girl's refusal to marry. He vowed to find out the reason, without once vilifying the girl. Very heroic.
Adorable leads. Lovely, snazzy support characters. Good, wholesome read.
Sweet, poignant, picturesque, sufficiently romantic, fairly dramatic, sensible and beautifully realistic.
Phew ! I don't think I have come up with these many adjectives to describe any story before !
The premise of a nurse reaching a remote New Zealand station and falling for the station manager is quite simplistic. But the initial rubbing off between them was fun. The OW who starts with mischief mongering and ends mid way to the story with a beautiful change of heart was another plus to the story.
Then of course came all the picturesque kiwi life - its remoteness, savagery and beauty of nature in equal measures. Lyrical writing.
The actual conflict in the theme is about the girl's father's name being besmirched in an old controversy. It all turns out quite well in the end. But for a daughter to refuse her heart's love because she can't imagine to drag her father's name back into an old mess. Now that's what heroines are made of - loving but gallant, selfless.
The hero was a charm, a real beauty. Sufficiently eager to flirt and love. But remarkably restrained and poised when it came to handling the girl's refusal to marry. He vowed to find out the reason, without once vilifying the girl. Very heroic.
Adorable leads. Lovely, snazzy support characters. Good, wholesome read.
December 26, 2015
Juliana's father was born in New Zealand, but left Thor's Hill in the mountains near beautiful Lake Tekapo under a cloud. He left New Zealand, changed his name and is now a famous mountaineer. When his daughter, Juliana is asked oversee the long convalesce of the station owner, she decides to use the opportunity to see the place which her father loved and to try and establish the reason for his abrupt departure.
Tulloch MacNair, the manager, is initially against her coming to the station, but soon changes his mind about her. However, his former girlfriend arrives to complicate things and the mystery of Juliana's father is cause for further complications.
A lovely Essie Summers romance which forms part of the Dragonshill set of her books.
Tulloch MacNair, the manager, is initially against her coming to the station, but soon changes his mind about her. However, his former girlfriend arrives to complicate things and the mystery of Juliana's father is cause for further complications.
A lovely Essie Summers romance which forms part of the Dragonshill set of her books.
December 17, 2013
Juliana is on a quest to find out a secret in her father's past and is overjoyed to go to Thor's Hill, the place where her father had spent his younger years.
Tulloch MacNair is hostile to her, believing her a city girl who wouldn't be able to take the harsh conditions. Of course he is proved wrong and Juliana finds out more than she wants to when she delves into the past.
Naturally after the complications, Tulloch's ex and her own secrets, all seems lost but we get to our happy ending quite safely. Once again we have the extensive cast of characters of three generations. An enjoyable read.
Tulloch MacNair is hostile to her, believing her a city girl who wouldn't be able to take the harsh conditions. Of course he is proved wrong and Juliana finds out more than she wants to when she delves into the past.
Naturally after the complications, Tulloch's ex and her own secrets, all seems lost but we get to our happy ending quite safely. Once again we have the extensive cast of characters of three generations. An enjoyable read.
November 11, 2013
Though I usually love this author's work, this one just didn't do it for me. I just couldn't connect with either H/h. They were both very superficial, almost like one dimensional cardboard. Even evil OW was a watered down version.
October 14, 2018
I don't remember this book as well as many of Summers' earlier works, that I have read multiple times, but in some ways that made it even more enjoyable, since it was almost like reading it for the first time.
Juliana has the opportunity to stay at the New Zealand estate where her father once lived as a child, and later as a young man, but which he never talked about. But she knows she can't mention it to anyone, since he is now an internationally-known mountain climber. Especially not to Tulloch MacNair, who is opposed to Juliana's very presence on the sheep station. But (naturally) the two find themselves fighting their attraction to one another. This book provides a fascinating view of life on a high country sheep station during winter, and the desperate struggles against winter storms that they sometimes face. Highly recommended.
Juliana has the opportunity to stay at the New Zealand estate where her father once lived as a child, and later as a young man, but which he never talked about. But she knows she can't mention it to anyone, since he is now an internationally-known mountain climber. Especially not to Tulloch MacNair, who is opposed to Juliana's very presence on the sheep station. But (naturally) the two find themselves fighting their attraction to one another. This book provides a fascinating view of life on a high country sheep station during winter, and the desperate struggles against winter storms that they sometimes face. Highly recommended.
December 31, 2022
Hers was a small secret mission
Juliana's father had been born and raised on the alpine sheep station of Thor's Hill, but he had left it under mysterious circumstances and never returned to New Zealand.
Now, as private-duty nurse at Thor's Hill, Juliana was determined to discover the reason.
Something had driven her father away from this beautiful country, but what? And would its shadow always fall between herself and station manager Tulloch MacNair, destroying any chance of their happiness?
Juliana's father had been born and raised on the alpine sheep station of Thor's Hill, but he had left it under mysterious circumstances and never returned to New Zealand.
Now, as private-duty nurse at Thor's Hill, Juliana was determined to discover the reason.
Something had driven her father away from this beautiful country, but what? And would its shadow always fall between herself and station manager Tulloch MacNair, destroying any chance of their happiness?
abrierto-to-read-hr-other
August 6, 2022Hers was a small secret mission. Juliana's father had been born and raised on the alpine sheep station of Thor's Hill, but he had left it under mysterious circumstances and never returned to New Zealand. Now, as private-duty nurse at Thor's Hill, Juliana was determined to discover the reason. Something had driven her father away form this beautiful country, but what? And would its shadow always fall between herself and station manager Tulloch MacNair, destroying any chance of their happiness?
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews